Midtown bungalow gets modern update

Interior design firm added second floor while keeping historical elements.

When The Drawing Room ATL was tasked with renovating a Midtown bungalow, the design firm decided to show the city there is another way to renovate historical architecture. Instead of going the traditional route of creating another “urban barn,” the interior designers juxtaposed the historical characteristics of the property with a modern lens.

The Drawing Room worked with the homeowner to create a home that was modern, and forward-thinking. For the renovation, the original one-story footprint was expanded with the addition of a second floor. The homeowner requested that many of the original historical elements be incorporated into the design — either original to the property or in addition.

A statement from the Drawing Room describes the renovation: “The home was a two-bedroom, two-bath, one-story home. Now, the re-appointed floor plan, developed with an enhanced main suite, as well as add a second floor featuring two additional bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a generoussized laundry room. Architectural details abound including impressive 12.5-foot ceilings, four fireplaces, a meticulously crafted trim package, and a modern approach to combining the kitchen and dining areas. The kitchen is decadent in both style and function. Modern cabinetry and inset antique mirrors are juxtaposed against an impressively detailed window and door casements.”

When asked about their favorite part of the renovation, the homeowner cited howthe modern kitchen is set within the historic space. Classical moldings — including plaster swags and rosettes — frame the kitchen.

The home also features marble countertops and a generous walk-in shower. Newly installed solid oak hardwood floors laid in the form a chevron showcase the craftsmanship of the renovation in both the dining room and main hall. All marble surfaces, including the fireplace, countertop and tiles came from a single block sourced at a local quarry, according to the Drawing Room.

PHOTOS BY GREGORY MILLER PICTURES. The main living area features the Repose Sofa and a pair of Abacus Tables (made of hand-blown glass). The Drawing Room selected a pair of Vintage Italian I.S.A. Bergamo Lounge Chairs from its collection.

Owners of The Drawing Room, Daniel Zimmerman (left) and Seth van den Bergh, brought this home forward into the modern metropolitan world while respecting its historical Midtown Atlanta roots.

The living room fireplace in its original hand-made ceramic tiles from the 1920s are made new again when the mantel is painted in the home’s signature color, Cajun Red.

RIGHT: Modern materials mingle with more traditional forms in the elegant master bedroom. An impressive Lorin Marsh four-poster bed rests below a contemporary light fixture by Spanish designer Jaime Hayon.

ABOVE: Rotating through a spectrum of color as the light in the room changes, The Drawing Room’s Henning dining table (named after the Canadian-illusionist Doug Henning) is a topic of any dinner conversation.

A new kitchen, designed in the most modern of formats, is placed into the center of the newly re-developed historically elevated kitchen.

LEFT: Cajun red portals invite a creative exchange of energy between the dining room and newly renovated kitchen.