[DC-2017] NorthFulton CommunityProfiles-020317

Now for the Fun Part!
By Lisa Mowry
After months of finding your new
house, it’s time to figure out the
right decorating and remodeling
projects to make it wonderful.
Is there anything more intimidating than an empty house? The
possibilities are enormous, but nobody wants to spend money
on the wrong priorities—or last year’s trends. We’ve asked the
experts to help homebuyers get started on making their new home
everything it can be.
Remodeling
Dale Contant, president-elect of the National Association of the Remodeling
Industry and owner of Atlanta Design & Build (atlantadesignbuild.com), offers
his expertise:
Which areas of the house do homebuyers typically approach you to remodel
as a top priority for them?
Contant: Kitchens and master bathrooms are by far the most popular
for every size house. Baby-boomers want any older home they’ve
purchased to have fresh kitchen and bathrooms, floors and paint.
As far as other projects: basements are another key area to update, as well
as other bathrooms in the house.
Do you recommend that homeowners try to do as much as possible before
moving in?
Contant: It makes for a good transition to have the floors refinished or carpeted,
new paint, and any areas that desperately need updating to be done prior to
moving in. It’s a lot harder to do with furniture in place and living through the
mess; if you remodel before you move in, there’s less inconvenience and it can
be done faster.
What are some trends you’re seeing in kitchens and baths these days?
Kitchens: We’re seeing that homeowners are removing walls and making an
open floor plan. They seem to prefer a larger, single level island rather than the
multi-level ones from past years, with stone or quartz countertops. We also see
more upgrades in appliances than from previous years, and the popularity of
farmhouse sinks.
Master bathrooms: Bathrooms these days are featuring a much larger shower,
often with a “curbless entry,” large format tile, heated tile floors, and frameless
showers. We are also adding more freestanding soaking tubs, and linen
cabinets.
What about outdoor areas...do you see that as a popular area of the house
for Atlantans to remodel or upgrade?
Contant: With such a great spring, summer, fall and even winter in Atlanta, we
can use the exterior areas of our home year-round. What we’re seeing a lot of:
screen porches with fireplaces and TVs, fancy decks, hot tub areas, outdoor
kitchens, waterfalls and serene landscape features, fire pits, and exterior
fireplaces—all sorts of ways to link the outdoors and indoors.
This built-on screened porch has it all: stone fireplace, vaulted ceiling, and wiring for an outdoor
TV—plus an adjacent deck to get a little sun. Photos courtesy of Atlanta Design & Build;
photos by Brian Reeves of Perfect Day Photos.
Decorating
Joann Kandrac and Kelly Kole make up Kandrac & Kole Interior Design (kandrackole.com),
voted one of Atlanta’s top interior design firms by the Atlanta
Business Chronicle. They are frequently featured in magazines such as Better
Homes & Gardens. Their thoughts on decorating with a plan:
What are some of the first steps homeowners should take to go about
decorating their new house?
Kelly Kole: Having just gone thru this process myself (after living in a house
for 18 years) I would advise homeowners to begin the process by ruthlessly
purging. Only keep the things that are of quality and that you love; sell or
donate the others. Once you are dealing with an inventory of only the items you
really love, start thinking about how they can be reused in different rooms. It’s
fun to give new life to a piece of art, a table or chair by putting it in an entirely
new space. I took photographs and measurements of my remaining inventory
and then started to assign pieces to rooms. Once I did this, I knew where I
needed to fill in pieces.
Do you have any general guidelines to help people start the process, such as
identifying favorite colors?
Joann Kandrac: I know some designers say to start with the rug, others choose
fabrics, others have a different set of factors. One of my favorite ground rules
is to select a palette based on a favorite piece of art. If you had a piece of art
in the family room in a previous house, maybe now it will work in the master
bedroom, for instance. Take the opportunity to reinvent your existing pieces in
different parts of your new home.
What do you think are some exciting trends and opportunities in these areas
of the house?
Foyer:
Joann: This is a place you can make a tremendous visual impact and one good
way to do that is with wallpaper. It is making a big comeback and a foyer is
a perfect place to incorporate it. Another opportunity in this area is to have
fun with the flooring. Examples might be to mix marble and wood in the same
room, or use flooring in a chevron or brick-style pattern.
Living room:
Joann: Make this room a true room to live in; gone are the days of the “too
nice to sit on” furniture and the museum-like furnishings. Make this room
comfortable and cohesive to family time, not a room that is only “for show.”
Dining room:
Kelly: Formal dining rooms are not as common as they once were. Some
homeowners are turning their dining room into a more multi-functional space
– such as also a library, music room, or craft room. For those homeowners who
still want a dining room, we are seeing a trend toward a more casual area. One
way to accomplish this is by using a mix of seating options. We are designing
these spaces with a mix of wood and upholstered chairs, benches and banquets
(like a small sofa made to cozy up to a dining table). Also, a large interesting
chandelier can transform a dining room. Most chandeliers we see in clients’
homes are too small.
Family room/TV room:
Kelly: Our clients are busy families, so the fabric choices we make are very
important. We are selecting Sunbrella and Crypton fabrics in many of our
projects. These fabrics are traditionally known for their indoor/outdoor
qualities but the patterns, colors and softness have come a long way. They are
durable and easy to clean, which appeals to everybody. We are also designing
family rooms that appeal to everybody in the family—such as a quiet reading
corner, a small desk to work at, a pub table for games, or a large, deep sofa for
curling up in front of a movie.
Kitchen:
Joann: Incorporating bold and oversized light fixtures can update your kitchen
in a big way. Storage is another game changer for functionality in a kitchen.
In terms of cabinetry, it’s handy to incorporate trash/recycling pullouts, rollout
drawers, spice pullouts and even special storage for dog bowls/food.
Powder room:
Joann: This is the space where company can close the door and really take it all
in. Even though this is probably the smallest room in the house, it can have the
most impact. The use of a graphic wall covering or an intense paint color for
the ceiling is one clever way. Painting this room a dark color is also a great way
to add drama and it does NOT make the room look smaller.
24
CommunityProfiles >> 2017