Jewel Box Beauty

Luscious silk draperies and a spicy metallic wallcovering sparkle in the dining room thanks to a Paul Ferrante chandelier. Table, Dessin Fournir.

A design-build dream team spent three years transforming this historic residence.

A lush Dennis & Leen settee and pediment mirror set the tone in the formal side entry.

A glacier-hued Brunschwig & Fils velvet on Niermann Weeks chairs complements the icy blue hue on the walls of the side entry foyer. Skirted table fabric, J. Robert Scott and Fret.

The cream and champagne hues that grace the living room allow bolder splashes of color in adjacent rooms to shine. Pair of consoles, Parc Monceau. Armless sofa, Hickory Chair, upholstered in Donghia. Lounge chair, Saladino, upholstered in Nancy Corzine. Drapery fabric, Holland & Sherry, with Samuel & Sons trim. Side table, Jan Showers through Ainsworth-Noah.

In the living room, a trio of sunburst mirrors from English Accents reflect the outdoor light.

Always sensitive to a home’s interior architecture, Kasler created calm in the library with a gorgeous gray stain. “I just love the patina of that room. It’s cozy without being heavy.” Rug, Moattar. Sofa, Dessin Fournir through Ainsworth-Noah.

Always sensitive to a home’s interior architecture, Kasler created calm in the library with a gorgeous gray stain. “I just love the patina of that room. It’s cozy without being heavy.” Rug, Moattar. Sofa, Dessin Fournir through Ainsworth-Noah.

“The homeowners have a real passion not only for design but detail. They found a house that had a history they could really embrace … and it became a passion for them.” —Suzanne Kasler

In the living room, an Oushak from Moattar anchors the space, while Porta Romana’s wall sconces and Giacometti stool, and a matte gold fire screen, add subtle glamour.

Verellen sofas and a Victoria Hagan wing chair preside over the family room. Art, Pryor Fine Art.

Kasler subtly incorporated Meghan’s favorite hue into the kitchen via terracotta Marvic contrast fabric on the feminine counterstool slipcovers. Chandeliers, Dennis & Leen through Jerry Pair. Cabinet hardware, Matthew Quinn Collection.

Paul Ferrante’s Branch chandelier enjoys pride of place in the breakfast room, which opens to the south-facing loggia. Botanical prints, Holland & Co. Custom fire screen, Smithworks.

Dessin Fournir’s Ogden bed and Norman bedside chest, both through Ainsworth-Noah, add visual weight to the master bedroom. Drapery fabric, Jim Thompson. Side table, Bunny Williams Home. Carpet, Stark. Lamp, Joseph Konrad.

The exquisite custom de Gournay paper in the ground floor powder room pulls in hues from other rooms in the house. Vanity through Renaissance Tile & Bath. De Gournay through Ainsworth-Noah.

The breezeway connects the three-car garage to the rear courtyard as well as the billiards room. Console, Erika Reade. Lamp, B.D. Jeffries. Chair, Gregorius Pineo through Jerry Pair. Lanterns, Circa Lighting.

Because the Magruders entertain often, it was important to them that the navy lacquered billiard room be on the main floor. Drapery fabric, Nancy Corzine, with trim by Samuel & Sons through Ainsworth-Noah. Navy lamp, Joseph Konrad. Convex mirror, Parc Monceau.

Because the Magruders entertain often, it was important to them that the navy lacquered billiard room be on the main floor. Drapery fabric, Nancy Corzine, with trim by Samuel & Sons through Ainsworth-Noah. Navy lamp, Joseph Konrad. Convex mirror, Parc Monceau.

The backyard features resort-like amenities: a fire pit, tennis court, bocce lawn, pool and Spitzmiller & Norris–designed pool house.

The newly created loggia lends a sense of intimacy to the outdoor dining and grilling space thanks to landscape architect Graham Pittman and charming elements like the fountain.

The “barn,” built in place of a former, ramshackle cottage, was the first structure to rise on the freshly cleared rear landscape, and now presides over the couple’s vegetable, herb and flower gardens.

Call it serendipity. When Clarke and Meghan Magruder first spied this sprawling property in the heart of Buckhead, they put in an offer on the spot—no matter that the couple was within inches of embarking upon a renovation of their current home.

Shortly thereafter, Clarke, who earned his master’s degree in architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology, set his sights on local firm Spitzmiller & Norris to reclaim the circa-1927 jewel box, while Meghan had compiled magazine tear sheets through the years that all pointed back to the work of one designer who just so happened to be based in Atlanta—the inimitable Suzanne Kasler.

After securing their design dream team, which extended to include builder Jerry Bonner and landscape architect Graham Pittman, the Magruders moved forward with what would ultimately become a massive, three-year project that would strip the main house down to the studs; increase the footprint with a three-car garage, breezeway, billiard room and loggia; and clear the sloping, overgrown forest of a backyard in favor of a pool, pool house, tennis court, bocce lawn, garden, vegetable garden, fire pit and “barn.”

In short: the aging, overgrown two-acre property was transformed from beast to beauty, giving this Renaissance couple, who are consummate entertainers, resort-like amenities within arm’s reach.

“What’s interesting about the Magruders is that both of them have a real passion for not only design but detail,” Kasler says. “They found a house that had a history they could really embrace … and it became a passion for them.” And ultimately, says the designer, that architectural sensitivity helped preserve the fabric of the neighborhood, an important consideration since the residence was one of the original houses on the street.

From an architectural standpoint, Rick Spitzmiller reimagined the original Adam-style house, enhancing its unusual one-and-three-quarters framing and altering the entry sequence to where guests would be invited in through a formal entrance on the side—not unlike a Charleston single house, he says. And, while Spitzmiller admits that the interior architecture of the original house was “plain-Jane,” Meghan points to examples of unearthing gems like cobblestones—many of which have been given new life at the base of the new drive—mined from beneath an asphalt driveway as evidence that “in an old house every now and then you get this treasure; you find something that’s really great.”

Remaining sensitive to the historic home’s architectural envelope also proved visually demanding, says Kasler, as most of the first floor spaces open up to each other. “The challenge was: How do you have a house sequence through and each room still have its own sensibility?” she asks. Kasler’s secret, of course, lies in her innate ability to allow a home’s color story to strategically unfold.

Like beautiful choreography, the visual sequence she’s created allows threads of color to resonate from room to room. The icy blue from the side entry foyer, for instance, makes an appearance in the form of glass accessories in the cream and champagne living room. Similarly, hints of cinnamon in the soft gray library adjacent to the dining room reflect back to the sparkling silk Jasper draperies, silk metallic Phillip Jeffries wallcovering and Samuel & Sons chair piping. Even the lacquered navy billiard room, which Kasler admits could have been “quite strong” peeking in from the natural linen family room, draws you in.

“I think it’s remarkable that we were able to bring in so much color in a house that’s very neutral. There’s a strategic way of how to use color without it being so jarring,” says Kasler, and it’s clear that with this project, she accomplished just that—but in a way makes the storied architecture look fresh, youthful and edited.

The Magruders agree: “People really react to and love the way she worked with color in this house,” says Meghan. “Suzanne and Rick both are great artists, and their eye for detail made such a difference.”

INTERIOR DESIGN Suzanne Kasler, Suzanne Kasler Interiors (404) 355-1035; suzannekasler.com ARCHITECTS Rick Spitzmiller and Robert Norris, Spitzmiller & Norris (404) 812-0224; spitzmillerandnorris.com LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Graham Pittman, E. Graham Pittman & Associates (770) 480-9814 BUILDER Jerry Bonner, Jerry Bonner Custom Homes (770) 423-0249; bonnerbuchanan.com