One couple builds a quiet cottage on their mountain estate as a getaway next door.
Just forty yards or so from a sprawling mountain home on a wooded four-acre lot in Roaring Gap, North Carolina, stands a similar but smaller quaint cottage. One might call it a guest house, but for the homeowners of the main property, they call it home. “We have a large family—four grown kids and five grandchildren, and when we all get together, we’re bursting at the seams,” says the owner. “We wanted a bit of respite away from the chaos.”
Sixteen years after the main residence was completed, the Greensboro couple commenced design on the guest cottage in 2022. With the help of Charlottesville, Virginia-based architect Madison Spencer, Augusta, Georgia-based designer Lauren Robbins, and the homeowners’ daughter Mary Frances Manning, a designer who works for Robbins, the blueprint laid out a cozy 2,300-square- foot three-bedroom home that encouraged intimate gatherings and a quiet retreat for two.
With minimal directives on the interior design, Robbins set to work pulling together an aesthetic that felt equal parts intimate and cheerful. “We really wanted to play off of this cozy cottage feel,” explains Robbins. “We wanted it to be inviting and welcoming, which is why we chose warm golden undertones, greens that have this richness to them, and blues that really pop. We wanted it to be like an inviting storybook house.”
As Robbins and Manning began pulling fabrics and wallcoverings, one thing continually bubbled to the surface, creating a unifying theme. “We kept seeing this rich gold and okra yellow in everything we’d pull for this project,” says Robbins. “That golden color became a consistent theme, and we made a point to incorporate it into every room, especially downstairs.” Custom shaker- style cabinetry in a bespoke goldenrod finish set the tone in the kitchen while whimsical-patterned café curtains by Sister Parish Design and a playful Material Works vinyl fabric on the chairs bring down the volume of the bold hue. “My client wanted this home to feel warmer and cozier than their vacation home in Florida. The best way to embrace the warmth is to bring color in, especially in the cabinetry and built-ins, so that’s exactly what we did.”
In the adjacent living room, against the backdrop of wide tongue-and-groove walls, custom built-ins are color-drenched in sage green, the color also popping up in other subtle details throughout, like tape on the throw pillows, gingham print on the artwork matting, the downstairs powder room floral vine wallpaper by Erika M. Powell Textiles, and even upstairs in the guest bedroom’s bedding. Every detail builds upon the next, resulting in a warm, carefully curated aesthetic that feels natural and inviting.
“This home is the epitome of a cottage,” says Robbins. “It feels very collected where every piece tells a story. It feels as though it’s been built over time.” For the homeowners, the design hit all the marks. “I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but I implicitly trusted Lauren and Mary Frances. We’re just overjoyed with it. It’s such a happy place.”
