Sense of Place

Designed by Atlanta architect Norman D. Askins and interior designer Susan Bozeman, this sprawling North Buckhead home exudes farmhouse charm. The landscape was designed to make the house feel as though it’s been there for a long time, nestled into the land.

An antique rug anchors the entry, as does an antique chair upholstered in a Rose Tarlow fabric. The light fixtures are by Circa Lighting.

“There’s nothing more welcoming in the world than a house with a porch out front,” says Askins, who purposefully sited this North Buckhead home low to the ground to create a tight relationship with the 3-acre landscaping.

In the living room, beamed ceilings add rustic texture. The sofa and armchairs are both through Travis & Company, upholstered in Mark Alexander fabric.

Open to the dining area and family room, the spacious, light-filled kitchen features a Calacatta island and graphite countertops. The dining table and chairs are both antique and the chandelier is through Circa Lighting. “Norman and I just had a great time configuring that kitchen and making it a real, workable kitchen,” says Bozeman.

Wall-to-wall cabinetry helps keep kitchen clutter at bay, while a dutch door allows the summer breeze inside. The pewter plates are through Foxglove Antiques & Galleries and Peachtree Battle Antiques & Interiors.

In the formal dining room, a Schumacher wallcovering adds visual verve. The upholstered dining chairs are Bernhardt, upholstered in a Cowtan & Tout linen velvet. The wood dining chairs are antique, upholstered in a Rose Tarlow fabric.

A mudroom hallway “makes it easy during wet days—for both the family and their dog,” says Bozeman. The pillow is through Foxglove Antiques & Galleries and the artwork is from Peachtree Battle Antiques & Interiors.

Bozeman created a more masculine feel in the study, where the husband listens to music and watches golf. A gray-blue Phillip Jeffries wallcovering complements the room’s paint color, Benjamin Moore’s Winter Gates.

The main bedroom feels calming and cozy, thanks to a soft color palette. The headboard is upholstered in Rogers & Goffigon fabric, and the bedding is through Matouk and RH. The end tables were custom built by Sawdust Therapy.

The front stairway creates a warm welcome in this sprawling farmhouse.

For the clients’ young daughter, Askins and Bozeman fashioned a playful bunk room. “It’s a fun, inspiring space where she can create, study or unwind,” says Bozeman. “It’s also designed so that as she grows up, the space can feel like a place for guests and an office rather than a little girl’s bunk room.”

The design team intentionally created multiple gathering spaces throughout the home—both inside and out.

In the garden, a variety of perennials and herbs adds pops of color and can also be used as a cutting garden and for culinary needs.

Stepping stone paths and an outdoor fireplace echo the home’s farmhouse charm, while a mix of perennials, herbs, boxwoods, foxglove, African blue basil and hydrangeas add a sense of softness.

The side porch is one of the homeowners’ favorite spots year-round, thanks to a stone fireplace.

Nestled on a sprawling 3-acre property with towering oak trees and an ambling, cobblestone-bordered gravel driveway, this gracious 5,800-square-foot family home has all the charisma of a rural escape. So much so that, upon arrival, you’d never guess it was located in the heart of North Buckhead. 

Designed by architect Norman D. Askins and interior designer Susan Bozeman for a couple and their young daughter, the home itself exudes farmhouse charm, featuring a stone-and-wood facade, multiple outdoor living areas and, of course, a gracious front porch. 

“There’s nothing more welcoming in the world than a house with a porch out front,” says Askins. “This project was really based on a Southern precedent for a farmhouse.” 

Inside, beamed ceilings, wide-board white oak floors and stone fireplaces echo the relaxed charm of the exterior. And though there’s a mix of living spaces—including a large open kitchen and dining space, a formal dining room, a more traditional living room and library, and a contemporary downstairs media room—Askins and Bozeman worked closely to ensure nothing felt too cavernous. 

To ensure that the home felt connected to the surrounding property, Askins worked with landscape architect Jonathan Bussell to plan the motor gates, driveway, and pool. Taking advantage of the privacy offered by the property’s size, Askins incorporated large windows throughout to offer views of the surrounding gardens, which were overhauled and redesigned in 2020 by landscape designer Carson McElheney. “We changed the landscape by adding trees, large specimen boxwoods and heirloom camellias, and we created cutting gardens that include annuals, perennials and herbs,” says McElheney. 

To create a sense of unity, Bozeman anchored the home with a soothing color palette of smoky gray-blue, taupe and white, mixing in both transitional and antique furnishings to add a sense of history. “The color palette is very soothing,” says the designer. “A softer palette with a lot of texture is my aesthetic, and it really does make it calm, comfortable and timeless.” 

Spaces like the family room and side porch—where the family spends time year-round—were purposefully designed for gathering. “Whether having a few friends over or hosting a large event, this house can accommodate everyone and feel appropriate,” says Bozeman. “Although some spaces are large, we ensured that every space has a variety of seating so that it can be as comfortable for two as for 20. It’s refined, but relaxed.”

INTERIOR DESIGN Susan Bozeman, Susan B. Bozeman Designs, Inc., (404) 237-7745; susanbozemandesigns.com ARCHITECT Norman D. Askins, Norman Davenport Askins, Architect, (404) 233-6565; normanaskins.com BUILDER Wes Buchanan, Bonner Buchanan Custom Homes, (770) 423-0249; bonnerbuchanan.com LANDSCAPE DESIGNER Carson McElheney, Carson McElheney Landscape Architecture & Design, (404) 467-1690; carsonmcelheney.com LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Jonathan Bussell, Jonathan Bussell Landscape Architect, (404) 805-1817; jonathanbussell.com