This Mother’s Day, some moms might enjoy breakfast in bed, but once they step out of the covers, they could encounter a cramped, chaotic home.
Experts in construction and design are helping mothers who know best for their family create spaces that are organized, a healthy environment, and a place for activity and rest. Three Atlanta area architects and interior designers shared some of their favorite spaces that carve out “me” time for moms and reduce the chaos of living with kids.
Whipping Up a New Kitchen
A dated kitchen in a 1980s Roswell home needed more room for laundry, cooking and family organization. By taking over the dining room, TerraCotta Properties increased the kitchen’s size to house all of these functions, said Ili Nilsson, principal of the Decatur-based residential design and construction company
Now, the space includes a hidden laundry area, as well as lockers for the elementary-age kids and drawers with a dog bowl, food and other pet gear. Mesh allows the doors in front of the washer and dryer to remain closed but still have proper ventilation. As a space-saving feature, the doors open up and slide back. A butcher-block countertop provides an area to fold clothes, and an upholstered bench provides a spot to sit and fold or remove shoes.
A small workspace, for a laptop and with drawers to hold files, provides a space to plan school and extracurricular activities and go through kids’ schoolwork, even while cooking or packing lunches.
“She really wanted to have a dedicated space, but wanted it to be in an area where she was close to everything else that was going on in the house and not a separate office,” Nilsson said. “That is a miniature home office for her.”
Focusing Design, Decor on the Family
Gil and Jeny Mathis desired to make their Sandy Springs home more livable and conducive to spending time with their daughters, Davis, 12, and Elliot, 10. The exiting floor plan either crammed the family into one part of the home or separated them into different rooms, Jeny said.
Weidmann & Associates, based in Roswell, turned the kitchen, keeping room and living room into one giant space where the family can be together to do puzzles, school assignments and work on their laptops. Part of the dining room was used to create a small office/sitting room, and another section made room for a pantry that even has an organized space for pets.
The rarely used dining room table was moved to the main living area, where it was more accessible. “It really changed getting together and coming around the table, which is really important to me,” she said.
The home’s existing interior design also failed to reflect their interests. “When you walked in, you didn’t get a sense of who I am or who our family is,” Jeny said.
Designer Jillian Pritchard Cooke, president and CEO of DES-SYN, asked her to select items that meant something. Mathis shared family items such as pictures from her parents and grandmother, and her grandmother’s recipes, which were framed and displayed in the kitchen. “She wanted to bring to the home environment the values and the uniqueness of what she felt her family was all about,” Pritchard Cooke said.
Pritchard Cooke and DES-SYN’s Katie Kitchens used their “Wellness Within Your Walls” approach to guide Mathis in choosing natural and sustainable products, using nontoxic and eco-friendly paints, carpets, rugs, fabrics and lighting. Furniture includes an ottoman made of recycled tarps from South America, in a patchwork pattern. “It’s bright and festive and fun,” Mathis said.
The Mathises and their daughters were asked to write a mission statement about what is important to them as a family. Those words, favorite locations and themes, such as music, were incorporated into a mixed-media piece in the living room.
“There’s no question when you come into my house, who I am and who my family is,” Mathis said.
Family-Friendly Family Room
A Colonial in Atlanta presented a challenge for parents Ben and Mary Beth Jordan because of its choppy nature. In addition, a kitchen peninsula wasn’t functional and interrupted the flow in the house. Sliding doors from the kitchen to an enclosed porch added to the awkwardness of the space. “We wanted a place where the family could gather, where everybody could hang out in the same space and be comfortable. We wanted an area where she could watch her kids doing homework while she was preparing dinner and could entertain family and friends,” said Audrey Godiers, owner of Godiers Architecture, based in Atlanta.
The footprint of the home could not be expanded, but Godiers maximized the existing space and expanded the upper level. She also converted the porch into a family room with a double-sided fireplace, which allowed the family and guests to enjoy the indoors and the stone patio, which is accessed via French doors.
In the kitchen, Godiers added a banquette - one of the homeowner’s favorite features - and positioned the sink to look out into the family room, instead of away from the action. Rooms for Jack, 7, and Parker, 5, were moved upstairs, and a shared room was added, which now serves as a playroom and will be a teenage hangout space when they get older. The existing upstairs office space was moved downstairs to be closer to the master bedroom and take advantage of access to the patio.
A new master bedroom suite with a bathroom was placed on the first floor. Another dilemma was finding space for a mudroom, with the homeowner wanting a place for the children to take off their shoes as soon as they enter into the house. A corner bench was tucked into a space just off the family room. Lockman Homebuilding, based in Decatur, as well as Kitchen Gallery of Stone Mountain, and Decatur-based Trinity Mercantile and Design assisted in the project, which took about seven months.
Time for Pampering
Renovations to a 1907 home in Decatur included creating a master suite that felt like a sanctuary for the mom of three, Nilsson said. The walk-through closet was visible from the bedroom and bathroom, so the changes were intended to make the space feel like a dressing room with a place for everything, she said.
Custom-designed built-ins by an Atlanta-area company, GreenWalt and Sons Custom Cabinetry & Woodworks, include shelves for shoes and purses, and cabinets for storing linens and heirlooms such as an antique shawl. The depth of the drawers vary, with thinner drawers holding jewelry and deeper drawers for bulkier items such as sweaters. The cabinets were built around a window, maximizing light. The other side of the closet has room for dresses and other items on hangers.
In the bathroom, a custom-made vanity on raised legs fits underneath the windowsill. The modern vanity has a marble top and a center section that lifts up to reveal makeup and other personal items. “It’s not just a luxury for the mom. It’s the idea of an heirloom piece,” Nilsson said. “This is the piece where she’ll see her daughter put on her first eyeliner and show her daughter how to use (makeup).”
