Chai Style Home: Family Entertainment Hub Replicates Farmhouse

Lindsay and Ron Levin’s home was custom-built by Deane Johnson, a fourth-generation Atlanta builder. A replica of an 18th century Pennsylvania stone farmhouse with Greek revival columns, it’s ideal for entertaining with a walkout backyard awaiting swimming pool construction.

“I wanted the home to feel livable and the furnishings to not resemble other homes,” Lindsay said. The art was handpicked from local artists, and almost every piece of furniture is from a different store.” Ron added, “We bought here in 2012 prior to Mountaire becoming one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Sandy Springs. We are both Sandy Springs natives and high school sweethearts (North Springs). We were looking for a neighborhood with a large tree canopy, wide streets for family walks, neighborhood swim club and proximity to stores and parks.”

Lindsay, a Berkshire Hathaway residential agent and former attorney, was recently named by Newsweek magazine as the 18th best realtor in Georgia. “I’m proud to be Chai!”

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Take a tour of the Levin home, which was featured in a Property Brothers commercial.

Elijah and Shaina have enjoyed their teen lounge for online classes.

Marcia: What’s your role in the design?
Ron: I am part of family-owned commercial real estate company Levin Properties. Lindsay and I have very similar design aesthetics with clean lines and bold artwork. My goal was comfortable elegance. My favorite room is the kitchen because of the view to the walkout backyard, the heart of the home where we have hosted many gatherings.

Marcia: How does entertaining flow?
Lindsay: We host an annual Chanukah party for 150, held a bris for 100, countless birthday parties, and neighborhood events. We call the party “Chanukah Glitz,” as it’s adults only in cocktail attire and sophisticated décor. All types of people attend, and we light the chanukiyah and explain the Chanukah story. Our kitchen is open to an expanded breakfast area where we remove the table for space like a restaurant event room.

Marcia: Your style is “happy art?”
Lindsay: The colorful piece in the foyer is by a local artist MarianneB van der Haar. We had an art show, and it was hung in that place. I loved the bold, powerful colors and bought it. Der Haar is known for layering ink, sand, copper and marble powder with firewood ashes.

In the vaulted ceiling master bedroom, we commissioned Deeann Rieves to create an ethereal vibe. Rieves is known for organic shape-driven pieces inspired by nature that are both bright and soothing.

The dining room painting by Laura Park was commissioned for my 40th birthday. She also designed the wallpaper in the mudroom cubbies. Park’s work is about “eye dancing” with brush strokes and sophisticated palettes that she extracted from her grandmother’s patchwork quilting.

“Troubles Gone” above the fireplace is by Lynn Sanders (Gregg Irby Gallery in Midtown). Sander’s work is known for its impatience and impulsivity working with negative space with synthetic polymer on canvas.

Ron: We had a carpenter create the accent wall in the dining room, the basement shiplap bookcase, and the accent above the pool table. Next are barn doors into the home gym. The office cast stone fireplace was built by Phil Saylor (Tuscan Stone Mantels). We designed the piece, and he created it.

The dining room table and chairs are from Roche Bobois and sideboard from Restoration Hardware. The fixture is by Hinkley from Colonial Lighting. The accent wall is Le Luxe by Behr.

Marcia: What are your sentimental furnishings?
Lindsay: The antique spool chest in my office is from my family’s trade fixture that displayed thread for retail sale. The upright piano is my grandmother Whitney’s (1940). My mother, sister and I all learned to play on it. It has ivory keys! I wanted to display it since they don’t make pianos like this anymore. It was originally an ugly brown, so a Roswell specialty painter revitalized it as my favorite vignette in the home. My grandmother would be proud that it has this prominent place.

Lindsay’s family collected the minerals from all over the world in this antique curio.

My mineral collection curio dates back to the 1930s. My grandfather and his brother found many of the minerals during their travels. It includes quartz, amethyst, fossils, garnet, tigereye and calcite.

Marcia: Share your Judaic pieces?
Ron: The soft art in the family office near the mudroom was purchased from ArtNova Gallery in Jaffa, Israel. We brought it home and stretched it. It is one of my favorites. This technique was developed in Israel by local artists. Synthetic acrylic fibers are used to substitute for watercolor and oils in traditional paintings. They are essentially “painting” with burlap, felt and colorful acrylic strings. They can be found in synagogues, private yachts and aircraft.

The hamsas in the family office were collected during trips to Israel.

Marcia: Your children’s space has been featured in national publications.
Lindsay: “Home schooling” has given many families a unique perspective on kid’s areas. Our teen lounge is a “virtual space” where they have their own work stations for virtual camp and homework. Their bedrooms have been featured in commercials for Cartoon Network, Cox Communications and more. Elijah and Shaina’s rooms were designed when they were toddlers as I wanted them to have fun, sophisticated rooms that they would not outgrow quickly. Our mudroom has a drop off zone with eight cubbies for backpacks, shoes and pet accessories.

Marcia: What’s next?
Ron: The pool under construction will be concrete decking with turf, very sleek, resort-like, with a gas firepit, spa, and long enough for laps.

Marcia: Last word with your realtor “hat.”
Lindsay: The experience of sheltering in place will forever be imprinted in our collective memories. Homebuyers will remember how much they enjoyed or would have enjoyed an outdoor living space and home office. Buying is more a process of elimination and prioritizing wish lists on which to compromise. “Must haves” for families are: mudroom, open floor plan, useable backyard (preferably walkout), kitchen island, move-in-ready updates with neutral color palette, friendly neighborhood, and good schools.