Being able to handpick items for a new farmhouse-style home enabled Pete and Linda Thompson to incorporate Norwegian design elements, an unexpected touch in a south Forsyth County home.
They took queues from Pete’s ancestral farm home in Norway, which they visited in 2005, before building their Georgia home on 6 acres. In their entryway, slate mined and cut in Norway was designed in the shape of a star and inset in the wood floor. The colors on the old barn resemble those on the homestead property. They painted the kitchen Sherwin-Williams’ Brittlebush, which was similar to a mustard hue they saw in Norway.
“We really had in mind what we wanted,” Linda said.
Snapshot
Residents: Pete and Linda Thompson and their children, Kelsey, 22, and Matthew, 18. Pete is a retired executive who manages rental properties; Linda is a social worker and substitute teacher who runs a dog-sitting service. Animals include dogs, Avalon and Lucy; a horse, Kayla; a pony, Star; and three mini donkeys —Dan, Boone and Charlie; and they care for rescue horses.
Location: Suwanee
Size: About 5,800 square feet, five bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths
Year built: 2006
Builder: Culver & Grimshaw
Architect: Garrell Associates
Architectural style: Farmhouse
Favorite architectural elements: Use of natural materials (including reclaimed wood, slate from Norway, natural fieldstone and tile)
Interior design style: Country farmhouse with Norwegian elements
Design consultants: Ginkgo Designs, Atlanta Pools and Perry Scapes for landscaping and pool design and installation; custom cabinets from Quality Cabinets and sourced through Jerry K. Lewis & Associates in Decatur; built-ins by Timber Mountain Fine Cabinetry; Jeld-Wen windows and doors; L.J. Smith Stair Systems
Favorite interior design elements: Natural wood, fieldstone fireplaces, screen-door pantry, doorway transoms, and light, random-width oak hardwood floors.
Favorite collections: Paintings, crafts and glass artwork collected during vacations in Europe, Africa and Latin America.
Favorite outdoor features: Pool and fire pit with pasture and barn views; driveway lined with Bradford pear trees and black board fence. "We have falcons and all different kinds of birds. We have deer every single day in the morning and evening," Linda said.
Resources: eBay, Ethan Allen, City Plumbing & Electric Supply Co., Progressive Lighting
About the Author
