A small Victorian cottage in College Park had a few “weird, quirky features,” but Tracie Greene Daniels saw its potential.
Working with an architect and one contractor, and then another contractor, Greene Daniels and her husband, Orlando Daniels, renovated the 75-plus-year-old home and filled it with artwork by children and local artists.
Snapshot
Residents: Orlando Daniels, who works for the city of Atlanta, and Tracie Greene Daniels, who works for The Main Street Academy, a charter school in College Park
Location: Historic College Park
Year built: 1935
Year bought: 2006
Size: About 1,326 square feet, three bedrooms, two baths
Architectural style: Victorian
Favorite architectural feature: The swooped roof line. “Everybody really likes that. That’s what makes it really, really unique,” Greene Daniels said.
Renovations: Before they moved in, the first-time renovators made a number of changes. In the attic, which was partially finished, they created a master bedroom suite with two walk-in closets. The kitchen was completely renovated. “It just had a little ol’ stove, a sink with two cabinets, and that’s it,” Greene Daniels said. They added an oversized pass-through in the kitchen to see through the home and open up the space. They also carved out a small mudroom with a washer and dryer, accessed through an arched doorway. The previous owners had turned the screened porch into a bathroom with a closet, but the couple turned it back into a small sunroom. They pulled up the blue shag carpet and discovered hardwood floors.
Cost of renovations: About $45,000
Tip for renovating: When choosing a contractor, talk to clients. They didn’t do that with their first contractor and ended up spending $8,000 before changing contractors. “I was writing checks, but things were not getting done. I wasn’t being smart about it,” Greene Daniels said. “It was a really hard lesson.”
Interior design style: Eclectic. “When I began shopping for furniture, I found myself drawn to a lot of antique pieces,” Greene Daniels said. “It has some older pieces in it, mixed in with newer contemporary pieces.” Favorite stores include HomeGoods and Cost Plus World Market, as well as College Park shops such as Poor Little Rich Girl, a vintage store.
Favorite interior design feature: The artwork, by friends such as Cynthia Bell and Arthur Parks Jr. and students with the Fulton County Arts Council, where Greene Daniels used to work, and its Art at Work Program. “I painted the walls white because I knew I was going to fill up every wall with a piece of art, which I did,” Greene Daniels said.
Favorite outdoor feature: The garden beds in the front yard and on the side of the house, to grow flowers and food. In the spring, flowers and vegetables are planted in pots on the deck.
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