Private Quarters: Tree crashing on kitchen spurs midcentury update

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Photos: Tree crashing on kitchen spurs midcentury update in Collier Hills

This Collier Hills home exudes midcentury style.

Bill and Katherine Trainor renovated their Fulton County mid-century ranch home in 2016 after a tree fell on their home. They kept the 1950 home's original one-story layout, while adding a new master suite on the first floor.

As part of their home's 2016 renovation, the Trainors replaced the concrete wall with terraced boulder walls layered with plants, transforming a concrete canyon into a sunken garden. The look was achieved with the help of King Landscaping by adding Tennessee fieldstone boulder walls, Belgard Dublin cobble pavers and thick boulder steps.

Personal mementos are on the walls. Bill, a second-generation pilot who flies 737s for Delta, framed his father’s overhead panel charts and handwritten notes from when he was first hired at Alaska Airlines in the 1990s.

In the mudroom, the Trainors used a tufted upholstered bench from Brice Ltd. in the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC) with an open bottom shelf for storage.

The owners worked with MOSAIC Group [Architects and Remodelers], King Landscaping and decorator Stephanie Bauer Oppenheimer.

The homeowners’ Shih-Tzu, Bob, sits on the Pottery Barn couch. By removing a guest bathroom in their original 1950s floorplan, Katherine and Bill opened the main areas of their home and created an unrestricted flow between the kitchen, living room and dining room.

Renovations to the midcentury ranch removed a guest bathroom, opening up a space perfect for the bar cabinet they found at Scott Antique Market. The bar’s mid-century design fits seamlessly with the style of their home, and both love the cabinet’s rustic look. An abstract painting, from Ballard Designs, hangs above the bar and adds color and texture to the nook.

Bill and Katherine added plantation shutters from The ShutterWorks to their windows during the 2016 renovation of their Fulton County home. The living room couch was a find from Pottery Barn.

The open living room, dining room and kitchen forms a large area perfect for entertaining guests, including seating on the Pottery Barn couch. The interiors design is mid-century modern with traditional accents.

With its stained walnut veneer and antique, brass framing, the Nook Tower from West Elm emits a midcentury feel, blending perfectly with the style of the house.

A hallway connects the original space with the new addition. The couple uses the space as a combination mudroom and home office. For her work area, Katherine purchased a white Runway Desk from CB2 paired with an acrylic chair.

When a tree fell on their kitchen in 2016, Bill and Katherine Trainor expanded the kitchen by removing a wall. Modern updates include the marble countertops, custom island and cabinets by BWI Wood Working and bar stools from IKEA.

Aquamarine glass tiles create a shimmery backsplash against cabinets painted Sherwin-Williams Dover White. MOSAIC Group [Architects and Remodelers] redesigned the kitchen.

A geometric rubbed bronze pendant from Bellacor hangs above the kitchen island, enhancing the space with a touch of modern elegance in the 1950s home.

Dining walls partially painted Sherwin-Williams’ Dark Night and a dark-stained custom table contrast with the white walls and trim in the dining room. Linen wingback chairs from RH sit at the heads of the table, complementing the Pottery Barn rug.

The interiors mix traditional accents, such as the dining room chandelier, with midcentury modern style that fits with the home’s age.

The French doors lead to the back patio and are one of Katherine’s favorite changes to her Atlanta home. The Trainors also re-stained the hardwood floors and repainted the entire interior during the renovation.

The tall wingback headboard in the guest bedroom creates a dark focal point and allows the bright white bedding to pop. The walls are painted Sherwin-Williams' Gossamer Veil.

During the 2016 renovation the Trainors added a modern laundry room. With only 1,600 square feet in their house, Katherine says the extra space to fold and store laundry is a blessing. The countertops are from Top South Counters, and the cabinets are from Kemper Cabinetry. Christopher Oquendo/AJC FILE

For a traditional look in their master bedroom, Katherine and Bill selected a black headboard from Ballard Designs and a tufted white bench from Brice Ltd. in the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC). The stained, wooden nightstands are from Pottery Barn.

A circular gilded mirror hangs above an antique dresser that once belonged to Katherine’s grandmother. The Trainors refinished the piece in black and installed new hardware before placing it in the master bedroom.

The new master bathroom incorporates black and white tiles from Moda Floors & Interiors into a marble “floor rug” with modern updates including a frameless shower.

The marble master’s sleek, modern look is offset by white shiplap walls above the vanity. The fixtures, from Ferguson in Atlanta, and marble countertops, by Affinity Stoneworks, fashion a timeless design atop custom cabinets from BWI Wood Working that are fitted with hardware from Top Knobs.

Katherine Trainor, an attorney at MendenFreiman LLP, and Bill Trainor, a pilot for Delta, bought their mid-century, three-bedroom, two-bath ranch home in Atlanta's Collier Hills neighborhood in 2013, where they live with their Shih-Tzu, Bob.

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Bill and Katherine Trainor renovated their Fulton County mid-century ranch home in 2016 after a tree fell on their home. They kept the 1950 home's original one-story layout, while adding a new master suite on the first floor.

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