There's Room for the Whole Family at This Sprawling Georgia Home (With a Converted Garage Apartment)

Located in the community of Chateau Elan in Braselton, Georgia, this stately Georgian-style home with three levels and six bedrooms is a gathering place for a family that loves to spend time together. "When you have a family that loves each other and wants to be together ... it is just one of the loveliest things," says designer Maggie Griffin. "Not everyone likes their family that much!"

Maggie worked on several phases of the project, starting with the massive living and dining rooms on the main floor — spaces that "eat furniture," she says. Next, she tackled the second-floor bedrooms, then the terrace level. Finally, Maggie was tasked with turning the garage apartment that the homeowners created into a comfortable, functional space where their four children and multiple grandchildren could have dedicated rooms to make visits more relaxing. Grandparents, take note: If you build a well-appointed space for your children and grands, they might visit more often! Read on to tour the entire property.

The whole family gathers in this European-style living room, so it was absolutely critical for it to be a calming space. And with so many children and granchildren in the mix, "they needed to have enough seating," says Maggie.

The 20-foot-tall ceiling is remarkable but presents its own challenges. "It can be difficult to make it cozy," she admits. In order to bring in warmth and create a spot where the family would love to gather Maggie added a huge rug, drapery and plenty of textiles and furnishings. All these layers keep the very large space from being too loud or from feeling cold.

"Foyers can be hard because there are so many hard edges," says Maggie "and very little opportunity to bring in softness." She solved that design challenge by working with the architectural specificity of this room. "Because of the curvature of the stairs, a hide rug just works really well." According to Maggie, the round table feels very aligned with Southern hospitality; it's the perfect place to pour champagne or display a bowl of magnolia leaves at Christmas.

With the dining room in full view from the entryway, the homeowners can create real impact as guests enter when the table is set and the candles are lit. Maggie used upholstered chairs to set a luxurious-but-comfortable tone and absorb some of the sound in the large space. Maggie guided the homeowners in a number of design decisions, from choosing furniture and paint colors to helping them with details as small as sourcing placemats, linens, plates and flatware in order to create a cohesive feel.

Maggie says the family really took the reins on the design of this space — and it's no surprise, since the kitchen is often the heart of a home. The stained wood island surrounded by elegant counter stools, sourced by the homeowners, and the herringbone backsplash steal the show.

Maggie added a longer cafe curtain in the powder room. "I'm a big fan of cafe curtains for several reasons," she says. "If you put anything else on that window, it would have to be closed top to bottom." Here, the light still flows in. The family likes softer colors, which feel extra airy in natural light, so Maggie obliged with soothing tones in the bathroom and throughout the home.

This landing is generously proportioned and goes from the main foyer to the terrace level of the home. "They use their terrace level all the time," says Maggie. As a casual gathering space, the terrace level features a home theater, full bar, gym and also opens up to the pool. "I wanted to set the tone for 'cozy' when you get to the bottom of the stairs," she says. The chest — sourced from Scott Antique Markets in Atlanta — and matching lamps create a vignette that adds panache to the space.

Maggie kept the original stone fireplace in this terrace-level living room (painted Knoxville Gray by Benjamin Moore). "To me it feels so much more layered and cozy," she says of the blue-green color. The painting above the fireplace was commissioned to represent a happy memory of the dirt road that the homeowners used to drive down.

Seating was a big priority in this room. There is a sofa that seats three, four upholstered chairs facing each other and two additional chairs flanking the fireplace, so everyone can join in the fun.

"We just loved that trellis wallpaper," Maggies says of this bedroom. A French-style headboard combined with the bone inlay on the mirrors completes the feminine feel of this pretty space. "I am a big fan of pleated shades," she says of the hats on the brass table lamps. "They bring in so much softness."

"This space was a head scratcher for [the homeowners]," says Maggie of this very large bedroom with a low ceiling. Maggie filled the space with two queen beds and used easy-to-clean vinyl wallpaper to bring dimension to the space. Keeping things clean and tidy is important for guest rooms, says Maggie. She recommends white bedding for ease of cleaning and bleaching.

Maggie gave this powder room a massive overhaul. She added a new vanity, toilet, lights, mirror and wallpaper set off with crown molding and trim in Sabre Gray by Benjamin Moore. "It looks so good with the polished nickle and gold."

"This bedroom is large in scale," Maggie says, but the use of a king bed, 50-inch-wide dressers on either side and the bench all help ground the space. Grasscloth wallcoverings and framed chinoiserie screens on the sides of the bed help create character and warmth.

The space above the garage has two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, laundry area and pantry to provide everything guests could need. The striped ceiling wallpaper (from Thibaut) is the kind of fun detail that might not fly in the traditional-leaning main home but works beautifully in this colorful space for the extended family.

Maggie turned the garage into a fully-formed mini apartment that can sleep 8 people — and color and whimsy distinguish the space. "I really leaned more into color in the apartment," she says. "We knew we wanted to bring some texture in with the shiplap," says Maggie, which strikes a more casual note than in the main home. The most common question in her Instagram DM's: What's the wall color? It's personal favorite of Maggie's: Antique Pewer by Benjamin Moore. The Citrus Garden fabric is from Schumacher.

The creamy white apartment kitchen with brass pendant lights is a miniature version of the equally beautiful space in the main home. But choosing the right white paint is harder than you might think. "White can read cold or it can read warm," says Maggie. For this space she chose another favorite: China White by Benjamin Moore. "It's my go-to color."

Though not a dedicated bedroom, this comfy vignette (that leads to the main bedroom on one side and the bathroom on the other) features a daybed piled with pillows and a gallery wall. "It was really a 'what do we do with this space?' [situation]," says Maggie. The queen daybed means they can always squeeze in a few more people. In a room without windows or natural light, "the gallery wall just gave it a little punch," she says.

This large bedroom in the garage apartment afforded space for a king bed. The family already had the sofa, but Maggie had it recovered in camel velvet with pale blue piping. The new bench at the foot of the bed was covered in the same fabric for continuity.

This space was so large, Maggie squeezed in two queen beds tucked into nooks opposite the king bed. The symmetry of the two chairs gives the space a characteristic crispness.

Bold striped wallpaper and a large mirror over double sinks make this bathroom functional for a large number of people in the shared apartment space. The substantial vanity has plenty of drawers and storage to accomodate the entire family.

This open-shelving pantry is perfect for kids to see and grab (or at least point to) their favorite snacks. The bright wallpaper that extends from the pantry to the laundry area is by Serena & Lily.