On Our Cover - Angel Oak Home

On Our Cover: Angel Oak Home By Tracy McCoy

Terri Goethe epitomizes the soft and peaceful interiors she creates. You see the threads of her kindness and beauty in the homes she touches, it’s easy to see why she is chosen by homeowners from Atlanta to Linville and many points in between. This native of Stephens County has deep roots in Toccoa and has a passion for the north Georgia mountains.

Terri met her husband Chris while living in Atlanta and the couple married in 2006. Her resume is quite impressive with names such as Habersham Furniture and design firms around the Atlanta area. She enjoyed working and learning from others but longed to delve deeper into home interior design. Terri wanted to understand the effects plumbing and electrical planning had on planning design and finishes. Comprehending codes and making certain those were met was crucial to good planning. With her new husband’s encouragement and support, she enrolled in a program to learn kitchen and bath design and became a certified kitchen and bath designer in 2008. She felt that her past experience and newfound certification put her in a position to venture out on her own. So in 2008 Terri began her business, working directly with homeowners to plan their new or renovated kitchen and bath designs.

Chris Goethe was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. On a trip with his bride he took her to see the Angel Oak tree. This is a live oak that easily canopies 1700 square feet. It is the oldest of its kind east of the Mississippi and named the most beautiful tree in the world. It is a live oak tree on John’s Island in Angel Oak Park. Any visit to that area should include a visit. It’s age is debated with estimates between 500 and 1500 years old. Terri described it as a piece of God’s art and said when they returned home she asked Chris what he thought about officially naming their design firm Angel Oak Design. He loved it!

Her business in Atlanta was thriving and she absolutely adored being part of the planning of new homes and working with clients on renovations. Chris says “Terri has a gift for interior design” and I tend to agree. The couple made the decision to buy a lake house in Terri’s hometown of Toccoa in 2015. Two years later they made a move from Atlanta to Toccoa to reside there full time. Terri planned to continue working with her clients in the Northwest corridor of The City but found in renovating the home she and Chris had purchased that her ability to buy the items she needed in the area was almost non-existent. She was having to travel back to Atlanta or to Greenville to find the items she wanted in her home. She wanted to provide those things for the families in Stephens and surrounding counties. She and Chris also loved the idea of investing in Toccoa’s downtown. There were wonderful shops there and they decided to join them. Terri has many clients now on Lake Hartwell, Lake Burton, Rabun and Seed as well. The homes featured on our cover include two homes in Toccoa, one being the model home at The Currahee Club.

As business continued to grow Terri saw the need to add more designers and someone to manage operations for the business. Enter into this story, Nancy Boger who keeps everyone going in the right direction. Her title of Director of Operations means she keeps the team in line! Then there are two degreed designers, Bree Tuttle (UGA Graduate with 20+ years of experience) and Jessi Herrin (recent graduate of the University of Georgia with degrees in Interior Design). In the showroom you’ll meet the rest of the team - Yenny Martinez, Casandra Dalton and Sarah Steele. Terri found that when she took on kitchens and baths it often led to other opportunities to help with the home design. She truly enjoys working with the homeowners to help accomplish their goals for the new construction or renovation.

Our homes are an extension of ourselves and coming home should be something we look forward to - a peaceful place to unwind from the day and to entertain friends and gather with family. Terri loves being involved in creating that space for her clients.

Recently Terri was contracted after meeting a couple at a dinner she attended to handle the interior design on their 10,000+ sq foot new home in Linville, North Carolina. Of course it took months from start to finish but the home is a showplace like no other. The views from the home begged to be adored from easy chairs and porch furnishings and even the bedrooms. The Goethes have developed a friendship with these clients, as they do with so many of them. They find that if you take the time to get to know the homeowners, it gives a much clearer picture of what the unique design plan needs to be for their unique home. Angel Oak Design no doubt has many more spectacular homes on the books, but always welcomes new clients. Angel Oak Home is inviting and inspiring from custom window coverings, upholstery, rugs and home furnishings and décor to the perfect gift for a wedding or shower you will love everything you see. Upon meeting and talking with Terri I can see her kindness and style woven throughout her business. She is quick to give God the glory for everything she’s been given, especially her family. Together she and Chris have four grown sons, two daughter-in-laws and two grandchildren. Angel Oak Home is located at 46 Doyle Street in Toccoa, Georgia 30577. Their website is easy to navigate and offers an abundance of good information as well as a link to their blog. You’ll find it at www. angeloakdesign.com and you can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram @angeloakhome.