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 Printable PDF
Front Cover Community
Steve West Custom Homes
8/1/08
Functional Elegance
Luxury Designed for Real Life
By Trish Stukbauer • Photography courtesy of John Umberger
Eighty years ago, Atlanta’s elite lived a completely different lifestyle. While entertaining was vital, that generally meant staid formal dinner parties focused around a long table, over which men in top hats and tuxedos conversed quietly with women in long evening gowns. That was reflected in the architecture of the time. “Formal areas were by far the largest spaces in the home, and the kitchen was considered a utility space and was treated as such,” explains Steven West. “Today, if you look through floor plan books for homes over 8,000 square feet, they are for the most part still laid out that way. Although the way we live has changed, the way that many people design floor plans has not.”
As the founder of Steven West Custom Homes, West has built his reputation on altering the way estates are designed and built to accommodate real life. His vision stems in part from his artistic background. “I’m not a computer whiz; I’m not great with electrical. What I do have is a thorough understanding of size, shape and color. When I’m building a house, I can see the finished home before I start. I can see how I want the interior environment to flow, and I start with the elements that I believe are the most important.”
For West, that begins with a dramatic exterior. “Someone’s first impression of a home means a lot, so it has to have great curb appeal,” he says. For that reason, West collaborates closely with acclaimed architect Bill Harrison and his staff at Harrison Design Associates. “I work with Bill on all my homes, and he has been very influential to me, particularly on the exterior designs,” West says. One French Normandy style residence West recently completed in Buckhead elegantly demonstrates those principles. The house that was tapped to become the 2007 Alliance Children’s Theatre Christmas House is an imposing stone structure that makes quite a statement from the street. The exterior is a blend of buff-colored Indiana limestone and Savannah mossy brick. To add weight and an authentically rustic feel, large pieces of Tennessee Fieldstone were used from the water table down.
The result was so impressive that Marilyn Allegra couldn’t help but notice it as she drove by on her daily route. Once the home was open for the show, Marilyn, who along with her husband Joseph had been looking for a home on and off for several years, took her daughter along to tour it. “She started to laugh as soon as she walked in and said, ‘Mom, this is so you’,” Marilyn relates.
What they saw was an elegant combination of artistic detailing, fine architecture and pure functionality. “When I started to build homes, I made a conscious decision to shrink the scale of the formal areas. I don’t care how much money people have to spend, they don’t want to waste it. Land is expensive and materials are costly, so I believe in putting space where people spend the most time, which is the kitchen / keeping room / breakfast area. That’s always the largest, open space in my homes. I want the home to flow well and to be practical.”
For West, that begins with a dramatic exterior. “Someone’s first impression of a home means a lot, so it has to have great curb appeal,” he says. For that reason, West collaborates closely with acclaimed architect Bill Harrison and his staff at Harrison Design Associates. “I work with Bill on all my homes, and he has been very influential to me, particularly on the exterior designs,” West says. One French Normandy style residence West recently completed in Buckhead elegantly demonstrates those principles. The house that was tapped to become the 2007 Alliance Children’s Theatre Christmas House is an imposing stone structure that makes quite a statement from the street. The exterior is a blend of buff-colored Indiana limestone and Savannah mossy brick. To add weight and an authentically rustic feel, large pieces of Tennessee Fieldstone were used from the water table down.
What they saw was an elegant combination of artistic detailing, fine architecture and pure functionality. “When I started to build homes, I made a conscious decision to shrink the scale of the formal areas. I don’t care how much money people have to spend, they don’t want to waste it. Land is expensive and materials are costly, so I believe in putting space where people spend the most time, which is the kitchen / keeping room / breakfast area. That’s always the largest, open space in my homes. I want the home to flow well and to be practical.”
Yet that attention is evident in all of West’s residences, whether it’s a fine English Tudor priced in the low $5 millions that he’s currently building just a few doors down from the 2007 Christmas house at 1001 West Paces Ferry, or an 18,000-square-foot French Normandy estate he is currently building at 3410 Ridgewood Road in Buckhead. Nestled on 4.2 heavily wooded, private acres, the $12.3 million estate was designed to leave a lasting impression. Floors, baseboards and two gracefully curving staircases are crafted from the same imported French limestone. When you pass through the round foyer, you enter a circular living room designed to accommodate a baby grand piano. The true focal point of the room, the piano is framed by planter boxes crafted from split face limestone. To the left lies West’s signature open living area, with a true gourmet kitchen boasting dual islands and a bar that will accommodate 10. One step down is a round breakfast area, while a spacious and functional keeping room is another step down. To the right of the formal living room is the master suite. Set a dramatic three steps down from the main level, the gracious room features a 14’ ceiling topped by a handcrafted concrete dome. To create the intricate detailing on the concrete, West first sketches the profile he envisions. European craftsmen then trace it on tin, which is used as the template, ensuring that West’s artistic vision is flawlessly executed.
That vision carries through to all areas of his homes, from dramatic multilevel outdoor living areas to the Allegras’ lower level retreat that feels as if you are stepping 200 years back in time to an English gentlemen’s club. Yet no matter how fine the detail, the artist never loses sight of the larger picture – which is how families live.
“Steve has real vision. He gives real thought to how the home flows. We had [several events surrounding] our son’s wedding here, and I feel that it’s important that Steve be given credit for how well the home flowed and worked for entertaining,” Marilyn attests. “Every time we looked at a home before this one, we always found ourselves saying that if we were going to build it, we would have done this or that differently. Truly this was the first time we looked at a home and said that we wouldn’t change anything.”
Builder Box
Builder: Steven West Custom Homes,
www.westcustomhomes.com, (770) 740-2605
Architect: Harrison Design Associates,
www.harrisondesignassociates.com, (866) 688-3988
Landscape Architect: Scapes (770) 919-7777 and
Greengage Estates (404) 667-4418
Interior Designer: Doris Muir of DMI (404) 797-1133
Appliances: Georgia Kitchens (678) 482-5150
Cabinetry: Karpaty Cabinets, (678) 947-8188
Lighting fixtures: Vinings Lighting (770) 801-9600
and Progressive Lighting, www.progressivelighting.com
Pool: Neptune Pools, (770) 831-5415, neptunepools.com
Stone work supplier: Cutting Edge Stone, Inc.,
(678) 990-4115, www.cuttingedgestone.com
Interior architectural stonework: Stone Age Designs, Inc, www.stoneagedesigns.net, (866) 385-9486
Wrought iron staircase: Lipko Ironwork, (678) 521-6348
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