Highlands, N.C. — Ernie and Joyce Franklin looked at countless vacation homes in Highlands, N.C., before settling on a quaint mountain cottage in 1999. Ernie, a retired obstetrician and avid gardener, fell in love with the property instantly, strolling through its two and a half acres and imagining the hours he'd spend outside.

The only problem? The house, at least in Joyce's opinion.

Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

The rocking chair of Joyce Franklin's late grandfather is a key feature in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Other family artifacts include her great-grandfather's Civil War discharge papers.

Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

Ernie Franklin's love of the Highlands, N.C., property came before his wife's love of the home. 'I was looking at the house thinking, 'what can I do with this?'' Joyce Franklin said. The couple removed walls to open up space and bathed the interior in jewel tones.

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"Ernie was walking around saying 'Oh I could do this here and that there,' " Joyce said. "I was looking at the house thinking, 'what can I do with this?' "

The four-bedroom cottage (with a two-bedroom guest house) had small, dark rooms, inadequate bathrooms and the color was pasty white, including the interior paneling. The home off Main Street originally belonged to Henry Bascom, the second and fourth mayor of Highlands in the 1880s.

"I walked in and said — 'Ernie, this is so gross!' " she recalled.

But Ernie was hooked on this mountainside land, and Joyce got to work making the best of a seemingly bad abode. For starters, the exterior got a fresh coat of happy, yellow paint; then the couple called in local artist and carpenter Ed Bohling to help with the renovation. Ceilings were raised, walls were removed to open the space, and the house was given a healthy update with rich, jewel tones and reupholstered antiques.

Now the couple spends May through October in their cottage away from their Brookhaven condo.

"Everytime we would come up here, we'd see the mountain range and all of our stress would start coming down," said Joyce, as she walked through the couple's garden. "You get spoiled up here."

Describe your ...

Decorating style: The couple's Brookhaven condo has a French-inspired décor, Joyce said, but for this home, they wanted to be true to the Highlands' rustic roots. "I think it's an antique-cottage-y feel. That's what I felt I needed to do here, because the rooms are so small. I wanted to keep it feeling like a mountain cottage, not a mountain home."

Coolest feature: "It would definitely be the garden," Joyce said. "They play church bells at noon, and when we garden we can hear them. It's a wonderful feeling." Ernie recently donated about an acre to the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust.

Heart of the home: Their covered porch overlooking the garden. "That's where we stay and entertain; everybody loves to look at the backyard garden."

Reasons for picking a house vs. a condo or townhome: After selling their Sandy Springs home, the couple purchased a condo in Brookhaven specifically to make it easier to live part-time in Highlands. "[From our condo], we can walk out the door, turn the key and go to Highlands," she said. The cottage appealed to them because of the garden. "Ernie is a big gardener," Joyce said. "He fell in love with the land, and it keeps him happy."

Past or future project: The couple's work is largely done; having gutted the home and added such features as stone paths and a gazebo to the garden, they now simply enjoy their summer space.

Most cherished item: Along with a number of framed historic family photographs, Joyce has her great-grandfather's Civil War discharge papers framed in the family room. "They were passed down to me from my mother, who is now 93; she was given them by her mother, as well," Joyce said. "When I got them, I thought that the perfect place to put them would be in the mountains."

House, and what makes it a home: Their home is tucked away off Main Street, but the couple is just a short walk to downtown shops and restaurants. "It's a happy house and it gives us a warm feeling to be in our home and garden, yet be close to town. It's almost like a Norman Rockwell picture, but you live it."

Tips for good living: Living fresh. Joyce said that because Highlands doesn't have fast food, people have grown accustomed to fresh produce and flowers for their daily life.

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