A Century-Old Tudor in Druid Hills Gets a Winning Refresh for its Avid-Collector Homeowner

Designer Susan Ferrier balanced the asymmetry of the dining room’s off-center fireplace with a pair of custom globe pendants from Jamb.

The formal entry features a balanced mix of traditional furnishings and clean lines. Alluring architectural details delight guests upon arrival.

yprus millwork encases the office, where the homeowner’s Abraham Lincoln collection can be admired from slate-gray velvet swivels.

A custom fireplace fender infuses the office with a traditional sensibility.

The living room’s original mantel was recast and flanked by a pair of large-scale sconces, adding visual impact, texture, and reflectivity. The homeowner was attracted to blues, particularly the jewel tone hue in the duo of velour O. Henry House sofas.

A Gothic arched casement window in the kitchen, which was designed by Matthew Quinn of Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio, is framed by articulating sconces from Galerie des Lampes.

The new kitchen is wrapped in marble and reeded cabinetry embellished with brass hardware.

The sleek, lacquered butler’s pantry, designed by Quinn, is a jewel in the heart of the home.

Ferrier designed a channeled banquette, fabricated by Douglass Workroom, for the cozy breakfast nook and selected a double drum pendant by Bone Simple Design to ground the space.

In the family room addition, a custom curved sofa sidles up to the lofty window across from circular swivel chairs by Vanguard.

A variety of metallic touches add sparkle to the family room, from the mercury glass pear chandelier by Ochre to the custom Zoffany curtains, which feature gold and silver ink among rich blues and greens

In the primary bedroom, a starburst mirror from A. Tyner Antiques is a large gesture that adds reflectivity to the space.

The primary bath is a soothing retreat, with walls and cabinetry enveloped in white and punctuated by eye-catching lighting

A barrel-vaulted ceiling embraces the primary bath in the new rear addition by architect Yong Pak and builder Michael Ladisic, where floor-to-ceiling tile evokes rippling water.

June 2025

An elegant hand-carved black mahogany bed by Noir invites repose in one of the guest rooms.

A former sleeping porch was transformed into a luxurious guest bathroom, complete with a cast-iron tub by Waterworks.

The basement level boasts a pool table, a brick wall-clad bar, and sprawling living area where friends can gather to watch games.

The homeowner’s sports library transforms the attic into a destination unto its own, crowned with brass triple-tier chandeliers by Visual Comfort & Co.

Pak and Ladisic masterfully matched the rear addition, which includes the family room and primary bedroom, to the original 1917 Tudor facade.

The contemporary pool house is a sanctuary for guests and completes the stylistic transition from traditional to more modern architecture

Clean lines and the black and white color palette impart a luxurious atmosphere in the pool house.

When a 1917 Tudor designed by famed Atlanta architect Neel Reid quietly went up for sale in Druid Hills, architect Yong Pak knew it was perfect for his client, who was on the hunt for a historic home to preserve and update for contemporary living.

“He grew up in the area and always loved this house, so it was a full-circle moment,” says interior designer Susan Ferrier, who partnered on the transformation. In addition to a passion for restoring this piece of Atlanta history, the homeowner sought spaces to share treasured collections of art, history, and an impressive trove of Atlanta Braves memorabilia.

Pak’s first challenge was to lay out the lot to promote indoor-outdoor living. “Druid Hills lots are narrow and deep, so the problem became where to put the garage without blocking the backyard,” he says. In an engineering feat, the team raised the rear elevation half a story to allow easy access from the main floor and sank a three-car garage underneath, creating a subterranean harbor for the homeowner’s car collection. This opened up the backyard for an addition constructed by Michael Ladisic of Ladisic Fine Homes that unfolds onto a sweeping terrace overlooking a pool and new glass-clad pool house beyond.

The home’s updated footprint creates a flow that evokes time travel, Ferrier notes, as it progresses from the traditional facade to the contemporary pool house at the rear of the property.

In the entry hall, living room, and dining room, the sophistication and smaller scale of the home’s original era are intact but accented with modern twists. Pak and Ferrier replaced moody wood paneling with cyprus in a warm gray finish for what they call a “blond Tudor,” noting the decision brings the home forward in time and lightens it up for today. Pak applied decorative turn-of-the-century plaster molds to ceilings to impart visual interest and formal hierarchy.

Throughout the home, Ferrier deftly balances the homeowner’s two preferred styles—Art Deco and English Victorian. “I feel like the spirit that he is attracted to has a time frame, and the puzzle was how to take those forms and get them to play nicely,” she says. A clear example is in the office, where contemporary swivel chairs mix with a Mackintosh-esque desk and a custom fireplace fender.

Ferrier added layers of texture and pattern to impart warmth and welcome, and wrapped the dining room—which features a traditional shell with contemporary furnishings—in light blue sateen with nailhead trim that evokes paneling for a soft, unexpected touch.

The home progresses to the grander-scaled rooms of the addition through Gothic arched case openings. The new, light and bright kitchen, helmed by Matthew Quinn of Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio, is timeless and spacious, boasting marble slab walls and reeded cabinetry that impart movement and interest.

The primary bedroom and family room addition sport multiple seating vignettes to inspire conversation and repose, including inviting window seats in each. “Every place you sit holds you and encourages you to linger,” says Ferrier. A soothing balance of angles and curves in the furnishings paired with soft and textural fabrics inspire comfort and calm.

Off the family room, the terrace and graceful landscape, designed by Charlie Sears at Land Plus Associates, beckon. Beyond the pool house’s center gable of glass, dark timber soars above sprawling steel windows and accordion doors. Pak had fun with the architectural folly. “It’s not too serious, but it fits within the architecture of the main house,” he says.

Guests might discover the most delight on the home’s top level, where the homeowner’s treasured collection of Braves memorabilia comes to life in a dramatic display under the attic’s steep roof pitch. The smoking lounge-feel of the space is accentuated by warm wood showcases, deep club swivels with nailhead trim, leather accents, and a geometric hide rug. The result is a space that honors the past, celebrates the present, and looks toward the future—a winning combination.

INTERIOR DESIGNER Susan Ferrier, Susan Ferrier Interiors, (678) 705-7509; susanferrierinteriors.com
RENOVATION ARCHITECT Yong Pak, Pak Heydt & Associates, (404) 231-3195; pakheydt.com BUILDER Michael Ladisic, Ladisic Fine Homes, (404) 495-0708; ladisicfinehomes.com LANDSCAPE DESIGN Charlie Sears, Land Plus,
(404) 238-9595; landplusassociates.com