H OM E
TAILORED FOR THE THOMPSONS
Above: The main level is built around the kitchen and its 12-foot island, which is lined with faux leather barstools. Right: The saltwater pool makes a splash in the backyard.
A BUCKHEAD FAMILY’S CUSTOM BUILD CHECKS ALL THE BOXES STORY:
Mimi and Andrew Thompson, with their children Drew and Anabelle, love sharing their home with friends and often host end-of-season parties for the kids’ sports teams.
M
imi Thompson felt as if she spent all her time driving her two kids to and from their Buckhead school. Although she loved her New England-style home in Ansley Park, she and husband Andrew knew it was time to move closer to school. But after a failed two-year search for the perfect residence, they decided to build instead. In 2015, they worked with Muffley & Associates to find an almost one-acre plot on Blackland
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May 2019 | Simply Buckhead
Giannina Smith Bedford PHOTOS: Sara Hanna
Drive near Chastain Park and hired Gargiulo Homes, architect Harrison Design and interior designer Traci Rhoads of Traci Rhoads Interiors to make their residential vision a reality. “We were thinking about doing a ranch, but I didn’t know they’re more expensive to build because you have to pour more slab,” says Mimi. “So we gave [the architect a target] price range. When we first went in, we said, ‘We want this and this and this,’ including a library and a formal sitting area. He showed us our house plans and said, ‘You’re about $1.5 million over budget.’ So it increasingly got [pared down].” The resulting 8,600-square-foot home is still very much a made-to-order masterpiece that fulfills all of the family’s needs and wants. Behind the picture-book, painted-brick façade are five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and three half bathrooms divided among three levels. The main floor surrounds a jaw-dropping open kitchen with a 12-foot,
Cambria quartz-topped island; glass subway and quatrefoil tile backsplash; dome Rejuvenation pendants; and a dark wood vent hood finished to look like metal. Nearby, a dining area with a Currey & Company chandelier overlooks the backyard’s saltwater pool and putting green. It’s all open to a formal living room furnished with a Lee Industries sofa and custom Vanguard Furniture coffee table. “The style is an understated elegance that you still feel comfortable in,” says Rhoads. “You’re not afraid to sit on anything.” Less understated is the elegance of the formal dining room that glitters with a Decorative Crafts chandelier, matching sconces and a subtle metallic wallpapered ceiling above the Century Furniture dining table and chairs. “There are five walls, not four,” says Rhoads. “You should never forget about the ceiling. You can always do something cool on the ceiling as well.”
