Nostalgic lakeside memories come to life in this mother-and-daughter design duo’s second home renovation project on Lake Blue Ridge.
This Blue Ridge retreat’s front exteriors stand out with its rustic finish highlighted by a stark red trim. Photographed by Heidi Harris
The outdoor stone hearth is home to an outdoor grill and built-in pizza-over for family dinners outside. Photographed by Heidi Harris
THE CLIENT
The year was 2012, and Allison Moran was knee-deep in her corporate career while her daughter Jorie was starting her freshman year of high school. As a family, the Morans had decided it was finally time to buy a lake house—a place rife for memory-making. They settled on a single fishing cabin that takes landmark status as one of the oldest standing structures on Lake Blue Ridge. Together, the Morans gently renovated the cabin into a five-bedroom, five-bath home, utilizing as much as they could from the original structure. It wasn’t until 2020 that mother-and-daughter duo Allison and Jorie decided to follow their passion and create Wesley Interiors, taking on their beloved lake home as a personal project in 2023.
The designers mixed old and new, seen here in an antique armoire home to custom Weezie towels. Photographed by Heidi Harris
The updated game room features a patriotic palette via Utopia Goods drapery fabric, Guy Goodfellow and Pierre Frey pillow fabric and a navy blue rattan light fixture from Soane. Photographed by Heidi Harris
THE PROJECT
The two got to work, pulling inspiration from the landscape and how they envisioned the home functioning. “We wanted to build a home that would stand the test of time and was in keeping with the natural beauty around the lake in the foothills of North Georgia,” says Allison. With a base of reclaimed wood walls and ceilings from the initial rebuild, getting a rustic feel was easy, and Allison and Jorie’s job was to make it feel fresh and updated. “When selecting the furnishings, we carefully blended the old with the new to create spaces that would endure for generations to come—creating spaces that invited family and friends to stay a while with pieces that told a story,” says Jorie. Gathering around food and drink was important to the Morans and proved to be a common theme throughout the redesign. “...this project was a true labor of love,” says Jorie. “Its a home with many gathering spaces whether it’s downstairs in the game room, on the porch overlooking the lake, by the pizza oven or in the scullery.”
In this reno, the original kitchen was retained except for countertops and new Modern Matter hardware. Photographed by Heidi Harris
THE CHALLENGE
After the initial renovation, the Morans decided to expand in 2022 to host friends and family more readily. The challenge they faced was how to improve and expand without replacing the entire kitchen. Says Allison, “[We wanted] to incorporate this expansion in a way that was not only meaningful but also made it appear as though these new spaces had always been there.” Furthermore, they didn’t want to lose the innate intimate feeling of the space when it was just their family gathering. “We designed the scullery’s cabinetry for prep tools and appliances and added a large island with rustic legs matching the original,” says Jorie. “A single large kitchen would have lacked intimacy. The space feels just right, whether cooking solo or with a group of 20. We also integrated two iron chandeliers from my great-great-grandparents’ early 1900s home.”
The fresh laundry room features tile from Renaissance Tile and Bath, Kathryn Ireland drapery and Hudson Valley lighting. Photographed by Heidi Harris
The guest bedroom bathroom features playful mirrors from Fleur. Photographed by Heidi Harris
A fun addition to the home was a yoga studio where mother and daughter can exercise in a beautiful environment, here featuring ceiling wallpaper by Camilla Moss. Photographed by Heidi Harris
THE DETAILS
Allison and Jorie wanted the home to make as much sense in winter as in summer months. Because of this, they were very purposeful in the fabric selection, sourcing from Brunshwig & Fils, Lulie Wallace, Casa Branca, Pierre Frey and more. “We wanted all the fabrics to be timeless but also bring out the Americana-feel closely associated with the lake. Most importantly, keeping them transitional—cozy for winter months and breathable in the summer,” says Jorie. The two also had fun repurposing family antiques like Jorie’s grandparents’ rattan furniture, which they recovered in Zak and Fox and McLaurin & Piercy fabrics. Although new to the interior design world with no previous professional experience in the industry, these designers were rife with creativity, working with tried-and-true brands to create spaces that you want to “stay for a while” in, including Mainly Baskets, Modern Matter, Made Goods, Matouk, Renaissance Tile and Bath, Hudson Valley, Stark Carpets, Holland Macre, Farrow and Ball and more.
The guest bedroom features two twin beds with Matouk bedding, Vaughan Designs lighting and an area rug from Stark Carpets. Photographed by Heidi Harris
THE OUTCOME
The result is a home that evokes all five senses, nestled in memories of childhood camp days—jumping in the lake and roasting marshmallows. It’s a place where the Morans can enjoy each other’s company and create new memories in a space designed by their own hands.
The primary bedroom features a custom mirror by Express Framers and an adorable vanity chair upholstered in Bension Fabrics sourced from Ainsworth Noah. Photographed by Heidi Harris
DESIGN DETAILS
TYPE
Second Home
LOCATION
Blue Ridge, GA
ARCHITECT
Julie and Jeremy Griffin, Hazel & Grey Architects,
hazelgreyarchitects.com
BUILDERS
John Berndsen, The Berndsen Company,
berndsen.com
INTERIOR DESIGN
Allison and Jorie Moran, Wesley Interiors,
wesley-interiors.com
RESOURCES
AINSWORTH NOAH
Guest room drapery, primary bathroom vanity chair
ainsworth-noah.com
BRUNSCHWIG & FILS
Studio room drapery, bed skirt and duvet
kravet.com/brunschwig-fils
CAMILLA MOSS
Yoga studio wallpaper
camillamoss.com
FERMOIE
Kitchen sconce shades
edgar-reeves.com
FLEUR
Bathroom mirrors
fleurhome.com
HOLLAND MACRAE
Guest room chest
hollandmacrae.com
HUDSON VALLEY
Laundry lighting
hvlgroup.com
LULIE WALLACE
Laundry bench fabric, bunk room pillow and window shade fabric
luliewallace.com
MADE GOODS
Studio lamps and bedside tables
madegoods.com
MAINLY BASKETS
Game room chairs
mainlybaskets.com
MATOUK
Bedding throughout
matouk.com
MODERN MATTER
Kitchen and scullery hardware
modern-matter.com
PATTERSON FLYNN
Game room area rug
pattersonflynn.com
RENAISSANCE TILE & BATH
Laundry room tile
renaissancetileandbath.com
SOANE BRITAIN
Guest room and game room lights
soane.co.uk
STARK CARPET
Guest room carpet
starkcarpet.com
SUMMER CLASSICS
Outdoor living space furniture
summerclassics.com
ZAK AND FOX
Recovered rattan furniture
hollandandsherry.com
