Text: Jeanne de Lathouder
Photography: Emily Jenkins Followill
Styling: Eleanor Roper
The owners of an elegant new property nestled in Atlanta’s desirable Sandy Springs neighborhood enjoy every aspect of their home because their favorite rooms change with the seasons. In the fall and winter, the husband loves sitting on the screened porch with a roaring fire—a bourbon in one hand and his dog, Sir Winston, by his side. During the summer, the couple spends time by the pool and on the loggia, watching their grandchildren splash around and play. In all seasons, the wife, who is a skilled artist, loves retreating to her spacious, light-filled studio, where five to seven paintings in varying phases of progress await her creative touch at any given time.
7. Derek Hopkins and Shelley Wilkins Design A Home for All Seasons
6. Derek Hopkins and Shelley Wilkins Design A Home for All Seasons
5. Derek Hopkins and Shelley Wilkins Design A Home for All Seasons
4. Derek Hopkins and Shelley Wilkins Design A Home for All Seasons
3. Derek Hopkins and Shelley Wilkins Design A Home for All Seasons
2. Derek Hopkins and Shelley Wilkins Design A Home for All Seasons
1. Derek Hopkins and Shelley Wilkins Design A Home for All Seasons
Appropriately, the home itself is a work of art—a joyful collaboration between the owners, their architectural designer, Derek Hopkins, and their longtime friend and interior designer, Shelley Wilkins. “I worked closely with both the clients and the interior designer,” says Hopkins, a principal at Harrison Design. “Shelley and I have known each other for quite some time, and she has an ongoing relationship with these clients, having designed multiple homes for them over the years. So when she found out that they were looking to build a new primary residence in Atlanta, she reached out to me and arranged the introduction.”
The home emanates a timeless yet welcoming feel from the foyer through the living areas. An inviting solarium extends from the living area, offering splendid views of the property. The curved staircase creates an architectural focal point.
“THE WIFE IS AN ACCOMPLISHED ARTIST, SO CAREFUL ATTENTION WAS TAKEN TO CREATE A GALLERY EFFECT IN THE HOME’S MAIN CORRIDOR AND PROMINENT WALLS THROUGHOUT THE HOME TO SHOWCASE HER ARTWORK.”
—ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER DEREK HOPKINS
The clients wanted a timeless home—warm, approachable, and designed for entertaining, yet comfortable for day-to-day living. They did not have a particular style in mind for the home’s exterior, only that it would fit seamlessly into the surrounding neighborhood and stand the test of time with low-maintenance durability.
Situated on a beautifully wooded 3-acre lot, the property includes a nearby stream that runs parallel to the street. To enhance this feature, Hopkins updated the existing bridge by cladding it with tumbled Indiana buff limestone to match the exterior veneer of the home. “Given the required stream buffers, we pushed the home back from the street, positioning it atop a knoll on the property,” he says. “This offers exceptional presence as well as privacy. In addition, with the entire exterior faced in the Indiana buff limestone, the front facade’s central massing embraces symmetry.”
Two protruding wings with a subtle vertical camber flank the cut limestone front entry that features arched metal and glass doors. Lower wings extend to the right and left, topped out with jerkinhead gables. “The wife is an accomplished artist, so careful attention was taken to create a gallery effect in the home’s main corridor and prominent walls throughout the home to showcase her artwork,” notes Hopkins.
Embracing the pool deck at the rear of the home are several large bow windows, a private balcony off the primary suite, a screened porch, and a large covered porch. To highlight the beauty of the wooded rear property without blocking the view from the main house, a detached pool cabana was designed with an open central portion to create transparency and frame the view.
For the interiors, great effort was taken to construct clean, simple, transitional-style spaces. “This home was a true design-build,” says Shelley Wilkins, owner of S. Wilkins Interior Design firm in Hilton Head, South Carolina. “The wife has such a unique, sophisticated aesthetic and was so excited to build a house from the ground up. She requested lots of storage and wanted ‘her closets to have closets.’ And as an artist, she loves using color, but not everywhere in the house.”
Wilkins worked to infuse color throughout without overdoing it. For example, she chose calm neutrals for most of the living spaces but opted to paint the entire study in a fresh green hue for a monochromatic vibe. The client and her artist friend then painted complementary pieces for the walls. “My personal favorite is the primary bedroom’s soft silver-blue shade that makes you feel like you’re floating in the sky,” says the designer. “The space is incredibly restful and soothing.”
Wilkins also used a rich layering of textures in nearly every room to create a sense of coziness amid the 11,500-square-foot home. “I think that in the South, texture is your friend,” she says. “This is a house that is lived in, and dogs rule the roost. I selected fabrics with a lot of texture to perfectly complement the stone exterior, which will also wear better as life happens in the house.”
