Author's Decatur ranch house has massive chicken fortress

Private Quarters

Photos: YA author’s Decatur home shows off her literary flair, ‘chicken fortress’

When author Jackson Pearce is not writing, she enjoys tackling DIY projects, such as tiling the backsplash and installing a farmhouse-style sink in her kitchen, or building a “chicken fortress” in her Decatur backyard.

Author Jackson Pearce's office space looks out to the backyard and her "chicken fortress." The paneled walls are painted with Behr's Gentle Rain.

A collection of prints top a green cabinet, which was a Facebook Marketplace find and now is in the dining room of the Decatur home.

A mug collection is on display next to artwork featuring bighorn sheep, which were found on Craigslist.

The wall decor is one way author Jackson Pearce brings whimsy into her home office. She lightened up the dark pine paneling with Behr's Gentle Rain.

Homeowner Jackson Pearce refinished the dining room table, which was passed down from fiance Nelson Dean' grandmother. The room's decor includes a poster from "The Great War," a YouTube series on World War I and a Christmas gift from Pearce to Dean.

An archway opens the dining room in author Jackson Pearce's 1950s ranch home into the renovated kitchen. Christopher Oquendo/AJC FILE

An "I love this town" screenprint by InkyMixtape hangs next to a Craigslist-purchased bookshelf. A robot created by Michael Klapthor stands on top. The pair of dining room chairs was bought off Facebook and the antique rug was also a Craigslist find.

A pair of Rifle Paper Co. prints featuring the Fox Theater in Atlanta and the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe in Paris are side-by-side in the Decatur home. "I love color, references to the city itself, and personality," said homeowner Jackson Pearce.

The renovated kitchen now has marble subway tile and repainted cabinets, and the blue tile counter was replaced with Ikea butcher block countertops. Homeowner Jackson Pearce's father make the countertop cuts, which she estimates saved $2,000 by doing it themselves. A star pendant found on Craigslist hangs above the farmhouse sink.

A farmhouse sink purchased on eBay was installed during the renovations in Jackson Pearce's 1950s ranch house in Decatur. "I love that it has clean lines without looking especially modern or sterile," she said. Christopher Oquendo/AJC FILE

Whimsy flows into the master bathroom with a model boat and an illustrated sea design from ModCloth. The ship on the shelf is a miniature replica of the Cornelia Marie from the TV series, "Deadliest Catch."

The master bedroom furniture was acquired in a number of ways. One of the dressers is from a dance studio estate sale, while another dresser is a family antique and a nightstand is an old typewriter table.

The âBâ is from the Borders bookstore, where homeowner Jackson Pearce said she wrote her first book as a high school student. âI will never part with my Bordersâ B,â she said. âItâs pretty great.â Text by Marena Galluccio/Fast Copy News Service.(Christopher Oquendo www.ophotography.com)

The âchicken fortressâ is Decatur homeowner Jackson Pearceâs favorite outdoor feature. Pearce built the coop using a plan from TheGardenCoop.com before adding her own additions. Text by Marena Galluccio/Fast Copy News Service.(Christopher Oquendo www.ophotography.com)

The "chicken fortress" is Decatur homeowner Jackson Pearce's favorite outdoor feature. Pearce built the coop using a plan from TheGardenCoop.com before adding her own additions.

The chicken coop and run now houses seven chickens that her fiance, teacher Nelson Dean, named after females in history, including Eleanor of Aquitaine and Frida Kahlo.

A rooster decoration hangs from the chicken coop in author Jackson Pearce's Decatur backyard.

The three-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom ranch home, with a front garden, was built in 1955 in Decatur.

Jackson Pearce, an author of middle grade and young adult books, has taken on DIY projects since purchasing her Decatur home.

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Author Jackson Pearce's office space looks out to the backyard and her "chicken fortress." The paneled walls are painted with Behr's Gentle Rain.

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