The Joel Chandler Harris Jr. Family Home - 2973 Habersham Road

Glennis Beacham just listed 2973 Habersham Road, which was custom designed and built for Joel Chandler Harris' (author of the Uncle Remus Stories- Song of the South) son. Joel Chandler Harris had the home built for his son, Joel Chandler Harris Jr. and his new wife as a wedding present.  Joel Chandler Harris Jr. was the editor of the AJC at one time.  The home is a replica of one that Joel Chandler Harris Jr. and his wife fell in love with in New York, so they hired the original Architect, Wendehack, to draw up some plans, and then Lewis Crook made a few adjustments and oversaw the home's construction.  The end result was a handsome and timeless family home that I just fell in love with.  Please enjoy!

Habersham100-2View of the front

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Beautiful foyer.

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Living room.

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Dining Room.

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Kitchen.

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Covered porch.

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Pool area.

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View of the front of the guest house.

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Guest House Kitchen.

Habersham079Guest house Living Room.

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View from the master bedroom in the guest house.

Isn't this home amazing?  Don't you love the guest house?!  For more info click here.

Beautiful home on Valley... and THOSE LAST FEW LBS!

Before I left for vacation I shot Glennis Beacham's beautiful new listing at  285 Valley Road.  Rod Collins went back a few days later and got some amazing night shots.  I wanted to share the photos with you. 285 Valley Road  060

The approach to this Frazire and Bodin house is breathtaking.

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The home was built in 1934 but totally renovated/updated by Spitzmiller and Norris in 2000. I love the look of ivy growing on a house.  It's such a classic Atlanta look.

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I loved the foyer as soon as I saw it.  A curved staircase gets me every time!

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285 Valley Road11The formal living room and dining room are perfect, and they both have that "old Atlanta" look.

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This is my favorite room in the house.  It's a study with a fireplace off the master where you can curl up with a good book.285 Valley Road59

The chef's kitchen has an office and looks out over the family room.285 Valley Road63

This warm family room with beams and a fireplace opens to an exquisite screened porch overlooking the pool.285 Valley Road72

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The wine cellar has the coolest ceiling.  I could spend some time in there for sure.285 Valley Road35

This is my other favorite room, a cool office on the terrace level.  I would never go to work again.  I'd just be writing this blog from my own personal in-home office.285 Valley Road  053I'm loving this night shot.  It really shows off the porch.

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And we end with the darling play house. How cute is that?  I want it!

There is also a three car garage with a full apartment above it.

For more information on this listing please go to beacham.com.

In other news I started a new diet on Monday... gag.  I don't really like dieting.  About 2.5 years ago I went on a major diet/lifestyle change to shed leftover college weight.  I am not the most athletic person... and by that I mean carrying in my groceries and putting them away sometimes exhausts me, but I started doing bootcamp.  I got a "stress fracture" (questionable) within the first two weeks and decided to stop.  Determined to lose the weight, I started swimming at the Piedmont Hospital Gym.  With regular swimming and changing a few things I ate, the weight slowly came off of me.  After about 8 months I lost 20 pounds.  That's great, right?  Well, it is except that my goal was to lose 25 pounds for regular life and 30 pounds for my wedding day.  (Yes, I was thinking about my wedding day 2.5 years ago.  I've probably thought about it every day since I was like 18.  Pathetic?  Probably, but it's true.)  So, after I lost 20 pounds I accepted that it was about all I was going to lose and decided to stop dieting and enjoy life.  That's when I met Jimmy.  Throughout our relationship I've managed to basically maintain the same weight, which I'm pretty proud of to be honest. :)

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Now that the threat of walking down the aisle and having people stare at my back (not my favorite feature) is real, I've decided to kick it into high gear and lose those last few pesky pounds (I'll be honest, two weeks of sipping frozen drinks on vacation didn't really help).  While I was shooting a house on Monday someone mentioned the Dukan Diet to me.

I remembered hearing about this when Kate Middleton got married.

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And if it works for her it could obviously work for me... right? (fingers crossed).

So I decided to give it a try.  Click on this link to read Cosmo's summary of the diet.  Basically you eat just protein for a few days and then eat protein and green vegetable for a little while until you reach your goal weight.  Easy right?

I started on Tuesday and I've already lost 3.4 pounds!  It's like magic!  I'm pretty pleased with the results, except that it makes me feel a little light headed and makes my muscles ache a little bit. (Alarming?  Possibly.)

Yesterday was my first day eating vegetables, so I celebrated with a nice stir fry.

You can also eat oat bran pancakes.  I know they may sound gross, but believe me, after two days of eating straight meat they tast like the absolute best things in the world.  Ask Jimmy.  I think I sighed a little when I tasted them for the first time.  It was like cornbread right off the griddle.

I was really impressed with the meal and think I could probably stay on the diet for a little while.  So have a great weekend enjoying your beers and your french fries...  I'll be dieting.

Who am I kidding... I'm trying a gluten free beer right after work ;).

Love you guys!  See you next week!

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Keith Summerour, the perfect glass of wine, my NYE dress...

For those of you who have been reading this blog a while, you know I am slightly obsessed with Keith Summerour.

If you are looking for a laugh you can read this post I write about him 2 years ago titles "Keith Summerour: What makes it a Summerour?"  I think it was maybe my 3rd blog post ever.  Cute Blayne.

I somehow got the nerves to interview him a year later about this house.  It was a wildly popular post.  Read it if you like.

People like Keith's houses because it is modern without being too modern.  It's clean and European and just a tad bit equestrian.  I adore his work, and that is true for Glennis Beacham's new listing at 5549 Long Island Drive. It's lovely and everything a Summerour should be.

The home is beautiful from the approach.  I love the arches (back right), which are so characteristically Summerour.

The heavy wooden doors are very wide (like barn doors), which provides a nice entrance to the home.

This foyer is open and welcoming.

Love this dining room with the wood windows and cathedral ceiling.

The best part about the living room is the curved/trey ceiling.  Oh yea, that fireplace is pretty amazing as well.  Oh heck... I love the floors and the arched hallways as well, so it's all great!

 

 

What a great kitchen!  There is so much prep space with the center island, and then you can have people eating at the island closest to us in these pictures.  The wood beams on the ceiling tie the kitchen to the rest of the house and echo the floors nicely.

This is the family room right off the kitchen.  You can see how the wood beams are continued in here, and the oversized windows let you look out to the back (we will see that later).

This hallway leads to the master suite, and is so reflective of Summerour's style with the arched doorways, beamed ceilings and wood doors opening to the front porch.

I like the trey ceiling in the master, and all the windows allow for tons of natural light.  That's also a really cool fan that I am just noticing for the first time!

Look at the archway leading to the master bath!  It's interesting how it's open from the bedroom into the bath, but the shower is off to the side, so it's still private.

Let's head outside!

 

 

Not to shabby, eh?

Oh yea, this is the approach to the house.  Amazing, right?  It's like something out of a childhood fantasy.  Once again Keith Summerour=Perfection....  duh.

To see the rest of this dream home, click here.

 

In other news....  (I'll make this quick... I know you only came for the houses!  ha ha.)

1.

My NYE dress came in, and I couldn't be happier!!  If you don't ignore my horribly messy closet behind me I'll die.  I cropped it as tight as I could.   Now I get to wear this $70 dress that looks much more expensive for the Christmas party and New Years!  Shhh.  Don't tell anyone.  Also, sorry for the confusion in the dress post.  I am FOR SURE going to NYC to see Phish at MSG for NYE (wow!).  I have THE BEST boyfriend ever.  He got us 4 nights FREE at the Four Seasons New York and got us tickets to all four nights of Phish.  He is amazing...  I am a very lucky girl with a REALLY cool dress.

2. 

We finally took our Christmas card picture.  This is usually painful because Ben bitches and mom and I always think we look bad.  This year was a breeze!  My uncle, Rod Collins, took the picture.  He's very talented, especially when it comes to people.  Let me know if you would like him to take a picture for you!

3.

I discovered the perfect glass of wine.  Jimmy and I went to Roswell on Saturday and ate at Salt Factory Pub, which Jimmy claims was the best place he's eaten in Georgia... so there.  This glass of wine is called "Knights Valley" by Beringer.  I went to Beringer when I was in Napa a few years ago and and was really impressed.  I have tried a lot of their wine, but this was the best glass I've had by them.... maybe by anyone.  Do yourself a favor and order a case.  Since I don't know how to talk about wine, I am stealing this from The Wine Enthusiast, "an appealing wine showing likable softness and flashy flavors. The palate brings cassis, mocha, licorice, sweet tobacco, sage, Asian spice and smoky oak; finished long and rich. Notable for its superb structure."  See?  Told ya.

Don't say I never gave you anything! Happy Holidays Kid-Os

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Italian Villa in Buckhead

Jim Warwick and Jo Ellen Bradley  listed this beautiful Italian Villa at 1111 Crest Valley Drive here in Atlanta.

The home is actually turned away from the road, so the view above is the front of the house...

... but this is what you see from the street.

According to beacham.com, "This architectural tour de force was designed by Bill Harrison and influenced by the timeless appeal of a 16th century Palladian villa in Verona, Italy. There are four remarkable finished levels. Wide-plank flooring, soaring groin vault ceilings, five over scale fireplaces, numerous out-door terraces and porches and pool. Formerly the estate of artist Athos Menaboni."

This beautiful fountain is located in the courtyard in front of the home.

Here is a beautiful archway leading to...

... this area located to the left of the front door at the side of the home.  It is a perfectly flat yard for children to play, and there is also a pool and veranda.  You can see the beautiful portico leading to the guest house.

Here is another view from the pool on the side of the home.  It's all so Italian!  Couldn't you imagine sipping wine out here on a summer afternoon?  The porch above the veranda is located off the master suite, which we will see later.

This is a better view of the back veranda.  Isn't it lovely?

I love this photo because it shows the fireplace.  Wouldn't this be perfect for this time of year?

Here is the view as you walk through the front door.  The curved staircase, the stone floors, and the high ceilings set the "Italian villa" mood.

This is the view from the opposite direction.  Can you see the glass front door?  I love the feel of the heavy wood and the niches on either side of the door.

The central hallway of this home is amazing!  The groin vaulting is so elegant, and the archways allow light in from the front and back of the home.

Here it is from the opposite direction.  Simply beautiful!

The living room has this beautiful 2-story window that overlooks the yard and allows for tremendous natural light.  The fireplace really anchors the room.

This straight on picture gives you a better idea of the scale of the windows.

Here is the view from the window through the hallway and into the dining room.  Isn't the light pretty?

The dining room overlooks the front patio and has those same beautiful wooden doors.

Here is a view looking back toward the foyer.  Be sure to notice the ceilings.

I got so excited about this kitchen!  It's one of the best ones I've seen in a really long time.  The island is huge!  It's perfect for a family gathering.  Don't you love the beamed ceilings?

The view into the breakfast and keeping room.  I just noticed that they used the same wood they used for the cabinets above the kitchen window.  I have never seen this before, have you?

This view of the breakfast room really showcases the three doors that lead out to the back porch.

Isn't this family room unbelievable?  I really like the light fixture and the fact that the curved windows mirror the doors from the above breakfast room.

This study is also located on the main level.  It's through the foyer from the front door.  You can see those three arched windows again.  I love the color of the wood, the coffered ceilings, and the herringbone pattern of the brick in the fireplace.  They all come together to form quite a handsome study!

This is the master, which is located upstairs.  I enjoy seeing hardwood floors in masters.  I recently took the carpet out of my master and replaced it with hardwoods and couldn't be happier.

Between the master and the master bath there is this beautiful private porch.  This would be so great at night!

And of course the master bath is beautiful!  I liked the tile in the shower a lot (if you can peek into it).  It looks to me like the cabinets are made from the same material as the ones in the kitchen and the wood in the study.  What do you think?

The coolest part about the upstairs is this secret passageway.  I've only seen a handful of these in real life, and it always makes me so excited.  I'm such a little kid!

The secret passageway leads to this third level loft type area, which is perfect for kids.

The terrace offers this beautiful groin vaulted stone wine cellar...

a kitchen and dining area...

and a huge gym!

What do you guys think? Isn't this home fantastic?  If it were yours, where do you think you would spend most of your time?

It's the perfect Italian getaway here in Atlanta!

5th Birthday Beacham Bash!

This past Tuesday we had our "Beacham Series"/ 5th Anniversary party at a Bobby McAlpine home on Tuxedo Road. (Listed by Glennis Beacham)We pulled out all the stops for this party, and we estimate we got over 350 people!

Here I am in front of the latest cover :)

Did you guys know you can request a copy of "The Beacham Series" on the website?

We owe a HUGE HUGE thank you to Billy Holcomb of Liz Lapidus Public Relations.  He worked so hard on this party, and we really appreciate it.  The party went so smoothly, and he was so professional.

Thank you Billy!

Anyway, we could not believe how many people came!  And this was 5 minutes after the party started!

View from the second story looking out over the living room.

And here we are 30 minutes in!

The crowd on the back veranda.

People braved the rain to come for an evening of good food, drinks, music, and architecture!

Beautiful cheese plate from Local Three 

ummm... pimento cheese!  

Thank you so much to Heineken for sponsoring the event.

Lauren and Jason of The Whiskey Gentry were phenomenal!  I cannot say enough about how well they played.  

Everyone raved about them!  If you don't remember how much I was looking forward to them playing you can read about it here.

In other news, The Whiskey Gentry is playing a Christmas show Dec 2nd at Variety Playhouse.  You should go!  I'll be there! :)

You can buy tickets here.

So many of our agents and clients came out to support us!

Glennis and the homeowner Lisa.  Isn't Lisa beautiful?  We all agreed she was the most stylish woman at the party... for sure.

Here I am with Billy and my friend Laura Green of L. Green Studios.

Sue Newman

Donna Gardner and Ashley Czeschin 

Glennis Beacham and Meridy King

 Kim Foley and her client who owns THIS house, from my most popular post ever! 

Camille Brannon of Campbell and Brannon, who sponsored the party, Robert Orr and Wight Mixon.

Holly Street (far left) of the famed blog Things That Inspire and the amazing artist Melissa Payne Baker (second from right) 

Barry Milam and Sue Newman

One of my favorite things we got for the party was a photo booth!  I loves seeing our agents and friends cutting lose in there!

Ha ha ha.  I had to try it out!  Here I am with my uncle, who took the magazine cover shot!

See?

Margaret Harman and Rachel Farmer

Gabby Gray, Wight Mixon, Sheila Gray and Ginger Scott (all Beacham agents!)

Niki McNeill of Single Bubble Pop

Our Director of Graphics and Design (Laura) and all of her friends :)  See the sign?

Erin Yabroudy 

A whole slew of Beacham people :)

Elise Baumann and Janey Lowe with Margaret Harman

Debbie Farmer (with Guitar) and her three cute friends

Happy 5th Anniversary Beacham & Company!

So that I can keep from bragging about our own party, I am going to borrow words from Kyle Sturtevant of "The Well Composed Home:"  

What a spectacular event.  Graciousness was expressed through every detail.  From the hospitality, to the catering, to the entertainment – they even had the band Whiskey Gentry playing off to the side.  As much as I thoroughly enjoyed touring this Home, and viewing the work of  Beacham and Company, McAlpine Tankersley and Bonner Custom Homes, the event was truly set apart in a league of its own by the caliper of people in attendance.  Thx to everyone for granting me this remarkable experience.

Awesome Night, Awesome Group of Folks, Wonderful Evening.

Kyle wrote a beautiful post about the party, which I suggest you read HERE.  (It goes into much greater detail about the architecture of the home.)

Terry Kearns of Architecture Tourist also wrote a wonderful piece about the party and the home. Please read it if you get a chance!

 

 

Thank you all so much for your support of our company and our magazine.  We could not have done it without you!

Love, Blayne