Women Who Shape The Plateau: A Legacy of Welcoming Home

Written By: Ann Self | Issue: December - 2022 | Photograph By: Susan Renfro

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Ann Sherrill and Carol Wilkes

or 30 years, Ann Sherrill has created an elegant edge in home design in Cashiers with the furniture store Rusticks.  Over the years, her retail business evolved and grew, but her signature style remained what has been termed “mountain chic.”  

“I found inspiration from the feel of the North Carolina mountains,” she says, “I liked to blend the casual lifestyle with sophisticated quality to make rooms that were not just pretty to look at but pleasing to spend time in.”

Ann and her husband Rody had a vacation home in Highlands for many years. She furnished their home with handcrafted furniture made by artisans near their primary home in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee  

“People would come to our Highlands home and admire the Adirondack style hickory and willow pieces,” she says. 

When Rody retired, the Sherrills decided to make a permanent move to the Plateau. They had the idea that they could find a place to sell that handcrafted furniture that so many of their mountain friends had complimented and asked about.  With the craftsmen’s enthusiastic agreement to make the furniture for them, the two began their retail journey.

“I had no experience in retail,” Ann remarks. “I was always interested in design.  I just loved shoving furniture around. I learned along the way.” 

The shop started in a small attic space owned by local architect Tim Greene.  “We started with the furniture and then added accessories.  We quickly outgrew that space.” She adds that not only did Tim Greene refer them business, but local realtors did as well. 

“We were at the right place at the right time to expand.” Rusticks moved to the fitting Adirondack style cabin in its current location on Cashiers Lake. “The beauty of the setting sets the Rusticks’ aesthetic,” she notes.

Ann also notes how closely she worked together with designers and their customers.  She was first introduced to Kathleen Rivers, a Charleston-based designer whose vision informs many homes in Cashiers, when they collaborated to create the Chattooga Club Lodge and Pavilion.  “Ann’s amazing talent for interior design enabled her to take handmade furniture that otherwise appeared like reproduced Appalachian craft items and to integrate these pieces with classic more contemporary furniture creating a unique style; a style that looked and felt familiar and yet was exciting and more interesting than before,” Kathleen remarks, adding, “She altered the way people thought about living in a rustic style.”

The Sherrills sold Rusticks in 2021 to Don and Pam Gottwald.  Ann comments that the new owners have brought fresh, progressive ideas to the store that continues to grow and thrive. “They have a talented staff who stay up on the trends while maintaining the experience Rusticks’ customers appreciate,” she says.  

That experience has been more than bringing natural elegance to mountain homes on the Plateau.  Ann’s impact has also been about creating a culture of gracious hospitality. “We always treated our customers like they were guests in our home,” she states, “We worked to make them feel at home and were always thrilled to welcome them back.”  

Whether updating an existing home or designing a new house, or perhaps just locating that unique rug or lamp to accent a room, Ann Sherrill has left a legacy in the Plateau that says, “Welcome Home.”