Private Quarters: Damla Calapkulu

Home and Garden

Photos: A look inside the Buckhead area home of Damla Calapkulu, Jan. 2013.

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, were looking to move from Decatur to the Buckhead area.

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.

The home is described as a blend of modern and traditional.

The accessories in the home, from wood and metal pitchers to photos and artwork, are from Turkey, which reflects the family's heritage.

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 says. The outdoor spaces have a Mediterranean feel, places to dine and extras such as a fireplace and TV.

“There’s no unnecessary space. The space was used very efficiently,” Damla says. “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.”

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.

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 says.

The renovation won a national award, taking the Bronze for the Qualified Remodeler’s Master Design Award. Epic sold the home for $915,000.

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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, were looking to move from Decatur to the Buckhead area.

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