The French Connection

An antique chandelier from Architectural Accents takes advantage of the high ceilings in the granary foyer, which is furnished with cabinets from the Paris Flea Market.  

A wood paneled corridor that includes doorways to the powder room and a cloak room connects the newly constructed granary to the kitchen and keeping room.

A walnut settee from Ainsworth-Noah and bergère chairs from Hickory White create a spot to enjoy coffee, cocktails and conversation in the keeping room just off the kitchen.

In the kitchen, barstools from Wesley Hall covered in fabric by Kravet add a pop of color to the classic white cabinets by Morgan Creek Cabinetry. 

Hardware by Matthew Quinn Collection and a pendant light through Circa Lighting accent the blue cabinets in the butler’s pantry. The 19th-century stool is from Foxglove Antiques & Galleries.

A clear-coated wood-panel wall and a tumbled limestone floor add a sense of rusticity to the prep kitchen. The 19th-century bread table is from Wyatt Childs, Inc. 

After two years of hunting, designer Cindy Kahn finally found two pairs of original bird sconces by Maison Baguès to complement the antique chandeliers over the wooden table in the formal dining room. 

A custom hide rug with a Greek key pattern from Moattar defines a cozy seating area in the family room.

Next to a gallery wall, a 1700s hand-carved walnut library table and benches create a place for the children to play games in the family room. 

Covered in their original fabric, a quartet of 19th-century Louis XV chairs sourced from Delray and Associates Antiques seem perfectly suited for the solarium.

One of a pair, a Louis XVI bronze candelabra lamp offers soft illumination in the primary bedroom. 

In the primary bathroom, a marble mosaic by Renaissance Tile & Bath reflects the bountiful natural sunlight filtering in through the sheer Kravet fabric. 

A 19th-century carved walnut chaise covered in a delicate pink fabric softens the linear cabinetry in the wife’s spacious closet.

A Louis XVI carved wingback bergère chair from Foxglove Antiques & Galleries lives easily with a sofa from Ainsworth-Noah in the elegantly appointed drawing room. 

Echoing the lines in the custom millwork, an 18th-century French Regence Provencal hand-carved walnut mantel from Architectural Accents creates a spectacular focal point.

An 18th-century neoclassical bench from Delray and Associates Antiques occupies the connector in between the two main wings of the chateau-like abode.

An antique vanity from A. Tyner Antiques and a mirror from Foxglove Antiques & Galleries create an air of sophistication in the office bathroom.

Stone walls and limestone flooring from Design Reclamation Company add a rustic sensibility to a cozy porch overlooking a lake.

Antique rugs adorn the plank flooring in an elegant wood-paneled office next to the library. 

Shaded by an umbrella from Logan Gardens, a pair of chaise lounges from Janus et Cie offer a relaxing spot to enjoy the terrace-level swimming pool. The landscape design is by Greg Arnold of Garden Architects. 

A bronze fountain from Scott Antique Markets and a 1920s-era gate from 1stdibs enhance the old-world ambience in this recently renovated French chateau-style abode by Architectural Accents, Cindy Kahn Interiors, KHG, Inc. and Garden Architects.

It was the project of a lifetime for designer Cindy Kahn, who helped her longtime clients transform their relatively modest Atlanta-area home into something akin to a French chateau. “This project was a labor of love,” she says, noting the result elevates the lush 12-acre lakefront property. “I lived and breathed it.”

Architectural designers Charles Nevinson, Maria Williamson and Andrew Albarez of Architectural Accents, along with builder Kathy Gregorcyk and landscape designer Greg Arnold, were equally committed to the multiyear project, dramatically reconfiguring the layout and designing a neighboring structure clad with Fond du Lac stone that resembles a 14th-century farm granary. Detailed with stucco and weathered timber, the existing home looks like it might be a 17th-century addition.

A two-story structure with a steel facade that’s evocative of a Parisian storefront connects the two structures. “I decided to tell a story of different periods in French architecture,” says Nevinson.

The owner of salvage shop Architectural Accents, Nevinson took a similarly historical approach to the reconfigured interior, incorporating finely crafted wooden paneling, antique fireplace mantels and plank, parquet and stone flooring. “You’d be hard-pressed to know what’s old and what’s new, which is what I strive to achieve,” he explains.

That ethos also informed Kahn, who scoured European antiques shops and flea markets for rarified pieces that would live up to the architecture. An ornate pedestal she picked up at the Paris Flea Market, for example, stands next to the hand-carved stairway railing in the granary’s entryway, which has rustic stone flooring accented by a Turkish area rug. An iron bench with a cowhide-upholstered seat adds a modern flair that perfectly complements the time-worn antiques.

That mix also enlivens the family room, where iron chandeliers illuminate a pair of plush sofas and 1920s French high-back chairs covered in a blue-and-white ikat fabric that plays off both the contemporary area rug and antique pottery. “It was a real balance, but it feels fresh and alive,” she says.

The sprawling dwelling also includes an Art Deco-inspired space to enjoy music, a drawing room, a wood-panel library and a lavishly decorated dining room with reclaimed painted wall paneling.

Kahn is quick to credit the architectural design team, Gregorcyk and Arnold, who spent untold hours making sure every detail was rendered to perfection. “This is the pinnacle for me,” she says, noting that completing the years-long project was bittersweet. “It felt like letting go of a child when they go to college.”

INTERIOR DESIGN Cindy Kahn, Cindy Kahn Interiors; (770) 309-7687
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNERS Charles Nevinson, Maria Williamson and Andrew Albarez, Architectural Accents, (404) 266-8700; architecturalaccents.com
BUILDER Kathy Gregorcyk, KHG Construction; khgincresidentialconstruction.com
LANDSCAPE DESIGNER Greg Arnold, Garden Architects Inc., (678) 358-8004; gardenarchitectsinc.com