Southern Grace

A mahogany front door and coffered ceiling offer a stately hello in the home’s entryway. Designers Melanie Millner and Katie Moorhouse of The Design Atelier brought in the Oushak rug from ABN Rug Gallery and an antique fixture from Big Chandelier.

Designed by architect Tim Adams of T.S. Adams Studio, Architects, the shingle-style home features Lithonia Granite stone that’s replicated on the garden walls.

Cozy seating beckons guests in the great room where a painting by John Folsom through Pryor Fine Art represents a favorite vacation spot. “My clients have a second home in the Lowcountry and love the topography of the region,” says Millner. The console is by Formations and the lighting fixture is Lowcountry Originals. 

An outdoor bar directly off the screened porched allows easy entertaining year-round. The exterior stone, Lithonia Granite, repeats on the porch fireplace.

Furnishings from the homeowners’ previous house received a refresh with sturdy Perennials fabrics. “The screened porch is the best place to take in the wooded view, so it was important to create a space that felt like an extension of the interiors,” says Millner.

A dormer above the screened porch drops natural light into the room below. “It’s somewhat whimsical but it does have a purpose,” says Adams. Below, a trio of granite arches set off the basement where the homeowners enjoy a golf simulator.

The homeowners asked Adams and Millner for a casual dining area in lieu of a formal space. To maintain the easy attitude, Adams designed the room as an extension of the kitchen and a pass-through to the screened porch. Fixed transoms allow an abundance of light to filter in from the screened porch. 

A painting by artist Wellon Bridgers through Pryor Fine Art disguises a TV that is built into the hood above the range. Lanterns are from The Urban Electric Co.

At the bar, a custom lead-and-glass window offers a glimpse of the wine cellar. “It gives a peek into the space, and it also creates a nice focal point for the bar,” says Millner. “The couple entertains a lot, so we wanted the bar to feel special.”

The powder room departs from the all-white interior with Cowtan & Tout wallpaper in Treasure Flower and wainscoting painted French Gray No. 18 by Farrow & Ball. The vanity is through Waterworks.

The paneled stair hall makes for a dramatic focal point from the entry as well as through the sequence of living spaces in the dining area, kitchen and porch. The artwork represents the homeowners’ second home location in the Lowcountry.

An iron tester bed from Paul Ferrante takes center stage in the main-level bedroom. “It came from my clients’ former home, but here, it looks new again,” says Millner.

Designed by Core Landscape, the garden features natural stone paths that connect the front of the house to the back, creating quiet moments while taking in the views. A garden wall is home to the fountain seen from the main bath. 

A grand arch over the vanity frames the mirror while reflecting the arched opening to the Kallista bathtub and courtyard fountain beyond. “I felt it was a great way to create a significant moment,” says Adams. “This is my favorite space in the home.”

A grand arch over the vanity frames the mirror while reflecting the arched opening to the Kallista bathtub and courtyard fountain beyond. “I felt it was a great way to create a significant moment,” says Adams. “This is my favorite space in the home.”

For a new home to endure, live well and improve over time, every consideration must be in sync from the very beginning. For this shingle-style home, that meant starting with the location. 

Rising above the Chattahoochee River Valley, the site looks out to distant views of the Appalachian Mountains. “I wanted to create a light, open space that was connected to the exterior and really blur the lines between inside and out,” says architect Tim Adams of T.S. Adams Studio, Architects.

Working within the intrinsic language of the shingle style, Adams designed an open-concept floor plan separated by arched openings and filled with floor-to-ceiling windows. Other architectural detailing, such as the stair hall’s paneled wall, elevate the home’s Southern graciousness. “I love stairs and always see them as an opportunity for something special and sculptural,” says Adams. “The paneled wall is a detail that is in keeping with the style of the home while also adding texture.”

Capitalizing on the natural light, designers Melanie Millner and Katie Moorhouse of The Design Atelier selected a light color palette underscored with darker accents to generate depth and interest. “It’s light and bright, yet warm,” says Millner. Walls and trim are painted Benjamin Moore’s White Dove, the perfect foil to the home’s black iron fixtures, dramatic artwork and Kawai grand piano in the stair hall.

Furnishings and accessories are both new and from the client’s previous house. Taking inventory of her clients’ existing pieces, Millner created a furniture plan with items that would easily translate to the style and scale of the rooms, filling in with new purchases as necessary.

For the dining room, Millner kept the table and sideboard, but she re-covered the formerly red wing chairs in a Kerry Joyce linen blend, its celadon hues reflecting the misty mountains outside. In the great room, darker green tones ground a pair of armchairs in the bay window, bringing in the color of the area’s fir trees. “The greens were a good way to introduce just a little bit of color,” says Millner.

The updated look is equally evident in the kitchen finishes, where the designer opted for neutral tones with pops of warm white oak, Perla Venata quartzite countertops and backsplash from Walker Zanger. Millner repeated those choices in the adjacent bar, but added an antiqued mirrored backsplash for a dash of glamour. “It reflects the light, and is the perfect backdrop for the homeowner’s extensive Waterford collection,” says Millner. 

The owners quickly found themselves at home in their new surroundings thanks to the classic architecture and carefully chosen appointments. “Their former home was very traditional,” says Millner. “Tim, Katie and I infused this house with a fresh spirit, but it was important to incorporate some of the furnishings, art and family photos they had collected over the years. We wanted the home to feel new, yet familiar.”

INTERIOR DESIGN Melanie Millner and Katie Moorhouse, The Design Atelier, (404) 365-8662; thedesignatelier.com ARCHITECT Tim Adams, T.S. Adams Studio, Architects, (404) 262-3499; tsadamsstudio.com BUILDER Brownlow & Sons, (770) 977-8404; brownlowandsons.com LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Core Landscape, (770) 951-5500