Master Class

The dining room is enveloped in Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace. A table from Holland MacRae rests atop an Aubusson rug from Keivan Woven Arts, while vintage chairs were reupholstered by Bjork Studio. The tabletop decor is by Boxwoods Gardens & Gifts.

Originally designed by Neel Reid, the 1922 Georgian Revival estate is a crown jewel of Buckhead.

Guests enter the home through a welcoming foyer that features a de Gournay wallpaper, available through Ainsworth-Noah. 

Randy Korando of Boxwoods Gardens & Gifts created the elevated flower arrangements for the dining room table. The magnificent chandelier was the clients’ own.

“I was always trying to balance the formality with livability.” —Carole Weaks

The living room’s holiday decorations are festive, yet elegantly understated with greenery and a wreath featuring vintage ornaments designed by Randy Korando of Boxwoods Gardens & Gifts. Custom-made slipper chairs are upholstered in a Clarence House fabric, available through Jerry Pair, and the curtain fabric is by Hodsoll McKenzie through Ainsworth-Noah.

In the sunroom, the family’s dog Teddy, nestles atop a custom sofa by Bjork Studio. The room is grounded by a rug from Stark, and the ottoman is upholstered in a Madeaux fabric, available through Ainsworth-Noah.

In the sunroom, the family’s dog Teddy, nestles atop a custom sofa by Bjork Studio. The room is grounded by a rug from Stark, and the ottoman is upholstered in a Madeaux fabric, available through Ainsworth-Noah.

In the breakfast room, a New Classics table is surrounded by chairs from Charles Stewart. The rug is from Sullivan Fine Rugs and the hanging fixture is from The Big Chandelier.

The kitchen features custom duck egg blue cabinetry by Design Galleria Kitchen & Bath Studio and a La Cornue range. Pendants from Remains Lighting Company illuminate the space.

The kitchen features custom duck egg blue cabinetry by Design Galleria Kitchen & Bath Studio and a La Cornue range. Pendants from Remains Lighting Company illuminate the space.

The petite powder room features an elegant floral wallcovering by Osborne & Little through Ainsworth-Noah. Original to the homeowners, the vanity is a demilune cabinet that was retrofitted for the powder room.

In the family room addition, chairs and a sofa by Wesley Hall create an intimate conversation area. The wooden wingback chair, upholstered in an Anna French fabric, originally belonged to the homeowner’s mother.

Interior designer Carole Weaks selected artwork by Helen Hobbs to complement the other blush-tone elements in the primary bathroom.

The bedroom’s pretty lavender palette creates a luxurious retreat. The Ironies bed, available through Jerry Pair, creates a magical focal point in the space.

In the primary bedroom, a sitting area in front of one of the home’s original fireplaces features a pair of chairs and ottoman upholstered in a Manuel Canovas fabric, available through Cowtan & Tout.

The estate is surrounded by verdant gardens and water features.

A pavilion on the property is attributed to legendary architect Philip Shutze.

Two symmetrical additions designed by architect Yong Pak gracefully connect the interior spaces with the outside, yet honor architect Neel Reid’s original intent.

Celebrated Atlanta interior designer Carole Weaks and esteemed architect Yong Pak are no strangers to having worked on some of the city’s most admired residences over the years.

The two were recently brought together to collaborate on the restoration and renovation of their clients’ 1922 Neel Reid-designed Georgian Revival estate, a home that is considered a crown jewel along one of Buckhead’s most coveted streets. And although the home’s exterior evokes a distinct air of formality, it’s not stiff or stuffy; a gracious elegance exudes from its facade.

Working on the project required more than mere decoration from Weaks and Pak. Because the family’s lifestyle is nothing of the sort of family who may have lived there in the early 1900s, the two design professionals had to rethink much of the 100-year-old home to bring it up to 21st-century standards. Additionally, in its previous incarnation, many of the fixed items—from plumbing fixtures to lighting—were either ornate or heavily adorned (or both). Simplifying became Weaks’ mantra. “I was always trying to balance the formality with livability,” she says.

Outside, the home benefited from a beautiful landscape, particularly the pool area. However, the back of the residence felt completely disconnected to the exteriors, so Pak devised two new symmetrical additions—a new family room as well as a covered porch—that creates a U-shape that embraces the outdoors like never before. When embarking on renovating older homes, Pak always asks: What was the original design? What was the architect’s original intent? Answers to those questions often guide his design direction.

“You really can’t tell from the street that we did anything to the house from the front,” says Pak. “Typically, with historic homes, you try not to mess with the front if it’s done well. It’s usually the back of the house that we reorganize to create a modern lifestyle.”

Back inside, Weaks devised sumptuous interiors using a soft, hushed palette. “The wife loves blush, so we really stayed away from strong colors,” she says. Along with pinks, soft corals, blues and teals are interspersed throughout. The cornflower blue living room was inspired by a room that the couple saw in France, and Weaks was able to match it as closely as possible.

And with historic projects like this, Weaks strives to get the mix just right. “We were able to really bring a traditional feel to the house which was appropriate,” says Weaks, “but in a younger, fresher way.”

INTERIOR DESIGN Carole Weaks, C. Weaks Interiors, (404) 233-6040; cweaksint.com ARCHITECT Yong Pak, Pak Heydt & Associates, (404) 231-3195; pakheydt.com BUILDER & CONTRACTOR Ladisic Fine Homes, Inc., (404) 495-0708; ladisicfinehomes.com