Wood beams set off the ceiling and contribute to the room’s warmth along with plush, clean-lined furnishings.
Instead of building a new house, the longtime clients of interior designer Beth Meyer looked for other options. “This property was a former pilots’ club where they could land on the grass runway, service their planes, and then spend the night in the lodge,” explains Meyer. “Our first thought was to rework that lodge, but flood plain issues prevented that from happening; so, we landed on one of many of the outbuildings—an airplane hangar.”
The fireplace wall features large, black tile formatted to look like granite.
The renovated structure’s outdoor angled porch roof was inspired by the original pilot’s lodge on the property.
The property’s setting and the precedent of the original pilot’s house inspired the architect and provided some freedom to do something a little surprising. As she explains, “I didn’t want a typical low-ceiling covered porch. Instead, I took references from the old lodge and fashioned a roof that feels like bird wings soaring into the sky.” The outdoor space also includes a limestone fireplace and pavers that extend to connecting breezeways. While the original footprint did not expand, Zook notes, “We punched a lot of holes in it.” One of those resulted in an outstanding, floating staircase that feels fully a part of the setting and brings a modern artistic flair to the home.
The dining area nestles near the custom artistic stairway, which is decorated with framed African blankets.
The Macha Vecchia marble makes a striking addition to the vent hood in the kitchen, complementing other textures such as soapstone and brick. The marble also encapsulates the nature-inspired palette throughout the home. Lee Industries barstools and Visual Comfort & Co. pendant lights complete the look.
When it came to the interiors, Meyer found joy stepping out and tackling such an unusual space. “The client’s Marietta home was more traditional with some bold colors; this called for something else completely. I threw myself into the more contemporary and organic side of things,” she says. Naturally, the decorator looked to the riverside setting for inspiration, choosing the earthy colors of the river, the red Georgia clay, foliage, blooming sunflowers, and the cypress itself. “The marble we chose for the kitchen island and vent hood expresses most of the palette in one place, and it really draws you in,” adds the designer.
The fact that it is a sporting camp didn’t stop Meyer from using some of her signature moves, albeit perhaps on the quieter side. “I love wallpaper for the texture it brings, even if it’s in a neutral, and this house needed some warming up to keep it from feeling too modern or stark,” she explains. Meyer employed forgiving nubby grasscloth that’s deceptive in its beauty for several spaces. “We had to think about grandchildren’s sticky hands, so we also used a lot of durable performance fabrics as well,” she says. The designer also appreciates a wallpaper that dazzles. The powder room walls are dressed in a Pierre Frey covering that resembles the interiors of a rocky cavern in a cool, moody way.
The plush fabrics, tribal rugs, and contemporary lighting morph the lodge into more of a home, but it’s still focused on the outdoor activities, so it includes a hardworking mudroom for storing outdoor gear and two washer/dryers for taking care of the clothes before returning to Marietta. But thanks to the talented team, with a place like this—rustic beauty captured in a well-appointed shell with the sounds of cicada, wildlife stirring, and sunsets along the river—makes leaving up for debate.
The primary bathroom walls are wrapped in a Phillip Jeffries grasscloth and accented with art by Raoul Morren.
A loft/bedroom space upstairs, decorated with Palacek mirrors and Arteriors lamps, provides the perfect hangout for grandchildren with plenty of lounging and sleeping options.
The porch, with a weathered granite fireplace and filled with outdoor furnishings from Kolo Collective, offers the ideal place to perch after a day spent outdoors.
