An all-seasons room with a stout, built-in stone fireplace stopped Patrick and Erin Connolly’s home search. The versatile space in the back of a renovated 1950s Buckhead cottage exuded rustic charm with individually laid stone walls and tongue-and-groove paneling extending to the ceiling.
The room gave them the feeling of being in the mountains, and Patrick remembers telling Erin, "I think we don't need to look anymore." Now they open up the windows to enjoy a screened-in space in the fall and spring and use the fireplace nightly during the winter. The home will be featured on the Cathedral Antique Show's First Place Passion Tour (cathedralantiques.org) on Jan. 31.
Snapshot
Residents: Patrick and Erin Connolly and daughters Hunter, 4, and Annie, 21 months. Their dogs are named Murphy and Saylor. Patrick is vice president of home services for Ansley Atlanta Real Estate; Erin is an owner of B. Barganier Interiors.
Location: Buckhead
Size: 2,700 square feet, four bedrooms, three baths
Year built/bought: 1950/2012
Architect: Earl McMillen (original home). "We really respected his unique style. We felt like it was a really cool opportunity," Patrick said.
Architectural style: Cottage
Favorite architectural elements: Wood beam ceilings, brick floors, brick oven and Dutch door. "We love having that Dutch farm door for our side door. If someone is delivering a pizza for the kids, it's kind of cool to open that door up. The dogs don't go running out," Patrick said. "It is something that was very common in years previous to this, but really it's functional in this day and age."
Favorite original features: The iron windows and wood doors with latches.
Renovations: The previous owners added in 2010 the all-seasons room, garage and in-law suite, working with architect Chip Murrah. The shelving was updated in the original bedroom closets. The Connolly family enhanced the kitchen with GE appliances and honed Crema Marfil marble countertops (from Atlanta Tile and Stone). They restored some of the original siding and repainted the doors and shutters.
Favorite outdoor elements: The koi pond (updated and expanded by Atlanta Water Gardens) and a shed that will be converted into a playhouse.
Resources: Furniture and accessories from B. Barganier Interiors, Bernhardt, Lee Industries, Redford House, Scott Antique Market, Ballard Designs, Furniture Classics. Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter (master bedroom), Feather Down (kids' rooms) and Jute (hallways and upstairs).
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