Tour a Historic Inman Park Home With a Fresh and Colorful British-Meets-Southern Design Aesthetic

The library is a crisp and fresh retreat, with light walls that let the visually weighty piano, vibrant 1930s kilim rug from Keivan Woven Arts, and bright artwork from Bungalow Classic shine. The table is from Robuck and the chair is from William Word Fine Antiques.

The library’s built-in shelves allow the avid collectors to display their finds.

Lamps from Travis & Company accent an 1870s French commode from English Accent Antiques in the foyer. A bell jar ceiling fixture from Edgar-Reeves Lighting further illuminates the space.

The team went chair by chair and textile by textile, deftly mixing stripes (Jane Churchill on the Henredon sofa), florals (Clarence House on the pair of chairs’ pillows), and colors for a rich result in the living room.

The fireplace in the pink living room is surrounded by an abundance of treasures, with antique oyster plates and a Wedgwood pitcher from Interiors Market, handmade pottery from Carolina Irving & Daughters, and 19th-century artwork from Parc Monceau. 

In the dining room, wool flame stitch Marvic fabric through Ainsworth-Noah on chairs and an antique Barovier & Toso Murano glass chandelier from 1stDibs pair beautifully with Louis XV chairs from Chairish and an English mahogany George III sideboard from William Word Fine Antiques.

The collection of rare Picasso lithographs framed by Scott & Sons Picture Framing holds court in the dramatic dining room.

In the powder room, China Seas Arbre de Matisse Reverse wallpaper is accented with crimson touches—sconces from Visual Comfort & Co. and boldly framed equestrian illustrations. The hand-carved mirror is from Bunny Williams Home.

The horse painting in the breakfast room is from Holland MacRae and one of the first items Lowe purchased for the project. French midcentury chairs from Chairish are adorned with kid-friendly vinylized cushions. The marble-topped antique bistro table is from William Word Fine Antiques.

Lowe swathed cabinetry in Benjamin Moore’s Black Knight to add a preppy edge and enhance the British bent of the kitchen’s existing green marble countertops. New subway tile, wire-wrapped glass globe pendants from Remains Lighting Company, and brass sconces from Visual Comfort & Co. round out the refresh.

Lowe chose sleek black and white picture frames with white matting to quiet the wall-to-wall gallery effect in the “fun room.” “Having this much art also works to tone down the blue walls [in Benjamin Moore’s Aquarium Blue] and makes the room feel cozy,” she says.

In the upstairs TV lounge, a boldly striped custom sofa plays off the batik block print Schumacher wallpaper for a cocoon-like effect. The sconces are from Visual Comfort & Co.

In the primary bedroom, a neoclassical mahogany bed features a lower headboard, allowing it to be placed in front of the window without blocking much light. The drapery fabric is Manuel Canovas through Cowtan & Tout and the trim is Samuel & Sons through Ainsworth-Noah.

Because Lowe used bold color and pattern in most rooms of the house, the homeowners requested the primary bedroom be more of a reprieve. The antique chest is from Peachtree Battle Antiques & Interiors.

In the daughter’s room, Lowe highlighted the home’s lofty ceilings by painting window trim and the lower half of the walls in Benjamin Moore’s Swept Away, an homage to the Hotel Peter and Paul in New Orleans, which features a similar style. The sweet gingham and spirited snake pillow fabric are by Schumacher. The antique bedside table is from Parc Monceau.

“She believes that red is a neutral,” says designer Lauren Lowe of her client’s daring color philosophy for a 1908 craftsman in Atlanta’s beloved Inman Park. Lowe, founder of Lauren Elaine Interiors, was tapped by the client and her husband to reinvigorate the abode (whose original iteration was published in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles in 2005), with a result that is as vibrant and gracious as the storied neighborhood itself.

“I’m an Anglophile who loves books, layers, collections, and oddities, and the homeowners and I align in that respect,”says Lowe. Her clients desired an old English manor aesthetic with contemporary embellishments while respecting the home’s original craftsman style.

They had a list of elements in mind, like stripes, florals, and bold color, with other must-haves that would foster everyday comfort and joy, like a cozy sofa in the breakfast room and a dedicated place for the husband to play jazz music on the piano. Because they had recently relocated to Atlanta with minimal furnishings, they worked with Lowe to procure a pleasing mix of high and low furniture, artwork, and accents—scouring auctions, antiques stores, and online sites, and reupholstering estate sale finds in British-born fabrics. “The nice thing about collecting in this way is you can relocate less precious pieces as you accumulate more valuable items over time,” says Lowe.

The designer directed an imagining of each room’s personality and outfitted spaces accordingly. “We decided which rooms should feel fun, which we wanted to feel moody, and which should feel fresh and calm,” she says. And while color selection was a central focus, it wasn’t overbearing. “I don’t like to get bogged down in whether colors should lead into another room or feel complementary, because if it’s all your style, it will feel homey,” says Lowe.

Since the dining room doesn’t receive much light, the designer opted for a moody appeal, selecting a rich dark blue and adding picture frame molding to the walls. Overhead, a handblown glass light fixture sourced from Italy was the finishing touch.

The home’s 10-foot ceilings allowed Lowe to be playful with color and artwork. In the brilliant blue “fun room,” the homeowners gave Lowe carte blanche. The color serves as a punchy backdrop for gallery walls featuring a mismatched mix of accumulated artwork. “We said, ‘let’s just do something wild in here.’”

In the couple’s young daughter’s room upstairs, Lowe again capitalized on the lofty ceilings, painting window trim and the lower half of the walls in Benjamin Moore Swept Away and the top half in Benjamin Moore White Dove, an homage to the Hotel Peter and Paul in New Orleans, which features a similar style. Next door in the TV lounge, a custom red-striped sofa is offset by paisley Schumacher wallpaper. “The wallpaper juxtaposes with the bright crispness of the sofa, so this room is like a comfy cocoon, even though there’s boldness,” says the designer. And the terrace off of the lounge serves as the perfect spot to take in the Inman Park Festival Parade. “It’s a real quality-of-life moment.”

One of the last rooms the team cracked was the pink living room. “The color gives an airy touch that leans British, and I like the use of pink in a less feminine way,” says Lowe. “It layers well with brown antiques and heavier fabrics like green velvet, which is a really fun juxtaposition. When you’re in the room, it doesn’t feel like we picked a funky color. It just feels right.”

INTERIOR DESIGN Lauren Lowe, Lauren Elaine Interiors; laurenelaineinteriors.com