Going for the Bold

Fabrics by Jim Thompson, Porter Teleo, Perennials and Link Outdoor add graphic and colorful whimsy to the front porch of the renovated Virginia-Highland home.

Antique pieces from around the world, including an African sculpture on the coffee table, mix with new contemporary furniture to give the home a collected feel; Cantrell paired the homeowner’s existing pieces, such as an original womb chair by Eero Saarinen, with modern selections from Design Within Reach and Cantoni.

The kitchen is all about contrast, thanks to counters sourced from Associated Imports and a tile backsplash from Materials Marketing.

The dining room is a captivating space featuring a Muriel bubble chandelier from Oly, custom furniture, and the homeowner’s existing acrylic and chrome chairs.

There’s a whisper of soft blue in the master bedroom, seen in the custom rug from Verde Home and window treatments made by Home Accent Design using Pindler fabric.

Elle Cantrell knew early on that interior design was in her future. Starting at 4 years old, she helped her family’s designer choose final selections for their home.

“Our designer was so wonderful and I think saw from an early age that I was creative,” she says. “She really motivated me from a young age to get interested and stay interested in design.”

Today, Cantrell’s contemporary style, punctuated with masculine and graphic elements, can be seen in the black, white and gray palette of a recent Virginia-Highland renovation.

Although her interest was sparked in childhood, Cantrell honed her design sense at SCAD Atlanta, where she worked with such noted architects and designers as Keith Summerour and Joel Kelly. She interned with Summerour’s firm, working with Yvonne McFadden, and then joined McFadden in her new firm after graduating with a bachelor’s in interior design in 2011.

Cantrell’s education and experiences paved the way for her to lead the interiors department at Redefined Home Boutique and launch her own firm, Elle Du Monde.

When renovating this early 1900s Virginia-Highland home for homeowner Laura Boone, co-owner of Turnerboone commercial interiors, she selected a bold wallpaper, from Cole & Son’s Fornasetti collection, inspired by the ripples of semiprecious stone.

“Because we were painting all of her other walls white, we had the opportunity to interlace pieces like this to really give character and personality,” Cantrell says.

From the wallpaper to a white antler sconce and neon coral front door, Cantrell embraced the homeowner’s enthusiasm for daring design choices. She felt she hit the design jackpot with Boone’s existing artwork and furniture, including an Eero Saarinen-designed womb chair and a Noguchi Prismatic table. Combined with custom tables, rugs and cabinetry and stair hardware designed by Cantrell, the 2,300-square-foot home has a collected, authentic air.

“Every one of the pieces in her home, I would put in my home,” Cantrell says.

DECORATION Elle Cantrell, Redefined Home Boutique, (404) 815-7250 BUILDER Gary Collins, Southland Contracting Service DINING TABLE Rough South Home DINING ROOM LIGHTING Oly through Redefined Home Boutique WALLPAPER Fornasetti by Cole & Son through Lee Jofa MASTER BED TecnoSedia (Mokum alpaca mohair) MASTER BEDROOM TABLE Skylar Morgan Furniture + Design LIVING ROOM COFFEE TABLE, RECLINER AND NOGUCHI TABLE Design Within Reach PORCH DAYBED Bjork Studio (Perennials fabric)