Buckhead home grows organically

Like the forest around them, Jerry and Jean Cooper’s mid-century modern home changed shape over the years.

“This house has grown as our needs grew and changed. It was a cabin in the woods,” said Jerry Cooper, founder and chairman of the board of Cooper Carry architecture firm.

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Sean Drakes/Special

Jerry and Jean Cooper strategically placed windows and skylights when building their home to take advantage of the woods surrounding it.

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Sean Drakes/Special

Jean Cooper likes her all-white kitchen, which was renovated 25 years ago, because it is ‘happy and bright.’

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Sean Drakes/Special

The couple enjoys collecting art and sculpture as well as designing beautiful areas for display.

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As a young architect in 1963, Cooper found a plot of land in Buckhead. He designed and built his vision, and the family walked through the front door in 1964.

“It was built in stages,” said his wife, an interior designer. “You are fortunate when an architect has a vision. He knew how to expand this house.”

The first addition was a master bedroom and pool room, followed by a dressing room and office. Later, they turned the patio into an indoor sculpture garden that serves as dining room overflow. The Coopers have a large extended family and often entertain up to 30 people.

Each addition blends seamlessly into the home. Jean Cooper researched the original slate when choosing stone for the dining room extension.

When the Coopers first built in the area, it was full of starter homes. Now, because of its location, the neighborhood has become a big draw, and some of the smaller homes are being replaced.

“We found this street because Jerry was designing somebody’s house,” Cooper said. “It’s beautiful because it was all trees. My father thought we had lost our minds and bought a ravine.”

Jerry Cooper took advantage of the woods surrounding the home by strategically placing windows and skylights.

“The shadow comes through the woods and, as things move through, the light changes inside the house,” he said. “Most people who live in homes that they buy, and are not designed for them, do not understand the impact of nature and the environment on their lives.”

It’s important to place the childrens’ rooms on the southeast side of the home, Cooper said, “so the bedrooms are drenched in sunlight. It changes a person’s attitude.”

He also made sure the windows extended from floor to ceiling so his young children could see the outdoors. The Coopers often sit at their dining room table and gaze at the sunset.

“I’m from Savannah, and my connection with the earth has been pretty central,” Cooper said.

Coolest feature: “The house is holistic, it’s not intended to be classic or contemporary. It is of the earth,” Jerry Cooper said.

Jean Cooper likes her kitchen because it is “happy and bright.”

The all-white kitchen was renovated about 25 years ago, and she and her husband designed the cabinetry.

Decorating style: The Coopers call their style soft contemporary. They enjoy collecting art and sculpture as well as designing beautiful areas for display.

“It’s a very low key, lived-in home,” said Cooper as she relaxed on their screened porch. “We raised our three children here. This is truly home to them.”

Most cherished item: “My family pictures because everything else can be replaced,” Cooper said.

Past projects: The Coopers replaced their deck with an expanded rec room, featuring partially weathered granite from Stone Mountain, to accommodate a pool table. They said having it ensured their children would stay close to home as teenagers and stay out of trouble. It now serves as a playroom for the grandchildren.

Eight years ago, Jerry Cooper decided he needed a larger office. At that time, they expanded the master bath to include a dressing room with walk-in closets. The meticulously organized room includes a cabinet for his ties and nooks for shoes and shirts.

In the office, the windows bring in the woods.

“This has become Jerry’s treehouse,” his wife said. Pen-and-ink drawings that he did in Rome hang on a wall.

“I framed them on our 10th anniversary,” said Jean Cooper, who had kept them, unbeknownst to her husband.

Tips for good living:

“Find a good architect,” Jerry Cooper said. “Architecture makes a connection for people. It’s not just shelter. Architecture connects people with the pattern of their lives as those lives change.

“The house has been a thread that has connected us over the ages.”