A Mediterranean Masterpiece

Lately I've had houses of the 1920s on my mind and have been discussing such with my friend Things That Inspire. What makes them so desirable? How have they been able to stand the test of time? Why are architects talking about referencing these homes for inspiration in these modest times?

Given the popular response to my More Cleverly Conceived post (a circa 1929 house), I thought I'd cover another beautiful Atlanta home from the same time period. It will be clear after seeing this house what makes the 1920s such a special time in architecture. By the way, this home also happens to have been featured in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles in the December 2008 issue. The article focused on the interior, styled specifically for Christmas. Here you'll see a more complete view of the home, both interior and exterior.

This is one of my absolute favorite homes in Atlanta. I've been mesmerized by its every detail since discovering it last summer when it was on the market. I got to explore it a couple times in person and have even had the fortune of discussing specific details with project architect Rodolfo Castro, a Summerour & Associates alum and rising talent in Atlanta (if you don't know of him, you will).

The home was actually a renovation. The owners purchased it and enlisted Summerour & Associates for the makeover with Rodolfo Castro heading the architecture and Yvonne R. McFadden and Ed Belding sharing responsibility for the interiors. Seeing the photos above will give you an idea of how dramatic of an effect the Summerour team imparted.

This home takes your breath away the moment you drive up to it. The first thing you notice is the impeccable landscaping that is matched so deftly to the style of the home. You also notice the luxurious use of limestone for the walkway and door and window surrounds. How about that Greek pithari urn and copper lantern as well?

As you walk in through the front door, the judge paneled room is to the left, the stairs leading to the home's four bedrooms upstairs is straight ahead and to the right is the formal living room. The home elegantly showcases a neutral palette (my favorite). Linen was used copiously to soften the transitional interior. You can see the linen in several places including on the custom sconce shades, the furniture slip covers, and the curtains.

This house is a marble lover's dream. Calcutta Gold and Carrera marble are spread throughout. A detail you'll notice here is the dark stained windows and doors. Every exterior and interior door in the home is made of solid mahogany and stained a dark Jacobean color to match the floors. No expense was spared in crafting this masterpiece.

From the back of the kitchen you can go 3 ways, all of which will leave you utterly satisfied. To the left is the screened in porch. Those in Atlanta might recognize the picture of the porch as it graced the cover of the venerable Beacham Series real estate magazine a few issues back.

Make a right out of the back of the kitchen and you'll end up in the great room. And great it is. This is an entertainer's seventh heaven. The paneled wall reveals a glamorous bar with very thin mirrored tile backsplash. Above the contemporary Chesney's fireplace the wall opens to expose the large flat screen television. Notice the speakers in the ceiling too. The whole house is wired for sound.

Straight back from the kitchen through the French doors leads you to the lush backyard complete with an infinity edge pool and outdoor fireplace.

Just as you were about to catch your breath, here we go again. I know, this is a long post, but a house this amazing is a rare find and justifies the length. Above is the stairway leading to the 2nd story with four bedrooms. The judge's paneling on the walls is carried up the stairs from the entry. Above the stairs a sky light was added to shower light into the area. The subtle, yet captivating, detail in the iron railing is a testament to Rodolfo Castro's genius.

Above is the master bedroom with it's French doors flanking the rear of the house. Outside the doors is a Juliette balcony affording a view of the pool. If  you enlarge the picture, you'll notice some architectural wizardry. The ceilings in the 2nd floor bedrooms were cleverly raised by adding gradual vaulting. The ceilings are covered in shiplap-style paneling to give the room added texture. A unique rounded molding was used on the ceilings, windows and doors.

Here is a quick glance of the master bathroom. Every bathroom and the kitchen were furnished with Waterworks fixtures. And of course, my favorite tub, also is from Waterworks.

To end our journey I'll leave you with the recently completed basement. When I viewed the home the basement was still under renovation so I was quite pleased when I saw these photos. The steel window, the limed wood, the faucet out of the wall. I'm speechless.

I hope you enjoyed this most special house. Believe it or not, I didn't show you everything this house has to offer. On top of that it's only roughly 4,000 square feet in size. I think this is a perfect example of 1920s grandeur and what so many are striving to recreate today.

I encourage you to enlarge each of the photos in this post by clicking on them and soak in all the beauty.

A special thank you goes out to Blayne Beacham, the talented photographer responsible for capturing this home's beauty. She was generous enough to share her photos with me so I could share them with you. If  you haven't already, I recommend visiting her new blog:  This Photographer's Life.

One last thing - this amazing home is back on the market. If you've fallen in love with it like me, it could be yours. The home is listed with Nancy Meister at Beacham & Company.