By Alma Hill
For the AJC
Ivory and James Dearing made sure their dream home had plenty of amenities for their active family. They also wanted it to be an inviting place to entertain friends and relatives. Two years after moving in, they completed their crown jewel, a full basement with a media room, coffered ceilings and a wet bar, a billiards room and game room for their teenage son, a double fireplace, home gym, spa bath, and a sitting room. The couple designed their three-level home together and filled it with furnishings they have owned for years. “I tell people this is not a show house. We definitely live in it,” Ivory Dearing said. “This is our oasis.”
Snapshot
Residents: Ivory and James Dearing
Location: The Cascade area in southwest Atlanta
Size: The 6,000-square-foot home has five bedrooms and five baths
Year built: 2005; A full basement was added in 2007.
Architectural style: English Tudor
Favorite architectural feature: The windows in the family room that stretch to the 27-foot ceilings. "We just fell in love with the wall of windows and the height," Ivory Dearing said.
Designer: The Dearings started with a design plan from luxury home builder John Wieland and customized it to suit their lifestyle. The couple likes to entertain, so they created an open floor plan to allow guests to move easily from room to room. The entry, formal dining room and living room flow together without walls separating them. The kitchen opens to the family room, and the upper level of the home overlooks the main floor.
Design style: Eclectic and transitional. Ivory Dearing loves to mix and match furnishings, pairing items that have been in her and her husband's families for decades with pieces they bought as a couple. She has even hung some of the artwork she painted in college.
Favorite design element: A curved wall in the basement that was built to complement the curves of the windows and staircase in the lower level.
