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Inside an interior designer’s renovated mid-century modern home
After stints in various cities and in a succession of traditional homes — a Tudor, a Victorian, and a Dutch Colonial — interior designer Jessica Davis finally got the opportunity to live in a “modern, bright, and airy” home when she and her family relocated to Atlanta. The only problem? It didn’t have all the amenities their family needed. Luckily, Davis had a vision for how to renovate the home in a way that would complement its original mid-century modern design. Here’s how she created an architecturally authentic addition that meets her family’s needs for working, relaxing, and entertaining at home.
Considering a renovation but want to respect your home’s original architecture? Here are four lessons from Davis’ approach.
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2. Repeated materials can tie together the old and the new
Another way Davis continued the throughline from old to new was by reusing materials. The original living and dining rooms were covered in magnolia wood paneling. Magnolia trees are native to the Southeast, and the use of this type of wood paneling is a unique characteristic of the house. But as Davis opened up the layout and added more windows, some of that original paneling had to come down. Rather than throwing it out, Davis reused the paneling in the new kitchen where it covers her pantry and appliance wall.
Takeaway: Repeated materials can be threads that tie together old and new spaces.
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4. Play up the positive
Indoor/outdoor living is possible for much of the year in Atlanta’s mild climate, and the home has a pool and sprawling patio to take advantage of this. To make these outdoor connections even stronger though, Davis added a Folding Pass-Through Window to connect the addition’s kitchenette to the pool area. She also added a balcony off her studio where she can grow vegetables away from nibbling woodland creatures.
Takeaway: Taking the time to really understand a home before making changes is oft-repeated advice for good reason. You’re changing something existing, not starting from scratch, so identify the features that make the original great and lean into those.
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