A Multigenerational Luxury Home in Suwanee Blends Classic Southern Style With Modern Living

Designed for an Atlanta-area empty-nester couple, this expansive Suwanee retreat by Alison Baker Interior Design and Stephen Fuller, Inc. pairs Lowcountry-inspired architecture with layered interiors

Written by Angela Caraway-Carlton Photographed by Jeff Herr Styled by KS Creative

April 2026

Foyer with black and white checkered marble floor, arched doorway with a dark wood door, patterned wallpaper, and two upholstered chairs.

The foyer wows with Schumacher Iksel Japanese Cranes wallpaper, black-and-white marble floors from Traditions In Tile & Stone, and a Vaughan pendant.

Blue paneled room with coffered ceiling, fireplace, built-in bookshelves, and a curved sofa with green patterned pillows.

The front study is drenched in a high-gloss blue hue with Fabricut’s yellow Thassos fabric on the draperies. The family’s personal collection of Rose Medallion porcelain complements the curved Hickory White settee.

Large stone and white clapboard house with a covered porch, dormer windows, and blue shutters, set on a manicured lawn with mature trees.

Residential designer Stephen Fuller designed an exterior that blends Lowcountry and mid-Atlantic styles, while Thomas Brame of Brame Landscape Architecture ensured the surrounding greenery enhances the home’s design.

Dining room with grasscloth wallpaper, blue wainscoting, coffered ceiling, ornate chandelier, and a wooden dining table set for a meal.

The dining room is wrapped in a Phillip Jeffries grasscloth wallcovering that offsets the Benjamin Moore Blue Echo high-gloss ceiling. A Le Chateau chandelier hovers above the antique dining table.

White kitchen with a large island topped with marble and dark wood base, featuring four upholstered stools. A marble backsplash with a pot filler is behind the range.

The kitchen is kept neutral and classic with cabinetry by Bell Cabinetry through Construction Resources, hardware from the Matthew Quinn Collection, and a duo of Visual Comfort & Co. pendants.

Luxury kitchen with dark wood island, white cabinetry, marble countertops, a patterned runner rug, and a large range with a decorative hood.

Coordinating with the runner from ART Rugs, the kitchen’s marble backsplash has touches of blue, green, and brown.

Blue kitchen with marble countertops, brass hardware, and a large ornate chandelier. A patterned roman shade covers the window above the sink.

The scullery is fitted with cabinets awash in Sherwin-Williams Riverway high-gloss. A Visual Comfort & Co. chandelier catches the eye.

Black lacquered cabinet with mirrored doors, a dark wood countertop, and a silver tray with roses and wine bottles

A china cabinet by Bell Cabinetry through Construction Resources is drenched in a rich Sherwin-Williams Caviar high-gloss hue serves as storage for crystal and a place to serve wine when entertaining.

Powder room with dark blue chinoiserie wallpaper, a vintage wooden vanity with ornate brass hardware, a black granite countertop, a brass sink and faucet, and a gold ornate mirror.

The formal powder room is dramatically encased in a teal Schumacher Shantung Silhouette wallcovering, with a black marble vanity from J. Tribble that offers a more formal feeling.

Hallway with a built-in desk and chair, teal cabinetry, and a view of a staircase. The walls are covered in patterned wallpaper and a floral Roman shade hangs over the window.

The mudroom doubles as a stylish office with a custom-embroidered chair by J. Wilkinson Chair Company and kept formal with roman shades in Colefax and Fowler fabrics with Samuel & Sons trim.

Light blue sofas and patterned armchairs arranged around a stone fireplace with a landscape painting above. Coffered ceiling and tall mirrors flank the fireplace.

A pair of antique chests from Loft Antiques ground the great room with painted silver-leaf mirrors from Accentrics holding court above. Chairs from Lee Industries with Cowtan & Tout fabric offer extra seating for the large family.

Bedroom with a four-poster bed, landscape mural wallpaper, upholstered armchairs, and a decorative bench.

The primary bedroom’s color scheme was started by the Schumacher Iksel Romantic Bosphorus wallpaper. A hand-painted silvery bed dressed in Gramercy fine linens balances out the tall ceilings.

Light gray bathroom with white freestanding tub, blue velvet armchair, marble floors, and a crystal chandelier. Vanity with double sinks and ornate mirror visible.

The primary bath is a relaxing oasis with a tub that overlooks a pond outside and touches of antiques, like a chair and table from Foxglove Antiques Collective.

Bedroom with a dark wood four-poster bed, white bedding, green floral pillows, striped wallpaper, a sunburst mirror, and a woven bench.

The main-level guest bedroom features Schumacher Edwin Stripe wallpaper and Kerry Joyce draperies fabricated by Best Dressed Interiors.

Sage green vanity with brass hardware, marble countertop, and striped wallpaper. Features a Greek key mirror and brass sconces.

The guest bath is layered in the same striped wallpaper as the guest room, with cabinets painted in a soft green.

Living room with vaulted beamed ceiling, grasscloth wallpaper, a green velvet sofa, patterned armchairs, a striped coffee table, and a large tapestry on the wall.

Baker says the back study pivoted from an original office to a true TV den, with a rich green sofa from Lee Industries, grasscloth wallpaper, wool draperies, and an oversize Le Chateau chandelier.

More than a residence for an Atlanta empty-nester couple, this newly built home in Suwanee, Georgia—45 minutes outside the city—was intentionally designed as a multigenerational retreat. Set within a gated community on expansive acreage, the house was planned with the owners’ three grown sons, eight grandchildren, and extended family in mind. “They wanted this to be for entertaining their family and all of the grandkids, and wanted it to flow with the organized chaos,” says interior designer Alison Baker.

They envisioned a grand, period-style house, but for modern living, a balance that was expertly shaped by residential designer Stephen Fuller and builder David Bowen of Walker Anderson Homes. “The exterior’s broad porches with a story-and-a-half profile give it a historic Lowcountry style, and the stone offers a mid-Atlantic, almost equestrian feel,” says Fuller, also noting that most of the square footage is on the first floor with a symmetrical, spread-out footprint. “There is a central gallery in the middle of the house that’s really pretty with beams and millwork,” he says, “and all of that layering of detailing in the millwork is really what translates the exterior mood.”

Inside, Baker was tasked with blending antiques the family has collected over the years, paying careful attention to the mix to keep things feeling fresh. “Sometimes when you have a lot of antiques, it can feel stagnant. I wanted to layer in some modern pieces so it feels collected, yet effortless,” she says. The home’s entry foyer is anchored by classic black-and-white marble flooring, but the real moment: walls dressed in a wallpaper featuring Japanese cranes with hints of blues and greens. “That wallpaper started the whole scheme and color palette throughout the home,” reveals Baker. “When you walk in the foyer, the front study is also wrapped in blue lacquer. I wanted to have a cohesive thought that marries those two rooms.” In the study, Baker intermingles antiques like a wooden bureau and the family’s collection of ginger jars with newly upholstered furniture like a statement-making curvy settee. “It’s often challenging to find homes for these collected pieces in a completely new environment,” admits Baker. “It ended up working out beautifully, and you would think they were bought purposely for these spaces.”

In the nearby dining room, Baker continued the study’s same silk drapery for fresh flair, along with textured grasscloth wallpaper with gold undertones. “This is a fairly large room, so I didn’t want painted walls,” she says. “Grasscloth offers warmth, and you don’t feel like you have to fill every hole.”

The home’s blue, green, and gold color palette continues into the primary bedroom, where tall ceilings are offset by a dramatic silver-pewter bed and another eye-catching wallcovering that showcases a soothing tree-dotted landscape. “The homeowner called the first morning and said, ‘I feel like we are waking up in a chateau,’” says Baker.

When it comes to entertaining, the family naturally gravitates toward the expansive walnut island in the kitchen, while a scullery hides all of the everyday appliances out of sight. From there, the great room, layered with a mix of antique and new furnishings upholstered in performance fabrics, opens seamlessly onto the veranda. “They use this all the time,” says Baker. “They enjoy fires outside, and you can see it’s being lived in and loved.” In building a home for their children and grandchildren, the family created something enduring—a space where everyone belongs.

INTERIOR DESIGN Alison Baker, Alison Baker Interior Design, (678) 867-0309; alisonbakerinteriordesign.com ARCHITECT Stephen Fuller, Stephen Fuller, Inc., (678) 775-4663; stephenfuller.com BUILDER Walker Anderson Homes; (770) 502-6230; walkerandersonhomes.com LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Thomas Brame, Brame Landscape Architecture, (434) 207-2290; bramelandarch.com

Alison Baker, Alison Baker Interior Design, Brame Landscape Architecture, Stephen Fuller, Stephen Fuller Inc., Thomas Brame, Walker Anderson Home