Sherry Cook’s lake home has a creative style that befits the artist.
The two-bedroom house in Newnan offered the natural setting that Cook, who previously lived in a Victorian home in Atlanta, wanted in a country home, but when she first saw it more than 20 years ago, it was too tiny, and ugly, she said.
“Then we realized the property was so special,” she said.
A gallery space that displays paintings by Cook and her daughters serves as a transition from the 1970s A-frame home to an addition that gave her a larger master suite, covered porch and other rooms.
“We wanted to be able to have a nice big place, a space that we could show artwork,” she said.
Snapshot
Residents: Artist Sherry Cook, who has three children, Nate, Katie and Elizabeth Turner
Location: Newnan
Size: 3,226 square feet (according to Coweta County tax records), four bedrooms, four baths
Year built: 1979
Year bought: 1992
Architectural style: Eclectic with Craftsman and rustic elements
Favorite architectural elements: Plate-glass windows on the exterior, and vintage window frames with wavy glass installed between the bedroom and bathroom in the master suite. The light and wooded views create a peaceful master suite retreat, Cook said.
Renovations: The finished living area has almost tripled over 20 years. After purchasing the house, a master suite, large kitchen, library, art gallery, covered porch and multiple decks were added. About eight years later, the basement was renovated with a fourth bedroom, bathroom and playroom. A separate art studio-turned-guest cottage was built on the property.
Cost of renovations: About $100,000
Interior design style: Eclectic
Favorite interior design elements: The home is decorated economically with hand-crafted and salvaged items from yard sales and artist friends, Cook said. "My house is very much a hodgepodge of just things that I've collected, that I've seen, that I thought were interesting," she said.
Favorite room: The back porch, where she can entertain, dine, read and sleep. The swing bed, made from an old futon and outfitted with a twin mattress and pillows, is a spot for conversation and napping.
Favorite outdoor feature: Outdoor shower. "There's just something magical about looking up at the treetops and sky while hot water pours down your back," Cook said.
Favorite collections: Art by her daughters, Katie Turner and Elizabeth Turner; turned wood bowls, ceramics, and other handmade fine crafts; and an original by Nellie Mae Rowe, a folk art painter who lived in Vinings
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