A YOUNG DUNWOODY FAMILY PUTS DOWN ROOTS WITH A TOP-TO-BOTTOM RENOVATION.
Allie Cate and Burke Reynolds bought their first home in Dunwoody in 2017 shortly after getting married. They didn’t have plans to relocate, but after seven years and three children later, space for their growing family was becoming scarce. After preschool drop-off one morning, Allie Cate drove by a home in Dunwoody Station that was for sale and immediately saw potential. The couple purchased the four-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom home in August 2024. In January 2025, they kicked off an eight-month renovation focused on creating their forever family home. The project’s initial aim was to renovate the existing footprint and dark, outdated interior, but it evolved to also include the addition of nearly 1,000 square feet.
Done in partnership with Sean and Michelle Doughtie of Schilling & Company and Chad Mattison of Mattison Architect, the renovation gutted every space and added a spacious family room and screenedin porch. The Reynoldses also opted to transform the basement into guest accommodations and a playroom for their three young girls, Dottie, Mary Taylor and Pearce.
“This is a classic Dunwoody neighborhood, traditional and family-oriented. We were looking to create a home that speaks to Burke and Allie Cate’s young vibrant family,” Michelle says. “[We used] happy, traditional colors, but fresh and current. Every room has a purpose and a unique feeling, while all blending together seamlessly.”
The vision for the home’s design was led by the Reynoldses’ love of blues and greens, and a desire for a “Nancy Meyers aesthetic” that was cozy yet elevated, all while still being “daughter durable.”
The homeowners worked with Andy Perkins of Custom Design Kitchens to create a show-stopping kitchen with white cabinets, marble countertops, a white and gold Majestic range by ILVE and a large island with a natural wood base. Adjacent to the kitchen, the family room addition features 14-foot vaulted ceilings with beams and an eye-catching stone fireplace and mantle from Aztec Stone Empire that was assembled in three pieces. The family room opens to a stone patio on one side and an expansive screened-in porch on the other. Furnishings in the family room and throughout much of the home combine the Reynoldses’ family pieces with newly acquired items from Wesley Hall, Woodbridge and antique shops such as Scotts Antique Markets and Peachtree Battle Antiques & Interiors.
“The family room is what catches peoples’ attention,” Allie Cate says. “It’s a room that allows you to gather a lot easier. It’s one of my favorite rooms.”
In addition to raising her three young girls, Allie Cate is an avid baker who runs a custom cake business, AllieCakes, out of her home. So when it came to deciding what to do with the former laundry room space on the main level, a cake kitchen was an easy answer.
Her charming baking space is outfitted in blue cabinets, black-andwhite penny tile floors in a flower design plus a dishwasher, oven and refrigerator along with all the necessary small appliances. “I didn’t believe it when Allie Cate said she needed four mixers on her countertop,” Sean says.
The home’s main level also features a light and bright breakfast room off the kitchen with a built-in banquette and an elegant butler’s pantry that leads to the formal dining room where a table from Lillian August and Visual Comfort light fixture create a dinner party – ready entertaining space.
Across the dining room, the study is painted in a moody Farrow & Ball Oval Room Blue and is home to Burke’s guitars and his grandfather’s piano. The clubby space also features a photo of Burke’s grandfather in one of his racing cars, vintage books and art Allie Cate purchased in China where she spent two years with a college ministry.
“I love the office,” Allie Cate says. “It’s so curated and smells so good from the wood-burning that was done on the ceiling beams.”
One of Allie Cate’s must-haves was a mudroom, which is done with white-washed brick floors and locker- style cabinets for storage. Small flower-shaped cutouts on each cabinet door add a touch of whimsy to the practical, yet beautiful space.
Upstairs, the floor plan was reworked, taking space from the primary bedroom to allow Dottie, Mary Taylor and baby Pearce to have their own en suite bathrooms. Each of the girls’ curated washrooms is outfitted with playful wallpaper—from Paris-themed to vintage Barbie— custom shower curtains with embroidered initials and vanities from Willow Collections or Teodor.
Down the hall is the primary bedroom that features chests from Phillips Scott and a bench from Acquisitions surrounding a bed Allie Cate brought from her previous home. In the attached bathroom, black lacquered cabinetry and carpeted floors were replaced with light blue cabinetry and white marble. There is also a walk-in shower and dreamy standalone tub below a light fixture of clustered bubble glass bulbs from Visual Comfort.
Allie Cate’s walk-through closet leads into the relocated laundry room, a cottage-style space with checkered floors, a farmhouse sink and a curtain cabinet where Pearce, their youngest, loves to hide while her mom does laundry. The room also opens to the hallway where a built-in bench with scalloped top edges offers another hangout spot for the Reynolds girls.
“Initially this area was drawn to have built-in desks, but I didn’t want it to be a laundry collector or unused space,” Allie Cate says. “I love how this turned out to be a space for all the girls to gather, read and play.”
The Reynoldses took their home down to the studs to create a bespoke abode that reflects their love of hosting loved ones and an environment where their family will thrive for many years to come.
“Allie Cate and I have loved the entire process with Sean and Michelle,” Burke says. “They did not simply build a house, but they helped us build a home where we can raise our three girls, welcome friends and create memories.”
Michelle Doughtie’s tips on designing a home that is elevated yet family friendly
1. “We love using wallpaper to add warmth and pattern to a room. It’s an instant face lift.”
2. “Painting the trim an accent color creates interest that most people are afraid to jump into, whether you color drench the room all in one color or just accent the trim.”
3. “Adding antiques to a room adds instant history and elegance. Your room looks collected instead of decorated. When you walk into a room with antiques mixed with new pieces, it feels comfortable and lived in.”
PHOTOS: Heidi Harris
