The 2015 Home for the Holidays Showhouse: First Look

At Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles annual Home for the Holidays Show house, a newly constructed manor by Atlanta architecture firm Harrison Design, more than 20 leading interior designers have been asked to conjure up spaces that reflect their unique points of view. Jennifer Boles, author of In with the Old: Classic Décor from A-Z, and of lauded blog, Peak of Chic, shares her thoughts on a few common themes that have emerged from this individuality.

Along with a healthy dose of palate-cleansing neutrals, this year’s show house can be described in shades of blue, green and pink. John Oetgen went bold, accenting the dining room with vivid pink upholstered dining chairs, while Tish Mills opted for soft blush tones in one of the bedrooms. It was the moody blues that inspired both Lindsey Harper and Karen Ferguson, who enveloped their rooms—the family room and upstairs bedroom, respectively—in teal and navy. And the gallery, designed by Judy Bentley, revels in the holiday spirit, made all the more festive thanks to its sophisticated green walls.

For some designers, it is art rather than color that defines their spaces. Large-scaled paintings provide dramatic focal points in both Barbara Westbrook’s music room and Robert Brown’s breakfast nook, while salon-style groupings of small black-and-white pieces adorn the Steve McKenzie-designed stair hall. Meanwhile, delicate intaglios make a decorative statement in the side entry hall, where Heather Hogan Roberts massed them for maximum impact.

Pattern thrives in this year’s Showhouse. Fretwork wallpaper in Mallory Mathison Glenn’s bedroom has pizzazz, just like the fictional girl-about-town who inspired the room’s decor. And in what might be the most multi-functional room in the house, the studio, designed by Barbara Howard for Studio b, a fresh textile collection for Jim Thompson, has layer upon layer of geometric-print fabric, creating a stylish cocoon in which to work, dine and sleep.

The 2015 Home for the Holidays Showhouse is open Thursdays through Sundays, through December 13, 2015. Home for the Holidays is closed on Thanksgiving day. Valet and street parking is available. Tickets are available at select ticket outlets, as well as through atlantaholidayhome.com.

Photography by David Christensen