Well Manored

A trio of design talents makes its mark in South Georgia with a grand hunting estate that embodies genteel appeal

Written by Sejal Bhima Photographed by Jeff Herr

Live oaks gracefully frame Brannville Plantation, a home designed by architect Brandon Ingram of C. Brandon Ingram Design and built by Joe Noah of Noah & Associates. A circular driveway allows guests to be dropped off at the front portico as rocking chairs beckon.

The entry hall provides a first impression of the home’s classically inspired but fresh interiors. Given the foyer’s neutral base, Ingram took the opportunity to step up the millwork with elaborate cornices and ornate casings and pediments over doorways.

“When you have so many rooms that are open and grand, we wanted to create a space that was a little bit compressing,” says Ingram when describing the main gallery. “It saturates you visually and spatially with architectural detail and rich color.”

A bold mix of seating options in the spacious living room—a red cheetah-print cane chair mingles next to a classic Hickory Chair wing chair—further add to the home’s collected effect. “It’s very traditionally based but never feels too formal or precious,” says interior designer Mallory Mathison Glenn of the room’s aesthetic. Upping its eclectic appeal is its color palette, in which rich ruby reds and cerulean blues are layered with more neutral tones of toffee and honey.

Beauty meets comfort in the dining room. While many of the room’s elements could read heavy on paper, such as the tapestry-backed velvet chairs or the handmade Dennis & Leen crystal chandeliers, Glenn brought freshness to the space with strategic splashes of saturated color. “The room is a good mix of old and new, bold and timid,” says Ingram, “a reflection of the clients, and South Georgia attitude in general.”

The kitchen opens directly onto the dining room and was designed to be every bit as elegant. This was accomplished through delicate fretwork details, white marble accents and unique brass lighting. The cabinetry was designed by Ingram and fabricated by Morgan Creek Cabinet Company.

The cabinetry was designed by Ingram and fabricated by Morgan Creek Cabinet Company.

Glenn infused the master retreat with feminine flourishes such as a traditional four-poster bed, elegant valances and a treasured collection of Rose Medallion china against a soft celadon backdrop. The drapery and wallpaper are Scalamandré, the large chest and ottoman are Hickory Chair and the lamp is from Parc Monceau. The club chairs are by Charles Stewart and the rug is Stark.

Delicate florals play up the sweet sophistication of the Princess Suite, designed for the Brannens’ granddaughters.

Abiding by a “no risk, no reward” mantra, Glenn went for major impact in the Blue Room by enveloping it in an intricate chinoiserie wallpaper by Brunschwig & Fils. She repeated the pattern on the drapery and chairs as a nod to historic English country homes.

The home’s upper level offers many moments for guests to rest their heels. While wicker rockers on the back porch balcony provide a relaxing spot to soak in the exceptional views, guests can also sink into the upper hall’s plush club chair with a bourbon in hand from the adjacent bar.

From the project’s onset, Ingram worked in tandem with Glenn, either accelerating or scaling back a room’s architectural detailing according to her design scheme. For example, pared-down spaces such as the Africa Room feature more ornate millwork. Here, the bed is recessed into an elliptical niche for added dimension.

Flora and fauna is a common theme throughout the home, a tribute to both the Brannens’ passion for hunting and the property’s natural surroundings. In the powder room, Glenn commissioned a hand-painted Gracie wallpaper that incorporates Cherokee roses, persimmon, butterflies, quails and other critters native to South Georgia.

The home’s abundance of historical references spills out onto the back porch, where a delicate balcony rail, inspired by the classic sheaves of wheat architectural motif, tempers the porch’s powerful composition. For the planters, McElheney gathered inspiration from drawings by Atlanta architect Philip T. Shutze dating to 1929.

Situated in the Red Hills region of South Georgia, the main house at Brannville Plantation is as impressive as the pristine parcel of hunting land it anchors. On approach, the stately home quietly begins to reveal itself as a thoughtfully cultivated heirloom that celebrates Southern grace and gentility.

The home’s story begins in 2012, when the estate’s owners, Joe and Fran Brannen, approached Atlanta architect Brandon Ingram. At the time, the Brannens were staying in the property’s hunting lodge (designed by renowned Southern architect W. Frank McCall Jr.) but were seeking to build a larger home that could serve as a backdrop for entertaining and ultimately be passed down through generations.

“From our very first meeting, it became apparent that they wanted to do something very fine, not a typical run-of-the-mill house,” recalls Ingram. Always favoring a team approach to design, he introduced the Brannens to landscape architect Carson McElheney and interior designer Mallory Mathison Glenn in the project’s initial stages. “They wanted a young team in place that could give them a classically rooted house that still felt very fresh,” says Ingram.

“All three of us were under 35 at the time, and the Brannens really allowed us to prove ourselves by giving us full creative rein,” adds Glenn. “In an age where everyone is looking on Pinterest or Houzz and coming back with all these ideas, the Brannens said, ‘Show us your vision’ and trusted us to drive the whole process.”

The team did not disappoint. McElheney began by extensively surveying the land and siting the home among a grove of century-old oak trees. “I spent hours with Mr. Brannen and his son walking the quail woods to find that perfect placement. We came upon these majestic live oaks that now frame the house,” he says.

Despite its grand proportions (24-foot columns greet visitors on the front portico), the house never reads as overly imposing, a credit to Ingram’s skillful approach to the architecture. In a nod to the regional vernacular, he melded elements from a range of styles such as Federal, Greek Revival and Georgian, thus giving the home a quiet familiarity. “When you’re working on a home this large, every little detail matters,” he notes. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the home’s core, where he connected an open suite of spaces—living room, dining room and kitchen—through architectural delineations such as a graceful elliptical arch and column screen that also provide each room with a purposeful intimacy.

This fine attention to detail was also paramount in Glenn’s design scheme. At the request of Fran—and inspired by Pebble Hill Plantation in nearby Thomasville, Georgia—each bedroom of the home was to be named and take on a personality of its own. Rising to the challenge, and simultaneously paying tribute to the Brannens’ passion for travel and nature, Glenn brought varying themes to life in spaces such as the Africa Room and the Bird & Thistle Room. The latter, featuring a luxe Brunschwig & Fils chinoiserie wallpaper, showcases the designer’s bold use of saturated color and pattern, a common thread she used throughout the home to give its historically inspired bones a fresh and youthful perspective.

All the while, McElheney continued to shape the verdant landscape. “It’s crucial to respect a site’s architecture and natural features. I would constantly arrive well before sunrise to study the light patterns that would dance across the gardens and the house,” he explains. The end result is a clean and classic landscape that complements the home’s timeless character.

Four and a half years after Ingram’s first meeting with the Brannens, the main house was ready to host family and friends. “It would have been a disservice to rush this project,” says Glenn. “The clients were incredible about gifting everyone on the team the time to create something spectacular.” It was indeed well worth the wait.

ARCHITECTURE Brandon Ingram, C. Brandon Ingram Design; (404) 205-5245; cbrandoningram.com INTERIOR DESIGN Mallory Mathison Glenn, Mallory Mathison Inc.; (404) 313-2214; mallorymathison.com LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Carson McElheney, Carson McElheney Landscape Architecture; (404) 467-1690; carsonmcelheney.com BUILDER Joe Noah, Noah & Associate; 404) 347-3550; noahandassociates.com