OR A COUPLE WHO BOTH GREW UP VACATIONING AND BOATING ON lakes, it was in their DNA to one day have a lakeside home of their own. From Lake Geneva and Lake Altoona in Wisconsin to a variety of Georgia lakes, the couple enjoyed years of vacationing near the water’s edge. Along the way, they made a long-term savings goal of purchasing their own home on Lake Burton in northeastern Georgia, where they had been vacationing in rented VRBOs over the years.
“We’ve always loved the nostalgia and tradition of visiting Lake Burton,” says the homeowner. “During COVID, we were looking to get out of the stifling city. Others felt the same way, so we were lucky to find a home for sale on Lake Burton. When we saw it, we fell in love with the views of the water and the mountains on the other side of the lake.”
The couple purchased the three-level home, which was built to nestle into a quiet cove with limited boat traffic and an air of privacy. They named it Laurel Haven for its location and what it meant to them—perched between two stands of mountain laurel, it was their long-awaited personal lakeside retreat.
During their first summer in what they felt was a turnkey residence, they learned that they weren’t the only ones who loved the home. “We had a home inspection but had no idea there were rodents in the walls,” the homeowner explains. The homeowners hired SJ Contracting, who found additional issues when removing some walls. The turn of events prompted the interior designer whom they had hired, Melanie Millner of The Design Atelier, to recommend that the couple add an architect to the team. They chose Hazel & Grey Architects.
“We love to work with families and guide their special projects to reality,” says architect Julie Griffin of Hazel & Grey Architects, a husband-and-wife firm that includes architect Jeremy Griffin. As native Georgians, the Griffins understand the appeal of Lake Burton. “While the owners were initially looking to refresh just the interiors, the scope exploded when they started talking about moving walls.” As the team found more issues, the project suddenly became a full exterior and interior renovation. It was a chance for the homeowners to get exactly what they wanted in terms of functionality and design, inside and out.
“The exterior of the home was experiencing an identity crisis,” Griffin says. “It had several types of stone, some timber siding, portions that were painted barn red and an elevation that felt unbalanced. It needed more weight and the addition of something substantial on the main level.” The Griffins, working as a team, drew the plans for a new exterior that called for removing and replacing all materials. The team implemented the plan by choosing a single stone—Texas limestone—for the exterior of the home and for the new hardscaping created by landscape architect PLANTERS. The architects designed a trifecta of arches faced with stone for the bottom level of the home, providing a visually solid foundation and opening up lake views from the covered terrace on the rear elevation. “The lower-level porch had columns to the ground; we replaced those with brackets so the view is unimpeded,” Griffin says. The redesign also called for replacing all of the windows, including the random diamond-shaped and arched ones, and standardized them with a consistent, clean-lined style. The architects turned their attention to the boathouse, using the same exterior materials as on the main home for a uniform appearance.
With a blank slate on the interior, the team was free to dream up the best use of the space to fit the family’s lifestyle. “We reconfigured the interior spaces without expanding the footprint since the family wanted a better flow between rooms,” Griffin explains. “Because the site was grandfathered in, we could only reconfigure it and not expand or tear it down to rebuild. Building that close to the water is no longer allowed in the area, so we had to think within the boundaries.”
On the terrace level, the architects designed a proper lake entrance, where none had existed before. Nooks for applying sunscreen and holding lake-day essentials make this walkout level friendlier for the in-and-out flow of life on the water. A rec room anchored by a limestone fireplace, guest quarters and a bunk room make the bottom level uber-friendly for playdates and sleepovers for adults and children alike.
The team added personality, taking into account the family’s multiple dogs. The couple’s young daughter drew a doggie gate design. The architects refined the pattern and had the gate manufactured as a pocket gate that slides in and out of a downstairs doorway. A built-in kennel underneath the staircase on the lower level provides a special home for the fur babies.
The main level reconfiguration provided an opportunity to redefine awkward angles and unusable spaces. In the kitchen, for instance, the new layout eliminated 45-degree angles for the island and pantry entrance. Opening up the floor plan allowed a larger island with counter seating and modern cabinetry to replace the dated pine cabinets. The architects raised the floor of the existing screened porch off the kitchen to the same level for a seamless flow of traffic. A 24-foot-wide foldable glass wall opens to the porch as a natural extension of the redesigned kitchen. Extending the overhang of the porch better keeps the elements at bay so the family can enjoy the additional captured square footage. “I enjoy hearing the sounds of the creek below as I sit on the porch, and I can watch the geese and bald eagles high in the trees or see our daughter and her friends down below in the swimming pool,” says the homeowner. “My husband loves that the TV comes down from the ceiling to watch football games. We both love to sit there and watch the sunset over the mountain. It’s a versatile room that reminds me of a tree house.”
The primary suite suffered from an equally awkward layout, which the architects rectified with a completely new and open floor plan. Similarly, the Juliet balcony overlooking the living room from the home office was removed. The dark stone fireplace was replaced with a lighter limestone fireplace and positioned as a focal point. “The room is so livable; when you walk in and see the views, they are a framework as to how you experience the lake,” says Millner.
The homeowner brought inspiration photos to Millner, whose portfolio also was a catalyst for the reimagined interiors. “Melanie shaped a nice palette for a lake house,” the owner says. The earthy palette of blues, greens and browns creates serene spaces, while clean-lined contemporary furniture and simplified lighting took the place of dark leather furniture and heavy iron chandeliers. “Melanie brought a serene and polished look to the interiors,” the homeowner adds. “She removed the overly rustic details that may be appropriate for a highlands home but not a lake home and refined the look so it is cleaner. It had a bulkiness to it that has been changed to a softer look.” Rustic sliding barn doors, dark stone and branch-like staircase spindles and log handrails were out, replaced by refined materials such as plaster walls, areas of shiplap planking in a soft white, some pecky cypress ceilings and iron detailing.
The homeowner and Millner collaborated to find the right artwork for the home, commissioning two special pieces from Parisian-based artist Jane Puylagarde. On a trip to Paris, Millner stumbled across the artist’s studio. “We were planning a European vacation, so Melanie set it up for us to meet the artist,” the homeowner says. The couple showed the artist photos of their home and lake view, and Puylagarde took it from there, designing two custom pieces that now flank the living room fireplace. “The pieces are like sculptures on canvas that cast shadows when the light hits them and are in my favorite shade of green,” the homeowner adds. She shopped with Millner to source the other fine art from local galleries.
“This home now feels classic and timeless—like it has been here a long time and will be here for decades more,” says Griffin. “We loved the opportunity to reimagine it; it was a fun and challenging puzzle figuring out how to put the pieces back together in the existing footprint while creating that timeless look. We looked at every nook and cranny; everything was thoughtfully and intentionally planned.”
“It was a great team with fresh ideas and attention to detail,” the homeowner says. “They looked at who we are and allowed that to inform the architectural and design ideas to fit our personality. Now we can spend all of our holidays and the summers at Laurel Haven. They took everything we loved about the home and elevated it even more.” *
Dana W. Todd is a professional writer specializing in interior design, real estate, luxury homebuilding, landscape design, architecture and fine art.
On the terrace level, the architects designed a proper lake entrance, where none had existed before.
As the team found more issues, the project suddenly became a full exterior and interior renovation. It was a chance for the homeowners to get exactly what they wanted in terms of functionality and design, inside and out.
