Katherine Madeira and Chris Drobny were unfamiliar with mid-century modern style and Atlanta’s East Lake neighborhood when a designer’s house caught their attention on Facebook.
A friend shared a post that Brian Patrick Flynn, whose projects include HGTV’s 2016 Dream Home, had his split-level ranch on the market. They viewed the home the day before an open house and their offer was accepted. Then they negotiated to buy the home’s budget and designer furnishings, light fixtures and window treatments, realizing that the style fit them. The DeKalb County location, near communities such as Kirkwood, Decatur and East Atlanta, also appealed to Madeira and Drobny, who previously rented in Old Fourth Ward.
“We lucked out. Who gets to buy a house already renovated and designed, and you get to buy the furniture and you don’t have to do through the work?” Madeira said. “It was just amazing.”
The renovated house is one of six residences featured on the 2016 East Lake Tour of Homes on Sept. 10-11.
Snapshot
Residents: Katherine Madeira and Chris Drobny, dogs Kerrigan and Fiona, and cats Sushi and Sake. Madeira works for SunGard Public Sector, which provides software solutions for public administration and public safety; Drobny is a Microsoft consultant.
Location: East Lake neighborhood, DeKalb County
Size: 1,640 square feet, three bedrooms, two baths
Year built/bought: 1955/2015
Architectural style: Mid-century modern
Favorite architectural elements: Custom wall and ceiling details, such as wood planks, fabric, designer wallpaper and a silver geometric wall feature dividing the upstairs from the main level.
Designer: Brian Patrick Flynn, the former owner
Interior design style: Mid-century modern
Favorite piece of furniture: Custom dining room banquette with a wood table that extends to seat 10 or folds to create two four-top tables.
Favorite outdoor elements: Four separate outdoor living spaces and a "designer dog run" with a faux lawn. "Having dogs, that was a huge selling point. We wanted a yard. For being intown, it's a really big yard. We had so much space, we got another (dog)," Madeira said.
Resources: Furniture from West Elm, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, World Market, City Issue
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