Exploring Summer Home Styles: Inspiration from Green River Builder's Trove

“For the vast majority of us, beauty is what motivates and moves us. We move toward things we are attracted to, be it a human or a painting or a sculpture, so having a home that is expressive of your inner life just makes for an integrated life and a place where you can come home and take a deep breath, sink into the couch and think, ‘Yeah, I made this. This is me.’” —Interior Design Psychologist Leslie Kaye

Summertime looms large in so many of our memories and experiences. It has inspired poetry, music, fashion, literature, film, and countless lifestyle-focused events. You can also use it to inspire your interior design. At Green River Builders, we believe architecture and interior design go hand-in-hand. On the one hand, your interior design can highlight some of the most exciting elements of your home’s architecture. On the other, your architecture can serve as the ideal backdrop to support your interior design.  

That latter sentiment is undoubtedly reinforced by the summer home styles at Trove in Watkinsville. Marking our first Athens-area community, Trove showcases charming streetscapes lined with cottage-style homes that can inspire a variety of design themes that span the gamut from Coastal Chic and Modern Oasis to Rustic Retreat and Farmhouse Charm. The overall feel is one of an extended vacation with an overwhelming sense of home. As Trove’s top summer home builders, we suggest you lean into one of the following design styles that is most expressive of your inner life (or create one entirely all your own) to lend the feel of a summer home to your own house.

Coastal Chic: Embracing the Beachside Bliss

If the beach holds a special place in your heart and memories, interior design that pays homage to the ocean can bring a certain sense of tranquility to your daily life. Although Trove is located within 10 miles of Downtown Athens and not the Golden Isles of South Georgia, you can still create the sense of a beachfront oasis. Our cottages highly reflect summer home craftsmanship – particularly those wonderful outdoor living spaces. Delicate outdoor curtains hung between those outdoor columns can appear ready to catch an ocean breeze at a moment’s notice.  

Inside, you can infuse the feeling of a seaside retreat in chic yet subtle ways. Beachy colors that suggest sand and sea – like white sand neutrals against a pale turquoise accent wall and matching throw pillows to lend a pop of colors – prove highly effective in creating a mood. Eye-catching décor – like a stunning rattan lampshade above the dining room table, vintage wooden oars hung on a wall, accent tables that suggest driftwood, or jars filled with sea shells – will go a long way in supporting that theme, as will gauzy curtains framing the windows that surround a collection of overstuffed white sofas and love seats. Live palm plants can further support the beachy feel while improving the interior air quality of your home.

Rustic Retreat: Embracing Nature's Serenity

If your home in Trove features an outdoor living space with a stone-lined hearth, rough-hewn timber mantle, and eye-catching timber columns, it’s easy to bring that rustic feel indoors. If the lake, mountains, or campgrounds hold special summer-themed meaning for you, you can lean into those memories for design inspiration. Bring the outdoors inside by incorporating wooden beams and reclaimed wood accent furniture in your living room, peppering a collection of tabletop and floor plants throughout the open concept, adding weathered leather seating, and mixing in some industrial-inspired lighting. Paint colors that suggest the Great Outdoors may include varying shades of green and brown – like the trunk and leaves of a tree. Textured furnishings, braided rugs, and a well-placed sliding barn door can also make a statement. Carefully curated wall art that celebrates nature can further enhance the feeling of a rustic yet refined cabin in the woods.

Modern Oasis: Embracing Contemporary Elegance

“Hot town, summer in the city…” While our exteriors at Trove are crafted with abundant cottage charm, our interiors are innovatively planned, exquisitely executed, and timeless in their simplicity. If a more contemporary design feels most like home to you, infusing a chic and sleek design style throughout your new Watkinsville home is simple. Employ minimalism while decorating and incorporate contemporary statement lighting, artwork, and rugs to create a modern aesthetic. A brick accent wall can lend the sense of a New York brownstone, whereas contemporary furniture with clean lines can suggest a “straight out of Brentwood” L.A. estate.  Open shelves are all the rage in modern décor, and you can line those shelves with intentionally curated items – including books, plants, framed photos, and more.

Farmhouse Charm: Embracing Rural Beauty

One of Watkinsville’s more popular home styles is Modern Farmhouse, mainly due to the vast expanse of farmland throughout the area. If this style really speaks to you, you may want to make white walls, shiplap accents, and distressed wood floors (or luxury vinyl flooring with a distressed look) a foundational part of your design. Fun and kitschy design accents – like signs, baskets, glass bottles, and more – will add to the farmhouse allure. Feel free to incorporate and embrace shabby chic accent items that glorify their imperfections – easily found at antique stores and estate sales. Comfort is a central pillar of farmhouse design, so procure the coziest overstuffed sectional or sofa you can find. Along that same vein, a bed swing filled with pillows is an excellent addition to your back porch for summer evenings spent watching the fireflies light up the night sky.

At Trove, Green River Builders presents a collection of floor plans that serve as the ideal blank palette for the summer home style that suits virtually every taste and preference. Once you’ve found the ideal home site and floor plan to fit your needs at Trove, be sure to tell our interior designer which themes resonate best with you during your design stage. She can help you infuse special options in your home design – like accent walls, built-ins, and flooring – to set the stage for your beach escape, rustic retreat, farmhouse sanctuary, or modern oasis. To learn more about Green River Builders, Trove, and other communities where we are building throughout Georgia, visit www.GreenRiverBuilder.com. If you have questions or want to schedule a tour of available homes in Trove, email info@platinumkeyteam.com.  

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