BONNER | We needed more than a regular designer or general contractor.

 INTERIORS SUCCESS STORY: ALPHARETTA GAWe needed more than a regular designer or general contractor.
“We did a lot of soul-searching to come up with our ‘dream home.’ We intend to be here a long time, so we wanted a design that lets us use—and love—every inch of our house.”

Erin and Madison in the kitchen of their Alpharetta, Georgia home.

When Doug and Erin Owens, along with daughter Madison, found their Alpharetta home in 2013, they knew exactly what they wanted. And the house they bought wasn’t it. “But it was in one of the neighborhoods we’d been watching. We were just waiting for the right opportunity to come along,” explains Erin. 

Their patience allowed them to resist spur-of-the-moment decision-making and take the time to imagine their next home. “We did a lot of soul-searching to come up with our ‘dream home.’ We intend to be here a long time, so we wanted a plan that lets us use—and love—every inch of our house,” Erin says. 

For Doug, who hasn’t met a building project he’s afraid to undertake, it came down to the house’s hidden potential. “Fortunately, the house has good bones, plus it’s situated on a nicely proportioned lot,” he says. “We thought, now here’s a house that we can really put our personal stamp on and make our own.”

Solid walnut planks top the kitchen’s 12-foot island, which incorporates generous storage and a counter-height eating area.  

The Ultimate Do-It-Yourself Project

Armed with a fearless DIY spirit, Doug and Erin sought resources that could help them with all they tackled, which included closing off a two-story room, reconfiguring the upstairs, and adding a new open-plan kitchen and family room. “We knew we needed more than a regular design firm or general contractor,” says Erin. “After I visited Insidesign, I saw they had the design and material resources we needed. It was a relief to know we had such a knowledgeable expert on our side; it really took the pressure off our decisions.”

“When Rick saw that we were renovating in phases, he designed a master plan of smaller projects that we could accomplish at our own pace.”

“We loved working with Erin and Doug,” says Rick Anthony Bonner, Insidesign’s Creative Director at the time. “They had a strong vision, but they also were open to new ideas, whether it was design of the custom kitchen island, reworking the dining room ’s silk drapery, or even the color palette.” He found inspiration in a painting by Erin’s father, a work Rick encouraged the couple to use as a focal point in the family room.

“Rick did a great job of keeping us focused and prioritized,” Erin adds. “And he’s an expert at combining new things with existing or reworked pieces to come up with beautiful rooms that we just love to use. Some days, I still can’t believe this is our home!”

“Our heart and soul are in these walls.”

With a whole-house renovation, the Owens family took the do-it-yourself ethos to an entirely new level. “No builder could have matched Doug’s meticulousness or his passion for this house,” says Erin. “We feel our heart and soul are in these walls.”

The couple agrees that Rick and Insidesign were key parts of the team. “We appreciated that they were willing to work with us in any way that we wanted,” tells Erin. “When Rick saw that we were renovating in phases, he designed a master plan of smaller projects that we could accomplish at our own pace.”

Doug adds, “Insidesign carries product lines at different prices, which helped keep costs under control. We felt we always had a choice: we could invest more in things that were important to us and less in things that weren’t.”

In the end, their dream home came true. “If we had it to do all over again, we would,” Erin remarks. “Looking back, we would not have done a single thing differently!”

Madison and Erin in front of kitchen windows that frame lush views of the home’s back yard.

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