Photos: New Decatur home designed to fit historic neighborhood style

News

Photos: New Decatur home designed to fit historic neighborhood style

This Decatur home fits its historic neighborhood with graceful style.

Lockman Homebuilding Co. built their four-bedroom and three-and-a-half-bath bungalow in 2015. The 3,100-square-foot bungalow was designed by DeCarlo Hawker Architecture & Design to fit into the Old Decatur Historic District. The landscape design is by Rick Jones of Jones/Ellas Design.

Seven and 9-year-old Jane and Avery Breslin have their own “doll house” in their backyard. The playhouse was already on the lot when their parents, Kate and Dave Breslin, bought the land from their neighbors, who originally built the playhouse for their now-grown children. The neighbors even repainted the original bench from the playhouse with Jane and Avery’s initials as a housewarming gift.

The screened-in back porch functions as another dining room. In fact, they eat out there eight months out of the year. “Our builder was generous with the dimensions of the porch, and it’s got a brick floor,” said Kate. “It feels kind of substantial and comfortable.” Kate applied several coats of clear polyurethane to a table from Crate and Barrel to protect it from the elements.

Kate and Dave love to relax out on their front porch, reading the newspaper on the weekends or having a glass of wine in the evening. The vintage rocking chairs from her great grandmother are in one of three seating areas, next to the unexpected casino craps table on the porch.

A casino craps table that Dave bought on Craigslist sits on the wraparound front porch.

One of Kate’s favorite architectural details is the reclaimed wood arched ceiling in the hallway to her master bedroom, installed by builder Patrick Lockman in 2015. A pendant light from Progressive Lighting contrasts with the rustic wood to balance the space.

A row of windows brings light into the master bedroom. The neutral-toned room, with pillows from Trinity Mercantile & Design and bedding from bed Bath & Beyond, is accented by lamps in a soothing seafoam hue from HomeGoods.

In their last home, the master bathroom was cramped, so when they built their home in 2015, they wanted to created a spa-like master bath, Kate said. They worked with DeCarlo Hawker Architecture & Design and Lockman Homebuilding Co. Marble floors from Construction Resources and a chandelier from Progressive Lighting give the space a luxe ambience.

Personal touches abound in the guest room, from the antique bureau and mirror, which belonged to Kate’s grandmother, to the curtains. When she and her family moved in 2015, Kate worked with Tena Herbik of Design Accents Unlimited to repurpose the curtains from her previous master bedroom. They added length and created a matching bedskirt so that they went perfectly in her soothing guest room.

A gallery wall of restored photos from their families hangs on the wall beside the bed from Bungalow Classic in the guest room. “The room is just so pretty and calm, and has great natural light,” said Kate.

Seven-year-old Jane Breslin’s room is light and cute, with two twin beds from Scott Antique Market crowned by matching framed prints. In both Jane and her sister’s rooms hang linen curtains that their mother Kate repurposed from their previous home. Each girl selected trim from Lewis & Sheron Textiles, like the Greek key pattern, to update the draperies.

A Jack-and-Jill bathroom links Jane and Avery Breslin’s bedrooms. Framed pictures of the girls and their art adorns the bathroom. “Each year, with our daughters’ help, we select one of each of their masterpieces and have it nicely framed, which makes all the difference,” said their mom.

Bright colors accent the crisp white bedding and desk from Target in 9-year-old Avery Breslin’s bedroom. Framed art from Scott Antique Market bring bursts of color to the walls, while a full bookshelf by the bed serves as a functional nightstand for the voracious reader.

Kate still has the antique furniture from her childhood bedroom, passed down to her from her parents. The dresser and bedside table are now in the bedroom of Avery. Kate recovered the chair in five patterned fabrics, from Forsyth Fabrics, for cute, colorful seating.

The art in the loft sitting room is from Trinity Mercantile & Design by Parker Owen, an Atlanta native. Kate, who works for Trinity, has been a fan of Owen’s work, which he calls “naive art,” since Trinity started showing his art.

The violin on the coffee table with a geometric design was homeowner Kate Breslin’s when she was a child, and now her 9-year-old daughter, Jane, plays it. The beige chairs and sofa in the loft family room are from Pottery Barn.

Neutral colors and transitional style flow through the home. Builder Patrick Lockman in 2015 added several vintage details, like the transom in the dining room. The transom, dining table and sideboard are from Scott Antique Market, and they moved a Circa Lighting chandelier from their previous home into their new home.

Kate bought her traditional dining room table and sideboard at Scott Antique Market, but her dining room chairs cost $35 each from a secondhand store. She reupholstered them with burmese fabric by Sister Parish Design for the chair backs and Sunbrella fabric for the seats, adding a soft touch of a seafoam hue to the room, which has a rug from Stanton Carpet.

The industrial Flatiron Desk from RH, with its steel frame and antiqued elm top, adds masculine style to Dave’s home office. A brass floor lamp from Holtkotter Lighting can swing to light either the desk or the leather chair from CRLaine. Layered carpets add softness to the hardwood floors.

A vintage drink cart sits in the corner of the home office. He found the drink cart, fallen into disrepair, and he and his two daughters stripped the paint. Then he reinforced it, making a cool upcycled piece for his office.

“We tend toward transitional, neutral pieces. But over time we are adding more color, texture and pattern,” said Kate. The red patterned chair in the living room is from CRLaine.

Aluminum frame Soho bar stools from Trinity Mercantile & Design by Neuvo Living give the kitchen a touch of industrial style. The glass pendant lights from Progressive Lighting above the marble island help create a cohesive look because they are like pendants over the sink and in the master suite. The perimeter countertops are leathered Black Pearl granite from Construction Resources.

A custom bookcase by Trinity Mercantile & Design in Decatur sits in the kitchen as one of the touches of red Kate’s sprinkled through her kitchen and dining area. The framed vintage print with French cooking terms belonged to her grandmother.

A sliding panel door makes it easy to open up the laundry room or tuck it out of sight. Kate and Dave Breslin uses open shelving and baskets to keep the space organized. Christopher Oquendo/AJC FILE

Baskets from The Container Store and hooks from Rejuvenation create an organized mudroom area. Each of the four family members has a basket for shoes, an organizational lifesaver since the family adopted their 10-month-old Goldendoodle, Romeo. Other baskets hold seasonal items, such as hats and scarves, or recreational gear like bike helmets and lacrosse balls.

A tea table from Vanguard Furniture topped with a red lamp from Bradburn Home and wooden chairs by Bernhardt are nestled into the window of the bungalow. Other seating areas in the living room include leather swivel chairs from Vanguard with custom pillows made of Vervain fabric. Kate loves finding artwork at the Decatur Arts Festival, which is where she found the glazed ceramics by North Carolina artist Brenna McBroom that now flank the fireplace.

Red accents dot the living room. While her style impulses tend toward neutrals, Kate’s stepping out of her comfort zone and embracing more color with a chair from CRLaine that her oldest daughter loves, a red lamp, throw pillows and artwork.

The console table from Vanguard, X-stools in red velvet from Jonathan Adler add a touch of contemporary chic to the living room. “I want to create kind of a more collected, eclectic look in my house, and this was a great opportunity to do it,” said Kate. A textured mixed media piece from Trinity Mercantile & Design that consists of a printed piece with layered paint and paper, along with teal lamps, infuse more color near the bungalow’s front door.

Dave and Kate Breslin and their daughters, Avery, 9, and Jane, 7, moved into their new bungalow in the Old Decatur Historic District in 2015 with their Goldendoodle puppy, Romeo. Kate is the marketing consultant at Trinity Mercantile & Design in Decatur, and Dave is a software consultant at SAP Concur.

1 / 29

Lockman Homebuilding Co. built their four-bedroom and three-and-a-half-bath bungalow in 2015. The 3,100-square-foot bungalow was designed by DeCarlo Hawker Architecture & Design to fit into the Old Decatur Historic District. The landscape design is by Rick Jones of Jones/Ellas Design.

Today's Gallery Headlines

PHOTOS: Efficient offense, late interception guide Falcons to 29-20 victory

PHOTOS: Trump rallies for Georgia Republican candidates

PHOTOS: Dream drop Game 4 in failed comeback bid against Valkyries

PHOTOS: Lizzo reads to College Park Elementary School students

More Galleries

PHOTOS: Take a look at how the Stitch would transform Atlanta's Downtown Connector

PHOTOS: Atlanta Pride Parade 2026

PHOTOS: Isaias rolls through metro Atlanta

PHOTOS: Outkast and Waffle House bring Atlanta together