Private Quarters

Buckhead family makes a statement with new Virginia farmhouse-style abode

The Virginia farmhouse-style home, built in 2017, uses Tennessee fieldstone for the base and chimneys. The architect was Norman Davenport Askins and builder was Bonner Custom Homes. "When you get there, you feel like the house has been there for 100 years, and that was our goal," she said.

Through the circular window of the Virginia farmhouse-style home, homeowner Ellen Turner said its possible to see all the way from the front yard to the back porch. Contributed by Christopher Oquendo

A home office is carved out of space between rooms on the main level of the home. Christopher Oquendo/AJC FILE

The iron skylight in the stairwell is an architectural feature found elsewhere in the home, such as the shower wall and doors from the kitchen to the covered back porch.

The framed vintage posters from Paris in the stairwell include one advertising breath mints. Contributed by Christopher Oquendo

The framed vintage posters from Paris in the stairwell include one advertising breath mints.

The master bedroom's furnishings and upholstery were chosen to create a soft and peaceful room, said homeowner Ellen Turner. The ceiling's shiplap design makes the 9-foot ceiling seem higher, she said. Contributed by Christopher Oquendo

The master bedroom has a soft elements, plus a design hack with the headboard. It's made of picture frame molding and fabric covering plywood that is secured to the wall.

The iron shower enclosure is an alternative to frameless glass doors. The ironwork matches the windows above the tub in the marble master bathroom.

The island, with a second farmhouse-style sink, is painted Black Fox by Benjamin Moore. The kitchen, breakfast area and living room are open but the faux beams define the spaces.

The graphite limestone backsplash has curved edges that add even more interest to the kitchen in the new Buckhead home.

The striped gray-and-green Roman shade in the kitchen matches one in the mudroom. The Virginia farmhouse-style home was built in 2017 by Bonner Custom Homes. Contributed by Christopher Oquendo

The breakfast table was the first piece of furniture that Ellen Turner and Carson Pilcher bought for their new home.

A collection of pewter in a bar niche adds a handsome element to the design aesthetic, said homeowner Ellen Turner. The bar also has the graphite limestone used for the countertops and backsplash in the kitchen. Christopher Oquendo/AJC FILE

The tufted chair and ottoman, made in England, have a classic look that fits with the home's traditional interiors. Christopher Oquendo/AJC FILE

The wallpaper was a last-minute decision that Ellen Turner loves because of the dimension it adds to her dining room. Other details include the nailhead trim on the chairs.

The study is awash in gray, from the grasscloth wallpaper to the painted trim and millwork and the upholstery. The bookshelves by Kyle Priest with Rosewood Millwork were designed around windows to bring in natural light. Above the fireplace, wooden shaft golf clubs join with artwork from St. Andrews Links in Scotland.

The accessories in the sitting room reflect the homeowners pastimes quail hunting and golf. Contributed by Christopher Oquendo

Bunkbeds in a guest room are just the setting for sleepovers.

Rope detailing is an area touch on the bunkbeds in a kid-friendly guest room, which also continues the shiplap look seen elsewhere in the Virginia farmhouse-style residence. Christopher Oquendo/AJC FILE

The covered back porch, with its vaulted ceiling, uses the same Tennessee fieldstone that is seen on the front of the home and its chimneys. The Bevolo lanterns are from Circa Lighting.

Reclaimed barn wood, from Vintage Lumber Sales gives a rustic dimension to the basement ceiling. The feather art over the fireplace was purchased at ADAC.

Neptune Pools gave the homeowners a pool that was big enough to swim laps and for kids to play in. The curved design of the pool, which has a hot tub and waterfall, matches the curve of the fieldstone retaining wall.

Ellen Turner is principal and co-owner of Turnerboone commercial interiors and Carson Pilcher is a retired pilot who is vice president of Turnerboone. The couple and their 9-year-old daughter, Stiles Pilcher, moved into their new Buckhead home in 2017.

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The Virginia farmhouse-style home, built in 2017, uses Tennessee fieldstone for the base and chimneys. The architect was Norman Davenport Askins and builder was Bonner Custom Homes. "When you get there, you feel like the house has been there for 100 years, and that was our goal," she said.

By Lori Johnston

April 18, 2018

During the 15-month homebuilding process, Ellen Turner

had immediate reactions to items that became statement

pieces in her family’s Virginia farmhouse-style residence.

Ellen Turner is principal and co-owner of Turnerboone commercial interiors and Carson Pilcher is a retired pilot who is vice president of Turnerboone. The couple and their 9-year-old daughter, Stiles Pilcher, moved into their new Buckhead home in 2017.

The biggest one was the white Calcutta marble countertop for the kitchen island. Its green-gray tones and veining caught her attention as soon as she walked into the Bottega Stone showroom. The slab was a splurge in the new home, which was finished in September 2017 in northwest Buckhead.

“I tried to build the home with a business hat on and not a typical emotional hat that most people (use to) build a house. That was the one place where I didn’t do that,” Turner said. “That was the only place I blew the budget. It is the most gorgeous piece of stone.”

Snapshot

Residents: Ellen Turner, principal of turnerboone, a commercial interiors company; husband Carson Pilcher, a retired pilot who is vice president of turnerboone; and 9-year-old daughter Stiles Pilcher

Location: Buckhead

Size: 6,200 square feet, four bedrooms, four baths

Year built/bought: 2017

Builder: Wes Buchanan, Bonner Custom Homes

Architect: Norman Davenport Askins

Architectural style: Virginia Farmhouse

Favorite architectural elements: Tennessee fieldstone, cedar shake roof and wood siding on the exterior. When they researched homes on Pinterest and Houzz, Turner and her husband kept saving photos of homes with a cedar shake roof. "Luckily we both kept coming to the same look we liked," Turner said. Inside the home, they used iron windows and doors, even for the master bathroom shower enclosure.

Design consultants: Susan B. Bozeman Designs (interior designer), Jonathan Bussell (landscape architect) and Kyle Priest of Rosewood Millwork

Interior design style: Traditional farmhouse

Favorite interior design elements: The home is filled with browns and grays, from the marble and limestone countertops and backsplash to the furniture and wall color. "We're not stuffy people," Turner said. "We wanted it to be a casual, warm, inviting environment."

Favorite outdoor feature: The covered back porch. The family often opens the iron doors from the kitchen onto the covered back porch, letting their Sonos sound system carry music between both spaces. The interior and outdoor spaces feel like one big, functional room, Turner said.

Favorite furniture: A chest from the 1800s that feels like it has a soul of its own, Turner said.

Resources: Lighting from Circa; furniture from Bernhardt, Beau Studio, Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC), Acquisitions and Ballard Designs; countertops from Bottega Stone

About the Author

Lori Johnston

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Buckhead family makes a statement with new Virginia farmhouse-style abode

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