Best of Both Worlds

The zebra-skin rug in the couple’s sitting room was picked up three years ago on a trip to Capetown, South Africa, and eagerly whisked home to the States, where Loughlin planned to use it at her mountain retreat. Instead, she opted to let it jazz up her condo’s more traditional decor. High-contrast accents like these suit Loughlin’s design philosophy well; she likes to add a little whimsy to every design.­­­ The blue floral Brunschwig & Fils fabric on the chairs was selected to pick up the colors in the exquisite Jean de Botton painting above the sitting room sofa.

The English secretary—as well as the small bronze French clock—belonged to the designer’s mother-in-law.

Ceramic birds by artist Dorothy Doughty surround a chic oval mirror, its antiqued glass mimicking that of the wall beyond.

When they moved into their condo from a family home off Northside Drive two years ago, the Loughlins had to downsize significantly, first putting things into storage and then doling out the surplus to the six children they have between them. “We knew we wanted to downsize, but we had no idea that we were going to try to get into 1,200 square feet!” says Loughlin. To make the smaller space appear larger, she had antiqued mirrors installed on several walls, adding ample doses of character in the process. The large oil painting is by Marcel Dyf.

The condo’s kitchen, which Loughlin likens to that of a New York pied-à-terre or London flat, is all about efficiency. “My architect, Steve McLanahan, and builder, Carsten Jensen, did a fabulous job of working with me to get every square inch out of the space,” says Loughlin. “I mean, we were down to inches.”

Wallpaper, Farrow & Ball. Custom monogrammed linens, Gramercy Home. Rug, Designer Carpets.

The master bedroom is replete with soft fabrics and soothing neutrals to play up the Loughlins’ nesting instincts—always a clever design tactic for a small space.

The tall red candle holders flanking the front steps are curious but intriguing to all who stop by. Loughlin found them at a local Tiger shop, Timpson Creek Gallery, and admired them from afar until a friend gave them to her for her birthday.

While the Loughlins’ Atlanta kitchen is small (“It’s a drop-in-for-drinks sort of place”), the couple knew that Tiger Lodge would be the perfect place to host family and friends for big get-togethers. The spacious dining room—complete with a large dining table—provides a welcoming spot for their group to convene over long meals. The Arts and Crafts-style hanging fixture, dining table and chairs were original to the house.

For the kitchen at Tiger Lodge, Loughlin enlisted the talents of residential designer Steve McClanahan of Atlanta, and kitchen designer Craig Kettles of Lakemont, Georgia, to realize her vision of a charming, functionally up-to-date space. Then, Tiger-based builder Chuck Moore, of Charles Moore Builders Inc., worked with Loughlin to achieve the polished final result.

The classic Hickory furniture on the covered porch was original to the house; it once served as the living room furniture of this rustic hunting lodge-turned-mountain retreat.The beadboard that wraps around the lodge’s interior was a design signature from day one. When the house was renovated and reconfigured, the beadboard was carefully taken off of the walls, then inventoried and cataloged. Later, it was put back up and re-stained, so the space retains all of its classic qualities, all these decades later.

Glass-paned French doors—relocated from the dining area—now divide the master bedroom from the master bath; because the latter was originally a sitting room, it still has a fireplace as its focal point. “The whole flow is great,” says Loughlin, “It’s like being at camp!”

IN SEASON… Oddly enough, our favorite season to be in Tiger is winter. I love to just light a fire and sit and read; to me, it’s heaven. We’ve traveled to lots of places, enough to know that there’s no place I’d rather be in October, November and December than in Tiger, Georgia. It’s beautiful.

Though it requires constant shuttling along I-985, Atlanta designer Linda Beth Loughlin and her husband, Ed, are perfectly happy resting their heads in two places. The empty nesters split their time between a modestly sized city home and a quaint country abode that they’ve lovingly dubbed “Tiger Lodge.” Located 100 miles outside Atlanta in Tiger, Georgia, the former hunting lodge—built in 1913 by a group of gentlemen who made the trek to North Georgia to hunt bear and turkey—has served as the Loughlins’ mountain retreat for nearly 20 years. Situated on 100 picturesque acres of apple and fruit orchards, it’s here in the country that the two enjoy taking walks, visiting neighbors and dining at pared-down local eateries. Once back in town, they hunker down at posh Muscogee Avenue, a fabled Buckhead neighborhood that touts some of the city’s most refined homes and talented designers.

Though divergent, the two homes are an inspirational boon to Loughlin’s decorating, as playing to two styles can make shopping lots of fun. She always knows at which home a treasured piece will best fit. Neither does distance serve as a hindrance to the designer, who started her business in 1988—joined in 2004 by assistant Rhode Fraser—and has built up a devoted word-of-mouth following since. “I started out doing it for friends but, when my last son went off to school, I decided I would just sort of hang out my shingle,” she laughs. “And it has been wonderful to me. I have not had a client yet who hasn’t become a friend.”

With her business now headquartered at The Galleries of Peachtree Hills, she’s seeing it grow stronger than ever. But, the designer insists, that doesn’t mean she’s without plenty of time and energy to spare. “I’ve got clients everywhere, and I hate to turn anybody down.”

LINDA BETH ON HAVING TWO HAUNTS… I guess since I’m a Gemini, it’s easy to have this split personality about decorating. In Atlanta, I’m able to have something more formal—yet comfortable—but up in Tiger, it’s warm and relaxed. We love to sit on the porch with a good book, enjoy the view and just sort of be ‘country.’ I decorate all the time in Atlanta, so I like the idea that Tiger Lodge isn’t particularly ‘decorated.’ I don’t stress over making it perfect.

HAVEN HAPPENSTANCE… I have lived in Atlanta all my life and always loved this complex on Muscogee. And then one day—I don’t know why—I happened to call a friend who lived here and asked if anything was available. She said there was one and that we needed to come get it in a hurry. And the rest is history.

ON PARING DOWN… Parting with certain pieces was one of the hardest things. But when you get down to deciding which things mean the most, it gets easier. The things that I thought I was going to miss the most, I love seeing in my children’s houses. Almost everything found a home, so it’s like I never had to leave them at all.

CITY LIVING… When we’re in town, we love to get together with friends for dinner, drinks or to go to a movie. We love La Grotta [Ristorante Italiano] and Café Lapin, and places in Virginia-Highland. Have you tried La Tavola? Delicious.

TIME IN TIGER… When I’m not relaxing at the house, I love to walk around the orchard. There are 100 acres of property divided among four families and the common area is all apples. It’s probably about a mile, or a mile-and-a-half around the whole of it. Several of my friends have come to the house in Tiger and said the same thing—that Tiger Lodge has soul. It seems to have its own spirit—and that’s nothing I’ve done to it.

RECENT PURCHASE… I recently found a neat Black Forest clock that I can’t wait to use in Tiger. It fits the vibe perfectly.

ON ROUGHING IT… Sometimes I feel like I’m hermetically sealed in Atlanta. You go from your air-conditioned house to your air-conditioned car to your air-conditioned office to your air-conditioned shop. In Tiger, where it’s about eight degrees cooler, we have fans in every room and, like most old houses, it was built to catch the breezes and light. Even if it’s warmer, I like to open all the windows and doors and just let it be breezy.

STICKING POINT… Everyone wanted to get rid of the fireplace [in the master bath at Tiger Lodge], but I couldn’t stand to lose it. So we designed around it and put in a ventless old-fashioned gas stove. If I had it to do all over again, I would figure out a way to fit a tub in there. With the configuration, there wasn’t really room…but I’d work it out.

FRUITS OF HARVEST… Apple time is in October. Bob and Sterling Massee, our resident pomologists, cultivate nearly 15 varieties and provide us baskets upon baskets of them. I love to make apple crostata; the kitchen is great for cooking. In addition to apples, we have blackberries and peaches and raspberries and apricots and all of this fabulous corn. It’s like a little paradise.