Above, The downstairs incorporates vivid colors starting with the area rug. Both ends of the room are anchored by refinished church pews. Right, Emilie Haas dotes on pups Cutie Pie and Maggie. //Photos by Howard Mendel
Chai Style Home
Jewish Renaissance Meets Mediterranean Emilie Posner Haas was born and raised in Buckhead before spreading her wings in the New York City fashion industry. She Marcia did marketing Caller Jaffe and public relations for designers Perry Ellis, Georgio Sant’Angelo and Daniel Hechter. She started her career at Rich’s here in 1968. Fast forward to marriage and family before uniting with urologist Dr. Joe Haas (who passed away in 2018) after a 32-year break, initially meeting at The Temple Sunday school. “‘Unique’ is a great way to define how Joe and I got engaged at The Varsity, had Krispy Kreme donuts, then married in Vegas."
After retiring from a career selling residential real estate, Haas remarked, “When Joe and I stepped into the front door here in 2005, we both gave the thumbs up, even before looking around.” The result is a home design that comes out swinging, captivatingly offbeat in a swirl of Old-World Romance. The arched doorways have unique moldings into expansive rooms. Tour Old Roma: Jaffe: What about this property “sold” you? Haas: The house is 7,000 square feet, and the master is on the main level. I was most impressed to find a level walkout backyard in Brookhaven. We created paradise with a pool and total privacy. We enclosed the loggia, which has the original bricks from the house used as the floor. Jaffe: Many incredible things were included when you bought the house?
Haas: Barbara Ames was the builder and former resident. Much of the lighting was here: the amber chandelier in the dining room, drapes and farmhouse sinks. The unusual beams in the “keeping room” are actually plaster, not wood. Joe did contribute the Waterford chandelier in the master bedroom from his former house. Jaffe: What goes on in this elongated 35-foot kitchen? Haas: Certainly not me cooking. We have a tongue-in-cheek print of The Last Supper, and then various Hollywood stars like Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. Jaffe: Your daughter is a Hollywood actor?
Haas: I spent seven years in California with my daughter, Alyson Hannigan, helping pursue her career in acting. In Los Angeles, she has had roles in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and the “American Pie” trilogy. She is presently the host and a producer of “Penn & Teller: Fool Us.” Jaffe: Describe the ambiance here. Haas: I answer to “quirky or unique.” There are things from David’s Interiors, estate sales, Goodwill, an antique roll top desk, armoires and mid-century modern mixed in. There is a framed Hermes scarf ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JUNE 30, 2021 | 37
