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

    ‘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. See How One Designer Moved Back Home to Build Her Dream Cottage

See How One Designer Moved Back Home to Build Her Dream Cottage

By Valerie Rains
August 22, 2017
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Skip gallery slides
Save FB Tweet
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn
Anna Braund never intended to build a home from scratch in Roswell, a charming time capsule of a town with a wealth of antebellum buildings dating to its founding as a cotton-mill village in the late 1830s. After all, she'd bought a ranch-style house on an oak-lined property in the historic district that had everything she wanted in a home: namely, a floor plan conducive to entertaining and a location within walking distance of shops and restaurants. After Braund hired local architect Lew Oliver to draft the renovation plans, the team discovered some unforeseen issues that would call for a ground-up rebuild. "When you're building in a place like Roswell that has so much history and character, you want to create something with soul that's in keeping with the area," says Braund, an interior designer who hails from the town originally.
Start Slideshow

1 of 13

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Curb Appeal

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

Oliver switched tracks, embarking on a new design to incorporate the best elements of the local architectural traditions—a modest footprint, high ceilings and doorways, large porches with paired columns, and a symmetrical composition with a trio of French doors in front—but with a modern twist. He traded the closed-off, narrow rooms of the past for an open-plan kitchen and dining room (for more fluid entertaining) and chose wider windows than those in Roswell's older homes to bring in more natural light. (In the age of air-conditioning, abundant sunshine is no longer such a negative.)

The inspiration for architect Lew Oliver's 2,500-square-foot design? The property's classic white barn (shown in the background above), which is now used as a potting shed. See a similar house plan (with a fourth bedroom!) by Oliver here.

1 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 13

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Gather Outdoors

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

Braund sees porches as extensions of indoor spaces. In light of that, architect Lew Oliver designed her front and back porches with generous dimensions—both are 10 feet deep. "This size creates a whole other space—not a pass-through area but a sit-and-linger room," Braund says.

2 of 13

3 of 13

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Light and Open

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

An open floor plan that bridges the kitchen, dining area, and living room has become a must-have for modern life. "We wanted to create harmonious movement throughout the space so the whole home can be used, not just parts of it," Braund says. A vaulted, beamed ceiling defines the dining area. Rather than sourcing reclaimed beams, she used new cedar beams to achieve the same look more easily and less expensively.

3 of 13

Advertisement

4 of 13

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Keep Things Simple

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

“When you work with a palette of beautiful raw materials, they speak for themselves—you don’t need a lot of color,” says Oliver, who used wood floors and soapstone countertops.

4 of 13

5 of 13

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

The Echo Effect

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

An open-plan home calls for a holistic decor approach. "Just like you would repeat a certain color in a room to bring continuity, I repeated certain design elements throughout the house to make it cohesive," Braund explains. Most notably, she carried over the kitchen's walnut shelving into the living room, while the fuss-free plaster treatment above the kitchen vent hood mimics the style and texture of the fireplace surround. Benjamin Moore's Swiss Coffee (OC-45) covers almost every one of Braund's interior walls.

5 of 13

6 of 13

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Play Up the Personal

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

The decor centers around personal touches and down-to-earth materials. "I'm drawn to things that feel real and straightforward and honest; I don't like a lot of fuss," Braund says. "All the attributes I admire in people, I seek out in objects as well. We should surround ourselves with things that reflect our values." Fittingly, every piece of art featured in her home was made by a close friend, and sentimental collections of family heirlooms figure prominently. The rattan dining chairs around her table are the same ones she grew up sitting on as a kid in her parents' home.

6 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 13

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Sneaky Storage

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

In a house with a narrow floor plan and no basement, maximizing storage space is key. "I read a lot, so we put built-in shelving anywhere we could—in just about any niche and corner we could find," says Braund. One particularly novel application of the idea? The "secret" door to the crawl space beneath the stairs doubles as a movable bookcase.

7 of 13

8 of 13

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Downsize Bedrooms

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

"I love a small bedroom. I see it as a cocoon," Braund explains. High ceilings, tall windows, and white walls achieve an effect that's comforting, not claustrophobic. She also hews to the rule that in a smaller space, less decor is more.

Calculated Measures

Even designers don't get to have everything they want in their own homes. The question becomes how to get something with character on a budget. Here's where Braund went big—and where she scrimped.

8 of 13

9 of 13

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

#1

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

In lieu of a custom built-in, she put her great-grandfather's old chest to work as a butler's pantry in the hallway.

9 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 13

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

#2

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

Though enamored of pricey unlacquered brass, she opted for more affordable alternatives from The Home Depot, like Delta's Champagne Bronze-finish faucets and Martha Stewart Living's Bedford Brass Awning Cup Pulls ($4.49 each).

10 of 13

11 of 13

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

#3

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

Simple white linen Roman shades provide privacy without as much fabric (or as hefty a price tag) as curtains.

11 of 13

12 of 13

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

#4

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

To ensure her powder room makes a big impression on guests, Braund selected an antique mirror and sconces. "You can always take special lighting with you if you move," she says.

12 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 13

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

#5

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

"We wanted walnut shelving in the kitchen, but solid walnut shelves are very expensive," she says. "Instead, we did a veneer, which brought in warmth but saved a lot on the price."

13 of 13

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Valerie Rains

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 13 Curb Appeal
2 of 13 Gather Outdoors
3 of 13 Light and Open
4 of 13 Keep Things Simple
5 of 13 The Echo Effect
6 of 13 Play Up the Personal
7 of 13 Sneaky Storage
8 of 13 Downsize Bedrooms
9 of 13 #1
10 of 13 #2
11 of 13 #3
12 of 13 #4
13 of 13 #5

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 Español 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

See How One Designer Moved Back Home to Build Her Dream Cottage
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.