Blurred Lines

Architect J. Ryan Duffey designed this 6-foot by 9-foot steel door to open on pivot hinges rather than standard ones placed on the side. “The UPS guys—and guests too— have a lot of fun knocking on it,” he says.

A pair of custom lanterns defines the airy porch.

Steel windows keep views moving to the courtyard pool.

“The owners entertain often and did not want spaces cluttered,” says Nancy. The designer responded by mixing light furnishings with key grounding pieces.

A moody painting serves as a focal point in the living room.

Vaulted ceilings enhance the treehouse feel; sheer white draperies filter light in the master bedroom, but do not detract from the view.

The soaking tub from MTI rests in a niche overlooking the backyard.

The surrounding landscape is a lush oasis.

Lucinda Bray and Tyne Martinez of Floralis Garden Design combined highly structural and symmetrical French garden elements with looser British cottage garden plantings.

To keep the exterior of the home low-slung and California cool, Ryan created a unified roofline topped with a charcoal standing seam metal. “I wanted the roof to be simple and crisp,” he says. The horizontal window glazing underscores the openness of the home’s main level.

Complete Cohesion is clear right away in this contemporary courtyard-centric Buckhead renovation. Situated on a wooded lot that’s shielded from the bustle of Atlanta by a canopy of trees and the soothing sounds of a creek, the owners handed husband-wife design duo, architect J. Ryan Duffey and interior designer Nancy Duffey, a clear design brief: “Trim away the poorly designed French country cottage and turn it into a hip home with great light, easy access and a constant connection to the outdoors,” explains Ryan. “These owners wanted easy living. The kitchen, living room, porch and pool had to be part of their everyday experience. They requested bedrooms that feel like a boutique hotel.” Ryan set out creating a suitable floorplan to energize the free-flowing oasis of a home. The entry aligns with the striking corner steel bay window, which connects the pool and the porch. It’s a clear testament to the vacation ethos of this home, which becomes apparent at guests’ very first knock. 

Nancy was pulled into the decorating role early in the project—another crucial aspect for the seamless exterior and interior aesthetic of this home, which she dubbed California modern. The owners told Nancy that they wished to live with the doors open and to feel tucked away up in the trees. She responded with a light-handed, but strategic push and pull of light yet sculptural furnishings punctuated with pops of color, texture and bold artwork. When it came time to create the outdoor living area, Nancy designed the space with the fruits of Northern California top of mind. “This porch needed to be calm and filled with comfortable furniture that calls you to come sit and have a glass of wine.” Together, the architect and designer created a perfectly synchronized approach to a fresh style of urban retreat living.