Skip to content

Top Navigation

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Food
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • Home & Garden
  • Style & Culture
  • News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Southern Living

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • These Haircuts Are Going To Be Huge in 2021

      The trendy haircuts you’ll be seeing everywhere next year. Read More Next
    • How To Season A Cast-Iron Skillet

      Learn how to season this Southern kitchen staple in five easy steps. Read More Next
    • The Right Way to Heat a Pre-Cooked Ham

      It's so easy, trust us. Read More Next
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food

    Lost Cakes of the South

    These simple and spectacular Southern cakes deserve a comeback
    • All Food
    • All Recipes
    • Holidays & Occasions
    • Quick Fix Suppers
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Desserts
    • Casseroles
    • Healthy Recipes
  • Holidays & Entertaining

    Holidays & Entertaining

    See All Holidays & Entertaining

    70 Wedding Vow Examples That Will Melt Your Heart

    Fight writer's block and find ways to express your love with these romantic, funny, and short wedding vow examples.
    • Christmas
    • Entertaining
    • Thanksgiving
    • Southern Weddings
    • Easter
    • Kentucky Derby
    • Valentine's Day
    • 4th of July
    • Mother's Day
  • Home & Garden

    Home & Garden

    See All Home & Garden

    7 Paint Colors We’re Loving for Kitchen Cabinets in 2020

    ā€˜Tis the season to ditch your all-white palette in favor of something a little bolder and brighter.
    • Home Decor Ideas
    • Idea Houses
    • Before & After
    • Inspired Communities
    • Curb Appeal
    • House Plans & Builders
    • The Grumpy Gardener
    • Plant Names A-Z
  • Style & Culture

    Style & Culture

    See All Style & Culture

    50 Books Everyone Should Read in Their Lifetime

    Curl up with a classic!
    • Southern Culture
    • Hair
    • Travel
    • Beauty
    • Pets
    • Southern Fashion
    • Healthy Living
  • News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Southern Living
  2. Home
  3. Home Decor Ideas
  4. Pour On the Cottage Charm

Pour On the Cottage Charm

By Jennifer Kopf
August 20, 2012
Skip gallery slides
Save FB Tweet
Credit: Lauren Rubenstein
Architect Ross Piper brings back the symmetry and authentic Cape Cod style of an Atlanta home.
Start Slideshow

1 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Final Product

Credit: Photo: Lauren Rubenstein

Sometimes a house muddles through life without living up to its potential. This one-and-a-half-story Atlanta cottage had good bones but needed a face-lift. "Its scale was really nice, but there were lots of little imperfections," says architect Ross Piper. "I wanted to make it what it was intended to be, not strip away any of its Cape Cod character." First up was correcting the asymmetrical roofline and too-small dormers and entry. Changing the cladding and refining all the details stayed true to the exterior's quirky charms while making it way more sophisticated.

Classic cottage essentials: Copper mailbox, (25599), $169; grandinroad.com

1 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Before

Credit: Photo: Lauren Rubenstein

Before he tackled adding curb appeal, architect Ross Piper made these alterations to the home's overall structure.

1. Leveled the roofline. "This house wanted to be symmetrical," says Ross. A continuous roofline and third dormer did the trick.

2. Upgraded the add-on. "The side needed to feel like part of the same song but a different verse," he says. He enclosed the porch and added a shed-style dormer.

3. Unified the walls. Switching the siding and bricks to cottage-appropriate cedar-shake shingles cleaned up the exterior.

2 of 8

3 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Make a Statement at the Entry

Credit: Photo: Lauren Rubenstein

A swooped copper roof and bluestone stoop add prominence to the cottage's entrance. White lattice columns and a front door with a punch of color put a subtle twist on tradition.

Classic cottage essentials: Front door paint, Quarry (23-26) prattandlambert.com

3 of 8

Advertisement

4 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Get Shutters Right

Credit: Photo: Lauren Rubenstein

Board-and-batten shutters lend a more relaxed feel than louvered ones. Regardless of the style, shutters should be sized to be functional and finished with shutter dogs.

Classic cottage essentials: Cedar shutters, (NDB), shown custom painted, from $130/pair; finelinemillwork.com

4 of 8

5 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Keep Dormers Tall and Thin

Credit: Photo: Lauren Rubenstein

Retrimming the windows and dormers gave them more substance and increased depth. Maintaining the same tall and thin proportion stays true to Cape Cod style.

5 of 8

6 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Add Iron Detailing

Credit: Photo: Lauren Rubenstein

A Juliet balcony embellishes the exterior and allows for French doors off the new home office. Iron pulls and strap hinges finish the carriage-style garage door.

Classic cottage essentials: Garage door pull, (15), $60; williamsburgblacksmiths.com

6 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Don't Forget the Back

Credit: Lauren Rubenstein

Ross applied 360 degrees of charm when transforming the exterior.

1. Juliet balcony. The second-story French doors and balcony mimic the design on the front of the house.

2. Wraparound Porch. Arched openings and straight pickets are classic touches that add a graceful rhythm.

3. A wall of glass. Lots of windows and doors help connect the indoor and outdoor spaces.

4. A formal garden. The symmetry of the house is continued with the English-inspired parterre.

7 of 8

8 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Meet Ross Piper

Credit: Photo: Lauren Rubenstein

Hometown: Montgomery, Alabama

Known for: Designing inviting porches

Southern style is: Charming—an ideal balance between sophisticated and relaxed

What gives a new house patina? Mossy stone, reclaimed-wood floors, and iron hardware

A house isn't finished until: The shutter hardware is installed and working

The most often overlooked detail? Interior trim. For starters, don't simply put up just any old crown molding and call it a day!

One change that makes a big difference: Stain old brick—don't paint it—to allow the texture to show through.

Tudor or Georgian? I love both when they're done well.

Favorite go-to building product: Right now, it's custom iron windows. They are classic and modern at the same time.

8 of 8

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Jennifer Kopf

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 8 Final Product
2 of 8 Before
3 of 8 Make a Statement at the Entry
4 of 8 Get Shutters Right
5 of 8 Keep Dormers Tall and Thin
6 of 8 Add Iron Detailing
7 of 8 Don't Forget the Back
8 of 8 Meet Ross Piper

Share options

Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Login

Southern Living

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Books from Southern Living
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Southern Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Southern Living is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab All Rights Reserved. Southern Living may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.southernliving.com

View image

Pour On the Cottage Charm
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.