Trusted Instincts

A contemporary banquette and a series of antique oils are smartly juxtaposed in the breakfast nook. The chrome-and-glass dining table is a vintage find, while the quatrefoil drum fixture is from Ainsworth-Noah. Painting, Huff Harrington Fine Art.

The verdant and perfectly manicured backyard features Mondo grass-accented lattice stonework, a luxurious soaking pool and a spread of artificial turf, which stays lush despite the lack of sunlight. It’s made “a world of difference for us,” says Debra about the material, which helps maximize the space to its fullest potential.

“We love to open up the doors and have our parties blend outside,” says Debra, who often hosts al fresco affairs in the ivy-clad back yard.

The covered porch is frequented by guests, including colleagues, family and friends. Here, an outdoor sofa by Lane Venture, through Logan Gardens, is joined by a custom quartzite table fabricated by Iron Studio, a duo of Casamidy “Opera” chairs and a contemporary sunburst mirror from Gramercy Home.

A contemporary banquette and a series of antique oils are smartly juxtaposed in the breakfast nook. The chrome-and-glass dining table is a vintage find, while the quatrefoil drum fixture is from Ainsworth-Noah. Painting, Huff Harrington Fine Art.

The custom mirrored chests in the master were fabricated by a North Carolina artisan; the alabaster lamps are from The Mercantile. Tufted leather bed, Bungalow Classic. Bedding, Gramercy Home. Framed works on paper, Huff Harrington Fine Art. Armoire, Noir.

The custom mirrored chests in the master were fabricated by a North Carolina artisan; the alabaster lamps are from The Mercantile. Tufted leather bed, Bungalow Classic. Bedding, Gramercy Home. Framed works on paper, Huff Harrington Fine Art. Armoire, Noir.

In the master bath, an existing vanity complements the strong architecture seen throughout the home. The charming wooly stool-perhaps Mason’s favorite object in the whole house-was sourced from Emporium Home.

Heath created a spa-like retreat in an upstairs guest bedroom treated with pale aqua and celery green. Here, a burlap bed from Noir, sourced through The Mercantile, is flanked by two glossy white chests from Bungalow 5, turquoise table lamps by Arteriors Home and a pair of silverleafed mirrors by Bunny Williams for Mirror Image. The window treatment is No.9 Thompson’s Bamboozle.

Heath created a spa-like retreat in an upstairs guest bedroom treated with pale aqua and celery green. Here, a burlap bed from Noir, sourced through The Mercantile, is flanked by two glossy white chests from Bungalow 5, turquoise table lamps by Arteriors Home and a pair of silverleafed mirrors by Bunny Williams for Mirror Image. The window treatment is No.9 Thompson’s Bamboozle.

The living room features a pair of tall iron floor lamps by Amy Howard Home that flank a white sofa custom designed by Atlanta’s Bjork Studio. Low-slung but deep, it sidles up to a custom mirrored cocktail table handcrafted by a North Carolina artisan and a silk rug from Designer Carpets that designer Barbara Heath likens to “a typography shot in silvers and ivories.”

“As soon as I saw the house, I knew it was right for us. It was love at first sight,” says homeowner Debra McDavid.

In the living room, a Lillian August wing chair is greeted by a silverleafed Hickory White console and a white glass table lamp from The Mercantile. The Lucite-base slipper chairs are by Amy Howard Home, but altered by Bjork Studio to have thinner box cushions. Although this particular painting is from The Mercantile, much of the artwork throughout the home was sourced from Huff Harrington Fine Art; its co-owner, Meg Harrington, is the McDavids’ neighbor and friend.

There’s a nugget of conventional wisdom that holds especially true for those on the quest for their dream home: “You’ll know it when you see it.” Never had that adage felt more true for local songstress-turned-actress Debra McDavid until she happened upon the dwelling she now shares with her husband, Tom, and their 3-year-old son, Mason, located in Brookhaven close to the Capital City Country Club.

Debra deserves credit for discovering the McDavid residence; she spied the for-sale sign on a cycling jaunt around the neighborhood in 2011, about a year after the former Emily Giffin residence made a cameo in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles. “As soon as I saw it, I knew it was right for us,” Debra insists. “It was love at first sight.”

The home’s fetching architecture required an equally adept designer to fashion its interiors. Enter Barbara Heath, owner of beloved Brookhaven boutique The Mercantile, who is also a seasoned designer in her own right. “The McDavids wanted something lighter than their previous Atlanta house,” says Heath. “They truly wanted a contemporary feel, but very approachable. There is nothing about this white and silver living room that does not invite you in.”

Balancing the homeowners wishes for white upholstery with the reality that a 3-year-old would be sharing close quarters, Heath selected Perennials outdoor fabrics to help whisk away worries about chocolate stains. In fact, practically every design decision was made with the couple’s little one in mind. A Barbara Barry coffee table in the family room, newly topped with an indestructible slab of custom concrete by DEX Industries, was one such stroke of genius.

“Tom and I really do love design, and Barbara was such a wonderful collaborator,” says Debra. “The three of us naturally had so many ideas in common, but she continued to suggest things we never would have thought of.”

Take the living room sofa, constructed by Bjork Studio to be at once low and deep. It achieves the profile Tom desired while keeping the picture windows beautifully unobstructed. A square mirrored coffee table balances its imposing dimensions while reflecting the room’s silken rug for added shine.

Similar glamour can be found in the master, complete with mirrored chests and intriguing textures—from a handwoven pillow by the local abíla atelier to a towering Noir cabinet used to stow extra blankets. These elements harmonize with the interior architecture while providing quiet contrasts to the simple draperies and sleek leather bed.

An upstairs guest room, which connects to Mason’s via a Jack-and-Jill bath, boasts a Moroccan-inspired bed upholstered in burlap, an exquisite Schumacher floral accenting a wing chair and drapery panels fabricated with No.9 Thompson’s playful Bamboozle textile.

Textiles were no doubt a defining point in this home. But while outdoor versions were used liberally indoors, the concept was just as bravely inversed for the exterior. Case in point: The couple flipped the concept 180 degrees when they selected an exquisite silk ikat for a pair of Casamidy sitters on the porch. It’s a choice that’s required extra care, but for a pair who entertains as often as these two, it was perfect.

“We love to open up the doors and have our parties blend outside,” says Debra, who often hosts al fresco affairs in the ivy-clad back yard—accented by a soaking pool, latticed Mondo grass-and-stone court and, thanks to the ingenuity of Hamilton Landscaping, a spread of artificial turf in its shadiest spot. “It’s been a fantastic redo for us. We can use our home to its fullest now, and Barbara’s helped make it all possible.”

INTERIOR DESIGN Barbara Heath, The Mercantile, (404) 816-0060; mercantileatlanta.com