Related Articles
Located 45 minutes outside of Chattanooga, TN, in Monteagle, a historic cottage was renovated with organic materials that echo its picturesque mountaintop setting.
Situated on the brow of the mountain, the 1,800-square-foot, 2-bedroom cottage is straight out of a fairy tale — a cozy stone structure you might happen upon when meandering through an enchanted forest.
Renovated last in the 1970s, the home was ready for another facelift. “The main design concept was to take advantage of the bluff, use the materials of the area — stone and cedar shakes — and make the home blend into the forest,” says Heidi Hefferlin, principal and lead architect at Hefferlin + Kronenberg Architects.
The mountaintop cottage is located in an area settled by the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly (MSSA), an organization that hosted eight-week summer retreats with spiritual, educational and cultural activities from the late 1800s through the Depression era.
Throughout the grounds, you’ll find cozy one- and two-story cottages that are now listed on the historic register. This cottage, which originally belonged to MSSA’s physician, is located on a mountain bluff secluded from the other cottages on the grounds.
On the exterior, an ornate bracket was installed by the entryway, along with copper gutters. To help the house blend into its natural setting, stone was added around the base to complement the wood siding. A new cedar-shake roof was installed, and a fireplace cap adds architectural interest.
Interior improvements
Throughout the interior, rustic gray-toned wood paneling was installed by Revival Studio. The Chattanooga-based interior design company also furnished the home through its sister business, Revival Home.
Off the entryway, the original dining room was transformed into a living area. Hefferlin had custom tresses created and installed, and new windows extend upward into the pitched roofline of the dormers.
