When designer and artist Briana Babani began demolishing the interior of her 1953 brick bungalow in East Atlanta, she didn’t expect to fall in love with it. “It was like a cave,” says Briana, who had moved from Austin, Texas, with her husband, Dominic Cancilla, and their eight-year-old son, Cooper, for Dominic’s work in the film industry. “It didn’t scream ‘dream home,’ but I saw the potential—the lot is incredible. We thought we would keep it as a future rental property.”

The previous owner had smoked inside for decades and neglected the 1,600-square-foot home, which needed a new roof and had suffered water damage. Briana originally envisioned a basic upgrade, but the project’s scope—and her personal investment—changed as she scrubbed the grime and smoke stains off the large windows. “There was so much light that came in, and views of the outside, and I wanted to harness that, embrace it,” she says.

In the living/dining area, she removed a header and wing walls to open the space. The table is from Room & Board, while the Laika pendant is from Blu Dot." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Benjamin Rasmussen" photoUserId="6133577038969049088"/>

“This is a house for living in, not looking at.”
—Briana Babani, resident

Briana decided to turn the neglected building into the kind of home she’d always wanted. She subcontracted the electrical, plumbing, HVAC, drywall, roof, and insulation work but took on all the rest herself, which freed up money in the $122,000 budget for choice splurges among more affordable finishes.

BAMBOO FACING

CORK WALL

WINDOWS

BUILT-INS

Briana tore down walls to better connect the living and dining areas and added wraparound cabinetry in the entry. She combined two existing bedrooms to create a primary suite with a walk-in closet and closed off a doorway to create Cooper’s room. Here, a forest mural sets the scene for his pet geckos and other reptiles. To maximize storage, she added a built-in bed with a trundle below, surrounded by built-in bookshelves.

“I’m a huge fan of built-ins, especially when you’re living in a small space,” says Briana. “They’re in every room in the house.”

Previously too narrow, the expanded galley kitchen sports a vaulted ceiling and Ikea cabinets with bamboo fronts from Semihandmade, one of the spendier choices. This connects to what was previously a back porch, now an office. From their built-in desks, the couple can look out at the new deck, a workshop clad in stained pine, and a concrete fire pit shaded by a large oak tree in the backyard, where Cooper loves to play ball.

he composite decking is from Cali Bamboo." layout="" credit="Photo by Benjamin Rasmussen" photoUserId="6133577038969049088"/>

“I tried to use the landscape and the hardscape to create a series of exterior spaces that are as livable as our interior ones,” says Briana, who transformed the front yard with a two-level deck surrounded by conifers and shrubs. The home’s brick exterior, now stained dark, recedes into the greenery.

“Everything that I see has a touch of my own,” says Briana. “For me, the ultimate goal was for the house to be a vessel for my family’s quirky and eclectic belongings and interests. It shouldn’t feel too precious. This is a house for living in, not looking at.”

Project Credits:

Renovation Design: Briana Babani / @brianababani