The modern, industrial design of Atlanta’s popular West Egg Cafe influenced Jill Blass as she planned for a new kitchen during the renovation of her 100-plus-year-old Grant Park home.
“It’s actually almost exactly modeled after West Egg,” she said. “I told them I wanted to copy their bar.”
The artist and designer also has brought personal creations and found objects — including marching band hats she pulled out of a high school Dumpster — into her Folk Victorian house, which now has a more streamlined style. As she explains, the home has a fusion of classic, simple design and wacky moments.
Snapshot
Resident: Jill Blass, and her dog, Fergus, and cats, Mr. Bunny, Max and Minky
Location: Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood
Size: About 2,634 square feet, three bedrooms, two baths
Year built: 1904
Year bought: 2004
Architectural style: Folk Victorian shell with an open, modern interior
Contractors: Will Clower of Southern Home Performance (crawlspace renovation); John Sitton of DimensionWorks (structural work); Pam Dooley of Plants Inc.; Kelly Lee of FrontPorch (interior renovation); Mark Mroz of Fancy Woodworks (cabinetry).
Architect: Danny England, now with Rutledge Alcock Architects
Renovations: She initially renovated the duplex apartment for rental income. Then she improved the yard by adding new plantings and hardscaping. In 2007, new systems, a heat pump and water heater, were installed in the crawlspace, which was encapsulated. She held onto England’s plans to restore the house to single family for four years until she could arrange financing for a complete renovation. In 2011, Front Porch Renovations began the interior renovation, which included a lofted home office on the second floor, and the work was completed in 2013 (the existing footprint remained).
Cost of renovations: Nearly $295,000.
Favorite architectural element: Consistency of features. “I love how the materials and elements are unified and streamlined throughout the entire house. Like most old houses, there was a crazy jumble of mismatched doors, different flooring at different heights, bad lighting from different eras, each room was painted a different color, etc. Now the space feels peaceful and cohesive,” she said.
Interior design style: Streamlined modern with folksy, handcrafted elements.
Favorite interior design elements: The barn doors made out of lath boards from the home, because they remind her of its history and craftsmanship.
Favorite outdoor feature: A 1,000-square-foot pavilion constructed behind the home for covered parking, a seating area and workshop. “I like how it frames the garden, gives me privacy from the neighbors, and lends an agrarian feel to a city backyard,” she said.
Resources: Furniture from Room and Board, IKEA and West Elm.
Decor tip: The whitewashed wood floors were a creative solution to unify new pine patches with the original antique heart pine.
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