A Classic Meets Modern Townhouse Renovation in Atlanta

Atlanta financial advisor Joey Ready moved from Charlotte to Atlanta in 2020 with the perfect idea: to purchase a brick townhome in the heart of the city. After teaming up with a real estate agent to find his dream home, an unexpected surprise threw a major wrench in his renovation plans — a global pandemic.

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August 28, 2023

By: Rachael Jones

Show: HGTV Handmade

Shop This Look

Photo By: Tomas Espinoza

Photo By: Joey Ready

Photo By: Tomas Espinoza

Photo By: Joey Ready

Photo By: Tomas Espinoza

Photo By: Joey Ready

Photo By: Tomas Espinoza

Set in Stone

Financial advisor Joey Ready found his dream pad in Midtown Atlanta — a dreamy, brick townhome with Kris Jenner-inspired interior design, a Gucci wallpaper print powder room and stunning chef’s kitchen. But that’s not how the home was originally designed. Cue contractor woes, install company hiccups and supply chain delays all culminating into a big, drawn-out renovation to remember. “I moved to Atlanta from Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2020 right before Covid,” Joey says. “So I got maybe a month or two of normal life before [it] hit. And it was definitely a challenging year.”

Before: Dated, Dark Living Room

After living in a short-term, one bedroom rental, Joey decided it was time to make a more permanent purchase. “When I lived in Charlotte, I had a townhome right in downtown” he says. “So when I moved to Atlanta, I knew I wanted something similar. My realtor, Kathy, took me to so many different townhomes and spent so much time with me, but I think that really helped me make a decision. So I went on Zillow and favorited all of the units in this [building]. Then, one finally came on the market at 7 a.m. ... I remember calling [Kathy] and just saying to put in the offer. But when we first walked in, after I already submitted the offer, there was a lot of things that I didn’t like."

After: Saved by the Contractor

“Bones-wise, it was my dream townhome, and it had everything I wanted: a two-car garage, two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and right in the city," Joey says. "But I also realized it was a lot of work. And it was definitely hard to find a contractor here, especially during COVID when everyone was doing renovations." After Joey’s many failed attempts to get someone to work on the space, a contractor from a tile company he was working with agreed to help with the renovation. “He was great and I feel like I really lucked out."

Kardashian Entrance

"I love the entryway," Joey says. "But when I first got it, it was just all black, square tiles. And this is the first thing people see when they walk in the door. I’m a big Kris Jenner fan, so I love how she has the black-and-white tile. That was something that I knew I wanted to do, even though it’s a smaller entryway."

Know What You Like

Joey's renovated foyer intentionally sets the tone for the rest of the space. "I feel like [the entry] is a reflection of me," he says. "I like simple, straight lines, and black and white."

Upscale Luxury

The freshly renovated, classic meets modern, black-and-white living room features a comfy sectional sofa, marble coffee table and vintage wall art, all made possible by a contractor with the know-how to remove two, very large eyesores.

Before: Columns Without Purpose

"The living room [originally] had the two big, old-school columns," Joey says. "My contractor was worried that it was a structural column, and I was praying that it wasn’t. Thankfully, when he came and looked at it, it wasn’t. So we were able to remove those pretty easily."

After: New Dining Delights

"I think taking the columns out really opened up the dining room," Joey says. "And one of the main things I wanted to change in here was the really outdated chandelier ... So I re-did the chandelier and installed the museum light over the pictures. I think it all kind of ties in with the classic and modern at the same time."

Dark and Light

"I also re-sanded the floors and re-stained them all a dark brown color," Joey says. "It was kind of like a lighter color wood when I first got it. I always like a darker wood, and I think it really brings out the white on the walls."

Before: All Wood Kitchen Aesthetic

“The big things I knew I definitely wanted to change was to get rid of the kitchen, especially the peg leg island," Joey says. "It was also very wood textured. The appliances were a little outdated. And I knew I always wanted to put the big vent in over the stove. The existing granite was kind of dark green almost and I knew I wanted change that, too."

After: Quartz Kitchen Paradise

"In the kitchen, I didn’t change the footprint or anything," Joey recalls. "The biggest demo was the island. They completely took that out. And I always love how a waterfall island looks. So I knew I for sure wanted that. Then, my mom and I went to the same place where we got the quartz for the island, and they had this beautiful white quartz with very thin gray lines ... So we continued the quartz up the walls."

Realities of Reno

"Everybody thinks I changed the cabinets, but all I did was paint them all white and change the hardware," Joey says. "I decided to put the money into the appliances instead of the cabinets. And I knew I wanted to have the open window refrigerator, [but it] was a beast to get in here. I waited for the fridge for months and months and months. When it finally got here, and they brought it all the way up to install it, they realized it didn’t have these brackets installed. So they had to take it out, put it back in my garage and I had to have my contractor come and install the brackets. It was a little bit of a nightmare, but I think it’s the main kind of draw of the kitchen almost. I think it was definitely worth it."

Tiger Energy

"Unlike everything else in my home that’s very sleek, simple, straight lines and white, I knew I wanted to go crazy in the powder room," Joey says. "I kept the porcelain sink, that was the original. But I knew I wanted to update the hardware and wanted to put in a crazy wallpaper. I just loved this black, Gucci, tiger print wallpaper. And I envisioned doing the ceiling, the walls and everything. So I just kind of went for it and I’m so happy how everything turned out. Whenever [my friends and sisters] come over before we’re going out, everyone always takes a stop in the powder room to take a selfie."

Tips From the Other Side

"When you’re renovating, you always run into problems that you weren’t expecting," Joey shares. "I think the moral of that, and what I’ve learned, is when you’re renovating, sometimes if somebody tells you no, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it. You just have to keep searching to find the right person that can do it for you."

A Classic Meets Modern Townhouse Renovation in Atlanta

Related To:

Shop This Look

Set in Stone

Before: Dated, Dark Living Room

After: Saved by the Contractor

Kardashian Entrance

Know What You Like

Upscale Luxury

Before: Columns Without Purpose

After: New Dining Delights

Dark and Light

Before: All Wood Kitchen Aesthetic

After: Quartz Kitchen Paradise

Realities of Reno

Tiger Energy

Tips From the Other Side

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