Aaron Rosenhaft and his daughter, Samara, were out selling Girl Scout cookies when they stumbled across what would become their family’s next home. They peeked inside the vacant Sandy Springs house and were surprised to see a pool and hot tub inside the 1970s contemporary house.
“It has so much character itself,” said Aaron’s wife, Sugandha Rosenhaft.
The home was uninhabited for 10 years and needed mold remediation, so Aaron, a general contractor who oversaw the renovations, had to gut key rooms, including the kitchen and bathrooms.
During the six-month project, they also opened the small, boxy spaces to create an open floor plan and created a more modern kitchen, Sugandha said. The kids have their own area to be creative in a loft that overlooks the bright, airy pool room that Sugandha, an art educator, describes as “magical.”
Snapshot
Residents: Aaron and Sugandha Rosenhaft, children Samara, 9, and Liam, 6, and their pets Mia, a Frenchton puppy, and Sarah and Kit Kat, two Siamese cats. Aaron is a general contractor and Sugandha owns La Dee Da, a play and party studio in Sandy Springs.
Location: Sandy Springs
Size: 5,540 square feet, five bedrooms, five full and two half baths
Year built/bought: 1976/2015
Architectural style: Contemporary
Favorite architectural elements: Exposed wood beams, double doors, enclosed pool and hot tub room
Renovations: The kitchen, master suite, all bathrooms and a studio-style apartment adjacent to the pool room were gutted due to mold. The new kitchen design accommodated a fireplace, island and a custom dining booth. Several walls in the main living space were opened up to create the open kitchen, dining and living area. New floors were added throughout. The pool room, added by a previous owner, was re-energized with paint and wood-framed doors.
Cost of renovations: About $300,000
Interior design style: Traditional with Asian flair
Favorite interior design elements: Custom stonework and a free-standing soaking tub in the master bath, hardwood flooring repurposed on the ceiling in the master suite, Asian-inspired art
Favorite outdoor elements: A three-tier deck and a creek in the backyard, which can be viewed from the indoor pool.
Resources: Furniture from Overstock.com, Wayfair, Z Gallerie, Scott Antique Market, IKEA and Pottery Barn Kids. Appliances from Viking, Fhiaba and DCS by Fisher & Paykel. Doors and countertops from Builder's Surplus. Accent colors are Sherwin-Williams' Dorian Gray and Agreeable Gray.
Decor tip: Showcase your art in an environment that isn't intimidating, Sugandha said. For example, a life-size Buddhist wooden statue is in the entryway, and items such as Chinese warrior statues, a Balinese spirit house and an Indian Ganesha statue are throughout the home, including the bathrooms.
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