The Merry Weather Garden Club met on Thursday, August 9th at the home of Ellen McEwen in Gay. McEwen and Patti Acheson hosted the monthly meeting and served a delicious brunch to members. The delightful brunch gave the ladies time to visit and chat and to share their summer garden success and failure stories. Touring the McEwen’s lovely home and Pump House that Ellen and John are about to renovate was inspiring, and Ellen explained the additions and architectural changes to be made.
The club traveled to Senoia to view the Southern Living Idea House, the second such project for the small town that is an anchor for our Georgia movie industry. Southern Living renovated and landscaped an 1830’s farmhouse and created a charming home with country appeal yet having contemporary amenities.
The largest exterior changes were the addition a new wing plus a wrap around front porch that is decorated with vintage metal furniture and offers a welcoming “Come on up and set a spell” invitation. The new exterior was covered in fiber-cement siding and larger windows that improve the amount of light allowed inside plus giving better balance to the architecture.
Half of the original house was able to be used for the master bedroom and bath and SL retained its old wooden floors and walls. The newer half of the house has a popular open floor plan but also carries on the historic white plank wooden walls and stained floor look. The complimenting color theme for much of the house was grey and allows for bursts of color on furniture, window treatments, pillows, et cetera. The overall feel given by the interior is one of comforting unity.
Popular with garden club members was how bathroom and storage areas are neatly worked in utilizing attic space, openings under stair cases, or with clever cabinetry. The clean uncluttered look and naturally lighted areas plus the inspiring decorations and resource material dispensed at the Idea House sent the Meriwether ladies home with renovation ideas for their homes.
The landscaping around the house included people places anchoring a visual vignette such as a rustic chair grouping around a fire pit, curving sidewalk around the house with easy to maintain beds of Southern classic plants, and beautiful Bevolo historic lighting. Retractable screens made the back porch a cozy retreat with its potting table, outdoor rugs, and cushioned all weather furniture.
No visit to Senoia is complete with dropping in on the many boutiques and antique shops dotted along Main Street. New for club members was the addition of musician Zac Brown’s new restaurant and bar which they found a fun treat especially the “New Country” shabby chic and music themed decor. They enjoyed one of the restaurant’s specialties: a corn muffin sliced like a burger bun and serving up balsamic glazed pork tenderloin, candied sweet potatoes, and collards alongside slaw all washed down with homemade lemonade.
