Photos: Couple creates stylish home from warehouse

Private Quarters

Photos: Couple creates stylish home from warehouse

In 2003, professional artist Cathy Erhler was using a warehouse studio space for her work, and she and her husband Donald Thurman decided to purchase another unit in that building and renovate it to create their new home.

A colorful collection of metal strips, which homeowner and artist Cathy Ehrler has dubbed “joy sticks,” lines the hallway leading to the library in Cathy and her husband Donald Thurman’s home. Cathy wanted a colorful display in this space, so she painted strips of metal roofing in bright patterns and affixed them to the wall. Text by Shannon Dominy. Photo by Reynolds Rogers.

Last year Cathy Ehrler and Donald Thurman added a balcony to their master bedroom, giving the space more light and providing a private place for them to step outside. Over their Cantoni bed is a beautiful painting that Cathy created for the space. On the wall to the left of the balcony is another of Cathy’s paintings, inspired by a trip she and Donald took to Europe. The faces of the angels are those of her grandchildren, and the animals in the frame are all previous pets. Text by Shannon Dominy. Photo by Reynolds Rogers.

The dining room table from Room & Board is made from reclaimed wood and above it hangs a fascinating light fixture with 12 separate bulbs on flexible wires that can be posed to direct light. Text by Shannon Dominy. Photo by Reynolds Rogers.

A sofa and chair from West Elm and bookshelves from Ikea give the library on the bottom floor of Donald Thurman and Cathy Ehrler’s converted warehouse home a cozy, inviting vibe. The space is where the couple winds down, and it’s so filled with well-loved books that they now have a rule that for every book they buy, they have to get rid of one. Text by Shannon Dominy. Photo by Reynolds Rogers.

Donald Thurman and Cathy Ehrler bought their home in 2003 when it was a warehouse space. They worked with Joel Kelly Design to renovate the space to create their home, which is 2,770 square feet, with two bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. They live there with their two dogs, Disco Daisy and Buster Brown, and their cat, Sugar Baby. Donald is an independent marketing consultant, and Cathy is a professional artist. Text by Shannon Dominy. Photo by Reynolds Rogers.

When they designed their kitchen in 2003 Donald Thurman and Cathy Ehrler mimicked the natural colors of the brick of their walls in their design, with red cabinets and concrete counters to correspond the brick and mortar. Architectural designer Joel Kelly installed the mirror backsplash and glass open shelving to play up the natural lighting of the space. Text by Shannon Dominy. Photo by Reynolds Rogers.

The spacious master bathroom in Cathy Ehrler and Donald Thurman’s Atlanta home has a custom slanted sink and travertine tile with a mirrored vanity that makes the space look even larger. Text by Shannon Dominy. Photo by Reynolds Rogers.

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A colorful collection of metal strips, which homeowner and artist Cathy Ehrler has dubbed “joy sticks,” lines the hallway leading to the library in Cathy and her husband Donald Thurman’s home. Cathy wanted a colorful display in this space, so she painted strips of metal roofing in bright patterns and affixed them to the wall. Text by Shannon Dominy. Photo by Reynolds Rogers.

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