New on the Market: a Beautiful Atlanta Home

One of my favorite areas in Atlanta is Tuxedo Park, a part of Buckhead that is characterized by large lots and lovely winding roads that follow the natural topography. Most of the houses are set back from the road, with expansive front lawns and houses that are perfectly sited on their lots.

My favorite street in Tuxedo Park has the regal name 'King Road'. Homes rarely come available for sale on King Road, so desirable is the address. The lots are very private and deep, and the homes vary in style from French eclectic to English manor style. Recently a home was listed for sale on King Road, one that I have long admired. Not only is the home on one of the prettiest lots on King Road, but it was also designed by one of my favorite architects, D. Stanley Dixon. The realtor for this home, Patti Junger, and the owners of the home, Melissa and David Rovner, graciously invited me for a tour. Some of the photographs are from the portfolio of architect Stan Dixon; these photos are used with permission and were taken by architecture photographer Brian Glasser of Digital Architectural Photo, and are noted as such. All other photographs were taken by me.

The lawn rises up from King Road, and the house sits atop a crest.

This photo, taken in the fall and part of the portfolio of architect Stan Dixon, shows more detail of the home. It is described as English Cottage style, with additional historical references to the architecture of Brittany and Normandy. Although the home is only a few years old, it looks like it has been part of the landscape for decades. Photography by Brian Gassel.

One of my favorite architectural features of the outside of the home is the dovecote that anchors the brick wall and gates. In front of the gates is the guest parking; Stan likes to create a guest parking area that encourages visitors to use the front door of the house. Beyond the gates is the side courtyard and 2 car garage, which has direct access to the heart of the house, the kitchen and family room. I love the trellises with ivy along the brick wall - such a nice detail.

A close up of the dovecote. Traditionally, dovecotes were structures that housed pigeons (of course, this one is used for gardening supplies). In Medieval Europe dovecotes were a symbol of status and power and only nobles had the special privilege of building them on their property. Photography by Brian Gassel.

A close up of the detail on the gate and garage. There is a door in the garage that leads to a laundry room/mudroom, and the door seen off the courtyard is the casual entrance to the house. The slate roof is beautiful on this home; architect Stan Dixon thinks that the type of roof on a home defines so much about its character. Photography by Brian Gassel.

The arched entrance of the house opens to an entry hall with a mirror that reflects the mora clock in the living room. The owner of the home, Melissa , is a talented jewelry designer who owns her own company (more on that later); her design aesthetic is clean, uncluttered, and serene, with lots of natural materials and textures. She decorated the home herself, and it is truly an oasis of serenity due to the clean lines and lack of clutter.

The stairs are to the left of the front door, one set leading upstairs to three bedrooms and a playroom, and another set leading to the full basement. Melissa purchased the antique newel post at an architectural accents store in Atlanta, and redid the walls in shiplap, which creates a great detail in the entry. Photography by Brian Gassel.

To the right of the front door is the living room, which also has an arched opening (there are many arched openings throughout the home, a theme that gives the home much beauty and character). If you look at the front of the house, this is the room with the bay window.

A close up of Melissa's charming collection of coral, housed under apothecary jars.

Just beyond the living room, in a small hall, is the powder room. The countertop is made of marble.

Continuing along the front of the house is the master suite. There is a room before the master bedroom which can serve a variety of functions; the previous owner used it as an office, but the Rovners chose to use it as a place to relax and read.

The master bedroom is a great size - spacious, but not too large. It gets good light from the three windows in the room, yet is private and tranquil. (Image from real estate listing)

When walking into the master, this is the view - such a charming way to enter a bathroom. I love the detail on the walls and the fact that the bath has its own little nook! The windows look out to the totally private backyard.

I really love well designed, perfectly sized master bathrooms. This master bathroom has one of the best layouts I have seen. (Image from real estate listing)

Back to the main part of the house, to a view of the living room from the back of the house. This arched opening with its detailed panels is one of my favorite architectural features in the house. The home is full of lovely vistas like this. Photography by Brian Gassel.

This is the view to the back from the living room - a set of French doors that open to the beautiful backyard. This house has a wonderful flow between the indoors and the outdoors, and is ideal for entertaining. To the right of the door is the dining room, seen in the next picture.

The doors to the dining room are so charming - shaped like the arch of the door. All of the doors in the home, both inside and out, are of the finest of quality - so solid and well made. The dining room has two sets of French doors that open to a blue stone patio with outdoor dining; when the Rovners entertain, they frequently have the doors open for a seamless indoor/outdoor feel.

A view of the other side of the dining room; the unusually long buffet looks perfect in the room. Melissa and her husband had the floors of the home stripped, hand scraped, and limed to give them a more casual and elegant appearance more in keeping with Melissa's neutral and organic approach to decor. Melissa and David also added much lighting to the house with sconces and overhead lights. The results are beautiful - the house has such a light and airy feel to it, in large part because of the wonderful natural light, the well thought out lighting inside the house, and the floors.

Another view of the dining room with its round table, slipcovered chairs, fireplace, and iron chandelier. The aesthetic is layered European, very clean and elegant.

The wet bar/butler's pantry is between the kitchen and the hall off the dining room. There is also an arched entry directly into the kitchen from the hall (not pictured). I love the gray color on the cabinets; Melissa said that they matched the gray tones in the marble when selecting the color.

The kitchen is perfectly proportioned, and has the best of appliances. Melissa is an avid cook, and thoroughly enjoys cooking in this kitchen. (The wet bar can be seen to the left of the range). (Image from real estate listing).

Another view of the kitchen, by professional photographer Brian Gassel. To the right of the range the kitchen office can be seen. The kitchen has a large white farm sink, with a window above that lets in light and enables Melissa to supervise the activity in the courtyard (a favorite place for her children and dog).

A closer view of the kitchen office setup. There is window over the desk that looks over the courtyard. To the left of the built-in, which features a collection of floraline pottery, is a very large walk-in pantry; the extra storage it provides allowed for overhead cabinets in the kitchen to be minimized.

The kitchen is open to the casual dining area, which has French doors on the right that lead to the back terrace, and opens to the left to the casual entrance of the home. Just beyond is the family room.

A view of the casual dining area, with the French doors open to the outside terrace.

On the other side of the casual dining area is a charming little nook, and the casual entrance to the house.

The casual entrance to the home, which is inside the gates. Inside the garage there is also an entrance which leads to the mud room/laundry room.

The family room is my favorite room in the house, with its beautiful French doors and casement windows. The doors and windows in this home are of superb quality, very solid and expertly constructed. Melissa said that this room is truly the heart of the house, where the family spends the most time. The lush green from the outside blends perfectly with the neutral palette that Melissa uses in this room and throughout the home. Photography by Brian Gassel.

A view back from the family room to the kitchen, through a series of beautiful arched openings. Photography by Brian Gassel.

The outside is just as beautiful as the inside, with its sculptured hedges and pea gravel path. The two doors on the left, in front of the umbrella, lead to the dining room; the third door is in the hall. The wing to the right is the family room and casual dining area. (Image from real estate listing)

The family room opens to the pool area. This picture also captures the utter privacy and beauty of the backyard.

A view of the pool and the back of the home. On the right is the garage, which has a full unfinished guest suite or office above, with its own separate entrance (image from real estate listing).

Melissa is a talented jewelry designer, and (with her sister Allison) has a wonderful line of jewelry called Nastro Bello Jewelry. Nastro Bello means 'beautiful ribbon' in Italian, and Melissa and Allison specialize in designing and handcrafting organza lariats with freshwater and South Sea pearls, semi-precious stones, coral, shells, crystals, and cut glass. As I toured the home, Melissa was hard at work on a custom piece for one of her clients. Please visit her website for more information and to see examples from her beautiful line of jewelry!

I hope you enjoyed the tour of this lovely home! It is truly a one of a kind property, in a one of a kind location in Atlanta. The home is currently for sale; for additional questions on the property, please contact listing agent Patti Junger. For more information on Nastro Bello Jewelry, please contact Melissa. For more information on the architect of the home, please visit Stan Dixon's website (coming soon).