Ansley Park may be one of Atlanta's most architecturally diverse neighborhoods. Travel along its winding roads and you'll see everything from Italian villas to substantial two-story American four squares, from unassuming ranch homes to magnificent Tudor Revival mansions, with a surprising number of modernist homes thrown into the mix for a little contemporary punch.

Today's story is the tale of a relatively small, nondescript, three-bedroom, two-bath 1950s ranch that grew wings and became a modern house for the 21st century. Meet Ellen and Andrew Barber and their 11-month-old daughter Kate.

G+G Architects (ENLARGE)

The Barber's ranch before the renovation.

Allen Sullivan / Staff (ENLARGE)

The Barbers: Andrew, Ellen and 11-month-old Kate, at home in the Ansley Park neighborhood of Atlanta.

Allen Sullivan / Staff (ENLARGE)

The living room in a wing added and extended forward on the original 1950s ranch house the Barbers purchased.

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"We bought this house in 2004 with the intent to renovate it," says Ellen Barber. "I'm an interior designer and have a passion for all things modern. Andrew and I wanted to take the ranch house which was the modern house of the 1950s, and make it a modern house for the 2000s. We enjoyed the renovation so much that we've started a company called Site Modern to design and build modern houses in Atlanta."

It's hard to believe that the before and after photos are of the same home, even though the Barbers chose not to tear down, but to reuse as much of the original structure as possible.

Lee Ann and Michael Gamble, of G+G Architects, were lead architects for the project. The firm works predominantly in the modern style, doing mostly residential work with some small commercial projects. Lee Ann Gamble says, "It was important to all of us to maintain the simple elegant lines in the house. The Barbers wanted to make the house more contemporary and to add more living space and a master suite. The original idea was to add onto the back of the house, but the house is set far back on the property and there are large trees we didn't want to lose. We decided to expand in the front. That's one of the reasons the house looks so dramatically different."

The architects added a living room wing extending forward on the left, and then went up asymmetrically, adding a master suite as a second floor above the right side of the house. The renovation increased the square footage of the house by more than 50 percent, but only increased its footprint on the land by 400 square feet.

Lee Ann Gamble says, "You see so many renovations or additions that are too large for the site and very different in scale from their neighbors. We worked very hard to keep our work scaled appropriately for the neighborhood."

A long, solid front wall creates a courtyard entry garden. Lee Ann Gamble says, "People rarely use their front yards because they're so exposed to the street. The wall helps negotiate some of the changes of elevation on the site and has the added benefit of creating a more private entry space and a more usable front yard."

The courtyard is anchored with a water wall that flows into a reflecting pool. Ellen Barber says, "It's the most amazing space. It's so calming to hear the sound of water in the middle of the city. It instantly creates a peaceful serene environment."

Inside, tearing down most of the interior walls and doors created an open floor plan. "It's one of the most user-friendly and inviting floor plans I've ever seen," says Ellen Barber. "We entertain a lot and the house is perfect for lots of people."

Lee Ann Gamble adds, "The rooms flow well but they still feel like defined spaces. We kept the front entrance exactly where it was. When you enter, the dining room is on the left and the original two bedrooms on the right have been turned into an office/guest room and a nursery with a Jack-and-Jill bathroom between."

The third original bedroom at the rear of the house became a family room and media space. The remainder of the floor plan was dramatically redesigned with the new living room and its floor-to-ceiling pivoting doors opening out onto the courtyard, a spacious kitchen and breakfast room and a pantry and laundry room space created by annexing what had been a detached one-car garage.

"Particularly with this open floor plan, it's important to keep the finishes harmonious. Our color palette is consistent from room to room," says Ellen Barber. "One material we used extensively is honed Calacatta marble. It's used for the living room floor and also for the steps leading to the courtyard so the flow from exterior to interior is seamless. We used it to clad the fireplaces in the dining room and in the master suite, and the master bath is done entirely in this stone. I'm in love with it. It's a beautiful mix of warm and cool and lends itself to a really neutral modern color palette.

Modern accommodations

"In order to pop the marble, we used Brazilian cherry hardwood with an ebony stain for the floors throughout the rest of the house. There's a beautiful contrast of the light marble and the dark hardwood floor," she adds. "We used Wenge wood from Africa for the kitchen cabinetry, wet bar and each of the bathroom vanities, and a beautiful Siera Silver limestone for the guest bath. The walls are neutral and light, and we took as many windows as possible from floor to ceiling to really maximize the amount of natural light."

Other design choices include the decision to trim the doorways and windows with stainless steel channels rather than traditional moldings. "In modern houses you don't want to have traditional baseboards and door surrounds that can become prominent and tend to the ornate," says Lee Ann Gamble. "But you can't run drywall all the way to the floor. You need something that will stand up to mopping and vacuuming. We've designed this detail of a stainless steel channel to separate the drywall from the wood. It's flush to the wall but it marks the transition and adds a crisp contemporary feel."

Stainless steel also is fashioned into a kitchen range hood and the counter top in the guest bath. Floor-to-ceiling tile in the bathrooms helps expand the feel of the rooms and a shower enclosed with only a glass panel rather than shower doors or curtains helps a small bathroom live larger than its footprint.

Upstairs the master bedroom features a marble-clad fireplace and more floor-to-ceiling windows including a pair opening out onto a rooftop terrace garden. The lush mink-colored wool carpet differentiates the space from the public rooms below and leads to a spectacular master bath.

"It's my favorite room in the house," says Ellen Barber. "The enormous clerestory windows are our connection to nature. It's beautiful in all seasons. In the fall the reds and golds of the leaves contrast with the bright blue autumn sky; in the winter the bare branches of the trees are a form of natural sculpture."

That connection to nature is a key element of the Barbers' home. "The expansive glass in this house is one of the things we made sure to get right. I love that no matter where I am in the house, I can see the outdoors," smiles Ellen Barber as she looks around her.

The homeowner's view

Homeowner Ellen Barber offers tips for creating a harmonious home.

1. Hire an architect. People think they can design their house themselves; that they don't need a professional.

2. Hire an architect with experience in the aesthetic you want to achieve. Any architect can say that they can design in any style, but can they really? Do they have completed projects in your design style?

3. Hire an architect whom you can work with. Renovating and building a home is a long, long process. You need to be able to work well together.

The architect's view

Architect Lee Ann Gamble offers tips for creating a harmonious home.

1. Remember that there are many different solutions to any problem. It's a good idea to keep an open mind and explore different options. The best solution may not always be the first one that comes to mind.

2. Consider the sequence from one space to another when you're trying to achieve an open floor plan. It's especially important that the materials be harmonious when you're going to be seeing and moving from one space to another.

3. If you're planning to have lots of expansive glass, the views become the prominent focus of the interior. Keep finishes simple and neutral so they don't overpower those exterior views.