This Tiny European-Inspired Home Is Actually Located in Georgia

A tiny home village is the newest addition to a planned community for the creative industry.

February 22, 2021

By: Meredith Rosenberg

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Photo By: A.J. Parker

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Photo By: A.J. Parker

Tiny Home With Big Features

Trilith is not your typical planned community. Based in Fayetteville, Georgia, this live/work development still under construction revolves around Trilith Studios, a film studio known for producing Marvel movies under its former name of Pinewood Atlanta Studios. As such, Trilith is targeting the creative community to move onto its 235-acre residential campus consisting of one-of-a-kind homes, from the traditionally sized to tiny ones, like this European-style micro cottage dubbed Folklore.

Learn More: This Micro Home Community Has to Be Seen to Be Believed

The Folklore Story

Screenwriter and entrepreneur Michael Albanese and his wife Wynn Everett, an actress, moved to Trilith in July 2018 from Los Angeles with their two young daughters. He felt drawn to the new community's creative concept, and wanted to help pioneer it. Part of that process involved building a tiny cottage to use as a rental property. (They live nearby in a bigger home they built.) Michael learned of plans to develop a European-themed micro village at Trilith, which resonated both with his prior experiences of living in small spaces in New York and LA, and his Italian heritage. "My inspiration for the Folklore Cottage was Bob Dylan meets Tuscany," he explains.

Home Away From Home

For the interior, Michael turned to his mother-in-law Avis Everett of Avis Everett Interiors. He combined his eclectic style with her traditional approach, resulting in an environment that's meant to appeal to the creative set, i.e., renters coming from New York and LA to work on a film at Trilith's studio. At the same time, Michael wanted the space to feel homey, warm and comfortable. "Sometimes rental properties, or even second homes, can feel either too modern ... or they feel too corporate," he says. "But I really wanted to create something that felt like home for however long people were staying there, whether overnight guests or a long-term rental."

Intentional Design

The home is a compact 556 square feet, but Brett Baker, Trilith's director of residential construction, incorporated feedback he received after building Trilith's first micro village in order to further maximize the space. "I wanted to have all the conveniences of any other home here," he says. For example, the new units feature full-size fridges and ovens. The dishwasher is compact, but still feels like a luxury appliance considering the space constraints. Michael added touches such as the high-end coffeemaker in the corner, along with a bag of local beans, reflecting his love of coffee and hope of one day opening a coffeeshop in Trilith. The total 935-acre community will eventually include retail, restaurants, a movie theater and 18,000-square-foot soundstage, with the idea that everything will be within walking distance for residents.

Bases Covered

The dining area comfortably seats two, but a shared outdoor courtyard includes a dining table that can seat four, plus an additional lounge area and fire pit. And what the kitchen lacks in cabinets, it compensates for with built-in shelves that hold the essentials. Brett sourced the repurposed wood from a 19th-century mill in Alabama, since he felt that the wood's age coincided with the picturesque village vibe of the property.

Shared Experience

All of the micro villages will contain a shared courtyard, which is meant to channel the European lifestyle by encouraging communal gathering with neighbors. In fact, most of Trilith's homes feature shared courtyard spaces instead of private yards. But since more than half of Trilith will consist of green space, residents can eventually head to one of 19 parks and 15 miles of nature trails. Plus, any landscaping needs that do exist are taken care of by Trilith's landscaping unit.

Tastefully Curated

Besides the coffee machine, Michael's personal taste is incorporated throughout the design, from furniture to books on travel and cooking. "I really wanted to create almost a hotel experience where it's highly branded and very curated," he says. "There's a travel hospitality component to the design as well," (owing in part to a travel company that he owns in LA).

Space-Defying

"There's a lot of thought that goes into these floor plans," Brett says, recalling the ability to fit about 10 guests into a tiny home thanks to the configuration of the kitchen and living room. It helps that this ladder, which leads up to a loft, can easily be moved. Brett adds that he's even fit 75-inch TV screens into tiny home designs.

Lofty Goals

Michael has been using the loft space as part of his office until the first renter moves in, but it's roomy enough to accomodate a queen-size bed. In fact, some of Trilith's tiny home residents use this area as a second bedroom. On the other hand, Michael finds this area also makes a perfect reading nook (there's a bookcase with first-edition books across from the chairs), while the nesting tables are conducive to laptop work. Above the chair is a vintage poster from New Zealand, reflecting the family's love of travel.

Loft-Eye View

The view from the loft emphasizes the home's intentional footprint and 18-foot ceilings. "I love to create high ceilings so it doesn't feel too constricting or claustrophobic," says Brett. Even though Michael doesn't live here, he's spent enough time in the home to realize how less can be more. There's nothing, he says, "the house is lacking from a structural point or interior point of view."

Defined Areas

Locally commissioned artwork lines the hallway (and elsewhere) leading to the home's one bedroom, which includes a door — not a given in tiny homes.

Artistic Inspiration

Michael commissioned local art for the entire cottage that can also be bought by guests. "So people that stay there, if they really fall in love with the art they can purchase the piece directly from the artist," he explains. For this painting, he asked the artist to create a flower abstract that represents Tuscany. "I gave her a couple of Bob Dylan songs to listen to as she painted, and she came up with this painting."

Space Savers

These armoires were custom-made to compensate for the room's lack of closet space, but that also created a big enough area for a king-size bed. "Most micro homes ... are smaller footprint homes. They sacrifice a lot of these spaces in the master bedroom or bathroom," Brett says. "I try to be intentional by using that space to give them as much room and not feel too constricting, or trying to pack in too much into a small envelope."

Hidden Surprise

The bed includes custom-made drawers on both sides and the front (instead of box springs) for additional clothing storage. Brett notes that all of Trilith's micro homes also include basement storage that's the size of each home's footprint. So seasonal clothes can be stored there too, along with larger items, thanks to high ceilings and easy exterior door access.

Form Meets Function

You might have noticed the bedroom lacks a nightstand, but that's where these pull-out trays come in handy, providing enough room for water, glasses and a phone.

Short Commute

Michael originally planned to design the loft as an office, "but if somebody was going to use it daily, it might get monotonous to climb up and down the ladder," he says. Since the home receives a ton of natural light, he decided to put a desk under the bedroom window instead, and felt it was more inspiring anyway. "I wanted it to feel like a place where you could do your best work." Plus, the custom shutters (seen throughout) are conducive for letting all the light in.

Forward Thinking

All of Trilith's homes are or will be optimized for working from home thanks to fiber technology. "We're trying to think ahead 10, 20 years in the future, and I try to pre-wire these homes," says Brett.

Surprise Size

Though the home has just one bathroom, its size rivals that of larger homes. Brett says he enjoys juxtaposing large bathrooms with small footprints, creating unexpected experiences for residents and visitors.

Think Big

Brett didn't skimp on the shower either, and even managed to fit a bench into the design. Recessed lights are another space-spacing option, although the window contributes plenty of natural light during the day.

Problem Solved

This rolling iron and wood linen holder was part of the home design, and thanks to wheels, it can be relocated as needed. Brett notes how all of the home plans are different, but he tries to incorporate storage solutions in available niches whenever possible.

As for Michael's takeaway on the finished product? "I don't think we really need that much space," he shares. "I don't think we really need that much stuff. So this solution is really appealing to me and a lot of other people because it's useful. There's no wasted space."

Green Living

This view provides a clearer understanding of how the second micro village fits into the larger development, with each village centered around a shared courtyard. Of note? All of the residential construction emphasizes green building, and Trilith says it encompasses the largest geothermal community in the country.

Grand Plans

Once finished (within about seven years), Trilith will house 5,000 residents in 1,400 homes. Fifty of those will be tiny homes, located in five micro villages throughout the community. Future micro village themes will feature Georgian and Black Forest architecture.

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