Private Quarters: Style transition in Alpharetta

Home and Garden

Photos: An inside look at Zack and Jodi Bernato's home in Alpharetta, Ga., Feb. 2013.

Zack Bernato admits the Southern style of the brick Alpharetta home wasn’t appealing to him, but he and his family desired to move to a larger community in north Fulton County. "We just gradually started adding to different parts of the house," he says. -- Text by Lori Johnston, for the AJC

"Once we hired the decorator, he realized that the style of the home was not our style. He pulled out of us what we liked," says Zack, who is from Los Angeles. His wife, Jodi, is from New York. "It definitely was a more older Southern traditional look and it's not my style. We changed color tones and change different things in the house that really accentuated more of our style." -- Text by Lori Johnston, for the AJC

A kitchen renovation took up most of the budget with about $105,000 spent on that room, Bernato said. -- Text by Lori Johnston, for the AJC

Other changes were to the living room, dining room and laundry room, and their daughter’s room also was redone. -- Text by Lori Johnston, for the AJC

The stacked stone fireplace was already in the home, but the black antique built-in bookcases made the fireplace "get lost" in the room. "We changed the color on the built-ins. It's amazing how a difference in paint can change so many things," Zack says. -- Text by Lori Johnston, for the AJC

The couple is fond of Restoration Hardware, Horchow and Little World Design (in Los Angeles). The contemporary botanical sculptures, including an orange tree in the foyer and a butterfly bowl in the living room, were custom ordered from Little World Design. -- Text by Lori Johnston, for the AJC

The home’s interior has gravitated to a transitional style with neutral walls and strong accent pieces, including contemporary botanical sculptures, mirrors and artwork. -- Text by Lori Johnston, for the AJC

Hire an outside source to help you, unless you completely agree with your spouse 100 percent, Zack says. -- Text by Lori Johnston, for the AJC

Paintings by the late Atlanta artist T.L. Lange and celebrity portraits by New York-based photographer Len Prince are on display in the home. -- Text by Lori Johnston, for the AJC

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Zack Bernato admits the Southern style of the brick Alpharetta home wasn’t appealing to him, but he and his family desired to move to a larger community in north Fulton County. "We just gradually started adding to different parts of the house," he says. -- Text by Lori Johnston, for the AJC

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