Architect’s angular Atlanta residence described as dreamy at $550K

Directly across Interstate 75 from The District at Howell Mill, in Buckhead’s Channing Valley subdivision, this four-level postmodern dwelling from 2000 could give conformists who adore coffered ceilings the heebie-jeebies.

But Atlanta’s fans of more daring home design could see the one-off statement they’ve been looking for.

Listed at $549,000 this past weekend, the property is being marketed as a sophisticated “urbanite’s dream-contemporary” with a centralized location convenient (by car) to practically anywhere.

It was designed and built as the personal residence of architect Kia Tehrani, who in 1987 founded The K.I.A. Group, the firm behind several distinctive Atlanta residences, including a recognizable Old Fourth Ward modern that peers over John Lewis Freedom Parkway.

Records indicate the home itself has never sold, but the land went for a mere $5,000 in the late ’90s.

Its position beside a major interstate (albeit buffered by a sound wall) is contrasted by a serene creek along the property, which is overlooked by at least one balcony and ground-level patio.

Connected to a street of mostly brick cottages by a footbridge, the stucco-clad exterior might be joltingly different at first blush. Inside, not many aspects will soothe Craftsman adherents.

These include the Escher-like staircase and aspects of some walls, metals sinks, structural steel, an abundance of concrete, and built-ins that look more like fortifications than room-warming bookshelves.

Crowning the residence is a spacious forefather of rooftop terraces that’ve been popularized in new-construction moderns across places like Old Fourth Ward. It’s probably not the quietest outdoor amenity in town, however.

Described as “imaginative,” the floorplan of 2,325 square feet across four levels means spaces aren’t exactly huge. But two of three bedrooms do qualify as masters, per the listing.

Also not huge is the price, relatively speaking. The home’s more traditional counterparts in the neighborhood frequently ask twice as much—at least—for a buyer’s pool not nearly as niche.

• 705 Upton Road NW [Harry Norman Realtors]