Tour This Whimsical Blue Ridge Cottage That Looks Straight Out of a Storybook

For the children’s book lover, the home was indeed special. “The home looked as though Anne of Green Gables lived there—and I wanted to as well,” says Hill with a laugh. Like their mother, the couple’s three young daughters also have a passion for classic children’s novels. So with visions of a mountain cottage fit for Peter Rabbit author Beatrix Potter herself, the Hills enlisted designer Meredith Beregovski of Georgia Street Design to bring their storybook-inspired design to life. “They wanted a home to share with their family and friends and church members; a place for people who are struggling to get away and relax,” says Beregovski. “Part of that was creating a fanciful interior that allows you to escape.”

With strong bones in place and only one bathroom renovation needed, Beregovski set her design wheels in motion addressing the cosmetic finishes. “Like many older mountain homes, it was dark and a little dated,” the designer says. “Courtney really wanted the home to feel like a storybook, so we took that and ran with it.” Gingham and stripes dance with feminine florals and fringe, each pattern and accent carrying the same colorful palette throughout the home. “I really started to break down color palettes and patterns, knowing I’d need pinks, blues, greens, and florals and a lot of tape trims, scallops, and fringe,” says Beregovski of leaning into the inspiration her client had provided.

Each room boasts its own unique personality, each inspired by Hill and her three daughters’ favorite children’s books. The literary influence is apparent in the girls’ bedroom upstairs, where playful and unpredictable, red-haired, freckled Pippi Longstocking spurred the interior design. “Pippi is so sweet and spunky,” says Hill. “I love that this room is fun. It’s a chaos of color.” A feminine floral wallpaper by Rifle Paper Co. provides the backdrop for a trio of custom twin headboards swathed in a Highland fabric with complementary piping. Classic monogrammed shams layer with blush pink bolsters, providing another dose of femininity to the space. Every choice was made through the lens of literature. “With each room, I’d think to myself, ‘If this was Jo March’s room (from Little Women), what would it look like?’” says Hill.

Perhaps the most reflective of literature’s inspiration is across the drive in the studio guest cottage, which Beregovski calls the jewel box. Vaulted tongue-and-groove ceilings and walls brushed in blush pink accented by white cabinetry, wooden beams, and a painted white floor give way to sweet and feminine fabric choices. “The guest cottage was all about Anne of Green Gables wistfully looking out the windows to the birds and meadows,” says Hill. “We thought about keeping the original pickled wood finish, but it felt disjointed,” explains Beregovski of repainting the room pink. “We wanted guests to walk in and feel comfortable, like they were in a fairy tale.” Blue-and-white check bedside table skirts mingle with floral bed linens and quilts, while subtle touches, such as a scalloped-edge rattan pendant above the dining area, cement the romantic, feminine feel to the petite space.

From Little Women and Pollyanna to Peter Rabbit and Meet Samantha, an American Girl, children’s literature fueled every facet of the design for the Hills’ mountain home. Each space seamlessly flows from one to the other, creating cozy corners to gather as a family or curl up with a good book. The latter, of course, is what Hill envisioned doing on her own or with her girls when visiting their mountain home. “Meredith understood exactly what we wanted,” says Hill. “She took the love we have for literature and made it seem beautiful and luxurious.”