In June 2008, Mel and Sally Beamer Silverman’s Buckhead townhome burned to the ground. They were devastated, losing their possessions, a substantial art collection and their home of more than a dozen years.
Only the brick front was saved. As they worked to quickly come up with ideas and inspiration for the floor plan and design, Sally visited neighbors to see updates they had made to their townhomes.
“Because we had mixed emotions about rebuilding and moving back in, one of the decisions I made was I wanted it to look, décor wise, different than it did before,” Sally said. “I didn’t want to re-create what it was.”
The rebuilding, which took about 11 months, created a new interior look for the residence.
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Residents: Mel Silverman and Sally Beamer Silverman. Mel was founder of Hifi Buys, co-founder of Monkey Joe’s and currently an investor and co-manager of Cash Rentals, an Atlanta-based car rental company. Sally is managing partner of Creative Resources, a media sales consulting and training company.
Location: Buckhead
Size: About 4,000 square feet, three bedroom, 3 1/2 bath
Year built: 1996, rebuilt in 2009
Year bought: 1996
Renovations: The townhome was rebuilt from scratch. “Obviously we were devastated because we lost everything we had owned,” Sally said. “I kept trying to find the bright side of, ‘OK, I get to have the kitchen that I want and redo the bedroom and master,’ but I had no time to plan and no time to hire the architect.” Instead, on the first day of work, the contractor asked her where to place the electrical outlets and plumbing. Major changes included expanding the kitchen, by adding an island and raising the ceilings from 8 feet to 9 feet. Some furniture and accessories were custom made, while other pieces are from Atlanta stores such as Bungalow, Webb Marsteller and Circa Lighting.
Architectural style: Traditional
Interior designer: Bill Mohr
Interior design style: Transitional
Favorite interior design feature: The use of monochromatic colors, which creates a soothing and calm environment and brings in more light, Sally said. Previously, the home had bold colors such as red walls.
Favorite art pieces: “We had a beautiful art collection before. We were mourning our art,” Sally said. They slowly have replaced their art collection, finding pieces from Southern artists including Dennis Campay (Atlanta), David Swann (Atlanta) and Amanda Hendrich (Fairhope, Ala.).
Favorite outdoor feature: Their screened porch, which has skylights. “We wanted it to feel like a room and extension of the house, but we didn’t want the roofline of the porch to cause the living area to be darker,” Sally said. Furnishings include a table made out of coral with iron legs, from Webb Marsteller, and comfortable seating from AuthenTEAK. “After we moved in, we wired cable out there, so we can sit out there and watch television,” Sally said.
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