An Old-is-New-Again Ansley Park Home is a Swanky City Retreat for a Client Who Lives in Pastoral Serenbe

In the dining room, the brass-and-crystal palm chandelier from Ainsworth-Noah makes a dramatic statement against existing high-gloss green walls. The rug is from Moattar and the dining table is Century through Mathews Furniture + Design.

Architect Greg Busch gave the home a major facelift, replacing old double-hung windows with French-style windows and adding tailored shutters.

Conversation flows easily in a front sitting room, where chairs from Hickory Chair surround a Century cocktail table. Other design standouts include a brass-and-crystal Visual Comfort & Co. chandelier and an antique screen.

The kitchen offered great bones thanks to a previous redesign by Karpaty and designer Shayelyn Woodbery. Don Easterling and Nina Long of Mathews Design Group edged the island with counterstools from Hickory Chair through Mathews Furniture + Design and anchored the space with Visual Comfort & Co. pendants.

The dining nook begs lingering thanks to custom banquette seating swathed in a velvet Schumacher fabric.

The family room exudes soft elegance, with focal points like a cocktail ottoman wrapped in Colefax and Fowler fabric, Hickory Chair damask linen chairs with embroidered Holland & Sherry pillows, and artwork over the mantel from Anne Irwin Fine Art.

The bar area is a perfect place to make and sip a drink from William Yeoward coupe glasses.

The primary bedroom stands out for its unique bed canopy with a Schumacher stripe and GP & J Baker embroidery, which is repeated on the draperies. The nightstands and bed are Hickory Chair through Mathews Furniture + Design.

The primary bedroom’s showpiece black armoire from Jerry Pair is so large that it had to be lifted through a window.

The designers added unexpected accents to the existing primary bath. “The client wanted texture on the walls, so we added pretty, shimmery grasscloth to break up the white, and antique English oil paintings to bring in the colors of the bedroom,” says Long.

The designers added unexpected accents to the existing primary bath. “The client wanted texture on the walls, so we added pretty, shimmery grasscloth to break up the white, and antique English oil paintings to bring in the colors of the bedroom,” says Long.

Easterling and Long went all out on pattern in the guest room, fitting it with a plum-hued headboard by Hickory Chair, contrasting patterned Iksel by Schumacher wallpaper and floral Pierre Frey draperies.

The office is wrapped in a dreamy chinoiserie Schumacher wallpaper and anchored by a cane daybed from Old Biscayne Designs. “It’s very feminine but with French influences,” says Long.

Designers Don Easterling and Nina Long’s longtime client of 25 years, who primarily lives in bucolic Serenbe, recently purchased an old home in Midtown Atlanta’s historic Ansley Park neighborhood. Heavily involved in Atlanta’s arts scene, she desired a city abode where she could continue her philanthropic work, rest, and entertain. “She wanted this to be her pied-à-terre in the city,” says Easterling, “a house that she visits every few weeks, instead of staying at the Four Seasons.”

Previously renovated by Shayelyn Woodbery in collaboration with architect Greg Busch and John Willis Custom Homes, the early-1900s house—with Easterling and Long’s playful wallcoverings, glamorous light fixtures, and luxurious fabrics and furnishings—now rivals any swanky hotel. “Before, it was pretty tired and in need of the things that all new houses need, like the rooms and closets were too small,” says Busch. “We wanted it cleaner and went European with it. There wasn’t much we didn’t touch.” During the transformation, the team replaced the former double-hung windows with French-style windows, added more tailored shutters, and also created a porch at the back of the home that allowed them to expand the upstairs primary suite. “It was a well-done, tailored house and made it much easier for someone to move in,” says Busch. “A lot of times you move into these old houses, and you have to spend months working on them.”

“The house had really great bones thanks to Greg and Shayelyn—their specs gave us a great canvas,” says Long. The designers swathed the home in beautiful patterns and rich fabrics, leaning into the home’s original Art Deco and French Modern vibes. “When you walk in the front door, the existing antique light fixture has a Deco feel, so we took that influence and ran with it,” says Long. “Since it’s not the client’s full-time house, we could take risks and make it a special-occasion place where she could host parties and dinners.”

Topping those whimsical risks is an exquisite brass-and-crystal palm-leaf chandelier that now accentuates the dining room’s existing high-gloss green walls. “That room is the first thing you see when you come in the door, and it’s ‘wow,’” says Long. A bar cart from England adds a glam touch for entertaining.

It’s easy to imagine having cocktails and conversation in the living room, where French Modern influences reign with a brass light fixture, rich, velvet-covered chairs, and an antique screen. The family room also exudes soft elegance, with focal points like a channel-back sofa wrapped in antiqued-velvet and damask linen accent chairs that tone down the formality. Even the office flaunts European style, with dreamy chinoiserie wallpaper and a cane daybed that tempts one to pause for a nap.

The primary bedroom stands out for its floral-patterned canopy above the bed, with the same pattern repeated on the draperies. “I love everything about this room. It has the vibes of a high-end hotel room,” says Easterling. Though it didn’t come without challenges: The room’s showpiece black armoire is so large that it had to be lifted through a window.

In the nearby guest bedroom, the designers dramatically shifted the color story by fitting it with a plum-hued headboard and contrasting patterned wallpaper and draperies for visual interest.

And for the homeowner and their guests, the finished house is now a welcome respite in the city. “The home is a space for entertaining, but also unwinding,” says Long. “You have the arts and restaurants at your fingertips, but you also feel like you’re a million miles away.”

INTERIOR DESIGN Don Easterling + Nina Long, Mathews Design Group, (404) 237-8271; mathewsfurniture.com ARCHITECT Greg Busch, Greg Busch Architects, (404) 252-8073; gregbusch.com BUILDER John Willis Custom Homes, johnwilliscustomhomes.com PREVIOUS INTERIOR SPECIFICATIONS Shayelyn Woodbery, Shayelyn Woodbery Interiors,
404-271-5161; shayelyn.com