Private Quarters: Paralympian's Southern style Alpharetta home

Home and Garden

Private Quarters: Paralympian's Southern style Alpharetta home

Bert and Joy Burns needed a home that was accessible, not only for them, but also when entertaining everyone from large church and school groups to more intimate dinners.

A wraparound porch and columns signals the home's Southern traditional style. The four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath Alpharetta house was built by Hedgewood in 2001 for the Burns family. The exterior is painted Behr's Mushroom Basket, with Benjamim Moore's Walrus Tusk for the trim and Sherwin-Williams' Black Fox for the shutters.--Text by Lori Johnston

The front porch is one of many spaces where the family spends time outdoors. Here, Joy Burns has added a swing and rocker from Parr's Furniture in Alpharetta and a bold rug from Walmart.

The living room is family-centric, with a portrait above the fireplace and bookshelves filled with items from around the world. Some were picked up on trips to visit Joy Burns' sister, who has lived in India, Ghana, Bangkok and Morocco. The upholstered chairs and ottoman are from Sam Moore.

The living room is family-centric, with a portrait above the fireplace and bookshelves filled with items from around the world. Some were picked up on trips to visit Joy Burns' sister, who has lived in India, Ghana, Bangkok and Morocco. The upholstered chairs and ottoman are from Sam Moore.

The living room is family-centric, with a portrait above the fireplace and bookshelves filled with items from around the world. Some were picked up on trips to visit Joy Burns' sister, who has lived in India, Ghana, Bangkok and Morocco. The upholstered chairs and ottoman are from Sam Moore.

The kitchen was renovated in 2011 to make it more functional and current. The island holds two dishwashers and a sink looking into the living room, plus black walnut countertops (from The Craft Art Co.) Another major change was increasing the size of the refrigerator, with a stainless steel version by North Star. The microwave is placed to make it within Bert's and the kids' reach. Around the island, there's bar stools from Noir.

With a FiveStar six-burner range, griddle and double oven (from AJ Madison), the Burns can cook for crowds. The 2011 kitchen renovation, which cost about $50,000, also added granite countertops, new cabinets from T&T Cabinets and Millwork in Snellville. Within the subway tile backsplash, there's Medici mosaic tile, from Design Tiles by Zumpano in Alpharetta.

The kitchen was renovated in 2011 to make it more functional and current. The island holds two dishwashers and a sink looking into the living room, plus black walnut countertops (from The Craft Art Co.) Another major change was increasing the size of the refrigerator, with a stainless steel version by North Star. The microwave is placed to make it within Bert's and the kids' reach. Around the island, there's bar stools from Noir.

Over the new island, Floral-inspired pendants from Lamps Plus complete the updated look of the kitchen. The homeowners worked with Heidi Straughan of Heidi's Home Staging & Redesign.

The kitchen is less compact after a 2011 renovation, with an island and table that offer seating. Adjacent to the kitchen is the family's screened porch, another entertaining spot.

When the Burns host friends for dinner, they can flip the Crate and Barrel table open to seat eight, using the chairs and padded banquettes. They bought the table 12 years ago, and it's still one of Joy Burns' favorite items. The banquettes also can open up for storage.

A covered portion underneath the deck is roomy enough for multiple seating areas, a bar cart and cabinet. The seating is from Costco, with custom-made cushions from Better Homes and Bargains.

A covered portion underneath the deck is roomy enough for multiple seating areas, a bar cart and cabinet. The seating is from Costco, with custom-made cushions from Better Homes and Bargains.

A serving cart, made from reclaimed wood by Wood, Wine & Wire in Milton, is a functional and stylish piece for outdoor entertaining.

Sometimes vacation souvenirs are larger than expected. The Burns purchased the dining room chandelier on a vacation to Italy.

The pantry in the Alpharetta home became an elevator used often by homeowner Bert Burns, a Paralympics gold medalist in wheelchair racing. The elevator accesses all three floors in the 5,000-square-foot home.

The basement was finished in 2002, with a media room (pictured), living area with a fireplace, bedroom, bathroom, office and playroom that recently became the game room. The paintings were created for the homeowners by a friend, Ron McGehee.

The long countertop with cabinets, a sink and ice machine is one of the few things that stay the same in this area of the basement. During the summer, decorations for a white-themed party included the lanterns. The area has also had the look of a Tuscan wine room, Irish pub and Mexican taqueria. The poker tabletop fits over a regular table.

The basement's eclectic look comes from garage sale and antique store furniture, which can be moved around depending on the party the homeowners are hosting. The living area with the fireplace was added when the basement was finished in 2002, bringing the home's to about 5,000 square feet.

A powder room in the basement is dressed up, with wainscoting adding interest to the walls and a Moulin Rouge motif for the shower curtain.

A new purchase, selected for the Burns by Heidi Straughan of Heidi's Home Staging & Redesign, is the upholstered headboard from Horizon Home in Atlanta. The pillows were custom-made, selected at Karen's Fabrics in Alpharetta, and two pillows have the same fabric used to recover a chair also in the bedroom.

A new purchase, selected for the Burns by Heidi Straughan of Heidi's Home Staging & Redesign, is the upholstered headboard from Horizon Home in Atlanta. The pillows were custom-made, selected at Karen's Fabrics in Alpharetta, and two pillows have the same fabric used to recover a chair also in the bedroom.

The search for a large chair to fit in the corner of the master bedroom ended when Joy Burns found a chair from Savvy Snoot in Alpharetta. She already knew the floral fabric she wanted to use, and took it to Renewed Traditions, which added taller legs, more padding and recovered the chair. Then she placed a painting from Alabama artist Eddie Powell next to the chair.

The search for a large chair to fit in the corner of the master bedroom ended when Joy Burns found a chair from Savvy Snoot in Alpharetta. She already knew the floral fabric she wanted to use, and took it to Renewed Traditions, which added taller legs, more padding and recovered the chair. Then she placed a painting from Alabama artist Eddie Powell next to the chair.

Homeowner Joy Burns didn't want to let go of her well-built Henkel Harris furniture, which is 25 years old. Renewed Traditions repainted the furniture cream with a brown glaze, and the hardware also was replaced. "It looks like completely new furniture," she said. "I love it. the room looks completely different than it used to look like."

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A wraparound porch and columns signals the home's Southern traditional style. The four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath Alpharetta house was built by Hedgewood in 2001 for the Burns family. The exterior is painted Behr's Mushroom Basket, with Benjamim Moore's Walrus Tusk for the trim and Sherwin-Williams' Black Fox for the shutters.--Text by Lori Johnston

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