Classically Chic, Family Friendly

DESIGN BY JESSIE LAFALCE, NANDINA ATLANTA PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHELLY MARSHALL SCHMIDT

When two young busy professionals with two boys under the age of 6 acquired their home in historic Brookhaven, they were certain this would be their “forever home”. They wanted to design the interiors for real family life but with classic elegance. The home is a traditional brick colonial complete with Palladian windows, dormers, a central foyer and large-scale symmetrically placed rooms. They had no interest in opening walls as so many young couples do today. Instead, they wanted to maintain the classic traditional layout, knowing the architectural design is timeless and would sustain their family for many years to come.

Their first order of business was to redecorate the home’s three “formal” rooms, all positioned around a large central foyer. All fabrics needed to be durable enough to stand up to their playful boys and their friends but elegant enough for more formal entertaining. Because their preference is for traditional design, the approach from the beginning was to work with simple classic lines for the furniture and layout. That said, they certainly didn’t want anything in their home to look stuffy, boring or “cookie-cutter.” They were open to playing with pattern, texture, color and scale in order to insert a “wow” factor.

Immediately a sense of trust and collaboration developed with this couple. They saw us as design consultants and were open to uniquely creative elements inserted into the design. Not many clients embrace covering an entire room in a deep plum wood veneer wallpaper, but it proved to be one of their favorite design elements in the entire project. From the beginning the intent for this room was to make it more of an “adults only” space. Located right off the entry, it was probably originally used as a library or formal office. This family has no use for

either and instead, wanted to create an intimate lounge for two to four grownups to sit with a cocktail and converse before proceeding to dinner or out for a night on the town.

The primary living room, although formal enough for entertaining has furnishings, fabrics, and rugs that accommodate very young active boys. A large weathered coffee table allows for a mix of performance and sophisticated style, anchoring a room in which fun fabric applications on furniture and pillows catch the eye.

The dining room is another area where we used a table that can embrace a bit of wear and tear - when mixed with a glamorous chandelier, the room achieves the perfect blend of function and elegance.

The melding of traditional spaces with classically chic yet durable interiors is the perfect backdrop for this young family’s lifestyle.

BEHIND

the design

The most surprising element of design in this project is the lounge room. Typically, if we want a room to feel moody and sophisticated, our safe design choice is dark paint and/or wood paneled walls. This time the choice of a unique plum colored wood veneer wallcovering from Innovations nods to a historic wood paneled lounge, but is fun with a modern twist.

Caramel-colored leather tufted club chairs are the typical choice for a moody library/lounge room, but selecting chairs with angular metal frames in an antique brass finish give a younger more modern spin to the design. The bold, black lacquered linen credenza serves as a bar and is hand crafted by Currey & Company. The Made Goods mirror is shagreened but is reminiscent of a traditional starburst. Classic, shaded gold leaf wall sconces are by Regina Andrew. Adding a modern bookcase in the room does allow for grabbing a book and enjoying a quiet read with a glass of wine after a long day. The cream-colored cowhide used on the floor, adds a touch of organic contrast to the otherwise formal elements in the room. This couple may love classic design, but they definitely don’t take themselves too seriously, and they want their home to be an expression of their personalities… welcoming, stylish, and fun!

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THE BEAUTY OF

Functional Design

“The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live. It is about the realities of what makes for an attractive, civilized, meaningful environment, not about fashion or what’s in or what’s out. This is not an easy job.”

- Albert Hadley

A home is so much more than a beautiful showroom of perfectly placed furniture, rugs, art, and accessories. If well designed, every space within the home will serve the needs of those that dwell within it. A functional design addresses all areas of you and your family's daily activities. Great functional design is based on how you specifically want to live in a space. Do you want to be able to serve a dinner party for ten, or have a quick family meal around an island? Do you want large gathering spaces or quiet little hide away nooks for reading or both? Do you have young children, or are you aging in place in your last home? Functional design addresses all of the above and much, much more. It can range from how your closet is laid out to how many people can sit in a room and comfortably watch a football game. Often the Instagram photo that gets the most likes (or heart eyes emoji) is a picture of some incredible example of beautiful functional design – a decked out master bedroom closet, a multipurpose bunk bed system for young children, or the most amazing working pantry you have ever seen.

We all desire to live in spaces that are organized, comfortable, easy to navigate, safe, and support our daily living. Should we expect to have that level of function in our homes, without sacrificing beautiful interiors that bring us joy? We say yes! – That is the purpose and the goal of beautiful, functional design.