Buckhead renovation results in Prairie-style update

A modern makeover was irresistible to Damla Calapkulu, who desired to move from Decatur to the Buckhead area.

“I actually had butterflies in my stomach thinking about the house,” she said.

Calapkulu and her family downsized from a 7,400-square-foot home in Decatur to the 3,800-square-foot renovated home on an acre off West Paces Ferry Road in Atlanta. The home’s architecture and location, near their children’s school, appealed to them, as well as the home’s smart design.

“There’s no unnecessary space. The space was used very efficiently,” she said. “There’s no entry foyer that’s ridiculously big. The room sizes are not small; they’re not big. It’s what rooms should be, really.”

Snapshot

Residents: Omer and Damla Calapkulu, who own Stonexpress, a Kennesaw-based supplier of high-quality natural stone, and their children, Eda, 16; Alp, 9; and Lara, 3

Location: Buckhead

Size: About 3,800 square feet, six bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths

Year built: 1970

Year bought: 2012

Builder: Epic Development. Epic bought the home in spring 2011 for $330,000, and it designed and constructed the renovations. Rick Bennett, Epic's head of design and construction, was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright when drawing the new elevation. The renovation won a national award, taking the Bronze for the Qualified Remodeler's Master Design Award. Epic sold the home for $915,000.

Renovations: During the five-month makeover, the company redesigned the roof, added a hard-coat stucco and stone veneer to the exterior, installed Anderson windows, renovated the kitchen and baths, opened the foyer, and installed floating stairs, Bennett said.

Architectural style: Modern Prairie

Favorite architectural detail: The sleek lines and huge windows.

Interior design style: A blend of modern and traditional.

Favorite interior design feature: The accessories in the home, from wood and metal pitchers to photos and artwork, are from Turkey, which reflects their heritage.

Favorite outdoor feature: Even though the back of the home faces the street, the elevation overlooks a creek, a 25-foot waterfall and the woods. "You don't see the street when you're sitting. That's my favorite spot in the house. It's a comfortable outdoor space," Damla said. The outdoor spaces have a Mediterranean feel, places to dine and extras such as a fireplace and TV.