Mid-century modern home in Northcrest

By Christopher Oquendo

For the AJC

Realtor Vanessa Reilly’s Atlanta home is one big experiment.

When she purchased it in 2008, she made changes such as replacing the wall-to-wall carpet with hardwood floors in a stain that camouflaged dog hair. But the updates and design experiments to her home, located in a neighborhood filled with mid-century modern architecture, didn’t stop there.

Her experimental design – and personality – is seen in areas such as the upstairs Hollywood-style bathroom. She had the original avocado-colored tile professional acid washed and re-grouted to look like it did in 1968, but replaced the “tacky” 1980s cabinetry with a floating dark walnut vanity. She topped the vanity with a thick piece of solid white Corian and a square vessel sink.

“When I'm having a bad day I will take it out on my house and rearrange the furniture," she said. "When I get the urge to move, which is about once a year, I will just call my painter instead. One day, the exterior trim is painted sea-foam blue, the next day the kitchen is split-pea green.”

Snapshot

Residents: Vanessa Reilly, broker/owner of Domo Realty, and Billy Richardson, who works in sales for Easton Sports and is a real estate investor

Location: Northcrest in Atlanta

Size: About 2,300 square feet, three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths

Year built: 1968

Year bought: 2008

Architectural style: Mid-century modern

Favorite architectural feature: The pickled pine tongue-and groove-ceilings, which Reilly said create the “wow” factor when people walk through the house.

Interior design style: Mid-century madness with a sprinkle of “Glamazon.” “Over the years I have filled my mid-century modern home with pieces that make me happy, such as a stuffed leopard head, a pair of orange velveteen chairs and several antique kimonos," Reilly said. "For me the best kind of design is when you mix glamorous classics with fabulous unexpected odds and ends.”

Favorite design feature: A pair of orange velveteen chairs that she bought for $60 at an estate sale. “I had to completely re-decorate because of them,” she said. Her favorite fixture is the George Nelson bubble light in the dining room.

Favorite outdoor feature: Reilly originally hated the man-made berm in the front year, but she’s grown to love it over the years. “The berm shields the home from the street, providing an abundance of privacy,” she said. “When you pull into the driveway and look over to see the rock gardens and sea foam trim, it is a pleasant surprise of 1960s nostalgia.”