There’s a difference between a house on the lake and a lake house. You get it, right? Alabama’s pristine Lake Martin is speckled with spectacular homes around 880 miles of shoreline. But Russell Lands, one of the South’s largest recreational developers, has introduced a cluster of cozier cabins that have been wildly popular. One landed in the StyleBlueprint family, and we’re thrilled to share the story behind this charming Lake Martin cabin.
PinRussell Lands tapped famed Montgomery architect Bobby McAlpline to help create an “updated” cabin layout that maintained the quaint feel of the lake’s rustic cabins from decades past. Image: Dustin Adams
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This charming cabin belongs to Stan and Patsy Graves, parents of StyleBlueprint’s COO, Jay Graves, and in-laws of our co-founder and CEO, Liza Graves. Jay and his sister grew up going to Lake Martin. “Jay was water skiing at age six,” Stan says with a laugh. “It was our getaway spot.”
Later, Stan and Patsy tried to lure their grown kids and young grandkids to a beach house, but it was just too far and too fussy, so they sold the beach house and planned a grand return to the lake.
Pin“The lake seemed to be the grandbaby magnet,” Stan says. So they found their dream lot and built their dream lot with Rusell Lands leading every part of the charge. Image:
The Graves were looking for something smaller and easier to maintain. They didn’t want a city house plopped onto the lake; they wanted a lake cabin outfitted with creature comforts conducive to family togetherness.
When Patsy and their realtor first toured Nichols Cove — a new cabin lot that Russell Lands was unveiling — they had to wade across a creek to get there. Patsy immediately called Stan, who was out of the country at the time, and convinced him they needed to sign the reservation right then and there. She just knew it was right.
PinOnce the reservation was signed, Russell Lands took care of the land planning, the home designing with Stan and Patsy’s requested changes, and all of the decor. Image: Dustin Adams
Lake Martin is a big lake, and there’s a lot going on there, from lauded golf clubs and fine dining to nature education and lakefront concerts. For some background, I talked to Steve Arnberg, Vice President of Real Estate for Russell Lands, who has been with the company for over 20 years.
“Russell Lands is not a real estate brokerage or small developer. Outside of St. Joe Company [in Florida], we’re the South’s largest recreational developer,” Steve says. “It’s 41,000 acres of water and 890 miles of shoreline,” Steve says. And a lot of people are looking for property here.
PinPatsy jokes that her grandson, Charlie Graves (Jay and Liza’s son), must know the second she lights the grill because he’s there from Auburn within an hour, ready to crash in one of the stunning guest bedrooms. Image: Dustin Adams
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As for the cabin option that Stan and Patsy scooped up, Steve has some theories about its popularity. “We found our customers fit into three pools.” Steve says, “The first wants something already built and ready to enjoy. The second buyer is willing to work with the builder, pick a designer, and go through a one-to-two-year process. Both of those buyer pools are walking into more of a city-type house. Certainly, it’s a lake house with lake views, but it might not feel like a true lake house,” Steve says.
PinStan’s favorite part about Lake Martin is the water quality. “The headwaters for the Tallapoosa River are up in Georgia in the Piedmont Plateau. There are no large towns or industries upstream that are discharging. So it’s clean, it’s clear, and it’s big.” Image: Dustin Adams
Stan and Patsy fit into buyer category number three: folks looking for a lake house they couldn’t find anywhere else.
“They don’t want a beach or mountain house on the lake. They want a cabin nestled in the forest we’ve spent decades protecting,” explains Steve. “These buyers don’t want a McMansion with the big kitchen or giant walk-in closets. They’re bringing their sundresses, khakis, golf shirts, and flip-flops. They don’t want their kids or grandkids holed up in a big bedroom playing video games. They want everyone to come to the lake and spend time together.”
PinThey expanded the lower deck to make an outdoor kitchen area for grilling and Lowcountry boils. The home has lots of under-house storage for water toys, beautiful stonework leading to the dock, and a campy beach area. Image: Dustin AdamsPinAs the main cook of the household, Stan craftily relocated the kitchen to look across the family room and out onto the lake. He wanted it to be more central to the home and have a fabulous view. Image: Dustin AdamsPinIn addition to their pool of approved builders, Russell Lands created a list of architects and home designers best suited to tackle the cabin projects. Image: Dustin Adams
When it comes to designing a lake home, “Everyone wants something a little different, but we don’t change the plans a lot,” Steve says. The footprint stayed pretty much the same as what Russell Lands’ vetted architects laid for this cabin product — limited square footage, no brick, dirt roads, and a few other restrictions — but Stan and Patsy made a few key changes and their own touches to make it even more “lake-y.”
Pin“This cabin footprint features smaller bedrooms and bathrooms — still with luxurious finishes — but the real focus is on family rooms, screened porches, views of the lake, and storage for water toys,” Steve says. Image: Dustin AdamsPinThey added a covered drive-through carport for easy unloading and packing out. Image: Dustin Adams
“We worked their requests into the program using Chad Calhoon of Classic Homes,” says Steve. “Within their allotted budget, they were able to pick the things they wanted and were then given a start date, an end date, and a decor process date. All they had to do was bring their boat, furniture, and groceries and begin to enjoy the lake.”
Lake Martin is the only lake in Alabama to have received the designation of a Treasured Alabama Waterway. “We love that designation,” says Steve. “In addition to its lovely nature, we are proud of the water clarity and how ecologically sound we are in every part of the business. Unlike most developers, we embrace environmental concerns and lead in those things.”
PinThis was once a screen porch, but with how often Stan and Patsy are at the lake, they finished this out and added another screen porch on the opposite side of the house. Image: Dustin AdamsPinNatural light and warm details fill every corner of the cabin. Image: Dustin AdamsPinStan and Patsy also moved the fireplace from the back of the house to the front. “We use it extensively in the winter,” Stan says. “So we wanted to bring it closer to the main room and the lake view.” Image: Dustin AdamsPinTheir 300-year-old hard pine flooring came from Eva Jane Plant, built around 1903. Image: Dustin AdamsPinAs Stan and Patsy age, they didn’t want anything high-maintenance, so Stan outlawed cut grass in favor of pine straw. Image: Dustin Adams
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PinLarry Furlong did the interior architecture. Then Travis Wesson swept in with his interior design acumen. Image: Dustin Adams
The Graveses’ cabin has three bedrooms and three bathrooms. A four-bedroom is most common, but Stan thought about how often everyone will be there at once and opted for the smaller footprint that’s cheaper to heat and cool. If the extended family shows up for the same weekend, they rent a villa through Russell Lands.
Unsurprisingly, this area is not heavily marketed. “People who have places on the lake love it so much that they tell their friends and invite them for the weekend,” Steve says. “So we’ve seen a kind of natural migration from surrounding Southern cities, and some families return generation after generation.”
PinThe backsplash in the kitchen area is Sylacauga marble. “Many buildings in D.C. are made from blocks of marble quarried in Sylacauga, Alabama, so it’s a special touch,” Stan says. Image: Dustin AdamsPinThe entire house is shiplap, lending to a rustic cabin feel that leans more nautical than mountainous. Image: Dustin AdamsPin“Stan and Patsy’s cabin was project 10 or 11, and we are well over 100 of these. It has been a great product for us,” Steve says. Image: Dustin Adams
At one time, Russell Lands owned 350 miles of the 890 miles of available shoreline at Lake Martin. “We’ve been developing for a little while, but we still have around 250 miles of shoreline,” Steve says. And while Russell Lands doesn’t have any cabins currently available, there is a new cabin section in the works adjacent to Kowliga restaurant, which Steve says they will release in fall 2025.
To get on the mailing list to find out first about new cabin developments, sign up at RussellLands.com. Thanks to Stan and Steve for walking us through this beautiful project.
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Zoe is a StyleBlueprint freelance writer, Charlotte native, Washington & Lee graduate, and Nashville transplant since 2012. She teaches Pilates, helps manage recording artists, and likes to "research" Germantown's food scene.
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