Modern Magic

John Oetgen (left) and John Lineweaver’s living room includes an original Curtis Jere mirror. The center table is by Francois-Xavier Lalanne. Bronze floor lamp by Robert Kuo. In addition to the sofas, Oetgen also designed the cast sculpture—one of three—for a local charity benefit.

Soaring 20-foot-tall ceilings and an almost gallery-like setting is what originally lured Oetgen and Lineweaver to the house. A pair of Warner Panton chairs saddle up next to a 19th-century version of a Louis XVI canape, which is 14 feet in diameter. The Art Deco torchieres are nickel. The bookcase holds just a fraction of their collection of tomes on architecture, design, decorative arts and photography. The Venetian bird mask is from the 18th century and the profile in black and white is by Man Ray.

A biomorphic console and mirror is a Tony Duquette original—one of four—which came from the dressing room of his estate. It is surrounded by the works of Koons, Lichtenstein, Picasso, Warhol and even Oetgen (bottom right). The orbs and bust are made of cracked Lucite.

The three sculptures are by James Hull, Antoine Poncet and Tom Paine.

In the dining room, acrylic sculptures by Vasa Mihich and a canvas by Oetgen are in striking juxtaposition to an antique Italian chandelier and a set of painted dining chairs that he acquired through Sotheby’s.

The master bedroom is an oasis of calm. The 19th-century Chinese stand by the bed (one of a pair) is from PierceMartin.

A wall of black-and-white photography and an enchanting tableau includes a photograph of Sting by Victor Skrebneski, as well as pieces by Tom Fleming, Tom Otterness and Jonathan Adler. The white ceramic head is from Ricco/Maresca in New York, and the 19th-century marble bust is from Spalding Nix. The lamp is a Jean Michel Frank piece, which Oetgen bought in Paris more than 20 years ago.

Just beyond the bedroom, the pool terrace is a favorite spot for al fresco entertaining. The towels are Pucci.

Although John Oetgen and John Lineweaver are in the business of creating things for other people, the home they share isn’t decorated in the traditional sense of the word. “I didn’t move in here for a ‘decorated’ look,” says Oetgen, an acclaimed interior designer. “When you’re interested in art, architecture and beauty, you naturally accumulate things that you flip over.”

Their Buckhead home is filled with pieces by such notables as Picasso, Lalanne, Koons, Lichtenstein and Warhol, but the owners get equally excited by their book collection. In other words, this is not a house that reflects the color of the season or what’s in and what’s out.

“Everything we buy, or that I bought in the past, wasn’t because of who did it,” says Oetgen. “I don’t care about collecting an autograph. These are things that make me smile when I see them.”

For Lineweaver, a creative director whose work encompasses brand identity and marketing for corporate clients, the house is a laboratory, of sorts. The living room, with its 20-foot ceilings and curtained wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, is particularly well-suited to this purpose.

“It’s like a changing canvas,” says Lineweaver. “It’s gallery-like and allows you to change things up. And John’s a master of that.” A recent acquisition that has been given pride of place, for instance, is an original Tony Duquette biomorphic console and mirror—one of four—that Oetgen discovered at Bergdorf Goodman in New York.

Thanks to the home’s clean lines and architecture, new things like the Duquette pieces can be set next to old ones, like the 19th-century version of a Louis XVI canapé, with seemingly effortless ease. “When I saw the house in 2001,” says Oetgen, “I saw this great potential for a modern box. I found the house thrilling and aesthetically pleasing.”

These days, Oetgen and Lineweaver (along with bearded collies Double and Flizo) are also spending time at their new North Carolina mountain retreat, which was completed in early 2008. While their primary residence is light and bright, the mountain house is much more intimate and cozy, reflecting the moody landscape of the surrounding forest.

“We have come to appreciate the antithesis of each of the houses,” says Lineweaver. “The history of our lives is reflected in both of them. Every time we look at something, we remember where we were or what we were doing when we bought it. Every piece holds a special memory and each of the houses has a real energy.”

SENSE OF STYLE
This past spring, John Oetgen has been on a roll. In addition to completing a move and expansion of his offices—and putting the finishing touches on design projects at Miami Beach, The Brookwood (a new condominium building on Peachtree Road), and the dining room of the Decorators’ Show House & Gardens at the St. Regis Atlanta Hotel & Residences—Oetgen debuted a new upholstery collection for Jerry Pair showrooms in Atlanta, New York and Dania, Florida. Standout pieces include a sexy slipper chair, a glamorous tufted sofa and an extra-large lounge chair.

John Oetgen, John Oetgen Design Inc., Atlanta, (404) 352-1112