Town to town, up and down the dial … Janice and Greg Raab’s professions in radio meant a lot of moves — 14 homes in all as 1983, including in Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco and Atlanta. The couple has adopted these relocation chances and fallen in love by taking on the challenges of fixer-uppers. Both have the keen eye to see beyond bad cosmetics to a home’s possible, and they do as much of the job as they can themselves.

And here’s a novelty: They prefer to cover as they proceed. Yes, all these are patient folks who save up for each home endeavor without going into debt. After residing in a traditional home in San Francisco, they fell in love with this modern 1980s home in Atlanta and worked on living room by room as money and time allowed for seven years. The kitchen was Janice’s favorite renovation narrative, so we’ll concentrate on that.

at a Glance
Who resides: Janice and Greg Raab
Location: Atlanta
Size: 5,000 square feet; 5 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms

The home comes with a natural style, with fieldstone, wood and a palette of grays, browns and tans infusing it with a warm look. That aesthetic was kept by the Raabs throughout the renovations in your mind.

The few balanced saving initial attributes and removing those that weren’t working. The fieldstone fireplace, cedar ceiling and black tile floor are first.

“When we moved, the black tile covered the whole first floor and made things really dim,” Janice Raab states. “We thought really hard about how much of it save and how much of it replace with bamboo floors, which lightens up the space”

Raab is also huge fan of George Nelson pendant lighting, and she was thrilled that they worked well with the scale and style of the house. She put a number of them put throughout the first floor.

Before Photo

BEFORE: The first kitchen was outdated, dark and cramped, and it wasn’t a welcoming hangout. The couple commissioned their dear friend, Reed Ericson of Studio R Squared, for design help.

“It had been fantastic to use such a good friend, because we could take as long as we desired and fully change our minds about things, and he just rolled with it,” Raab says.

AFTER: walnut floors, travertine backsplash tiles, amber pendant lighting and an onyx waterfall countertop add organic warmth to the modern, clean-lined kitchen. The cabinet grain runs.

The Raabs balanced splurges and savings throughout the renovation. For example, they splurged on onyx and LEM Piston pub stools, and saved by using an induction scope that did not need an expensive gas line.

They weren’t content with the way the slender hardware seemed with the refrigerator’s heft, thus a helpful oven installer finagled two extra oven handles out of GE to utilize for the fridge, which were a far better match.

Stools: LEM Piston Bar Stools, Design Within Reach; pendant lighting: LBL Cypree Pendant; countertops: walnut, Silestone; cabinets: custom, walnut with wenge stain, Cabico; all appliances: GE Monogram

Sink: Kohler Stage Sink with Integrated Cutting Board and Prep Bowls

A pub replaced an awkward old media desk off the kitchen. The few saved a portion of the house’s original dark tiles, offering a connection between the kitchen and the dining room.

This dining room inside the large, open living room is right off the kitchen. The waterfall counter around the buffet/bookshelf emulates the waterfall at the kitchen. It is crafted of the same cabinet oak using all the wenge stain and onyx counter tops.

The pair travels light, plus they prefer to groom their homes to match varied fashions. The burled ash dining table is one piece that the couple has taken with them over the years from house to house (along with Greg’s beloved vinyl collection — beyond that, there are not many exceptions).

Pendant light: George Nelson Ball Lamp, Design Within Reach; buffet: custom using Cabico cabinets, oak with wenge stain

Studio R Squared designed each the cabinetry, including this huge unit that divides the staircase connecting the dining room and living room.

The inspiration for the massive cabinet came out of a Modern Atlanta home tour. “I had seen a piece like this place on staircase throughout the tour a few years ago and snapped a photo of it,” Raab says.

Just beyond the dining room is the top deck, finish with an option for dining outside. This really is a wrought deck that extends across the whole back of the house. The decks are very private; throughout the seasons once the leaves are filled in, there’s not another house in sight.

One of the first things that the couple did was add fresh stainless steel cable railings on the two decks and the front walkway.

Raab scored the outdoor furniture through Craigslist. The initial set cost approximately $1,200 retail, however she bought all these pieces for $600.

Because of career changes, the couple needed to leave their labor of love only after finishing it, and are not certain of where they’ll land next. While they are unhappy to leave, they look forward to finding another diamond in the rough and slowly but surely bringing it up to its entire potential.

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