Most people spend years searching for or trying to craft their perfect home. Jan Heck decided to simply build hers from the ground up after finding inspiration from the cover of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine in 1968.
“I grew up in California and I wanted a contemporary house, but you couldn’t find that back then [around] here,” said Heck. “[The house I grew up in] had some very interesting things, so when I moved here I didn’t want [my house] to look like everyone else’s — I wanted lots of light and openness.”
While plenty of updates and renovations have happened to the house since it was built in 1970 — including continuous painting over the years, finishing half of the basement, and adding hardwoods throughout the house — not much has changed structurally.
“The basic outline of the house is exactly what it was before,” Heck said.
The only room to undergo heavy renovations was the master bedroom and bathroom. The space used to have a balcony, but is now one large, enclosed room with sun-lights and a large window. The master bathroom was expanded and upgraded as well. While the build of the house and some of the furniture maintains a more modern architectural design, the rooms are littered with a museum’s worth of family heirlooms, art from friends, and other personal artifacts.
“My loves are mixing certain types of antiques and very contemporary looks, and mixing in different kinds of artwork,” Heck said.
Snapshot
Residents: Jan Heck, Peter Carpenter, and Scout the cat
Location: Dunwoody
Size: 3,700 square feet
Year built: 1970
Renovations: Installation of hardwood floors; finish half of the basement; redo master bedroom and bath; upgrade bathroom fixtures; kitchen renovations; replace windows and glass doors
Builders: Don Leslie and Bill Carroll
Architectural style: Mid-century modern/California contemporary
Favorite architectural elements: Open layout, lots of glass, high ceilings
Interior design style: Contemporary mixed with antiques, family pieces, and art
Favorite interior design elements: The windows and light
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