Private Quarters: Family friendly renovation in Buckhead

Home and Garden

Private Quarters: Family friendly renovation in Buckhead

The homeowners tore down a half wall in the kitchen to bring the spaces the family uses within closer proximity to one another.

New custom built-in bookcases flank the fireplace in the sitting room, which has an IKEA table and slipcovered chairs from an estate sale.

Bookshelves by carpenter Jean-Pierre Marsaudon fill the family room, which has a cozy sofa and seating to watch TV or read. Text by Lori Johnston

The chandelier in the dining room came from a friend, and it's among the repurposed items in the Buckhead cottage. The dining table is from an antiques store, the end chairs were purchased at an estate sale and covered with World Market slipcovers, and the rattan chairs originally were painted green and spray-painted.

At the new island, there are Caesarstone quartz countertops with seating on bar stools from Ballard Designs.

The upstairs bedroom, including the master, are light-filled rooms, with gray walls. Cat Pip finds a spot on the bed, from Heirloom Iron Bed.

A light fixture from IKEA is one of the items from the Swedish home furniture store in the Buckhead cottage, which has hardwood floors in the bedrooms.

During the warm months, the new screened-in porch is a favorite spot for the Buckhead family. The table and chairs are from World Market.

As the temperatures warm up, the family enjoys spending time outdoors, which has a play set, fire pit and different areas for entertaining and dining.

Sliding barn-style doors-in front of the pantry-are a space-saving update by HammerSmith in the cottage's new kitchen. The chalkboards are ready for notes about activities, menus and other messages, and even solving homework problems.

Chairs from an estate sale were recovered in the sitting room, and it’s one of the pieces of furniture that homeowner Rebecca Galla-Jones was able to repurpose. The pillow is from Target.

The dining room of the Buckhead cottage is big enough to hold the piano.

A former screened-in porch was turned into the office, creating more usable indoor space for the family. The desks were custom made in the office.

The family carved out a more functional space with the renovation, which created an office and a mudroom with custom built-ins and cabinets.

A family-friendly feature is the mudroom, which has custom cabinets and fun elements such as a teepee from Land of Nod.

The island is where the family often congregates, in the renovated kitchen of the Buckhead home. One of the changes was removing a half wall that blocked the flow of the kitchen from the living spaces. “I like the clean lines that HammerSmith achieved and the great flow that we have now. It is a wonderful place to gather,” said Rebecca Galla-Jones.

A built-in system by Jean-Pierre Marsaudon makes the mudroom a functional space, able to hold baskets, jackets, bags and more.

Cabinets by carpenter Jean-Pierre Marsaudon offer ample storage in the kitchen. The patterned tile, from Ann Sacks, above the stove acts like a piece of art, with light fixtures by Restoration Hardware, said Rebecca Galla-Jones. The countertops are black granite.

The family added a second level soon after they purchased the Buckhead cottage in 2002, to add bedrooms and a bathroom.

Subway tile and beadboard in one of the bathrooms fit with the home's cottage vibe.

A burlap bulletin board is a personal touch, holding postcards and photos, in one of the home's bathrooms. Subway tile and beadboard add charm in the updated bathroom.

In daughter Fiona's room, the color palette is white and light, with a pop of green from the IKEA chair; the desk is also an IKEA item.

Antiques in the home include a cabinet from France that now stores linens in a guest bedroom on the main floor.

The family has donated money as part of a community effort to fund improvements of Duck Pond Park, on 7.5 acres in Atlanta's Peachtree Heights East neighborhood.

Richard Jones and Rebecca Galla-Jones bought the home in 2002 and finished a second story addition before having daughters Fiona, 11, and Phoebe, 8.

The three-bedroom, two-bath brick Buckhead cottage looks deceptively small from the outside, but opens up into a first level with a sitting room, family room, office, mudroom, kitchen, bedroom and bath.

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New custom built-in bookcases flank the fireplace in the sitting room, which has an IKEA table and slipcovered chairs from an estate sale.

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