Inside a Whimsical, Star-Studded Atlanta Home Makeover

Benjamin Moore Glade Green walls serve as the neutral tone for the formal living room. A custom banquette covered in Schumacher Flamestitch fabric creates an interesting conversation corner.

The North Star on the floor in the entry was hand-painted by artist Mary Meade Evans.

The showstopping Missoni stair runner through Stark reveals much about the homeowners’ personalities, and also exemplifies designer Mallory Mathison Glenn’s masterful layering.

The dining room walls are covered in a soft lavender grasscloth by Thibaut. Hwang Bishop lamps rest on custom table skirts made with Schumacher fabric and Samuel & Sons trim.

Designed by architect Brandon Ingram, custom cabinetry by Bell Cabinetry & Design lines the kitchen walls. The room is painted in Borrowed Light by Farrow & Ball and island chairs are from Serena & Lily.

High-gloss cabinetry painted in Incarnadine from Farrow & Ball makes an impact in the scullery. The walls and ceilings are covered in paper by Backdrop through Schumacher, and the light fixture is from Shades of Light.

Drawing on the homeowners’ passion for Americana, Mathison Glenn paired an early American antique bench with an antique Heriz rug. The large-scale American flag painting is by Monteigne Ray Mathison, the designer’s mother.

A custom vanity by Bell Cabinetry & Design is painted in Sherwin-Williams Dill topped with Modern Matter hardware. Lee Jofa wallpaper completes the space.

In the mudroom, star cutout details are playful and whimsical.

The owner’s collection of late 20th-century folk art inspired the family room. Here, an English Village Lane rug is topped with a custom cocktail table. Roman shades are made with Cowtan & Tout fabric with Samuel & Sons trim.

A bedroom has new life thanks to Benjamin Moore Blue Haze walls and gingham Schumacher ceiling paper.

The serene primary bath is painted in Benjamin Moore Quiet Moments and has ethereal cafe curtains by Pindler. Mathison Glenn added interest in the marble inlay on the floor.

Atlanta Designer Mallory Mathison Glenn comes by her nature honestly. “I’m a big no-risk, no-reward type,” she says. “I love when a client aligns with me so we can have fun with color, pattern, and details.” And connected they were. The clients enlisted Mathison Glenn, architect Brandon Ingram, and builder Paces Builder Group to create a punchy and playful space for their family of four. The result is a four-bedroom, four-bathroom house filled with unexpected touches exuding big personality.

Before paint, wallpaper, and furniture, Ingram worked with Mathison Glenn and the clients to redesign the home’s architecture. “When we work with designers and clients who like color and pattern, our goal is to keep the architecture simple and laid-back,” says Ingram. The firm focused on keeping the home’s original character while reworking its flow. Only the entry and the living room remained untouched. “Each of those rooms is contained and carries its own spirit and character that still feels cohesive because of all the color and pattern,” says Ingram.

Once reconfigured to suit the family’s needs, the design followed. “There’s a beautiful sequence of jewel box back-of-house spaces,” says Ingram. “We teed Mallory up to be able to do saturated color in each room, stacking one to the next: The blue read beside the red, beside the yellow, beside the green.”

Red, white, and blue served as the designer’s base color palette. “The client grew up in a house that was very America—think Colonial Williamsburg with collected and layered antiques,” says Mathison Glenn. Those shades were used to achieve a cohesive home.

In the sitting room, peacock club chairs piped in carmine are an alternative to royal blue and red. An oversize antique Georgian secretary with a chinoiserie motif and gold finials stands at attention and serves as storage. “It adds a layer of gravitas,” says Mathison Glenn. “This is a mature, lifelong antique that carries a lot of whimsy too.”

It rests opposite a flame-stitched banquette, a strong, bold statement that is somehow balanced by the red lacquer cabinet. It’s the touch that only a designer could achieve. “It’s my job to take all of these things that speak to the client and put them all together in a way that’s going to work. This home is a real testament to that,” says Mathison Glenn.

In the dining room, the client’s existing curtains were a starting point for an inviting space punctuated by a custom Murano fixture. “The chandelier has an airiness to it; it’s like an effervescent meringue hanging from the ceiling,” says Mathison Glenn. Two matching sconces add a splash of matching green to the wall while emphasizing the room’s cohesive symmetry.

Light dances across the red lacquered cabinetry and mirrored backsplash in the neighboring scullery. “The kitchen itself is a pale, serene blue, so this bright red is impactful,” describes the designer. Ingram’s attention to architectural millwork is also evident in this space. “The original house had this overscaled cove ceiling in the dining room. It was a big architectural gesture. We didn’t replicate that exact cove ceiling detail, but we let the new millwork be more gestural, playing up some of the things that were there originally,” he says.

Mathison Glenn also notes the stars on the ceiling in this room, which echo throughout the home, most notably seen on the floor in the entry, in the mudroom cabinetry, and in tile. And once you recognize the star motifs, you feel that connection throughout the house. Star backplates shine on hardware, and in the daughter’s en suite, there are stars on the wallpaper. “Those details are a huge part of our process and are important elements of every project to make each one special,” says Mathison Glenn. “They reveal themselves slowly as you move through the home. Even the homeowner is still noticing details. That is a fulfilling part of what we do—keeping an element of delight and surprise.”

INTERIOR DESIGNER Mallory Mathison Glenn, Mallory Mathison Inc., (404) 816-3860; mallorymathison.com ARCHITECT Brandon Ingram, C. Brandon Ingram Design, (404) 205-5245; cbrandoningram.com BUILDER Paces Builder Group, (404) 698-3898; pacesbuildergroup.com