No rooms go undecorated in Marcelle Rolan’s home during the holidays. Even hand-crafted wreaths on stone pillars at the Ellijay driveway announce that Christmas is her favorite time of the year to decorate.
She spends about six weeks preparing her and husband Calvin’s north Georgia home for the holidays. Her DIY decor includes swags, garlands, wreaths and more than a dozen Christmas trees, which join nativity scenes and elaborate table settings.
“I am the queen of spray paint,” she says, laughing.
She tackles one room at a time in her home, which was renovated, including removing yellow aluminum siding and a red metal roof.
Snapshot
Residents: Calvin L. Rolan and Marcelle Rolan
Location: Ellijay
Size: 5,324 square feet, four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and a three-car garage
Year built: 1988
Year bought: 2009
Architectural style: European lodge
Favorite architectural element: Floor-to-ceiling Andersen windows on the first floor and second floor. The home is situated on 10 acres on top of a ridge and the windows allow for almost unobstructed vistas, Calvin said.
Renovations: The exterior now has brick with log siding and Perma-Chink, and a new door with wrought iron details. The red metal roof was replaced with architectural shingles that are color coordinated with the brick. The inspiration was a brick house with stone and hand-hewn logs that Calvin has seen years ago in Chattanooga. "I always thought that was a terrific-looking house," Calvin said.
The interior was re-painted, and custom 5-inch crown molding from Cline Lumber Co. in Dalton was added for extra detail. The light fixtures, door locks and hardware were replaced. New sinks were installed in the bathrooms and kitchen, which has new granite countertops (Premier Surfaces in Alpharetta) and an island. In the master bathroom, an Italian marble shower replaced the fiberglass shower stall. The carpet and tile floors were substituted with Asian walnut flooring from Dalton Wholesale Floors. A see-through stacked stone fireplace was added to the great room, and the cedar mantles were purchased in Murphy, North Carolina. They worked with Automated Creations in Blue Ridge to add new steel gates to the property.
Cost of renovations: $150,000
Interior design style: Traditional antique lodge
Collections: Angels, artwork by Ben Hampton and Thomas Kinkade, and birdhouses from Marcelle Rolan's sister
Decor tip: "About two months before Christmas, sit down and think about what you would like to do," Marcelle Rolan said. She reviews pages she has torn out of magazines and pictures she has taken throughout the year, and then buys materials from flower shops and stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michaels.
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