Near Tucker, reimagined midcentury modern called entertainer’s dream for $479K

Extensive renovation blends original architectural design with today’s trends

By KaronCurbed Sep 4, 2019, 10:15am EDT

A brick ranch house with cedar siding and a black door. — A fresh visage makes this older MCM look new again.

Tucked away—almost literally—this 1965 midcentury modern near Tucker had been all but forgotten.

In fact, many neighbors told owner Claudia Resende Malcolm they didn’t even remember a house being on the lot, which was obscured by overgrown trees.

“One neighbor described this house as the ‘house behind the jungle,’” Resende Malcom told Curbed Atlanta via email.

But removing trees blocking the facade was just the beginning of work needed to restore this home in the way Resende Malcom wanted. Dated wallpaper, vinyl flooring, and a blue toilet were a few design details detracting from the home’s venerable origins as an example of MCM architecture, she says.

As such, Resende Malcom gutted the structure to the studs and embarked on a full renovation. Enlisting the aid of architect Bill Carpenter, Resende Malcolm, the owner of Resende Design & Marketing in Atlanta, put her skills to the test, which included many challenges.

For instance, the kitchen layout was quite problematic.

A brick house sitting behind several trees and overgrown shrubs. — Many neighboring residents were surprised to learn there was a house behind the trees.

“It was a very small kitchen, it had a window that was lower than cabinet height, the garage door was inside the kitchen, it had a huge brick wall that was half-finished and half not,” Resende Malcolm said. “There was a weird ‘nook’ that went into the fireplace where the old oven used to be, and there were different ceiling heights.”

As part of the renovation, the kitchen ceiling was removed, revealing the original vaulted ceiling, and the kitchen cabinets were extracted from the back of the brick fireplace.

Kitchen with white cabinets, white vinyl flooring, and kitchen table and chairs. — A “before” look at the kitchen reveals the vinyl flooring, ill-placed oven, and dated wallpaper.

Kitchen with white cabinets, stainless appliances, and hardwood floors. — The updated kitchen includes a vaulted ceiling, stainless appliances, and hardwood floors.

In addition, multiple walls were removed to enlarge certain spaces and give the house an open floorplan that capitalized on the vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling and picture windows.

One element Resende Malcolm was determined to retain was the original front door, complete with a doorknob in the center.

A large room with pink walls and floor-to-ceiling windows. — Before the renovation, many rooms included pink walls.

A large room with living room furnishings and floor-to-ceiling windows. — A clean color palette and natural light brighten the living room.

“It was so unique with that middle doorknob, and I couldn’t possibly remove such character and uniqueness from the house,” Resende Malcolm said. “The problem is that the door was in awful shape, but I wanted to save it at all costs, so I spent three whole months restoring that door myself.”

With the renovation now complete, the 1,764-square-foot house features three bedrooms and three bathrooms. It’s located just OTP, between Spaghetti Junction and downtown Tucker.

Recently listed by Southern Classic Realtors for $479,000, the property also sports cedar siding coupled with tongue and groove cedar, giving the house a fresh look.

A more detailed look at 2845 Umberland Drive’s “before” and “after” …