The kitchen island often is where Kristen Yonson’s family eats, so she made a smart decision when purchasing stools from Pottery Barn. She slipcovered them in Sunbrella fabric that can be easily cleaned, lessening stress about spills.
Kristen and her husband, Sean-Michael, moved into the Alpharetta home before they had children and have updated the home with play areas for the boys, and recently, design elements such as shiplap walls, and board and batten trim. Outside, engaging spaces include a new fire pit on a patio.
“It was really about entertaining and having friends and family over,” she said.
Snapshot
Residents: Sean-Michael and Kristen Yonson and their children, Cole, 5, and Connor, 3. Sean-Michael works in finance; Kristen works in online advertising and is co-founder of SwatchPop.com.
Location: Alpharetta
Size: 4,000 square feet, five bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths
Year built/bought: 2007
Builder: Whitehall Homes
Architectural style: Craftsman
Favorite architectural elements: Porches on both levels, gables, shake siding
Renovations: Built-in benches in the kitchen nook, shiplap walls and board and batten trim, and fire pit, patio and rock steps.
Cost of renovations: $18,200
Interior design style: Transitional with rustic elements. She did her own interiors, using SwatchPop.com to help with her decisions.
Favorite room: Family room. "It was definitely trial and error. We had many different variations of sofas and chairs and room layouts to make it cohesive," she said. "We finally think we got it right when we got those massive couches."
Favorite pieces of furniture: A coffee table made out of a barn door, from Outrageous Interiors, and antique shutters on the landing, from Queen of Hearts Antiques.
Favorite outdoor feature: Fire pit (made by Paul Reed of Atlanta) under pine trees and next to a creek.
Decor tip: When styling bookshelves, cluster similar items and place them, shelf by shelf, in a zig-zag pattern so that no like items are directly on top of one another.
Resources: RH (formerly Restoration Hardware), Lisa Gabrielson Design at Queen of Hearts Antiques & Interiors, Ballard Designs Outlet, IKEA, Lakewood 400 Antiques Market, HomeGoods, Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Outlet, etsy.com, Vagabond Vintage, Serena & Lily, Target, World Market, West Elm, Crate and Barrel, Horchow, Joss & Main, wisteria.com, and accessories from the Yellow Daisy Festival and Crabapple Antique & Art Festival.
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