Best New Cottage Interiors

North Carolina Cottage Interiors: Family Rooms
Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Take a room-by-room tour of our 2009 Southern Home Awards Best New Cottage.

01 of 09

Cow Rock Cottage

North Carolina Cottage Interiors: Travis and Marie Mileti; Valerie Chastain
 Laurey W. Glenn

Residential designer Travis Mileti, AIBD; Marie Mileti, AIBD (seated); and Valerie Chastain, AIBD, enjoy the fire's warmth on the back porch of Cow Rock Cottage. The use of stacked fieldstone, as seen here and elsewhere on the cottage, play a major role in achieving a rustic, Appalachian-based style.

02 of 09

Family Room

North Carolina Cottage Interiors: Family Rooms
Laurey W. Glenn

Although less than 2,500 square feet, this cottage feels larger by Travis' clever decision to open up and connect the main living spaces. The family room is also vaulted to reveal the loft space above―yet another way of providing extra volume to a relatively modest space.

  • Note: all furniture, accessories, drapery, and rugs are available through Monday's House of Design, Cashiers, North Carolina; 828-743-2094.
03 of 09

Fireplace

North Carolina Cottage Interiors: Fireplace
 Laurey W. Glenn

As on the screened back porch, a stacked fieldstone fireplace takes center stage in the family room. Rather than just a sheer wall of stone, the exposed chimney is designed with a central recess for artwork, along with tapered edges on either side, to keep it from appearing too overpowering. Sconces mounted directly to the stone are an attractive way to shed plenty of light on the antique timber mantel.

04 of 09

Dining Room

Take Your Cue from the Natural Surroundings
 Laurey W. Glenn

Although the dining room is open to the family room and kitchen, its smaller, vaulted ceiling supported by rough-sawn fir trusses gives the space an intimate, stand-apart feel. "By varying the ceiling heights and treatments throughout this cottage, we were able to give the interconnected spaces their own, unique identity," Travis explains.

05 of 09

Dining Room Table & Chairs

North Carolina Cottage Interiors: Dining Room Table and Chairs
 Laurey W. Glenn

Echoing the rustic style of Cow Rock Cottage, the dining room table and chairs consist of rough-hewn logs, branches, and even twigs that further bring the outdoors inside.

06 of 09

Decorating Tip

North Carolina Cottage Interiors: Wall Shelf and Picture Frame
 Laurey W. Glenn

Here's an interesting twist on a common decorating decision: Instead of hanging a picture on the wall (like you always do), take it up a notch by supporting the frame on a decorative wall shelf. This arrangement, placed on either side of the dining room window, not only enhances each picture, but also reinforces the rustic theme through the use of faux-antler brackets.

07 of 09

Cozy Kitchen

Cozy Kitchen
Laurey W. Glenn

Reclaimed heart-pine flooring flows from the adjacent dining room right into the cozy kitchen. Cabinets built in a white-washed Shaker style by A Ward Design provide a soothing contrast to dark-stained floors and wood trusses above.

08 of 09

Farmstyle Sink

North Carolina Cottage Interiors: Farmstyle Kitchen Sinks
 Laurey W. Glenn

What's a homey kitchen without a farmstyle sink? This white fireclay beauty by Rohl works in concert with the surrounding cabinetry and sierra-brown granite countertops.

09 of 09

Primary Bedroom

North Carolina Cottage Interiors: Master Bedrooms
Laurey W. Glenn

Light-drenched window nooks, exposed timber beams, and mountain cabin-inspired furniture make Cow Rock Cottage's primary bedroom a retreat unto itself. Antique prints of regional wildlife, along with floral-themed drapes, also reference the home's forested location.

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