High Glamour

In a residence atop one of the city’s landmark hotels, Musso Design Group creates a “house in the sky”.

High above the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta in Midtown, a contemporary condominium combines New York chic and Hollywood glamour with spectacular Atlanta views.

With a master bedroom that could have belonged to a leading lady from the ’30s and a living room with art deco pieces that hint of “Mad Men,” the 45th-floor condo is also a showcase for the owners’ extensive photography collection.

Plans for the residence began with a shopping trip to New York, before the couple decided to move to The Residences at the Four Seasons. On that trip, the wife and designer Bill Musso purchases several items, including a French art deco club chair and table that now reside in the living room. When the couple began plans to move into the condominium (built in the early ’90s with downtown and midtown views and luxury hotel amenities), Musso started implementing the long-developed concept for the future home. “She wanted to feel like she was in New York without being in New York,” says Musso, principal and lead designer of Musso Design Group, of the wife’s direction.

During the seven-month renovation project, Musso worked with Janus Associates to create fewer spaces by opening up hallways and rooms. The 2,250-square-feet condo, which originally contained three bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths, was redesigned as a “house in the sky” with two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and a den, plus a music space for the husband, a jazz bassist.

The couple’s photography collection infuses a sense of vibrancy into the renovated space. Working with Jackson Fine Art, the collection includes both color and black-and-white works by Andre Moore, Todd Murphy, Vee Speers and Masao Yamamoto. “The furnishings were to be the backdrop for the art collection,” Musso says. “Everything we chose, from fabric to surfaces, was really to enhance the art and photography.”

Accessories and designer details also serve as works of art. A paper wig sculpture by Amy Flurry and Nikki Nye of Paper-Cut-Project sits on a pedestal next to a lacquered, carved cabinet by artist Robert Kuo. Musso and design associate Todd Falconbury added dimension in the dining room with an elegant paneled ceiling design. Meanwhile, mirrors above side tables add glamour to the master bedroom room, fitting for a starlet. “To me, this bedroom is very Carole Lombard in the 1930s,” Musso says. “I can picture her coming in and throwing her fur on the bed.”

Sounds like a Hollywood ending for a picture-perfect collaboration between client and designer.

INTERIOR DESIGN Bill Musso, Musso Design Group, 1214 Villa Dr. NE, Atlanta 30306. (404) 873-1773; mussodesigngroup.com