Vinings couple models home after Adirondacks lodges

On a recent Saturday afternoon, crisp autumn light streamed across the lake and through the front door of Allyson Watson’s rustic home in Vinings.

On days like this, Watson sits on her covered front porch and is reminded of vacations in the New York Adirondacks.

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Sean Drakes/Special

Allyson Watson, with her dog Bo, likes her covered front porch because it reminds her of vacations in the New York Adirondacks.

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Sean Drakes/Special

Mark and Allyson Watson jumped at the chance to buy a split-level ranch in Vinings but razed it after a few years and built their dream home.

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Sean Drakes/Special

The couple says they couldn’t live without the tapestry, hung from a laurel rod, that hides the flat screen TV in the living room.

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She and her husband, Mark, decided they would model their home after the lodges in the Adirondacks because they lived on a lake and could “run with that relaxed lake feeling,” Allyson Watson said.

Mark Watson, a partner at Dominium Benefits insurance, and his wife, who works at Whitefield Academy, had been eyeing the Vinings neighborhood for some time. When a split-level ranch came on the market, they jumped. After living in the home for a few years, they razed it and hired builder Sam Hewlett to help them realize their vision. With their three children, they moved into their rustic yet refined four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath, 4,500-square-foot retreat in December 2004.

Decorating style: Designer Virginia White created an easy living feeling with furnishings that encourage guests to put their feet up and hang out. The tones are warm reds, browns and golds, with oak hardwoods and Tennessee flagstone floors. Peeled yellow pine beams also warm the rooms.

The architectural details set the mood of the home. The peak over the front door created with logs is called a “candle snuffer.” Watson said she borrowed the detail from the Point Resort at Saranac Lake in New York.

The outdoor railings and posts are hewn logs, adding to the lodge look. Craftsman Buzz Stone used poplar bark on the porch walls and black locust and mountain laurel for the railings.

A vivid red Viking stove and cherry cabinets anchor the kitchen counters are “Verdi Jewel” granite. The backsplash features a red pheasant similar to the one in Watson’s Winter Game Birds china pattern.

“The pheasant sort of suits the mood of the house,” Watson said.

The tall hutch in the kitchen came from the Adirondacks and expertly disguises a dishwasher.

In the formal dining room, the table is lit with an antique cloche light. The walls are wood with a pleasing olive-gray color called “Drab.”

“That cracks me up,” she said.

Adding to the home’s character is the Oriental rug in the living room that came out of the main bar of the Piedmont Driving Club.

“We’re glad it can’t talk,” Watson said with a laugh.

Coolest feature: Watson likes the coziness and openness of her home.

“All the kids feel so comfortable here. They want to hang out and put their feet on the coffee table,” she said.

Most cherished: The couple couldn’t live without the tapestry, hung from a laurel rod, that hides the flat screen TV in the living room.

Heart of the home: The Watsons and their friends tend to migrate to the living room. The open floor plan allows the family easy access from the covered porch to the kitchen to the living room.

Watson can be working in the kitchen and still feel like she is part of the action in the living room.

“There’s not a formal living room. There not an inch of unused space,” she said.

Future project: The couple would like to add a detached garage with an apartment.

Tip for good living: “Always have your doors open. When I cook dinner, I always cook 50 percent more because the kids are always bringing home people,” Watson said. “Once you get used to living like that, you don’t have to break your neck when you have company.”