Design&Build Magazine July/Aug 2015

Design & Build 

designbuildmagazine.net JUL/AUG 2015 $6.99 

be inspired... 

Cover feature: 

Rejuvenate, Refresh 

and Retreat... to the Mountains 

Cashiers, NC 

Where Quail is King 

Seminole Plantation 

Thomasville, Ga

Welcome to Design & Build 

... be inspired! 

Note from the Editor in Chief 

The prospect of owning a second 

home is appealing to many people 

whether it be at the beach, in the 

mountains or on a sparkling lake. These 

all offer wonderful options for enjoying 

a relaxing getaway with family and 

friends. Many areas are naturally appealing 

such as the refreshing mountains of 

Cashiers / Highlands, NC or the pristine 

shores of Lake Oconee in Greensboro, 

GA. A second home location with a twist 

would be Aiken, S.C., where many devotees 

of equestrian sports such as polo 

or foxhunting gravitate or Thomasville, 

GA. where the sporting lifestyle is still 

part of the everyday culture. In fact, the 

two cities were both choices of Jacqueline 

Kennedy to visit when she sequestered 

herself following the assassination 

of President John F. Kennedy. Here, 

grand estates abound, populations are 

small and those that live there tend to 

treat others with respect. With the great 

outdoors, well, right outdoors, there is 

no lack of ways to be active if you are 

so inclined. 

Thomasville offers fine dining and 

unique boutiques along with art, culture 

and quail hunting. It sits in the midst 

of the largest population of long leaf 

pines in the country scattered over dozens 

of plantations and provides miles of 

hard packed sandy roads to ride horses 

or bikes. Just an hour north of Tallahassee, 

Thomasville is considered one 

of the most cultured cities in Georgia. 

While the Astor’s and Vanderbilt’s were 

building cottages on the Golden Isles, 

the Hannah’s and Whitney’s were establishing 

their own grand resorts in the 

Red Hills, centered around hunting and 

riding. If you plan a visit during the upcoming 

months, I recommend staying at 

the Paxton Historic House Hotel, where 

owner Carol Whitney will serve you the 

best biscuits you have ever tasted, provide 

you with bicycles to pedal around 

town and a cocktail in the afternoon to 

help you unwind before dinner. This gracious 

home, circa 1884, is beautifully 

appointed with antiques, art and vintage 

photographs highlighting the history of 

the area. When evening arrives, relax 

outside on the veranda while enjoy the 

fresh evening air as you are serenaded by 

crickets. 

While in Aiken, be prepared to follow 

all things horsey. This town has traffic 

signals with the change buttons located 

high enough to push via horseback. It 

may be the only city in existence that 

offers visitors the chance to meet at the 

corner of Easy St. and Whiskey St. and 

has an in-town park which is exclusive to 

horses or foot traffic. Polo, steeplechase, 

racing, show jumping, fox-hunting, carriage 

driving…. The list goes on. If you 

want a home built around a polo field, 

Aiken is the place for you. It is a popular 

layover in spring and fall for players 

on the way to Palm Beach for the winter 

or Long Island in the summer, with fast 

and furious polo played somewhere every 

weekend. Along with the equestrian 

lifestyle is fine dining, shopping, and the 

finer things of life. It may not be the life 

for everyone, but as writer Christine Tibbetts 

tells it, it’s a great spectator sport! 

President & Publisher 

William D. Medlock 

Editor in Chief 

Kim D. Jackson 

Editor/Creative Director 

Tracey Buckalew 

Production Assistant 

Lauren Spiler 

Sales 

ads@designbuildmagazine.net 

Contact us at: 

(706) 474-4320 

kimjackson@designbuildmagazine.net 

or editor@designbuildmagazine.net 

©2015 Design&Build Magazine. 

All Rights Reserved. 

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To subscribe to Design&Build Magazine, visit 

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DESIGN&BUILD, July/Aug 2015 Issue (ISSN 2376-0656). Published bimonthly (J/F, M/A, M/J, J/A, 

S/O & N/D) by Kim Jackson Media Group, LLC., 183 West Jefferson Street, Box 4, Madison, GA 30650. 

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DESIGN & BUILD, P.O. Box 1085, Madison, GA 30650. 

2 

JUL/AUG 2015 • DESIGN&BUILD MAGAZINE

fusion bistro 

HOURS: Tues - Sat: 11:00AM - 2:00PM & 5:00PM - 10:00PM 

Closed Sun & Mon 

106 Harmony www.blacksheepinteriors.com Rd, Eatonton, GA 31024 • (706) 404.622.9001 991-9970 • www.bluculina.com

CONTENTS 

July/August 2015 

DESIGN&BUILD 

8 14 22 

InspiringPlacesBeautifulSpaces 

8 Rejuvenate, Refresh, Retreat 

...to the mountains 

A restful, rustic masterpiece 

Cashiers, NC 

14 Aiken for Peace 

Polo player and businessman 

Alan Meeker finds his haven in SC 

Aiken, SC 

22 Where Quail is King 

Period renovation in the plantation 

home of Rankin Smith 

Thomasville, GA 

On the cover: 

Escaping the Georgia heat in a 

mountain retreat. Cashiers, NC. 

Cover photography 

by Jim Lockhart 

4 


Columns 

MILESTONES 

28 Intent to Reinvent: 

Lake Santeetlah Summer Home 

SOUTHWIND 

42 Atlanta’s DeKalb: 

The Arts, Gourmet Lifestyle, Learning and Fun 

SIPS ALONG THE WAY 

48 Thomasville: 

Wine, Roses and Gourmet Dining 

THE FINAL NAIL 

62 If Architects Had to Work Like 

Web Designers 

Depa rtments 

34 46 52 

30 A NEW LIFE 

A Family at Home 

34 ART BY DESIGN 

Pansy’s Legacy: Pebble Hill Plantation 

39 KEEPERS OF THE CULTURE 

Aiken, South Carolina 

46 GREAT ESCAPES 

DESTINATION RELAXATION: 

The Glen-Ella Springs Inn 

50 GOOD FINDS 

Parrot Pot 

Parrot Flower Power 

Keen Home Smart Vent 

INADAYS Inatrap Insect Trap 

52 OUTDOOR LIVING 

Living Outside Your Box 

TALK OF THE TRADE 

56 Design: At Home with Shane 

Shane Meder 

58 Remodel: The Frosting: Lighting 101 

Vanessa Reilly 

60 Finance: Consider This 

Lee Abney 

64 ADVERTISERS

Contributors 

Jamie Miles 

Doc Lawrence 

Veteran travel writer and published 

author Doc Lawrence 

combines three decades 

of experience on the road 

with expertise in wine, spirits, 

arts, fine dining and Southern 

heritage. One of the country’s 

top journallists, Doc, based 

in Atlanta, covers America’s 

Vanessa Reilly 

Vanessa Reilly has been listing 

and selling homes in Atlanta 

for over a decade. In 2008, 

she married her love for interior 

design with her passion 

for mid-century architecture 

and flipped her first home. 

Since then, she has visualized, 

After graduating high school, 

Jamie traveled to Dallas, 

Texas and attended Southern 

Methodist University. She 

received a B.F.A. in Video 

Cinema and a B. S. in Political 

Science. From there she traveled 

to Emory University in At- 

Shane Meder 

Shane Meder is an award-winning 

designer primarily serving 

Atlanta and surrounding communities 

for more than 20 years. 

His Atlanta-based firm, Black 

Sheep Interiors, is committed 

to offering highly personalized 

interior design to clients, helping 

them create the home of 

lanta, Georgia and received 

her Juris Doctorate. A twist of 

events opened the door to 

a creative writing platform, 

and once Jamie slipped her 

5’9 ½” inch frame through 

the wee opening, she never 

looked back. 

their dreams. While the majority 

of the firm’s projects embrace 

current home design and new 

construction throughout the 

Atlanta area, Black Sheep Interior’s 

work also includes homes 

and estates in New York, Chicago, 

San Francisco, Dallas, Hilton 

Head, Brussels, and London. 

stages, parks, galleries, artisinal 

farms and fine dining 

restaurants. Co-authored 

with TV Celebrity Chef Lara 

Lyn Carter, “Southern Thymes 

Shared” (Pelican Publishing) 

Doc pairs the wines of the 

world with Ms. Carter’s amazing 

recipes. 

designed and sold dozens of 

modern renovations in metro 

Atlanta. She is the Broker/ 

Owner of domoREALTY, a 

Real Estate firm that specializes 

in listing and selling some of 

the coolest homes in the ATL. 

Contributing Photographers / Images 

Lee Abney 

Lee M. Abney is an 

attorney in Madison, 

Georgia focusing 

on Real Estate 

law. 

In his spare time, 

he is a father, 

husband, an avid 

runner, and occasional 

writer. 

Christine Tibbetts 

Christine Tibbetts is 

a veteran journalist, 

classically trained 

as a reporter and 

editor. A New Jersey 

native living in 

Georgia, she crafts 

stories focusing on 

the essence of places 

and the people 

within them. 

6 

JUL/AUG 2015 • DESIGN&BUILD MAGAZINE 

Larry Gleason 

Kim Jackson 

Shelly Schmidt (OhSchmidt.com) 

Tony Gouge (A.P Gouge Photography) 

Dale Spartas 

David Lominska 

George Buggs 

Jim Lockhart 

Phil Pyle 

River West

the lake oconee 

effect 

Come find yours... 

Brian Quinn, Lake Oconee’s #1 Realtor 

706.347.2368 • bquinn@plantationcable.net 

lakeoconeegolfcommunties.com


Rejuvenate 

Refresh 

Retreat... 

Many Atlanta families have a tradition of escaping the oppressive heat of the 

Georgia summer by retreating to the mountains of North Carolina during the hottest 

months. Cashiers, located in a valley with an elevation of 3500 feet and Highlands, 

on a mountain with an elevation of 4,118 feet have remained a favorite 

vacation and second home destination since the turn of the century, due to the 

spectacular scenery, exceptional weather and wide variety of activities. Only ten 

miles and 30 minutes of winding mountain roads separate them. 

When building in the mountains, says 

Architectural designer Bill Baker, there are special considerations 

that need to be addressed and often, overcome. 

He suggests you retain an experienced contractor up to the 

challenge of building on the side of a mountain. “There is 

a great chance of hitting rock when digging the foundation 

so understanding the topography is very important,” 

explains Baker. “The parking of construction worker vehicles, 

and getting trucks, equipment and supplies on site test 

the builder as well.” 

Seeing the Beskin mountain cottage, it’s easy to understand 

that overcoming the difficulties is worthwhile. Their 

picturesque home with a cedar shake roof integrates into 

the landscape, providing a fabulous mountain retreat. Baker 

chose to use large sheets of tree bark that were steamed 

into flat sheets as the skin (or outside) of the house. “The 

technique employs a painstaking method of removing the 

tree bark by mechanically peeling it off with a sharp knife. 

The bark is then steamed and treated to preserve it to enhance 

the rustic look,” says Baker. “It is a complicated process 

but one which produces a very distinctive appearance, 

especially with a home that you are integrating into the 

landscape. As this is a fragile material, you do need to protect 

it from the elements. The eaves offer protection from 

the weather and a stone wainscot prevents rain damage. We 

used weather sheaving underneath the indigenous tree bark 

as an added barrier against the elements.” 

These types of materials are often used in the Highlands/ 

“The owners taste leaned toward French Country style. I took that preference and blended it with a 

North Carolina feeling, as can be seen in the front hall. A poplar post on the staircase is juxtaposed 

with a faded, French Country buffet and an antique Oushak rug. We loved the soft, muted, faded 

tones in the palette it created. “ 

~ Kathleen Rivers, Interior Designer, KathleenRivers.com 

8 


...to the mountains

Cashiers area when the client desires a house that incorporates 

indigenous trees. According to Baker, the texture and 

color of the bark complements the rugged, natural mountain 

rock, adding more texture to the façade. The columns 

and railings of the porch are made from locally harvested 

black, locust trees. 

In an effort to create an all-wood look for the interior, reclaimed 

wood planks and massive hand-hewn beams from 

old barns were used extensively on the walls and ceilings 

of the Beskins home. Even the staircase railing makes use 

of log timbers. The home’s many fireplaces are lined with 

granite instead of firebrick and have monolithic slabs of 

stone above the firebox openings. All the floors are made 

of wide-plank heart-of-pine, with the cracks and imperfections 

carefully preserved to add to the natural charm. 

No trip to the mountains would be complete without the 

family’s dogs. So, in the pantry, concealed under a counter 

of rough-cut wood, the home incorporates a specially designated 

area for the dog’s beds. 

Stepping out of the house to the rear deck and porch, 

one is immediately struck by the beauty of the mountain 

views. The covered porch is the focus of casual, evening 

dinners for family and friends, beside the stone fireplace. 

Hand hewn limbs are woven into a decorative lattice detail 

that runs from top of column to top of column. Sitting on 

the porch in the evening, one can hear the sounds of tree 

frogs calling their mates while the hoots and calls of owls 

fill the night. Breathing the fragrant air, you can understand 

why this is considered a piece of heaven on earth. 

Written by Kim Jackson 

DB 

10 


DESIGN&BUILD MAGAZINE • JUL/AUG 2015 11

Where to get 

the Lo ok 

ANTIQUE RUGS: 

Oushak: 

OneKingsLane 

onekingsland.com 

KITCHEN CABINETS: 

Bradley 

bradley-usa.com 

DINING ROOM 

Chandelier: 

custom-made 

by local craftsman 

Jack Jaynes 

Wicker chairs: 

Basketworks 

560 NC-107, Cashiers, NC 

Framed prints: 

Audubon 

“Amsterdam editions” 

Gallery on the Green 

40 Burns St, Cashiers, NC 

LIVING ROOM 

Sofas 

Travis & Company 

travisandcompany.com 

Wall paint 

Benjamin Moore 

Satin Impervo 

“Putnam Ivory” 

benjaminmoore.com 

BARK SIDING 

The Bark House 

barkhouse.com 

ECLECTIC ACCESSORIES: 

Scott Antique Market 

scottantiquemarket.com

Claim your treasure. 

Jackson Hole Trading Post 

& Gem Mine 

Open every day from May 1 - November 1 from 10 am to 4 pm. Call for all other times. 828-524-5850 

9770 Highlands Road • Highlands, NC 28741


F 

Aiken for Peace 

A home is a haven. It is a place of solace, of quiet time, of peace. Those 

who can, build a second residence far and away from the epicenter of 

their daily business grind, as it is easier to separate play from work. This 

place is their sigh of relief. It is where hobbies are pursued and life is truly 

lived. This is the best sort of retreat. 

FOR FORT WORTH, TEXAS RESIDENT ALAN 

Meeker, Crestview Farm in Aiken, SC is a place for 

to regain quietude while pursuing his love of polo. 

“The gates to Crestview are very heavy. When 

you’re behind them, you know you’re safe. There 

is a long, lovely drive up to the house and the polo 

field, and something is always in bloom. It’s a very 

special place, and was designed around tranquility.” 

The den, in particular, is a restful space for Meeker 

and his two children. On the hardwood floor rests a 

Flokati rug purchased in Greece. “The feel of the 

rug is like walking on silk,” he says happily. “It’s 

extraordinary.” Woven and processed in an age-old 

tradition of being washed for hours in waterfalls or 

fast-moving streams, the wool is fluffed and pulled 

by the water flow into luxurious softness. Flokati rugs 

have been cherished for centuries and are known for 

their resilience and for being naturally static free and 

flame resistant. The den is also graced with some 

of Meeker’s favorite portraits. The paintings are of 

some of his horses—but not just any horses. These 

are cloned. (Yes, cloned—and the world’s first, at 

that.) Mr. Meeker’s company owns the rights to 

the exclusive cloning technique which was used to 

clone Dolly the sheep in 1996. Polo players prefer 

to play mares, and as such, they do not go into the 

breeding shed. Cloning champion ponies has turned 

into a lucrative new business. 

But, we digress. 

Second homes tend to be filled with things the 

owner appreciates and that reflect their lifestyle. 

Meeker’s favorite portrait resides above the mantle 

in the living room. Entitled “Green Jays,” the brilliantly 

colored bird was painted by Stuart Gentling. 

If you don’t recognize the name, he and his brother 

painted the official presidential portraits of both 

Bush presidents. 

In the kitchen, Meeker also took the opportunity 

to fill the space with materials that speak to him. 

“My good friend Trammell Crow lives in Dallas. 

He has Blue Bahia granite in his home,” he begins. 

“I always loved it and thought that if I ever got the 

opportunity, I’d find a place to use it. When I came 

across a Cobalt blue stove, I decided to design the 

kitchen around it and the blue granite.” Like any 

good southern gentleman, Meeker also gave a nod to 

his mama in the design scheme. “My mother always 

said a house is not complete unless there is a room 

with an oriental flavor,” he muses. “The powder 

room is a beautiful little oriental jewel box.” 

“I love this house,” Meeker says. “When we started, 

all that was here was cornfield and forest.” Three 

14 


“If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own back yard. 

Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.” ~ Dorothy, Wizard of Oz 

Custom 

cabinetry by 

Clive Christian 

of Beverly Hills 


Alan Meeker 

(on right) in a 

match with 

HRH Prince Harry 

of Great Britain. 

16 


years later, and plans modeled after a rendering 

drawn on the back of a bar napkin at the Willcox Hotel 

yielded 152 acres of male bonding heaven. Not 

only does the elder Meeker satisfy his need for polo 

on this estate, but the youngest Meekers, 

9 and 11, enjoy a fully stocked 

bass and crappie pond and an archery/ 

gun range. 

Modeled from the Cloister at Sea 

Island, Meeker designed his house to 

showcase the ceilings and exposed 

wood beams. Although some of the 

wood was locally harvested, the majority 

of timber used is from a stand of 

Douglas fir found in Oregon. Cut and 

dried to his specifications, the actual 

construction was not unlike an oldtime, 

Amish barn raising. Dove-tail 

joints were used in the residence and 

also in the barn, which stables Crestview’s 

polo ponies. 

Fellow player and friend JD Cooper of Cooper 

Home and Stable in Aiken helped Meeker draft his 

vision. “I met Alan shortly after he arrived in Aiken,” 

Cooper explains. “He wanted to set up a polo 

operation here, and we talked about how to design 

the property organically. Alan came by the site every 

weekend during construction and hashed out the 

details with me. Together, we made good choices 

and wise decisions about how to develop the land.” 

One of those decisions was to style the barn as a 

rustic, rough-hewn, Colorado post-and-beam type 

of structure, with a broad overview of quality and 

JD Cooper of Cooper Home & 

Stables 

use of long-lasting materials. “Alan wants this to be 

here in a hundred years,” comments Cooper. With 

a slate roof and all wood treated with a fire-proof 

preservative that also protects against rot, mildew 

and insects, it’s very likely to still be 

standing well into the next century. 

“The interesting thing about homes, 

and more so about barns, is that people 

have particular tastes, styles and 

functions for the horses and for themselves,” 

Cooper explains. “It’s a personal 

space for them. No two barns are 

the same.” 

Having moved from Kentucky to 

Aiken to enjoy a longer polo season, 

this Auburn graduate has found a way 

to incorporate his love of horses with 

his talent for custom construction. In 

Aiken, there are over 30 polo fields 

but, according to Cooper, there aren’t 

many polo barns that are top-end. 

“Crestview is the exception,” he states. 

Indeed, it is exceptional. 

DB 

Written by Tracey Buckalew 

In Crestview, as with all 

of the barns I build, we 

used 2 ½ in thick, 

interlocking rubber 

brick for the floors. 

The ceilings are lined 

with tongue and groove 

joint pine. It has a beautiful, 

natural, woody feel to 

it. It is also insulated, with a 

water source heat pump. 

It’s very energy and cost 

efficient. 

~ JD Cooper, builder 


We can’t get enough of 

these amazing barns. 

Enjoy! 

Hampf Farm - Eventing/Fox Hunting 

“The Hampf’s are a great 

family from Nashville. They 

do fox hunting with their 

horses and are heavily 

involved in eventing. They 

were looking for a place to 

settle down in the South to 

escape the winter. When I 

met them, the barn design 

was already done. 

We put the cabinet in the 

aisle for Joan [Hampf] to 

stow all the horse blankets 

and such. It’s made out of 

the same material as the 

rest of the barn, which is 

the wonderful yellow pine. 

The stall fronts, end doors 

and stall windows were 

custom made by a company 

from Cynthiana, Kentucky 

called Lucas Equine 

Equipment.” 

~JD Cooper

Two-Notch Farm - Dressage 

“When Stephanie Saunders 

brought me in to redo her 

barn, it was very rough on 

the inside. As one of the 

first Thoroughbred training 

barns in Aiken, it had been 

standing since the early 

1900s and had to be completely 

gutted. Stephanie, 

whose father is actor Cliff 

Robertson, is wonderfully 

creative and has great 

taste. 

The lounge area in the 

barn has a door that 

opens into a stall where 

she keeps her personal 

horse. She wanted him 

to be able to look in and 

interact with her when she 

was relaxing in this room. 

The walls and ceiling are 

skins stripped from heart 

pine beams. They give the 

space a gorgeous, earthy 

glow.” 

~JD Cooper

Blackforest Equestrian- Dressage 

“I designed the barn from 

pictures out of a landscape 

book of old English 

mansions. I’m a mechanical 

engineer, so I was able 

to do some fairly detailed 

sketches of what I wanted. 

I found John Seaton, 

a British builder who had 

experience with restoration 

of old homes. He knows 

the old world methods of 

using timbers and joists, and 

he understood the look we 

were going for. 

There were many parts 

of the process where, if 

we couldn’t find what we 

wanted, we made it or 

improvised. The wood in 

the center part of the barn 

aisles was beautiful pine 

taken from wooden pallets. 

The keystones over the 

doors were sculpted by me 

out of clay, and molds 

were made and poured 

from the design. 

The neat thing about John 

is that when I had an idea 

of what I wanted to do, he 

helped me figure out how 

to do it. It was fun!” 

~Kathy Lewis, owner 

20 


Suzita 

Polo Ponies 

30 x 40 

(price upon request) 

suzitageorge.com 

Tel 239.248.0659 

Madison, Georgia


Where Q uail is King 

Seminole Plantation is a treasured 

part of the family of Rankin Smith, Sr. 

who purchased it in 1979. This idyllic 

retreat is nestled in the Red Hills 

region of south Georgia just slightly 

east of Thomasville, amongst majestic, 

old-growth, longleaf pines, and 

magnolias. Here, the Bobwhite is 

king and wild coveys are plentiful. 

O 

Our caravan is traveling down the Monticello-Boston 

road, a long, flat ribbon of asphalt cutting through the sparsely populated, 

south Georgia piney woods. We are passing picture-book 

scenery in search of Seminole Plantation, a quail hunting preserve 

that dates to the late 1850s. Today, the privately owned plantation 

remains intact as a country getaway, where family and friends 

gather to relax and enjoy the sporting life. Bryan Knox, the grandson 

of Rankin Smith, Sr. considers Seminole a special part of his 

heritage, earning a degree in Forestry from the Warnell School of 

Forestry and Natural Resources at University of Georgia to assist 

in overseeing the management of the 9000 acre plantation. The 

Red Hills region of Georgia is home to the largest stand of old 

growth, long leaf pine trees in the country, so the importance of 

management is understandable. 

The history of Seminole Plantation dates back to the mid- 

1800’s. According to Ann Harrington of the Thomasville History 

Museum, the land was acquired by Major Josiah Jefferson Everitt, 

who moved to Thomas County in 1839. Everitt and his wife, 

Harriet Ann Archer, named their plantation Ashland. The house is 

22 


Seminole Plantation after restoration 

New fire pit constructed from old brown Savannah brick.

attributed to John Wind, Thomas County’s premier antebellum 

architect. 

John Barber Everitt, one of twelve children and the only son 

to reach adulthood, served in the Confederate Army during 

the Civil War. He inherited the home and 275 acres in 1882, 

living there a number of years before moving to Louisville, 

Georgia. In 1917 Everitt sold Ashland to his great-nephew 

William Thomas Mardre. Mardre was the manager of the 

famous Greenwood Plantation and served in the state legislature. 

He renamed the plantation Mardreland and began acquiring 

additional property to enlarge the original holding. 

Seminole’s ownership changed hands again in the 1950s 

when the Murchison family of Texas purchased it. They are 

attributed with renaming the plantation Seminole, perhaps in 

honor of the Indian tribe which populated Florida. In 1979, 

Rankin Smith, Sr. - philanthropist, supporter of the Fernbank 

Museum and former owner of the Atlanta Falcons purchased 

Seminole. The property remains a part of the Smith family 

holdings and they continue to enjoy quail hunting and family 

gatherings at their private retreat. Seminole Plantation is 

considered a wonderful and important part of the history of 

Thomas County and the Smith family are honored caretakers 

of the property which is treasured by the entire community. 

When they realized the home was suffering from age related 

ailments, including chimneys that were becoming structurally 

unsound, it was time to address the needs of the grande old 

house and breathe life back into it. 

My tour guide for the day is Charlie Whitney, who turned 

his extensive love of history into a lifelong career in the antiquities 

business, beginning as an auctioneer and later as owner 

of C.H. Whitney Antiques. He has now added the title of Independent 

Restoration Consultant to his resume. Due to his 

trained eye for historical accuracy and painstaking attention 

to detail, he was retained in 2012 to restore Seminole to its 

original state of pristine glory. No easy task when you consider 

that a home built in the 1850’s was constructed without 

power tools. It’s fair to say that Whitney is committed to the 

old ways of working to attain a feeling of timelessness. 

Seminole is a reflection of a different era, when seasonal 

visitors flocked to Thomasville to enjoy the moderate win- 

The ladies parlor at Seminole. 

24 


ters, escaping the bitter colds of northern locales as soon as 

the first snowflake touched the ground. They gathered with 

family and friends to enjoy sporting activities such as quail 

hunting, horseback riding and social gatherings. In Thomasville, 

these traditions continue to this day, with the quaint 

south Georgia town coming to life as the hot summer days 

and nights give way to cooler fall breezes. 

“It was important to the family to take the house back to 

as close to original as possible,” explains Whitney, with his 

south Georgia drawl. He is modest and unassuming, however 

if a client desires a renovation to accurately reflect the era 

in which a building was constructed, Whitney is on many 

people’s list to oversee the project. “The Smith family was 

very involved in this project from the first and had specific 

ideas of what they wanted. We took their ideas and put them 

all together, restoring and retaining as much of the original 

structure as possible, from the windows to the fireplaces.” 

The home is breathtaking in its simplicity, with beautiful 

attention to detail. Thomasville decorator Gina Shumake 

used many of the Smith’s family pieces, including framed 

photographs displayed on the staircase that illustrates the 

family history. “I basically took their ideas and put it together,” 

said Shumake. “We tried to create a comfortable 

feeling that had a Southern feel. The formal furniture from 

the 1950’s was replaced with modern furniture that was 

comfortable for casual living. We had fun using vintage materials 

and the family selected items at Scotts Antique Market 

that integrated well into the furnishings.” 

The architecture is a classic four-over-four Georgian style 

with 4 bedrooms upstairs, 2 parlors downstairs (men’s & 

ladies), a mud room, dining room, kitchen and wide, expansive 

hallway shooting straight through the middle of the 

house, with an elegant stairway leading upstairs and 13 foot 

ceilings. The original kitchen was separate from the main 

house and is now the gun and trophy room, as well a guest 

bedroom. Built completely from Southern yellow pine harvested 

from the land, mellowed heart pine gleams throughout 

the home and is used for flooring and hand rails. 

Every detail of the renovation, from designing and crafting 

of the dining room table from reclaimed heart pine to 

Dining room with handmade heart pine table and reproduction period chairs. 


emaking necessary pieces of the intricate moldings used 

outside for decorative trim was overseen by Whitney. The 

moldings and railings as best as possible are all original 

throughout the house with necessary replacements created 

by the old method of using a single blade to cut and shape 

each piece, and the finishing done by blades as well. 

“The dining room table and chairs are historically accurate,” 

says Whitney. “We designed the chairs to be true to 

the era and a local craftsman built each one individually. 

We replaced the hardware on all the doors and cabinets 

and used a special technique to give a patina of age. The 

original steel hinges on the doors were still here but they 

all had to be removed. We stripped off multiple layers of 

paint and then repainted them black.” 

The fireplaces were one of the more challenging parts 

of the restoration. There are four fireplaces in the house 

and they all share the same main flue. The fireplaces 

were a concern of the family and for safety, it was necessary 

to completely refurbish the inside of the flue. The 

brickwork around each fireplace inside the home was also 

redone, using antique brown brick from Savannah. A total 

of 3000 bricks were ordered to ensure enough for the 

project. Whitney explained that it is important when using 

reclaimed materials to have enough on hand for completion 

of the job. “Some bricks get broken and matching the 

bricks for color is necessary for the aesthetic appearance. 

In addition to the restoration of the fireplaces, an outside 

fire pit was built with the remaining bricks.” 

It was difficult not to linger once the tour was complete. 

The cars were cranked and running long before I was 

ready to depart. Seminole Plantation possesses a sense of 

comfort, charm and warmth, and is extremely livable with 

sporting art and quail figurines of various materials scattered 

throughout; it is a family home enjoyed by all who 

are blessed to visit. For Charlie Whitney, it was a year well 

spent. For the Smith’s, the restoration was a completion of 

their dream to preserve Seminole for the next generation. 

DB 


Where to get the Look 

HISTORICAL RENOVATION: At C.H. Whitney, we realize 

that every client has a different combination 

of assets, limitations and dreams. Our goal is to 

understand your unique needs so we can plan 

the perfect solution. Whether the project involves 

new construction, historical restoration or interior 

decorating, we are dedicated to addressing the 

specific and individual needs of our clients. 

www.chwhitney.com 

26 


Photo top: 

Master Bedroom. 

Below: 

Guest bedroom. 

Opposite page 

top: 

Family photos 

line the staircase. 

Bottom: 

Doorknobs 

and hardware 

were given an 

aged patina 

to fit the time 

period represented 

in the 

renovation. 


Intent to Reinvent 

Lake Santeetlah 

Summer Home 

n 

o 

r 

t 

h 

c 

a 

r 

o 

l 

i 

n 

a 

28 


MileStones 

Out of the Ashes 

An Architect and Artist Turn the Loss of their 

Vacation Home Into an Opportunity to Showcase 

the Creativity of Five Generations 

LAKE SANTEETLAH, NC — When the Tunnell family’s 

North Carolina vacation home burned to the ground, they lost 

more than just memories. They lost a repository of family art, 

much of which had been created by Jean Reese, a ceramic artist 

and mother of Karen Reese Tunnell. Karen, a textile artist, 

and husband Bill, an architect and founding partner of TSW, 

an Atlanta-based planning, architecture and landscape architecture 

firm, decided to turn tragedy into opportunity. 

“Over the years, Bill and I had adapted our various homes to 

accommodate our tastes and our growing family, but we had 

never had the chance to collaborate and build a home for our 

family from scratch. It was exciting for us to work together 

to create a beautiful, functional home that could also showcase 

art created by family members spanning five generations, 

including my great-grandmother, grandfather, grandmother 

(a quilter), my mother, myself and our children,” said Karen 

Tunnell. 

The rebuilding process began in 2004 and the home was 

completed in 2007. It overlooks Lake Santeetlah in western 

North Carolina, and is both contemporary and rustic, traditional 

and whimsical. The 2,400-square-foot, four-story home 

includes three bedrooms and three baths, plus an office/guest 

room, a large art studio and a woodworking shop. The Tunnell 

family enjoyed the home for a number of years before they 

sold it in late 2014. 

The first thing we did when we began to design the home 

was sift through the wreckage of the original house to find 

shards of pottery and dishes from my mother’s work,” said 

Karen. “Mom and I used them to create mosaics throughout 

the new home – on the outdoor fireplace, countertops and tables, 

and as a kitchen backsplash. It was a way to bridge the 

old and the new and to honor my mother’s work. 

“Bill designed a beautiful home on the footprint of the original 

structure. Because the lot is so tiny (just over a tenth of an 

acre) and so steep, the house reaches for every possible square 

foot of indoor and outdoor living space, with each floor cantilevered 

beyond the one below. The timber frame has a light, 

spare quality, which emphasizes these structural gymnastics. 

The result is that the main living level hovers in the treetops 

60 feet above the lake. The stepped façade, facing south, 

provides shading for each floor in the summer, while allowing 

winter sunlight bouncing off the water to penetrate deep 

into the house. Deep roof overhangs, ceiling fans and natural 

cross-ventilation help keep the house comfortable most of the 

summer without air conditioning.” 

To make the home suitable for multi-generational living, Bill 

incorporated principles of Universal Design into the structure 

like easy-access shower stalls, wider doors and levered 

door handles. The four-story elevator shaft with windows at 

each level allows guests of all abilities to move throughout the 

house, and is great fun for kids to ride, too. 

“Both Karen and Jean created custom art pieces for the 

home’s interiors. While we owned the vacation home, Karen’s 

textile works hung on the walls, and she and her mother 

collaborated on a rug for the living room made from left-over 

quilting scraps. Our son Dylan and daughter Leila both contributed 

sculptures to Karen’s spectacular mountainside garden, 

which grew in over the years to heal the scars left by the 

fire,” said Bill. 

The home’s light-weight timber frame is expressed on the 

interior as well, with exposed roof trusses over the soaring 

two-story living room. Tall double French doors and transom 

windows take maximum advantage of the spectacular lake 

views complimented by an intimate three-sided glass alcove 

facing the lake, just large enough to accommodate two recliners. 

There is a surprising variety of outdoor living spaces, including 

a covered outdoor living room, a cliff-top terrace and 

spacious lakefront balconies on all four levels. The loft office 

overlooking the living room gave Bill needed workspace 

where he completed a number of projects, including developing 

the Master Plan for nearby Santeetlah Lakeside, and designing 

several of the community’s homes. 

Bill said there was a lot of push and pull between husband 

and wife while he was designing the home in order to fully 

integrate his architectural ideas with Karen’s artful installations 

and finishes. Both realized the creation of this home was 

a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a special place that 

inspired and nurtured their family, friends and themselves. 

And, while the home is now being enjoyed by a new family, 

the Tunnells have many happy memories of creating a special 

place that successfully blended the diverse talents of all the 

family members who worked together to create it. 

DB 

Written by Julie Herron Carson 


ANewLife 

I 

A Family at Home 

Claude and Liz Grizzard are family-centered so when thoughts of a vacation 

house became a focus they were drawn to the gated community of Reynolds 

Plantation in Greensboro, GA. Twenty-four years ago Lake Oconee, located east 

of Atlanta, was a quiet, idyllic spot to build a weekend escape, and it perfectly fit 

the needs of their growing family. 

IN THE EARLY 1980’S, LAKE OCONEE WAS AN 

undeveloped piece of paradise located between Greensboro 

and Eatonton. The vision of Mercer Reynolds 

gave birth to Reynolds Plantation, located on the sparkling, 

pristine shores of Lake Oconee and consequently 

contributed to the development of the entire area. 

The Reynolds family quietly set about transforming the 

property that had been in the family for over 100 years. 

What started out as middle Georgia hunting land became 

prime lake front property in 1979 when Georgia 

Power completed the construction of the Wallace Dam 

on the Oconee River. Today, in addition to boating 

and other lake activities, Reynolds Plantation boasts 

championship golf courses, a club lifestyle and upscale 

seclusion, including the five-star, Ritz-Carlton Lodge, 

Reynolds Plantation. This has catapulted the community 

into one of the most desired areas for a second home 

in Georgia. 

It was in 1989 that Claude and Liz Grizzard, decided 

to buy a lot to build a vacation home at Reynolds 

Plantation. “We wanted a livable home, an old fashioned 

lake house where we could come with the kids 

and be comfortable,” says Claude. “We saw it as a family 

retreat, where we could bring the children and the 

grandchildren and enjoy playing outdoors, boating and 

relaxing.” 

They selected a lot in one of the original sections of 

Reynolds - Terrell Circle and the following year purchased 

the adjoining point lot. Lowell White was the 

developer of the section and the builder of their home, 

which was completed in 1991. They moved in July 4th 

weekend which translates into many years of lake living. 

“We’ve been here this July 4th for 24 years,” says 

Claude. “With three children and now eight grandkids, 

aged 15 to 23, we have a full house every weekend 

during the summer months. We thought the house was 

large enough, but when they’re all here, we’ve dsicovered 

it’s not large enough! We just keep adding beds to 

accommodate; the rooms are crowded, with bunk beds 

in several rooms but it works.” 

The house is situated as far down the lot and as close 

to the lake as possible. The builder placed the stakes 

for the house and then the Grizzard’s asked him to go 

farther. “We took two feet off the house, width-wise to 

move closer to the shoreline,” Claude said. “Our architect 

drew us a lake-house-style home. We told her what 

we wanted and she did it. I don’t know if it is a style but 

it’s our style. ” Beautifully situated, the home is com- 

30 


Dining room and living room 

View from the front yard. 

The back deck.

The Grizzard boat slip. 

plete with soaring ceilings, beautiful views, a stackedstone 

fireplace and glassed in outdoor living area which 

allows for enjoyment during the cooler months. Liz explains 

the patio is the favorite place for everyone during 

late summer afternoons or nice evenings. “We have 

beautiful sunrises and sunsets. We’re boat people, we 

aren’t golfers and we have a pontoon boat at this dock 

and on the other dock there is a speed boat for the kids 

and the grandkids.” 

The Grizzard’s have completed recent renovations in 

the past 18 months, including the kitchen, and the downstairs 

master bedroom and bath. “We discovered that 

renovations always take longer than you expect!” The 

decorator followed their love of blue, with teals showing 

up in the pillows in the main living area. “We have been 

very comfortable in all this blue so we will stay in the 

blue family while we are redecorating. We prefer that, or 

the neutral, woodsy look,” Liz explains. 

It’s no surprise that the Grizzard vacation home has 

expanded to include volunteer hours with the Greensboro 

Boys and Girls Club. “I stepped in and became 

Chairman of the Board several years ago. A lot of us did 

a lot of work to get it going,” says Claude. “It’s a super 

program. We have 380 kids. And we are making a difference 

in their lives.” On a personal note, Grizzard has 

been involved in the Boys & Girls Clubs of North America 

for 53 years in some capacity, including serving on 

the National Board, and he recently received a Lifetime 

Achievement Award from the BGCNA. 


DB 

32 


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“Doc Lawrence pairs Old and New World wines 

with Chef Lara Lyn Carter’s Deep South dishes, 

making this marvelously collectible book a 

priceless kitchen resource. Thomas Jefferson 

would be very proud.” 

Carl White, award-winning host of “Life in the Carolinas.” 

Coming Soon . . . 

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Available now at Amazon.com 

Travel the countryside with two of the foremost 

observers of Southern lifestyles and enjoy 

with Carl White and Doc Lawrence 

authentic food, wonderful farms, local theater, 

folk artists, original music with stops along the way to visit Scarlett O’Hara, Hank Williams, Andy 

Griffith and others. Here’s radio like you’ve never heard before complete with authentic accents. 

Atlanta’s Gone With The Wind Trail. . . Outer Banks Browsing . . . Fly Fishing . . . Southern Wineries . . . 

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Carl White is an Emmy-nominated TV host. 

Combine his talents with the journalist skills 

of Doc Lawrence and you have the 

best of North Carolina and 

Georgia teamed to entertain. 

Stay Tuned!

ArtByDesign 

Pansy’s Legacy 

“Sporting art” is a relatively modern term, referring to a genre that encompasses 

country pursuits, predominantly in the eighteenth and early nineteenth 

centuries. Often the style was referred to as animal pictures or portraits 

by people who appreciated them when they were first in vogue. At 

Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomasville, the Elisabeth Ireland Poe Museum of 

Sporting Art is a genuine reflection of the lifestyle and the art of the people 

who lived there. 

P 

PEBBLE HILL PLANTATION, PLANTED IN THE 

midst of plantation country, is more a sprawling grand 

estate of the Golden Isles ala the Vanderbilt’s and Rockefeller’s 

than a classic plantation home. From the lavish 

stables, gardens and even swimming pool, the magnificent 

neoclassical structure stands gracefully in South 

Georgia but could be located anywhere. The main house 

was rebuilt in the early 1930’s after the original home 

was lost to a disastrous fire which left only the east loggia 

standing, saved by a bucket brigade passing buckets 

of water hand to hand from the swimming pool to 

douse the flames. The present home is constructed of 

brick, with Italian marble floors, a sweeping staircase, 

grand rooms and a priceless art collection. Due to the 

generosity of Elisabeth Ireland Poe (Miss Pansy), Pebble 

Hill is held in private trust. Upon her death in 1978 the 

estate was opened to the public with all the original fine 

art, antique furniture, fine china, crystal, silver trophies 

and so forth of the Hannah family on display, including 

the collections of both Miss Pansy and her mother, Kate 

Hannah Ireland. 

Pansy was considered a trend-setter of her day. She 

played polo in the 1920’s & 30’s at a time when women 

did not play polo. She enjoyed hunting fox, quail and 

other game on the family plantation but it was her love of 

sporting art and the collection she amassed for which she 

is best remembered. In 2010 the Trustees of Pebble Hill 

deemed the art so significant they converted the second 

floor into display space and the Museum of Sporting Art 

at Pebble Hill was established. Visitors to the museum 

may now view the collection in one space which adds 

significantly to the enjoyment. 

A combination of bronzes, paintings and lithographs, 

all of which relate to sporting art are on permanent exhibition 

in the museum while many other works including 

the collection of first edition Audubon’s remain on the 

first floor in the living areas. Museum Director Whitney 

White says, “To me, it is a collection that represented 

what Pansy loved, the outdoor life and the hounds, hunting, 

and her horses. While Pansy was invited to visit the 

White House numerous times, she never went, preferring 

instead to pursue the sporting lifestyle not only in 

Thomasville but in Cleveland, Saratoga and Lexington. 

On exhibit are numerous works of art by John Emms, 

Charles Towne, Walter Hunt, Pierre Jules Mene, and 

Sir Alfred Munnings, all leading artists of the time as 

well as a wide range of other recognized artists, some 

of whom were personal friends. The centerpiece of the 

collection is by Munnings, ‘My Horse Is My Friend: The 

Artist’s Wife & Isaac’ and is considered by many collectors 

to be the finest Munnings in existence. Loaned for 

a brief period in 2013 to the National Sporting Museum 

34 


Right 

Artist: 

Thomas Blinks 

British, b. 1853, d. 1910 

Painting: 

Hounds Over Fence 

Below 

Artist: 

Sir Alfred Munnings 

British, b. 1878, d. 1959 

Painting: 

My Horse Is My Friend 

painting depicts the artists 

wife and her horse, Isaac.

and Library located in Middleburg, Virginia, the 

Wall Street Journal said of the Munnings painting: 

“The exhibition’s most memorable painting 

of horse and rider is the 1922 portrait of his second 

wife, Violet McBride. (Almost as eccentric 

as her husband, Violet published a diary of her 

Pekingese, Black Night, and had him stuffed after 

he died.) The painting shows a slightly smiling 

Violet standing, dressed in an elegant black riding 

habit, hand on hip, holding the reins of her grey 

mount. The originality of her dismounted pose, 

and the asymmetrical arrangement of horse and 

rider are striking, as is the picture’s setting—only 

faintly suggested by the broad, abstract bands of 

browns and green. By contrast, the horse’s coat 

is a wonder of closely observed light, shade and 

texture set down in a flurry of fluid, heavily laden 

brush strokes.” 

Another prominent artist is Walter Hunt who 

was born in London, the son of Charles Hunt, a 

painter of genre (everyday scenes). He studied 

with his father and became primarily a painter of 

animals specializing in paintings of dogs, hunting, 

barn interiors, farmyard scenes and other 

farmyard animals. 

Hunt was highly regarded for his animal and 

farmyard scenes and first exhibited at the Royal 

Academy at the age of nineteen. He continued to 

paint until his death in 1941. 

P.J. Mene was born the son of a metal turner 

and received instruction on sculpture and founding 

from his father. Although mostly self-taught, 

much of his early studies were at the “Jardin des 

Plantes” in Paris, where he developed his talent 

for animal sculpture. He first exhibited at the Paris 

Salon in 1838 and continued to exhibit there 

regularly until his death. 

Mene was one of the most prolific and popular 

sculptors of the Animalier School and one of its 

earliest pioneers. He opened his own foundry in 

the 1850’s where he created lost wax castings of 

his sculptures in bronze. Mene was admired for 

his realistic portrayals of animals and the detail 

with which he executed each casting. 

Pebble Hill makes for a delightful overnight 

escape where you can immerse yourself 

into another time and space. Go for 

the grandeur and enjoy this marvelous 

art collection, amongst all the other 

wonders. 

DB Written by Kim Jackson 

Artist: 

Pierre Jules Mene 

French, b. 1810, d. 1897 

Sculpture: 

Huntsman and Hounds 

Bronze 

English sporting artist John Emms is well 

represented in the Poe collection. Emms 

was an avid hunter and became 

famous for his paintings of horses and 

dogs, particularly foxhounds and terriers. 

Emms achieved an artistic acumen that 

few could rival. A keen huntsman with a 

consummate interest in the sporting 

field, he is known for using fluid 

brushstrokes which beautifully capture 

the physical characteristics and 

individual temperaments of his 

canine subjects. 

36 


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Photos: This page: The Aiken racehorse exercise track at dawn. 

Opposite page: Polo ponies in action.

KeepersOfTheCult u re 

Aiken, South Carolina 

Defining culture and heritage through equestrian pleasures and fine architecture. 

SHAPING A HOLIDAY WITH AN 

eye for architecture and design in 

buildings, forests and landscapes, even 

fences and open spaces might provide 

a new filter for pleasant vacation experiences. 

Worked so well for me in Aiken, 

South Carolina, that this might become 

a new genre of travel. Want to try? Here 

are some insider tips: 

• Dine in a stable, repurposed of 

course, and serving five-course 

excellence 

• Sleep in 1900s splendor in a 

three-story hotel replete with a 

century of elegance 

• Stroll within 2,100 acres of urban 

forest on carefully groomed 

trails bursting with native plants, 

trees and fragrances 

• Admire thoroughbred horses with trainers who understand 

the steps toward blue ribbons 

All things equestrian influence the Aiken experience, including 

40 thoroughbred champions trained here and honored 

in the Racing Hall of Fame and Museum in, of course, a renovated 

stable in Hopeland Gardens located on Whiskey Road. 

No matter if you ride or not: experiencing the culture 

of those who do is quite delightful. Many towns have trolley 

tours with entertaining docents but none wind as easily 

through handsome neighborhoods, past fenced pastures and 

racing tracks or under canopies of dense, lush trees as the 

trolley in Aiken. 

Paying attention enriches the links to all the Aiken experiences. 

Why do the horses matter if 

you, like me, are not a rider? 

Because many equestrian families of 

the Gilded Age admired Aiken too, they 

invested in spacious cottages for their 

winter visits, hotels for their guests and 

fine stables, outbuildings and tracks for 

their horses. 

Details linger, and much of this architecture 

is engaging today, available 

for far more than drive-by tours. 

Book a room or suite at The Willcox 

which first welcomed guests in 1900. 

Second Empire and Colonial Revival 

are the formal styles and comfortable, 

conversational seating in the lobby, 

parlors, dining room and buffet breakfast 

space is abundant. 

This three-story hotel, with a full-service 

spa and salon ingeniously tucked 

in a calming space adjacent to the lobby, figured out how to 

greet the company without a corporate registration desk, but 

rather a gracious personal space. 

Pay attention to this notion of design-oriented travel when 

making dinner reservations. One must-do is Rose Hill Estate 

where you can spend the night in one of nine bed and breakfast 

rooms and where you definitely want to plan dinner. 

The Stables is the restaurant name and it really used to be 

one. My five-course dinner with a chilled cucumber soup intermezzo 

was served under twinkling lights on the patio with 

live music. 

If you can, order the peach sautéed scallops, lobster and wild 

shrimp and the sherry poached halibut with saffron risotto. 


South Boundary Road in Aiken.

Rose Hill is one of the many estates known as 

winter cottages a century ago, built in 1898 and 

now the delight of mother-son Eva and Stephen 

Mueller. 

“High on a hill overlooking downtown Aiken,” 

he says, “this was the heart and soul of Old Aiken. 

We see the buildings and grounds that way again.” 

Neglected for 50 years, the shingle style architectural 

beauty has returned since the Muellers 

bought Rose Hill in 2002. 

“This building style,” Mueller says, “is for 

Americans by Americans, very high fashion then, 

melding into the landscape.” 

Look closely at that landscape, fragrant with 

gardenias, eastern cedar trees older than the house, 

shimmering gold gingko trees. 

Mueller says the style reflects an understated, 

level-headed architecture also found in The Hamptons 

and Bar Harbor. 

Space flows throughout the house, Mueller 

notes, not interrupted with ornamental designs like 

Eastlake in the Queen Anne era. 

Proximity to downtown Aiken doesn’t distinguish 

Rose Hill alone. The Willcox Hotel is diagonal 

from the public library that has a playground 

to rival its book collection, and the Center for the 

Arts—an astonishing 22,000 square feet of galleries 

is in the heart of downtown. 

Walk two blocks and enter a forest. Perhaps 

you’ve visited the urban forest in Portland, Oregon. 

Aiken’s is comparable, 2,100 acres with 65 miles 

of marked sandy trails for people and for horses, 

free to enter every day of the year. 

Harry Shealy is a retired botanist who calls 

Hitchcock Woods a functioning forest, not a park 

with swings. Ask to take a tour with him; sure he 

knows the flora and fauna in great detail but he also 

embraces the heritage and its relationship to Aiken’s 

enticing cultural stories. 

“Louise Eustis Hitchcock came here as a child 

in the 1880s with her aunt Celestine Eustis of New 

Orleans who was traveling for health reasons,” 

Shealy knows. On the tour he’ll point out a gate 

dedicated to benefactor Frances Hitchcock, bestowing 

funds to build a foundation to protect and 

conserve this forest. 

The legacies of Aiken’s winter cottage families 

create experiences for visitors today, and into the 

future. Notice the Joye Cottage when you take the 

trolley tour, return in February when music students 

from the renowned Juilliard School of Music 

take up residence to perform a ten-day festival with 

retreat and workshops, then look to the future when 

this cottage is given to Juilliard for a permanent 

Aiken home. 

I suspect the original owners, first Sarah Joye in 

1830 with her farmhouse bed and breakfast, next 

William C. Whitney remodeling in 1897, would approve 

that today’s owner Steve Niafeh and the late 

Gregory Smith declared their intention to present 

the home to Juilliard as a residence for artists in 

music, drama and dance. 

These names might be familiar: polo enthusiast 

and thoroughbred horse financier Whitney was 

Secretary of the Navy in the Cleveland administration, 

and Smith and Niafeh wrote the Pulitzer Prize 

biography “Jackson Pollock: An American Saga.” 

They also wrote their comical memoirs of the 

three-year process to renovate Joye Cottage. It’s 

named “On a Street Called Easy, In a Cottage 

Called Joye.” 

What about the architects influencing Aiken 

during this era of Winter Cottages? New England 

and New York City styles endure in the South today 

connected to designer names such as these with 

Joye Cottage: 

• Carrere and Hastings, architects for the New 

York Public Library on Fifth Avenue 

• Sanford White, involved with Joye Cottage, 

the Aiken Palmetto Golf Club and Madison 

Square Garden 

When you visit the Whitney Museum of Art next 

trip to Manhattan, feel connected to Aiken and Joye 

Cottage because sculptress Gertrude Vanderbilt 

Whitney lived there, married to polo player Harry 

Payne Whitney, and she founded the Museum. 

Choosing a season to explore the architecture 

and design of Aiken easily accommodates equestrian 

immersion too, from developing a new fashion 

statement at the Equine Divine designer apparel 

shop in the very walkable downtown to polo 

matches, steeplechases, horse shows and trials. 

Save the Date here means an alluring range of 

culture, heritage, culinary, structures and the great 

outdoors. 

For more details, visit www.VisitAikenSC.com. 

DB Written by Christine Tibbetts 


Southwind 

At la n ta ’ s Dekalb 

The Arts, Gourmet Lifestyles, Learning and Fun 

DDekalb, one of several counties that A 

comprise the dynamic Atlanta region, is 

a trove of excellence. With highly regarded 

Decatur as hub, the surrounding gems 

make up a mosaic of universally admired 

universities, medical research centers, 

and restaurant rows comparable to far 

away places noted for advanced cuisine. 

“Stone Mountain” painted by Olivia Thomason 

with Doc Lawrence 

HIGHLY POPULAR URBAN PARK, STUNNING 

Stone Mountain is surrounded by a few thousand acres of 

manicured land and pristine waters. Each year, more than 

five million visitors come to camp, celebrate, dine, attend reunions, 

fish and climb the granite monolith. The view from 

the summit includes Atlanta’s skyline and the Blue Ridge 

Mountains. 

The Historic Village of Stone Mountain with its romantic 

gazebo, railroad terminal, the African-American village 

of Shermantown, includes nationally-heralded Art Station, 

which features a theatrical company, performing arts center, 

gallery and the state’s finest cabaret. Georgia artists Olivia 

Thomason’s mural depicting the city’s legacy rests at the top 

of the green grass pavilion. 

Decatur, the center of Dekalb’s government, is the home 

of Agnes Scott College and abuts Emory University, one of 

the world’s heralded medical centers and a top leader in the 

arts. The university’s Schwartz Center hosts acclaimed symphonies, 

chamber orchestras, and jazz ensembles throughout 

the year. Just around the corner, the Michael C. Carlos Museum 

houses a collection of ancient Egyptian Mummies, plus 

rare collection exhibits bringing the world to local audiences. 

Jazz legend Dave Brubeck led a piano demonstration in the 

lecture hall. 

When the world faced an Ebola epidemic, Emory’s medical 

team almost miraculously accomplished its safety mission. 

Few neighborhoods in the South compare with majestic 

Druid Hills. Originally designed by fabled landscape architect 

Frederick Law Olmsted, parks, sidewalks, creeks and ancient 

hardwood trees provide backdrops to some of the finest 

42 


Kimball House Oysters DeKalb Farmer’s Market 

Egyptian Mummies at Emory 

examples of residential architecture. Look for the landmark 

“Driving Miss Daisy” home. A hot spot for families, the 

Fernbank Museum of Natural History occupies the middle 

ground of Druid Hills while the nearby Fernbank Science 

Center offers a planetarium as a celestial theater in the round. 

Decatur, with its historic old courthouse, is a recognized 

gourmet haven. Located in the city’s historic railroad terminal, 

The Kimball House sits across the street from Agnes 

Scott College. Selected as one of the best new restaurants 

by several respected national magazines, it’s Atlanta’s unofficial 

headquarters for varieties of oysters and imaginative 

cocktails. 

Decatur’s courthouse square literally rocks. One venue, 

Eddie’s Attic, now owned by Alex Cooley, the godfather of 

Georgia music performances, features top acts nightly and 

the best Gospel Brunch this side of the House of Blues in the 

French Quarter. 

Local food means a few hours at Your Dekalb Farmer’s 

Market on historic Ponce de Leon Avenue between Avondale 

Estates and Decatur. Arguably the largest indoor market 

on earth (expanding to cover an additional 80+ acres), 

the amazing facility labels everything by variety and origin. 

Seasonal farm products are available whenever possible. The 

meat market, bakery and restaurant are popular and there is 

coffee and tea from the four corners. Wine? An entire department 

displays the best bottles from all regions. 

The Asian and Latino communities of Dekalb are near the 

Dekalb-Peachtree Airport, itself a top attraction complete 

with viewing stands, good restaurants and impressive history. 

Along the Buford Highway corridor, a food critic could 

dine in restaurants representing over 75 countries and ethnic 

regions from Viet Nam to Peru. Languages may include English, 

but much of the charm comes from authenticity. 

Brookhaven is home to the beautiful Gothic campus of 

Oglethorpe University, a stone’s throw away from more 

acclaimed restaurants. Wine headquarters is Sherlock’s, a 


Gothic Oglethorpe University 

centerpiece of fine vintages and regular 

tastings. The residential streets showcase 

mansions surrounding a golf course and 

country club. 

North Dekalb’s jewel is Dunwoody, 

a high-end assemblage of top shopping, 

posh hotels, nice homes and naturally, 

even more highly ranked restaurants. 

The strategically located Marcus Jewish 

Community Center is a cultural treasure. 

Pulitzer Prize winner and Emory University 

professor Natasha Tretheway, the 

recent Poet Laureate of the United States, 

calls Dekalb home.. She is a familiar face 

at the highly successful Decatur Book 

Festival on Labor Day weekend. 

The area is not lacking in nostalgia and 

history. Emory’s financial basis is inextricably 

entwined with the business success 

of Coca-Cola. Both baseball legend Ty 

Cobb and humorist Lewis Grizzard were 

patients at Emory University Hospital 

prior to their death, and if you walk the 

campus and get lucky, you might see Nobel 

Laureates Jimmy Carter or The Dalai 

Lama. 

Decatur has restored the home of Mary 

Gay, a feisty and well-educated woman 

who was witness to the Civil War battles 

culminating with the Battle of Atlanta and 

the destruction of the city in 1864. She is 

buried in Decatur’s lovely Old Cemetery. 

Some very credible locals whose ancestors 

knew both Ms. Gay and author Margaret 

Mitchell believe she was part of the 

composite that became Scarlett O’Hara. 

Dekalb juxtaposes the best of the Old 

and New South. This gemstone is an enchanting 

place to relax, learn and satisfy 

a robust thirst and appetite. 

DB 

Written by Doc Lawrence 

44 


Ron Erwin BROKER 

c-706.474.1635 o-706.438.1500 

183 W. Jefferson St., Madison 

ronerwinmadison@gmail.com 

ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PROPERTIES IN MORGAN COUNTY. 

171 Acres includes lakeside cottage, 

outbuildings and shoals. 

$1,450,000 

CONTACT RON FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE AND OTHER HOMES, BUILLDING LOTS, AND ACREAGE IN OR NEAR MADI- 

SON 

4/5 BR 3.5 BA Located on 5 acres. Quiet country 

living. Meticulously maintained. Convenient 

to I-20, Baxter, Rutledge & Madison. 

$419,000 

This 3 BR 2.5 BA home has 6 FPs and is situated on just 

over an acre. This beautiful, columned home was built in 

the 1980s and has hardwood floors, center hallway and 

fabulous screened porch. Detached 2-car garage. All the 

character of an antebellum home with the amenities 

of a new one! 

$525,000 

This beautifully restored and well maintained home in 

the heart of the Madison’s Historic District is ready to 

move into. Four Bedrooms and 3 full bath 2578 sq foot 

1932 cottage with large landscaped yard. 

$349,900 

5 BR 3 BA and 2 half baths on 8 Morgan County 

acres with a small pond! This very spacious 

home has 2 fireplaces, an office, family room 

and a sun room. It even has a full basement. 

Plus, it’s only minutes from Baxter! 

$369,900 

5 BR (with Walk-ins) 5/2.5 BA home is on 1.5 acres with 

community green space on each side. It has 2 FPs, a pool, 

2 kitchens, a media room, game room w/bar, boathouse 

(stubbed for another bathroom), in-law suite, an office 

and more space for expansion in daylight basement! 

A must-see! 

$479,000 

Enjoy beautiful sunsets from this level, cleared, 

one-acre lot. Located at the end of a quiet 

street and has dock in place. Has good water 

and overlooks national forest. 

$139,000

GreatEscapes 

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Glen-Ella Springs Inn was renovated in 1986, leaving as 

much of the original heart pine-paneled walls, floors and ceilings as was possible. Several of the stacked stone 

fireplaces within are the original structures. 

DESTINATION: 

Relaxation 

Accommodations 

One of only ten Georgia inns 

to be admitted to the Select 

Registry of Distinguished Inns, 

Glen-Ella’s pastoral setting 

and unwavering assurance 

of quality have become 

widely recognized in a number 

of different areas, each 

of which are able to stand 

alone in its excellence. 

46OJUL/AUG 2015 • DESIGN&BUILD MAGAZINE 

Beautifully appointed, romantic rooms boast heartpine 

walls, gas fireplaces, custom-milled bath products 

and spa-worthy robes - just a very small list of reasons 

why visitors to the Glen-Ella Inn return time and again. 

Maybe it’s the 600-count sheets, or the covered, rocking 

chair porches overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Perhaps it’s simply the sheer joy found in the absence of 

city hustle and bustle… unless of course, you’re watching 

a field full of fireflies. 

Dining 

Named one of the Top Ten Dining Destinations in

Glen-Ella Springs Inn 

Travelers across the nation are 

well-familiar with north Georgia. 

Its hiking trails, waterfalls and wineries 

are a favorite destination for 

those seeking a retreat bathed in 

natural beauty. In an area with no 

shortage of tourist accommodations, 

only a few stand above the 

rest in quality and comfort. Add 

in a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, 

and Glen-Ella Springs Inn shoots to 

the top of a very short list. 

Georgia, the Inn’s restaurant boasts signature dishes such 

as Sautéed Jumbo Shrimp with peppers and andouille sausage 

in a smoked tomato sauce, as well as an herb-encrusted 

New Zealand Rack of Lamb accompanied with a 

Jalapeño mint sauce. Fresh trout, steak, and Macadamia 

nut-crusted chicken in a Dijon-cranberry sauce also make 

a regular appearance on the menu. These exceptional 

dishes are the savory masterpieces of Chef Bill Wilder, 

who has honed his skills during over 20 years of culinary 

excellence. Making reservations is suggested though, as 

this favorite eatery is also open to the public. 

Gardens 

Adjoining a quaint, sheltered patio just off the restaurant, 

is a lush, English-inspired garden artfully designed 

to be a visual treat in every direction. Master Gardener 

Marilla Martin tends to and cultivates a plethora of 

plant varieties designed to attract the admiring glances 

of guests as well as butterflies. After a delicious dinner, 

stroll under arbors dripping with fragrant blooms, or wander 

along the many flowerbeds. 

Weddings 

With several picturesque locations on the property from 

which to choose, Glen-Ella’s expert wedding coordinator 

can help brides plan a romantic event. The Inn also offers 

a Wedding Planning Guide, immensely helpful when 

overwhelmed with menu and vendor options. 

Corporate Retreats/Meetings 

As a corporate retreat, or simply a venue at which to 

hold a meeting, Glen Ella provides thoughtful accommodations 

and activities for groups. From ergonomic seating 

and A\V equipment to outdoor excursions and Leadership 

Development Programs for Team Building, attention is 

given to meet the needs of each client. DB 


SipsAlongTheWay 

THOMASVILLE 

WINE, ROSES AND GOURMET DINING 

America’s city of roses has a Southern 

accent. Not Southern California, 

mind you, but South Georgia’s 

enchanting Thomasville. Roses 

abound and the city honors these 

flowers of red, pink, yellow and 

white with a festival each year. 

Just above the Florida state line 

and almost a sister city to Tallahassee, 

Thomasville is a place where 

plantations and Victorian homes fit 

nicely with positive progress, particularly 

evolving gourmet lifestyles. 

NOT A LATE ENTRANT IN VYING FOR 

recognition as clarion for a “New South,” 

Thomasville has preserved the best of the Old South 

blending everything with gentle grace, good taste 

and wonders from kitchens and cellars. Legendary 

plantations are juxtaposed with wildly popular wine 

bars. The bookstore is thriving despite Amazon. 

You can order an espresso at a locally-owned coffee 

haven and the sidewalks are just perfect for walking. 

Fine dining here is as readily available as barbecue 

and country cooking. And there is a very large 

presence of wine and cocktails. Sweet Grass Cheese 

Shop, just a short walk from government offices, is 

48NJUL/AUG 2015 • DESIGN&BUILD MAGAZINE 

an extension of the nearby family owned dairy and 

cheese producer Sweet Grass. Launched in 2010, 

the interior becomes a farm table to enjoy some 

authentic artesian cheeses like Thomasville Tomme. 

With a choice of wines of the world and craft beers, 

there is an ever-changing menu. A small sampling 

includes handcrafted cheese and charcuterie boards, 

delectable sandwiches, salads, small plates, and 

desserts. 

Madeira served with Percorino Ginepro, almonds 

and wild honey manifests into a lasting memory of 

just what Southern hospitality tastes like. 

Family-friendly Sweet Grass has a children’s 

menu that eschews junk food. 

Lunch at Jonah’s in downtown Thomasville was 

early on a local secret. Word spreads, however, and 

the café with romantic sidewalk dining takes this 

casual South Georgia experience to memories of 

Paris and Prague. The crab cakes and shrimp and 

grits are distinctive, flawless and delicious. 

Chop House on the Bricks would be a serious 

restaurant anywhere. What caught my eye on the 

menu was the inclusion of Bradley’s Country Store 

sausage, one of the wonderful farm products made 

for generations at this culinary treasure right along 

the nearby Georgia-Florida border. Anything with 

Bradley’s name on it states that the chef and owners 

have a genuine commitment to using local farm 

products 

The fried oysters at Chop House are served with 

braised collard greens and the Pinot Gris from

Sweet Grass Dairy cheeses. 

Oregon make a perfect fit. For steak, the 

Pinot Noir selections range from Burgundy 

to the West Coast. 

Liam’s, a gourmet staple in Thomasville, 

attracts diners that often include 

Hollywood stars, governors, members of 

congress and those who search for fine 

dining. The menu reflects seasonal farm 

products and the wine selections are varied 

and thoughtfully chosen. 

There are other wine bars and restaurants 

of renown in Thomasville. Bacchus serves 

a Petite Sirah and Vouvray, the Chenin 

Blanc from the Loire Valley in France, 

that when enjoyed, make a return visit 

obligatory. 

Roses honor beauty and romance. 

Wonderful food and fine wines translate 

into elevated lifestyle. Blend this and you 

enter the wonderful world of Thomasville. 

Meet me over by the city’s famous 

landmark, the giant Live Oak. I’ll bring a 

bottle of wine, two glasses and some local 

cheese. 

DB Written by Doc Lawrence 

The giant Live Oak of Thomasville. 


GoodFinds 

Parrot Pot 

Irrigate your potted plants 

& 

LOOKING TO SPEND LESS TIME AT THE END OF A HOSE? 

Try using a plant water sensor. Parrot, the creator of Flower 

Power plant sensor, has developed two innovative plant sensors, 

one of which is the Parrot Pot. The second generation Parrot 

sensor is able to irrigate your potted plant with its own two-liter 

reservoir conveniently hidden within the ceramic pot. The Pot 

senses the sunlight, temperature, fertilizer, and moisture levels 

via Bluetooth with the Parrot app. There are over 8,000 various 

plant types in the Parrot Pot app database that will adapt particularly 

to the needs of your plant. The pot has four waterspouts for 

watering, as well as a conservative mode switch in case there is 

little water remaining in the reservoir. Two outlets at the bottom 

on the pot allows excess water to flow out if needed. 

Parrot is not ready to share the release date or price of the Parrot 

Pot just yet, but referring to the Flower Power plant sensor, 

the price is likely to stay around $60. 

Parrot 

Flower Power 

A wireless sensor with an app 

DESIGNED TO COMBAT DIFFICULT CLIMATE CONDITIONS 

the Parrot company also offers a sensor for indoor/outdoor monitoring 

of your precious plants. In precise real time, the parameters 

crucial for optimum health and growth of your carefully 

cultivated flora are monitored. Soil moisture, fertilizer levels, 

ambient temperatures and intensity of light are tracked and reported 

to your Bluetooth, Smartphone or tablet, via a free Flower 

Power App. 

Analyze the data and easily manage the maintenance of your 

plants through the guides on the app. A library database of more 

than 6000 plants trees and vegetables are available by a variety 

of botanists. Species origin, photos, growth requirements and 

advice is available at your fingertips. 

Available on the Parrot website for $59. 

For more information, go to www.parrot.com 

For more information, go to www.parrot.com 

DB 

50 


Keen Home 

Smart Vent 

Efficient airflow for your home 

STOP PAYING FOR AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATING 

in under used rooms in your home! Meet the Smart Vent developed 

by Keen Home. By installing four to eight of these 

Smart Vents in various rooms, the HVAC system will operate 

more efficiently by having a balanced home temperature structure. 

Smart Vents have built-in pressure and temperature sensors 

that wirelessly communicate with each other and smart 

devices to determine when and where airflow is needed. You 

decide the temperature throughout your house by using an 

app in conjunction with your smart device. The Keen Home 

vent self adjusts when sending cooled or heated air to specific 

rooms. Smart Vents were designed to integrate into your current 

system while regulating your home’s temperatures. 

Each of the Keen Home Smart Vents is priced at $80. It is 

not recommended to replace all of your vents in your home 

with a Smart Vent as too many closed vents can put unneeded 

pressure on your HVAC system. 

For more information, go to www.keenhome.io 

INADAYS 

InaTrap Insect trap 

A stylish insect trap? Oh yea! 

DOES THE BUZZING OF PESKY MOSQUITOS PREVENT 

you from enjoying time outside during the balmy summer nights? 

Try the InaTrap GR-330 Mosquito Trap by INADAYS. Instead of 

the hassle of sticky bug spray or hearing the crisp, electrical zap 

of unlucky bugs in a standard bug-zapping device, this Taiwan 

Excellence Award Winner of 2012 is discrete. Unlike other traps, 

it is both an insect trap and an elegant night-light. The UV lighting 

under the shade and carbon dioxide, which is comparable to 

human breath, attracts insects to the InaTrap. Insects flying by are 

drawn under the shade into the body of the trap, sucked into a fan 

and into a catch container you can remove for cleaning. The trap 

can be used both indoor and outdoor. Prices start at $84.95. 

DB 

For more information, got to www.InaDays.com 


OutdoorLiving 

LIVING 

OUTSIDE 

your box 

Y 

You have finally bought your 

dream home, and inside is perfection, 

but the outside needs 

a creative touch to complete 

your living space. One of the 

most popular elements in outdoor 

living space, according 

to Thomas Boyce, co-owner of 

Boyce Design & Contracting, is 

the outside kitchen. Many projects 

are designed to go with a 

pool but just as many are outdoor 

living spaces centered 

around a porch, deck, or patio, 

and include a fireplace feature. 

All of these elements build well 

with an outdoor kitchen that 

can be a hub for entertainment, 

providing additional seating as 

well as a good serving area and 

work triangle for serving and 

preparation of food. 

52 


What are your options 

for stone? Start here. 

WHEN CREATING GREAT OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE, 

there should be an emphasis in the design element that 

meshes with the function you are trying to accomplish. It 

can be as simple as just a cook top, or as elaborate as a fully 

functional kitchen with a built-in grill, side burners, smokers 

such as a Big Green Egg, wood burning pizza ovens, 

wine coolers and mini-fridges. While certain cooking elements 

are fun, and often more of a trend such as the pizza 

oven, they can become a focal point to your outdoor space 

by creating a unique part of the kitchen for entertaining. 

Your outdoor nirvana incorporates several layers: building 

the actual structure and finishing with decorating which 

includes landscaping, furnishings and fabrics to supply 

a finished look. Popular design elements include stacked 

stone, brick, concrete or granite countertops and stainless 

steel or cabinetry which ties into the appliances. Synthetic 

materials are also available for a modern look and can be 

customized to meet your needs. Floors can be tile, stone, 

pavers, concrete... just remember that the exterior space 

need to blend and compliment the architecture of the home, 

with a flow nicely as if it was always supposed to be there. 

DB 

Written by Kim Jackson

Inspired 

by life, 

freed 

by space. 

At domoREALTY, we’re 

passionate about architecture, 

marketing and design. 

Follow us on our quest for 

great design: 

tinyurl.com/domoprops 

tinyurl.com/domotweets 

tinyurl.com/domobook 

VANESSA REILLY 

vanessa@vanessareilly.com 

C: 4O4.556.1733 F: 4O4.974.9549 

O: 4O4.974.955O domoREALTY.com 

domoREALTY.com

TalkOfTheTrade 

Design 

with Shane Meder 

At Home With Shane 

In my every day journey from home to home 

and from client to client, 

I am inspired. 

Q: I’ve just bought a home, and I don’t know 

where to start. What should I prioritize? 

A: I have always felt that a home should reflect 

the people that live in it. At every angle, make this 

house your own. The master bedroom is always a 

great place to start, as it is the first room you see 

at the beginning of the day and the last room you 

see at night. This room is often last on the list to be 

appointed, but I believe it should be at the top of 

everyone’s list. Sweet dreams. 

Q: How long should I keep my sofa before 

purchasing a new one? 

A: At the very core of this question, I have always 

felt that a sofa is nothing more than an overcoat, 

and one that you put on almost every day. My point 

to be made here is that it is fabric. Mindful that 

durable fabric is a good investment, the average 

overcoat for me is about eight to ten years. Recovering 

a sofa, purchasing a new one, or simply adding 

new throw pillows can bring new energy and 

life to a room. 

Q: What is your advice on using free in-home 

design advice from local retailers? 

A: There are many talented designers that work 

for major retailers. Their services can hold up to 

almost any design professional. There are some 

limitations that the designer can bring to the platform 

as they are sometimes tied to the retailer’s inventory. 

So, take a close look at the inventory first 

and make sure the style of furniture fits with your 

overall look and price point. As far as the free design 

service, I have always considered some of the 

best things in life are free. 

Q: I was wondering if you have any tips on 

making a rental house feel like home when there 

are restrictions on what you can and cannot do? 

A: If you are limited by painting, I would lean 

heavily on the placement of art and accessories. 

Large scale pieces can cover up rather boring 

walls and infuse the color that is often needed in 

such spaces. Oversized sisal rugs can cover up unattractive 

floors. Purchase furniture that can travel 

with you to your next home. 

Q: When it comes to backsplashes, how do 

you choose a color? 

A: The key to a successful backsplash lies in the 

actual color of the cabinets and the countertop itself. 

Glass mosaics have become very popular, but 

please depend on design advice from tile and granite 

installers and retailers for confirmation that it 

compliments your cabinets and countertops. Such 

mosaics that do not match or blend can be painful. 

It is better to shy on the neutral side of colors for a 

backsplash in order to achieve a timeless look. Rely 

on things such as runners, placemats, and accessories 

for pops of color in the kitchen. 

Have a question for Shane? He is available by email at Shane@designbuildmagazine.net. He can also be 

reached through his website at BlackSheepInteriors.com. 

56 



Remodel 

with Vanessa Reilly 

The Frosting- Lighting 101 

Selecting the perfect lighting for your space. 

WHEN IT COMES TIME TO SELECT 

the light fixtures for a renovation project, I 

get giddy. The words “budget” and “lighting” 

should never be used in the same sentence. I 

like my lighting fixtures like Carrie Bradshaw 

likes her shoes! The perfect lighting package 

can add value to any space and can turn the 

most boring, cookie-cutter room into a show 

stopper. Lighting is the frosting, it’s the home’s 

jewelry that can elevate any space to spectacular! 

Where do you begin with so many options 

available? Stepping into a lighting store can be 

very overwhelming. First analyze your space. 

I’m the kind of person who will pick out my 

dining room table to compliment my chandelier, 

but if you already have a table, take down 

the dimensions and snap a couple pictures with 

your phone so when you are in the lighting 

store you can eyeball the combination. 

Lighting is very personal. Never go with 

the safe selection. It’s okay to splurge when it 

comes to the lighting in your home, and always 

choose quality over quantity. Just because the 

swirled purple and red glass pendant lights 

were Buy One Get One Free at Home Depot, 

does not mean it’s okay to hang them in every 

room of your house. Less is more when 

it comes to pendant lighting, and every room 

does not need a wicker ceiling fan. In fact, 

go ahead and remove all ceiling fans in your 

home, unless you REALLY use them. Another 

thing to keep in mind—just because you have a 

traditional home doesn’t mean you must select 

traditional lighting. Some of the most beautiful 

spaces are a mixture of traditional and modern. 

Your lighting should be a conversation piece. 

You want the neighbors to walk in and be totally 

jealous of your Lindsey Adelman Chandelier. 

Let them go home and do some research 

on how much it cost you. If your home is a 

collection of rustic antiques, there is nothing 

that would compliment the space more than a 

simple Nelson Saucer Bubble pendant. 

Tip of the week: If you’re totally stuck, sell 

all your furniture, paint the walls white, and 

buy an extra large Louis Poulsen Artichoke 

Pendant. Feel free to add one oversized modern 

painting to the wall that has one or two strokes 

of black in it, but nothing else. No furniture 

needed. The lighting is statement enough. 

Remember, less is more. Good Luck! 

Have a question for Vanessa? She is available by email at Vanessa@designbuildmagazine.net. 

She can also be reached through her website at DomoRealty.com. 

58 




Finance 

Before You List Your Home 

A checklist... 

with Lee Abney 

Selling a home is a milestone event in your life. 

Maybe you’ve gotten a promotion, been 

transferred to a new locale, or have become 

empty nesters celebrating children moving off to 

college. No matter the reason, selling a home is 

an exciting time. But because of the fact it’s 

typically coupled with other major life changes, 

it can be stressful. I sat down with Chris Hodges of 

Madison Realty to discuss what to consider 

before listing your home. 

60 


FFIRST AND FOREMOST, YOU NEED TO CHOOSE 

your ally, which will be the real estate company with 

whom you list your home. While your instinct is to lean 

towards friends or family, you are embarking on possibly 

the largest financial transaction you will make in 

your lifetime. That requires the careful attention of a 

professional that is versed not only in the industry but 

also your local area. Do your homework. Sales numbers 

for real estate companies will be available online 

to show which companies get results. Visit the multiple 

listing service provided by the Georgia Realtors Association, 

Trulia, Zillow and other online based companies 

which provide rankings and reviews for the real estate 

companies you are investigating. Visit each company’s 

website; watch the videos they make for their houses 

to determine if that is your style; investigate to see 

whether they include mobile apps that assist a potential 

buyer finding your home easier; select a realtor that will 

attempt to reach the buyer’s market in creative ways. 

Choosing your realtor oftentimes will be the difference 

between a quick sale and your property being on the 

market for several months or years. 

Get an idea of the sales in your neighborhood. Drive 

through your local area and look for the homes that are 

listed, noting at what price they are listed. You can also 

visit your local tax office online or in person to determine 

what homes have sold in the past 24 months and 

what the sale price was for each property. This information 

is invaluable to you in determining what price 

point your house should be listed for and whether or not 

you will be able to receive the amount you are expecting. 

While the real estate market is currently rebounding, 

most real estate professionals still consider this a 

buyer’s market. Therefore sellers need to be realistic in 

their asking price and understand that most buyers will 

initially begin with low offers. If your asking price is not 

in line with recent sales or currently listed asking prices 

you may reconsider the timing of your listing and wait 

until the market is better. 

Once you have an idea of local homes for sale, take 

the opportunity to walk through a home which has been 

staged for showings. Then walk in your front door as if 

you were a potential buyer and objectively look at your 

house. Are there marks on the paint? Are some rooms 

outdated? Now is the time to make any minor repairs 

which could influence a potential buyer. If the countertops 

in the kitchen are older and stained, upgrading them 

to marble or granite will instantly increase the visual 

value of your kitchen and typically does not require too 

much investment. While costs of a full kitchen remodel 

typically cannot be recovered in a resale, replacing 

countertops with granite or another high-end material 

likely will be recouped by a fast sale with a higher price. 

Be aware that unwanted odors can have a negative effect 

to a potential buyer’s first impression of your home. 

All animals—especially cats—should be removed from 

your home before any showing. Pet odors are a deal killer. 

It is still a buyer’s market and anything that makes 

your house a fixer-upper will drastically affect its price. 

When you are confident the inside of your home is 

presentable, step outside onto your sidewalk and look at 

your home’s curb appeal. Landscaping will be the first 

thing your potential buyer sees when he/she pulls up in 

your driveway. While regular maintenance—including 

a freshly cut lawn, pine straw and other accessories are 

mandatory and part of the maintenance of your house— 

there are ways to inexpensively spruce up your landscaping. 

Ideally, plantings for a spring showing would 

be made throughout fall and winter to be in full bloom, 

but if you are ready to list your house immediately, you 

still have options. One of the best ways to dress up your 

landscaping is by placing flowering pots in outdoor living 

spaces or on the front porch. This instant flash of 

color is impressive and will catch your buyer’s eye, but 

can be moved to your new home for permanent planting 

or to remain in a pot. 

Finally, an inexpensive investment that could potentially 

save the sale of your home is a pre-listing inspection. 

An inspection will determine whether you have 

any issues with termites, mold, fungus, etc. These type 

problems are latent defects that cannot be discovered 

by a layman and usually are not discovered until your 

property is under contract. Having your home inspected 

before it is listed gives you the opportunity to remedy 

these issues and also provide potential buyers with the 

peace of mind that once they are under contract the due 

diligence period will go smoothly. In the event that the 

inspection reveals that some items must be repaired, this 

gives you the opportunity to factor the cost of repair into 

your asking price. 


TheFinalNail 

PPLEASE DESIGN AND BUILD ME A HOUSE. 

I am not quite sure of what I need, so you should use your 

discretion. My house should have somewhere between two 

and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure the plans are such 

that the bedrooms can be easily added or deleted. When you 

bring the blueprints to me, I will make the final decision of 

what I want. Also, bring me the cost breakdown for each configuration 

so that I can arbitrarily pick one. 

Keep in mind that the house I ultimately choose must cost 

less than the one I am currently living in. Make sure, however, 

that you correct all the deficiencies that exist in my current 

house (the floor of my kitchen vibrates when I walk across it, 

and the walls don’t have nearly enough insulation in them). 

As you design, also keep in mind that I want to keep yearly 

maintenance costs as low as possible. This should mean the 

incorporation of extra-cost features like aluminum, vinyl, or 

If Architects Had To Work Like Web Designers... 

composite siding. (If you choose not to specify aluminum, be 

prepared to explain your decision in detail.) 

Please take care that modern design practices and the latest 

materials are used in construction of the house, as I want it 

to be a showplace for the most up-to-date ideas and methods. 

Be alerted, however, that the kitchen should be designed to 

accommodate, among other things, my 1952 Gibson refrigerator. 

To insure that you are building the correct house for our 

entire family, make certain that you contact each of our children, 

and also our in-laws. My mother-in-law will have very 

strong feelings about how the house should be designed, 

since she visits us at least once a year. Make sure that you 

weigh all of these options carefully and come to the right 

decision. I, however, retain the right to overrule any choices 

that you make. 

TM 

62 

1501 

JACKSON RIDGE ROAD 

GREENSBORO, GEORGIA 30642 

Offered for $3,100,000 

BETSY AKERS + MARYANNE WINCHESTER 

ba. 404.372.8144 mw. 678.520.9922 o. 404.237.5000 

betsy@atlantafinehomes.com | maryanne@atlantafinehomes.com 

© MMXV Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. 

JUL/AUG 2015 • DESIGN&BUILD MAGAZINE 

770 

FOXHOLLOW RUN 

ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA 30004 

Offered for $3,500,000

Please don’t bother me with small details right now. Your 

job is to develop the overall plans for the house: get the big 

picture. At this time, for example, it is not appropriate to be 

choosing the color of the carpet. 

However, keep in mind that my wife likes blue. 

Also, do not worry at this time about acquiring the resources 

to build the house itself. Your first priority is to develop 

detailed plans and specifications. Once I approve these plans, 

however, I would expect the house to be under roof within 48 

hours. 

While you are designing this house specifically for me, 

keep in mind that sooner or later I will have to sell it to someone 

else. It therefore should have appeal to a wide variety 

of potential buyers. Please make sure before you finalize the 

plans that there is a consensus of the population in my area 

that they like the features of this house. I advise you to look at 

my neighbor’s house that he constructed last year. We like it a 

great deal. It has many features we would also like in our new 

home, particularly the 75-foot swimming pool. With careful 

engineering, I believe that you can design this into our new 

house without impacting the final cost. 

Please prepare a complete set of blueprints. It is not necessary 

at this time to do the real design, since they will be used 

only for construction bids. Be advised, however, that you will 

be held accountable for any increase of construction costs as 

a result of later design changes. 

You must be thrilled to be working on such an interesting 

project! To be able to use the latest techniques and materials 

and to be given such freedom in your designs is something 

that can’t happen very often. Contact me as soon as possible 

with your complete ideas and plans. 

PS: My wife has just told me that she disagrees with many 

of the instructions I’ve given you in this letter. As architect, 

it is your responsibility to resolve these differences. I have 

tried in the past and have been unable to accomplish this. If 

you can’t handle this responsibility, I will have to find another 

architect. 

PPS: Perhaps what I need is not a house at all, but a travel 

trailer. Please advise me as soon as possible if this is the case. 

DB 

Anonymous 

DB Written by Jamie Miles 


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Design&Build Magazine July/Aug 2015

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