From Tuscan Villa to Modern Haven: Buckhead Home Embraces Next Chapter

The spiral staircase serves as an architectural accent and backdrop to the family room, which is separated into two distinct sitting areas connected by a custom Rosecore rug.

Fox Linton drapery complements the McKenzie Dove original artwork above the club chairs, arranged circularly for conversation.

The family room, situated next to the kitchen, has two sitting areas. A Karen Schwartz original abstract hangs above the Ferrell Mittman sofa.

While a formal living room can often feel stuffy, Brown’s version is plush and welcoming thanks to its collected nature. A Baker cocktail table is paired with an antique chair and trunk, and the home’s original fireplace remains the room’s focal point.

An antique trunk serves as a side table in the formal living room and a Felice Sharp original from Pryor Fine Art hangs over the sofa.

Banquettes flanking the windows provide extra seating during parties for the homeowners who like to entertain. According to Brown, “Adding tape trim makes them feel a little more important.”

The kitchen, designed by Karpaty, offers an abundance of streamlined, sophisticated storage. In the most recent facelift, Brown incorporated a steel window overlooking the garden.

Brown chose to keep the scullery exposed to showcase the bar and emphasize the kitchen as a space for entertaining. The custom rolling bar table by Bradley is meant to be moved throughout the space as needed.

Brown chose to keep the scullery exposed to showcase the bar and emphasize the kitchen as a space for entertaining. The custom rolling bar table by Bradley is meant to be moved throughout the space as needed.

Brown transformed what once served as the formal dining room into a passageway between the kitchen and the living room. Mismatched chairs create interest around the client’s stone table, as do added wax sculptures from Brown’s shop, Townhouse by Robert Brown.

Her office includes a sitting area with functional storage and a space to work. Artwork by Sylvia McEwan hangs over the Hickory Chair sofa.

The homeowner specifically wanted a mural in the house, and the powder room became the obvious choice. Penshaw Hill’s bayou scene is the perfect nod to the homeowner’s Louisiana roots.

In the primary bedroom, the repurposed Barbara Barry bed is punctuated by Ferrell Mittman bedside tables topped with Porta Romana lamps.

A sitting area in the primary bedroom serves as a spot to have coffee or read a book.

Land Plus helped give the grounds a lift, and the homeowner’s passion for gardening keeps them looking lush. “Her gardeners have always been the leaders; they really do a great job of maintaining the property,” says Brown.

Land Plus designed the spacious, lush lot. Many of the rooms, including the primary bedroom, have views of the picturesque setting.

Inspired by one of Philip Shutze’s iconic Atlanta designs, the 6,000-square-foot home serves stately curb appeal.

Inspired by one of Philip Shutze’s iconic Atlanta designs, the 6,000-square-foot home serves stately curb appeal.

While the phrase empty nesters typically alludes to embracing sophisticated smaller homes and petite pieds-à-terre, for designer Robert Brown’s clients, downsizing wasn’t an option. Instead, with Brown’s guidance, the couple chose to reimagine their home as a place for their next phase—where intimate conversation corners and a renovated kitchen create a welcoming space for entertaining friends and family.

The Buckhead homeowners tapped residential designer William T. Baker for an overhaul more than a decade ago. At the time, there were two goals in mind. First, to give more balance to the Tuscan villa inspired by Philip Shutze’s iconic Atlanta designs. Second, the floor plan needed to be modernized. “Major work was done to create a kitchen and family room area that incorporated the curved staircase. We removed walls to open the space, so it lived like a contemporary home,” says Baker. Upstairs, Baker enlarged windows to emphasize symmetry and capitalize on views.

By 2023, with their adult daughters out of the home, the homeowners turned to Brown, who they had worked with previously for their secondary home, seeking multipurpose rooms that took advantage of the spaces without changing the architectural footprint. The former playroom, for example, became the primary bedroom. The new primary layout allowed the couple to showcase their property’s verdant lot. “This room has a pretty little sitting area with a big, round table, and the views are on the axis of the swimming pool,” says Brown.
The old primary, which was slightly smaller, became a proper office and sitting room for her. Here, grasscloth wallpaper printed with nailheads gives visual interest to the space while keeping it serene. The wallcoverings masterfully hide storage solutions for unsightly office necessities while helping unique design elements like a morning bar blend in.

Downstairs, Brown says the renovation challenge was reworking the kitchen. In collaboration with Karpaty, the former breakfast room was converted into an open scullery that offers storage and moonlights as a bartender’s station for parties. “We loved the idea of bartenders being in there at a party and having the ability to move the table around,” says Brown. “It can be used for breakfast too, and I can just envision grandkids sitting over there one day.”

Spacious rooms on the first floor are dotted with seating arrangements for small groups to gather during events. The formal living room was designed to exude approachability and comfort. “When we did the room, instead of a pair of chests, we chose two banquettes flanking the windows specifically for additional seating. The tape trim we added makes them feel more important.”

Detailed touches, such as a hand-painted mural in the powder room and the vast fine art collection, show the couple’s appreciation for interior design. “It’s an eclectic but interesting collection,” says Brown, who describes it as traditional without being stuffy. And this sentiment captures the house as a whole—a modern take on a classic Buckhead home.

INTERIOR DESIGN Robert Brown, Robert Brown Interior Design, (404) 917-1333; robertbrowninteriordesign.com RESIDENTIAL DESIGNER William T. Baker, William T. Baker Residential Architecture, (770) 846-5768; wtbaker.com LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Land Plus, (404) 238-9595; landplusassociates.com