The Next Best Thing

A Newman Frey coffee table strikes a curvy note while alabaster lamps from Joseph Konrad top the sofa table. Hand-painted Italian crests from Foxglove Antiques & Galleries adorn the walls. The benches are upholstered in a Jasper fabric through Ainsworth-Noah.

An Oushak rug from Moattar rests above a sisal Stark rug. The sofa, chairs and small fireplace benches are covered in an Elizabeth Eakins fabric through R Hughes. The chair pillows are Zimmer + Rohde through Ainsworth-Noah. The cream stockings and acrylic stocking holders are from Fig & Dove.

The façade shows off its French leanings with stucco walls and a slate roof. Sporting a shiny red ribbon, pup Rosie greets guests during the holidays.

A Schumacher grasscloth adds texture to the dining room walls. The chair slipcover fabric is by Carleton V and the Oushak rug is Moattar. The silver pedestal basket is from Beverly Bremer.

The dining room is holiday party-ready with silver goblets from Beverly Bremer Silver Shop and Herend’s Chinese Bouquet in blue available through Neiman Marcus.

The family room is a study in easy elegance and features a sofa in a C&C Milano fabric, a rug from Patterson Flynn Martin and pillows in Jasper, Justin Van Breda, Cowtan & Tout, and Osborne & Little fabrics. The abaca sculptures over the sofa are from Made Goods. The tree is from Frontgate and the tree skirt is Fig & Dove.

The original kitchen includes an unusual countertop fireplace.

The butler’s pantry is original; Giles added a window treatment to the leaded-glass windows in an aqua-hued Travers print.

The screened-in porch features a Kingsley Bate sofa and chair, upholstered in Perennials and Link Outdoor, respectively.

Matching dormers add charm to the front façade. The residence was renovated in 1996 by architect Keith Summerour.

A guest bedroom reveals a menswear attitude with a plaid upholstered headboard and simple wooden table with roman shades. Stronger color comes from a pillow in a Fermoie fabric through Jerry Pair.

An antique chest in the living room is punctuated by a black lamp and Chinese porcelain filled with ilex berries.

The master bedroom includes matching club chairs and an ottoman and pillows in fabrics from Suzanne Tucker Home through Ainsworth-Noah. The gold Skovde mirror over the mantel is from Acquisitions.

The master bedroom’s tailored elegance springs from a custom headboard in a Schumacher wool, crisp Gramercy Home bed linens and French wall plaques from Foxglove Antiques & Galleries. The rug is by Stark.

Moving into a new home presents the ideal opportunity to reevaluate your lifestyle and take into consideration what will bring you pleasure as you embrace a new chapter. Interior designer Courtney Giles’ long-term clients turned to her to aide in their transition to a smaller residence in Buckhead. “The children were grown, so they approached the interiors with a ‘grown-up’ thought process while still anticipating a crowd on occasion. The overall feel we aimed for was updated rooms that were not too formal, inviting but still elegant,” says Giles. 

Though keen on comfort, the couple was not willing to sacrifice sophistication, and also desired to include their prized antiques. “There was furniture that was kid-oriented in their prior home, so we left that behind and incorporated choice pieces in the new scheme,” says Giles. New upholstery on chairs and custom headboards infuses a sense of comfortable elegance, along with layered rugs throughout.

A move also allows a reconsideration of the primary palette that you once may have loved, but perhaps has lost its charms or feels a bit tired. In that regard, Giles introduced a calmer color approach as a departure from the more vibrant one in their former family home. “We pulled the colors from nature—a mix of blues and greens grounded in a creamy neutral base with accents in flax tone,” says Giles. To keep the color scheme fresh, Giles sprinkled pretty prints throughout by way of window treatments, pillows and accent pieces such as blue-and-white garden stools and a collection of porcelain. 

When you enter the front door of the home, the living room is front and center, so Giles wanted to make sure the message of relaxed and pretty was presented from the start. Generous upholstery in a calming blue and a subtle stripe beckons you to make yourself at home while a collection of hand-painted antique Italian crests draws your interest to the opposite wall. A striking Oushak rug layered over a larger neutral carpet brings the colors together, adding a welcoming softness. 

In the dining room, Giles chose a warm neutral grasscloth wallpaper to envelop the space and incorporated her client’s patinaed trumeau mirror as well as her dining room and chairs, adding fresh slipcovers. Existing draperies—fortuitously hung in a wonderful blue and white print—were given dressmaker details with the addition of a trim on the leading edge. The master bedroom presents the green side of the color story with a tufted upholstered headboard and accent prints along with antique French plaques over the bed. The entire house feels like an inviting fresh breeze has swept through the rooms and come in to stay. Mission accomplished.

INTERIOR DESIGN Courtney Giles, Courtney Giles Interiors, LLC. (404) 791-3404; courtneygiles.com ARCHITECT Keith Summerour, Summerour Architects. (404) 603-8585; summerour.net