Opposites Attract

The breakfast room—part of an addition designed by Spitzmiller & Norris that also includes a family living area and screened-in porch—plays an essential role in the family’s everyday life and even festive occasions, such as the young daughter’s birthday party.

For the game room, Musso Design Group designed a travertine bistro table that has since become one of their signature furniture designs.

The homeowners sought a space that would encourage an indoor/outdoor lifestyle; NanaWall’s bifold doors between the living area and screened-in porch increase the scope of living space many months of the year.

The architects and interior designers struck a balance between traditional tastes and modern design in the living room with streamlined furnishings anchored by walls wrapped in shiplap.

The Musso-designed bistro table, here executed in marble, creates an intimate work area when pulled up to a window seat.

In a cozy study that was formerly the living room, a ship model nods to the couple’s love for sailing. Wooden boxes with the surprise of red lacquer inside are mounted on the wall for storage.

Black lacquered walls envelop the game room. “There were three somewhat disparate pieces we needed to incorporate: a painting from New Orleans, a mustard velvet chair and a large armoire made by the wife’s grandfather,” says van den Bergh. Adds Musso, “The common thread is they all have a French feel to them.” A Cassina chair, originally designed by Gerrit Rietveld in the 1930s, adds another bold punctuation point.

The dining room is framed by ombré drapery panels that shift from natural linen to indigo. The room illustrates Musso Design Group’s deft hand for mixing traditional and contemporary elements, with silver-leaf consoles, a vintage chandelier, antiqued mirrors etched by artisan Amy Smith in a Rothko-like pattern, a silk mural wallcovering from Armani Casa and a dining room table that was brought down from the homeowners’ Maryland house. “It’s a bit of everything old, new, borrowed and blue,” says Musso.

The dining room is framed by ombré drapery panels that shift from natural linen to indigo. The room illustrates Musso Design Group’s deft hand for mixing traditional and contemporary elements, with silver-leaf consoles, a vintage chandelier, antiqued mirrors etched by artisan Amy Smith in a Rothko-like pattern, a silk mural wallcovering from Armani Casa and a dining room table that was brought down from the homeowners’ Maryland house. “It’s a bit of everything old, new, borrowed and blue,” says Musso.

Many of the service area’s details were designed with Oscar, the family’s bichon frise, in mind. Greg DeLoach, the project’s contractor, charred barn doors in the mudroom and laundry area with a Japanese method called shou sugi ban to give the wood a deep charcoal appearance and highlight the grain.

Although the master bedroom wasn’t initially marked for redecoration, ultimately it, too, received the Musso touch. A tall drapery panel, a mirrored screen from Logan Gardens and an undulating headboard created a tiered effect. “We love the idea of playing with layers rather than strong pattern to add interest,” says van den Bergh. The architectural photograph is by Anderson & Low from Jackson Fine Art.

To create the feeling of a cohesive living space, Musso Design Group’s color palette—along with a few bursts of chevron pattern—travels from the family room to the screened-in porch. Chaise longues on the loggia echo a daybed designed by Musso. Suspended from the ceiling, it is a modern nod to a porch swing but roomy enough to accommodate afternoon naps.

To create the feeling of a cohesive living space, Musso Design Group’s color palette—along with a few bursts of chevron pattern—travels from the family room to the screened-in porch. Chaise longues on the loggia echo a daybed designed by Musso. Suspended from the ceiling, it is a modern nod to a porch swing but roomy enough to accommodate afternoon naps.

The renovation of this Buckhead house had all the potential for a gripping reality television show. The Southern-born husband leaned firmly in the traditional camp, while the wife, whose roots are in France, desired a look that was sleek and more contemporary. Enter a duo of residential designers known for their classical architecture prowess, who had conceived the house’s plans 30 years prior but hadn’t been involved in their execution and were less than pleased with what had been constructed. Then hire interior designers who describe their firm’s work as streamlined and edited, who can practically finish each other’s sentences but also freely admit they don’t always see things the same way. Surely a few sparks were destined to fly.

While initially the homeowners’ goal was to redo the kitchen and add on a family living area and screened-in porch that would be open and light-filled, the scope of the project eventually spilled into almost every corner of the house. For Frederick Spitzmiller and Robert Norris of Spitzmiller & Norris, revisiting a house they had envisioned all those years ago proved to be immensely satisfying. “The bones and floor plan were good, but a number of the details had been misapplied or exaggerated,” Norris says. “This was the opportunity to make it right.” As they were designing the addition, they corrected many of the exterior and interior elements, often just by going back to their original drawings. However, they also incorporated a few architectural surprises, collaborating with interior designers Bill Musso and Seth van den Bergh of Musso Design Group on details such as steel-wrapped fireplaces in the kitchen and addition. “The homeowners were open-minded about rethinking room designations and letting their house be read in a different way than it was presented to them when they purchased it,” says Spitzmiller.

For Musso and van den Bergh, the challenge was to meld the couple’s aesthetic differences to create a scheme that would flow seamlessly from room to room. One aspect the clients agreed upon from the start: They wanted the addition to be conducive and convertible to indoor/outdoor living. “Once we established the look of the addition, we didn’t want there to be a disconnect between what was new and what was existing,” says Musso. The wife remained firm about wanting a pared-down approach with clean lines and a restrained palette, which fell right in line with the designers’ own sensibilities. But throughout, the designers always kept the husband’s preferences in mind. “They both share a love of the water and sailing, so we found that any time we could give things a slightly nautical spin, he would be happy,” says van den Bergh. Adds Musso: “Having an architectural framework that was mostly traditional helped bridge the gap as well.”

Ultimately the collaboration would not result in a mid-episode meltdown or anyone being “voted off the island.” “Because there were always a number of design opinions and options around the table, the clients never felt they were being talked into any one particular point of view,” says van den Bergh. Indeed, after a two-year process that all involved describe as collegial, the only reality here is a house that truly fits the family who lives in it to a T and is a testament to the fact that a little design give-and-take doesn’t have to mean compromising anything in serious style.

INTERIOR DESIGN Bill Musso and Seth van den Bergh, Musso Design Group RESIDENTIAL DESIGN Frederick Spitzmiller and Robert Norris, Spitzmiller & Norris, (404) 812-0224; spitzmillerandnorris.com