Classic Beauty

The living room, reserved mostly for entertaining, is punctuated with softer flourishes. The homeowners found the antique mirror on 1stDibs. 

In a stroke of serendipity, interior designer Emily Wyatt had purchased a collection of black-and-white Georgian architectural prints while traveling through England years before. They’re now perfectly at home in the living room.

In the sunroom, out-of-character windows were replaced with graceful arched windows and doors. Their charm is matched with trellis accents and a chinoiserie-inspired mural by artist Mary Meade Evans.

In the sunroom, out-of-character windows were replaced with graceful arched windows and doors. Their charm is matched with trellis accents and a chinoiserie-inspired mural by artist Mary Meade Evans.

A peaceful and airy pastoral mural by Susan Harter serves as the pièce de résistance of the dining room. A wood table from Holland MacRae helps ground the space as do antique chairs from A. Tyner Antiques. 

A peaceful and airy pastoral mural by Susan Harter serves as the pièce de résistance of the dining room. A wood table from Holland MacRae helps ground the space as do antique chairs from A. Tyner Antiques. 

In the kitchen, a tonal color scheme keeps the vibe fresh while an arrangement of pewter plates adds a sense of history. The cabinetry is by Trinity Woodworks.

To give the breakfast nook a special sense of distinction, the ceiling was lowered to 8 feet. The custom table—designed with a top from Holland MacRae and base by Iron Studio—was inspired by a bistro table the couple had fallen in love with while traveling.

In keeping with the home’s Georgian aesthetic, a dutch door in the family room is dressed with curtains to match the fixed window on the other end of the fireplace.

To conceal the television, Wyatt commissioned bifold doors above the mantel that double as art frames. The paper paintings are by April Sanders, purchased through Well + Wonder.  

All furnishings—save for two chairs that were placed in the study—were newly acquired, and the homeowners enjoyed their turn at being purveyors. “They played a big part in the antiques in the home,” says Wyatt.

A cramped hallway was reconfigured to make way for a glamorous navy lacquer bar, which connects the original part of the home to the new addition.

The home’s original blueprints were framed to display in the stu

A custom Stark rug anchors the primary bedroom, whose serene color palette was inspired by the whimsical drapery featuring Schumacher’s Cloud Toile fabric.

A vintage-inspired floral fabric by Lulie Wallace adds a playful touch in the daughter’s bedroom. 

The fabric is carried into the primary bath as a valance above a soaking tub from Waterworks. The art is by Whitney Stoddard and the flooring is from Renaissance Tile & Bath.

Mabry designed the pool house with a Dutch Colonial roofline to keep the house as “tucked down as possible” so as not to compete with the main house. It features a copper roof and downspouts, which add both charm and function. 

In the pool house, a thoughtful arrangement of corner casement windows floods the tucked-away dining nook with natural light.

The bedroom is wrapped in a Penny Morrison wallpaper to avoid any visual breaks, effectively helping the small space live larger.  

For a more casual look, the kitchen cabinets were not taken up to the ceiling. Shiplap walls enhance the first floor’s comfortable ambience. 

WHEN INTERIOR DESIGNER Emily Wyatt met her clients in 2017, she knew this wouldn’t be an ordinary project. They had purchased a 1940s Georgian home that had been virtually untouched since its construction, leaving it ripe for renovation. And best of all? “This couple was ready to tackle a big overhaul,” says Wyatt.

“I was impressed by the potential they saw in the house and, more so, their enthusiasm,” she adds. “Most would have been overwhelmed bringing this property up-to-date, but these clients were ready to roll up their sleeves and dive in.”

Another thing the couple brought in abundance was patience. There were no quick fixes when it came to architect Kate Mabry finessing the layout to better equip the home for both family life and entertaining. 

Her plans called for a multitude of modifications, including an expansion off the back of the house for a new kitchen and family room and staircases being moved and reformatted for better flow. With each change though, Mabry remained cognizant of the home’s history, based both on her design principles and at the behest of the homeowners.

“Collectively, we wanted to respect the home’s Georgian character but find a way to breathe new life into it,” says Mabry. “The goal was to preserve the idea of rooms and individual spaces, maintaining that sense of transition from one scale of space to another scale of space.”

Similarly, landscape architect Jonathan Bussell transformed the front yard to better align with the home’s Georgian facade. While he addressed an ill-suited driveway “not so affectionately referred to as ‘the donut,’ given its lack of proper vehicle circulation and guest parking,” Bussell also removed the property’s overgrown boxwoods to make way for a new bluestone walkway and fresh plantings that work to highlight the home’s symmetry.

Back inside, striking a balance—specifically the couple’s taste for antiques and classic English style with the reality of having two small children—was top of mind for Wyatt, and she gleaned inspiration from designer Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, one of England’s foremost authorities on blending traditional style into contemporary settings. With a blue-and-white color scheme as her baseline, Wyatt selected a bevy of indoor-outdoor fabrics that could withstand small children zipping through during pool parties, and also stand up to the traffic of guests the couple regularly hosts for corporate gatherings. “It was all about creating a classic and special backdrop, but remaining fresh and user-friendly,” says Wyatt.

Like the main home, the couple put their trust in the design team to spare no detail when planning the new pool house. “They were on board with everything we had to offer,” says Mabry. “They understood that the smallest of details can make a space feel right.” 

Notably, she worked with Bussell to seamlessly flow the pool deck’s brick hardscape onto the first floor, blurring the distinction between outdoors and in. “The idea was for it to feel like a charming cabana when it’s all open,” she adds, “and then you can close the doors and actually live in it.”

After three and half years, the home—with a new dose of youth, improved layout and plentiful Georgian character—was finally ready for its second act. “Working with clients who value design is always a treat,” says Wyatt. “But when you have their unwavering trust too, it’s the recipe for a really spectacular home.”

INTERIOR DESIGN Emily Wyatt, Wyatt Designs, (404) 839-0444; wyatt-designs.com ARCHITECT Kate Mabry, AIA, MabryArch, (404) 274-5313; mabryarch.com BUILDER Wright Marshall, Revival Construction, (404) 888-9886; revivalconstruction.com LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Jonathan Bussell, Jonathan Bussell Landscape Architect, (404) 805-1817; jonathanbussell.com