So many magnets covered the refrigerator of Michael Bush and Johnny Mitchell’s previous home that the small mementos from their trips around the world always attracted attention.
After they bought and renovated a Decatur home, including the kitchen — where the magnets didn’t stick to the new stainless steel Viking refrigerator — friends were curious: “What did you do with the refrigerator magnets?”
Mitchell collected and displayed their most treasured magnets on a wall, where the unusual piece of souvenir art is visible from their new kitchen and dining room. Once visitors are reassured the magnets are still part of the decor, they’re eager to see the drastic redo of the ranch-style home, which is in the same neighborhood as their former two-story home.
Snapshot
Residents: Michael Bush and Johnny Mitchell and their dogs, Vegas and Millie. Bush is a senior analyst at Macy's; Mitchell is a hairdresser.
Location: Decatur
Size: 2,200 square feet, three bedrooms, three baths
Year built: 1952
Year bought: 2012
Builder: Gary Collins of Southland Contracting Services
Architectural style: Ranch
Favorite architectural elements: The open floor plan, which was created in the renovation. "Now when you walk in our front door, you can see all the way through our dining room, kitchen, out onto the screened porch and the patio," Bush said.
Renovations: Required about a year. They completely rearranged the floor plan and added about 640 square feet to the house, which they purchased as a foreclosure. "We just blew it all open," Bush said. "It was a typical 1950s ranch that had the small, chopped-up rooms. It was just breaking up the chopped-up space into a much more open, livable area."
They moved in during November 2013. There are no walls to create barriers between the kitchen, dining room and family room, which now have 9 1/2-foot ceilings. Those spaces are flanked by two master suites connected by a screened porch. Now, they can walk out one master and across the porch into the other master, which was created as a handicapped accessible room for Bush’s father and themselves as they age, Bush said.
They redesigned the driveway to a semi-circular layout and added a carport, including painted the red brick. For the landscaping, they removed more than a dozen 80-foot-tall pine trees, including a few that were dead and presented potential hazards. A pool was added (see favorite outdoor feature).
Cost of renovations: $200,000
Interior design style: Contemporary. "It was completely different from what we had," Bush said. "But it lent itself really well to this particular open type of floor plan."
Favorite interior design features: Artwork by Peter Max and artists in Hawaii, France, Italy, Greece, Germany, Spain and other countries. "We usually always buy a picture from a local artist. Sometimes it can be from a gallery and sometimes it can be beautiful street art," Bush said. The artwork joins their collections of artistic dolls made by Mitchell, crosses and masks.
Favorite purchases: Viking kitchen appliances purchased on eBay. The refrigerator, for example, cost $4,000, at least half the cost of the retail prices Bush said he found elsewhere. "We bought so many things from eBay, which were literally shipped to the front door," Bush said.
Favorite outdoor features: Screened room, patio and pool. They worked with Dennis Swasey of Hi-Definition Landscape and Atlas Pools. "It's just an absolutely perfect environment and backyard for the pool. When you walk in the door, you can walk all the way through and see the beautiful pool," Bush said. "It makes it feel like you're at a resort as opposed to just a home."
Resources: LUX Lighting, Floor & Decor, Overstock.com, Stone Center, Global Blinds, Porcelanosa, Spartan Kitchen and Bath
