Ever After

Homeowner Bill Cook and architect Michael Faust created Laurel Nest from a mix of architectural styles from across the Appalachian region, as well as from details reminiscent of antique storybook illustrations. Cook’s Weimaraners, Ethyl and Sprocket, await guests near the front entrance.

A side niche at the front entry offers a spot to shake off the dust of the day.

The Goldilocks and the Three Bears-inspired newel post was originally a carved-walnut coat rack, and the staircase and laurel railings were built around it.

A collection of antlers–antique and quirky, real and resin–are hung throughout the house, but are concentrated in the foyer.

Cook kept his mother in mind, as well as Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother, when designing the “lady’s guest room.” From the English antiques to the wallpaper and wainscoting, every inch of the room is embellished.

The guest rooms all have multiple spots to sit and relax, read or enjoy the fire.

A large windmill from Holland and a diorama of a Scottish loch retreat add interest and fun to the finer antiques displayed in the dining room. The lush flowers on the dining table are repeated in floral motifs throughout the house, including in Oriental rugs, draperies and even needlepoint.

Fresh flowers add a pop of color to the dining room.

Accordion pendant lights in stainless steel add an unexpected edge to the stone and wood that make up much of the kitchen.

Architect Michael Faust designed the asymmetrical mantel and stonework surrounding the fireplace and passageway to mimic a riverbed with driftwood woven throughout the rock, including the sculptural roots, which add visual support to the base of the fireplace. Cozy and comfortable seating was given priority in the living room.

Architect Michael Faust designed the asymmetrical mantel and stonework surrounding the fireplace and passageway to mimic a riverbed with driftwood woven throughout the rock, including the sculptural roots, which add visual support to the base of the fireplace. Cozy and comfortable seating was given priority in the living room.

With heated floors, a beverage cooler and a soaking tub in front of the fireplace, the master bath is the ultimate spa retreat.

Next to the vanity, silver travertine and stacked stone frame an open-air shower complete with tactile pebble flooring.

Faust highlighted the vaulted ceiling in the space with beams, painted and stained wood paneling, and dormers, which let the light stream in.

With Scottish blood on his father’s side and a proud history of Scottish culture in the Highlands area, Cook decided to recreate the look of an old Scottish manor for his master bedroom. “It’s my favorite room,” Cook says. “I love its comfort and luxury.”

Another guest room features whimsical touches, including a bicycle suspended from the ceiling.

Once upon a time, Atlanta designer Bill Cook decided that his mountain home was just too small. He wanted to be able to share the magical feeling he had every time he escaped to his Highlands, North Carolina, cottage with more friends and family. So Cook decided to tear down his post-war weekend home (Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, August 2005) and expand up until it was just right.

“When I cross the state line, I feel bathed in the green light through the trees, and relief and relaxation wash over me—like I’m stepping into a storybook,” says Cook. “I wanted to take that feeling even further with the design of the house.” The designer worked with architect Michael Faust, and the early plans were inspired, in part, by Grimms’ Fairy Tales with exaggerated pitched roofs and more ornate details. Cook drew back a bit. “I didn’t want people to drive up and feel like they were going to be baked into cookies,” Cook laughs. “But I did want the home to look conjured from the imagination, like a dream.”

So fairy tale images were blended with the local architectural influences of the Appalachian region. “Dutch and Scottish details were added as a nod to his family heritage,” says Faust. The result is Laurel Nest, a home tucked into the hillside with exhaustive attention to detail inside and out.

Confined to rebuild on the previous home’s footprint, Faust took the opportunity to vault the foyer and second story in perfect proportion to the house, which suffuses the residence with airiness and light. Cook salvaged an array of objects from the demolition, reusing kitchen cabinets, light fixtures, wisteria vines and laurel branches—anything that might work with the new concept. Then he and Faust set out to find quality reclaimed wood and materials indigenous to the area, giving the new house instant character. Stonework was designed to look as if incorporated from the ruins of an old house. The hallway into the living room is a grotto that appears as a natural extension of the stone above the mantel. “I didn’t want to overkill the stonework,” said Cook. “This is not the Flintstones’ house.”

Cook was determined to be in by Christmas and started moving in while the paintbrushes were still going because there was a lot to unpack. “I did edit my old collection,” he says. “Then I gathered during the building process. Now, if I find something new, I have to pull something to switch it out or the house would be bursting at the seams.”

While designing, Cook was inspired by the personalities of friends and family, even the memory of one of his most beloved dogs, Diesel. But overall, he aimed for a balance between luxury and comfort. His guests had to feel invited into the fantasy. Humble pieces mix with fine antiques, and dogs and people alike are encouraged to put up their feet and relax. “I want visitors to be able to peer inside that feeling of loosing your way in the woods and finding yourself in a place of refuge.”

The layers, the history and the patina that fill the house may be the story, but it’s the welcomed flow of friends and family that creates the fairy tale.