Photograph by David Christensen
Beth Meyer had a vision for the pilot’s clubhouse that sat on her clients’ stunning 300-acre property along the Etowah River in Kingston. The modern structure would serve as an ideal weekend getaway for the outdoorsy Marietta-based owners and their children and grandchildren, who were looking for a place to hunt, fish, and spend quality time together.
Beth, founder and principal interior designer of Beth Meyer Design, was excited about transforming the building—which private pilots previously used when they flew onto the property’s grass landing strip and needed a place to stay for the night—into 1,500 square feet of contemporary living space. She designed the interior and had even started ordering items for the project. But plans soon changed.
Photograph by David Christensen
Photograph by David Christensen
Photograph by David Christensen
“We had looked at using the bones of that original structure and adding on to it to create a two-bedroom spot, but we ran into some issues with the floodplain as well as a number of building constraints,” she recalls. “There was a large hangar on the property, and somebody said, ‘Why don’t we just use that?”
The challenge was turning a rectangular metal building into a beautiful home with plenty of bedrooms and entertaining space. Fortunately, Beth had more room to work with in the hangar, and transferring her design plans—which leaned into the area’s Native American heritage with a warm and earthy color palette, a host of natural materials, and a commissioned art piece by Jared W. Knox—made sense in the new space after she brought in architect Frances Zook and contractor Evan Crowe, founder and president of CroweBuilt Homes, to collaborate with her on the project.
Photograph by David Christensen
Photograph by David Christensen
Photograph by David Christensen
Frances immediately stripped the metal off the building, leaving the roof alone, to reveal the natural slope of the structure, which served as a guide for the walls built on the interior. “We wanted to express the structure, not hide it,” she explains. The interior space allowed for two levels connected by an open staircase and now includes three bedrooms (including a kid-friendly bunk area), three bathrooms, an upstairs loft space, a mudroom, an airy living room with an angled tile-clad fireplace, and a spacious kitchen marked by a marble slab that runs from the range hood and backsplash onto the island.
Photograph by David Christensen
Photograph by David Christensen
Photograph by David Christensen
Frances also added a large porch—complete with a weathered outdoor fireplace, fans, and infrared heaters installed in the ceiling—that significantly increases the family’s living space, which now boasts 3,000 square feet. The porch’s roof was crafted to mimic an airplane or bird’s wing and brings character to the exterior, which features stained cypress cladding. A new breezeway and carport for larger vehicles completed the design and gives the home dimension. “I think the building feels true to itself, true to the structure, true to the materials, and true to its environment,” she says.
Photograph by David Christensen
Photograph by David Christensen
“It was a very bold design by Frances,” observes Evan, who had his own challenges, including making sure the building could physically support the renovations. By bringing in engineering assistance, he was able to do just that. “It’s always challenging to take a structure that wasn’t originally intended to be lived in and create a comfortable and quality home,” he says. “It takes a lot of communication, and you need a team that understands each other and keeps the client first.”
Photograph by David Christensen
Photograph by David Christensen
Having worked with the homeowners before, Beth keenly understood their wishes and strived to create a space that was both elevated and comfortable while bringing the outdoors inside. “I really wanted an organic feel, and I wanted the home to be hearty and resilient,” she says. Of course, the unexpected twist of moving to the hangar gave the design team a rare opportunity to embrace innovation and create an unconventional house that ticks all the boxes for the clients. Beth concludes, “This project shows what can happen when you’re willing to think outside the box.”
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