Time & Again

The dining room in a home designed by Margaux Interiors Ltd. is a study in contrasts. Sunny yellow curtains in a Schumacher fabric enliven the room’s white walls, while an abstract painting by Amanda Talley is partnered with a mirrored Maison Jansen sideboard. Myran Allan’s mouth-blown Murano glass chandelier strikes a dramatic yet delicate note above a sturdy table and leather-clad chairs.

A settee covered in an Osborne & Little geometric fabric expresses the homeowners’ love of adventurous design. The ornate antique mirror is from Parc Monceau.

With a belief that “you can do a fabulous house and not leave Atlanta,” the designers shopped locally for most of the home’s furnishings. Vintage Maison Jansen cocktail tables and matching chests were found at Jane Marsden Antiques (a treasure trove, says Margaret), while the armchairs, upholstered in a Jim Thompson silk fabric, were purchased at Belvedere.

Designers Margaret Bosbyshell and Clary Bosbyshell Froeba, of Margaux Interiors Ltd., with homeowner Gigi Rouland in the home’s living room.

Commissioned by the homeowners, a pair of horse paintings by artist James Way captures the personalities of Gigi (whose whimsical nature is reflected in this piece) and her husband, Chris, whose more serious equine counterpart is displayed at the other end of the living room. A Sunbrella velvet-covered sofa and two scroll-back slipper chairs provide another spot for conversation.

Margaret chose a now-discontinued Schumacher zebra-striped stair runner for her previous clients. The black-and-white animal print works just as well among its updated surroundings as it did in the home’s former scheme

Clary discovered the library curtain fabric, “L’Africain” by Jed Johnson Home, which both designers would subsequently use in other projects. Not only does the tribal print add warmth, lushness and edge to the room, but it’s also appropriate, considering the homeowners’ love of Africa. A pale Stark Carpet hide rug offsets the deep graphite color of the room’s walls and ceiling.

The black-and-gilt chest holds bar essentials and spirits, which are used to make the Roulands’ favorite cocktail, a Paper Moon (visit atlantahomesmag.com for the recipe).

Gracing one end of the house is the “ladies drinking parlor,” whose trellage was added by architectural designer Duane Stone during a late-1990s renovation. A zebra skin rug accentuates the first floor’s predominantly black-and-white color scheme, while a Warren Platner chrome-and-glass cocktail table marries well with the antique crystal chandelier. An Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman sofa and two Louis XVI-style chairs by Wesley Hall provide comfortable seating for meetings and socializing.

Primed for stylish slumber, the room’s four-poster bed by Julia Gray is dressed in monogrammed Leontine Linens bedding. Gigi Rouland’s favorite tourmaline necklace inspired the azure-colored taffeta curtains. A Hickory White marble-topped bedside table holds a pair of vintage lamps from Lamp Arts, while an old Spanish sunburst ceiling fixture, also from Lamp Arts, was rewired for wall mounting.

Perched around the master bedroom’s fireplace are armchairs and an ottoman upholstered in Schumacher’s “Imperial Trellis” velvet in Peacock. The designers chose the chairs for their scale and clean lines, which play off the curves of the tray ceiling. The gilt mirror and Currey & Company sconces were purchased by the home’s former owners.

The girls’ queen-size beds feature headboards covered in sensible faux suede by Osborne & Little. The fabric is repeated on the room’s curtains, which are edged in Samuel and Sons red pom-pom trim. The contemporary painting was the handiwork of an orangutan at Zoo Atlanta.

The daughters’ playroom is reminiscent of a circus Big Top, especially with its striped curtains and stuffed animal heads. The designers scored the vintage armchair at Scott Antique Markets and then had it upholstered in Sunbrella fabric. Not only does the Stark Carpet nylon animal print rug echo the room’s animal motif, but it also stands up to the rigors of playtime.

“It must be the house.” That’s how Atlanta designer Margaret Bosbyshell explains her good fortune in decorating one stately Atlanta home for two consecutive families. For her first foray at this house, Margaret worked solo. But a few years later, when hired by current homeowners Gigi and Chris Rouland, Margaret was joined by her new design partner, daughter Clary Bosbyshell Froeba.

Although the home’s interiors (first published in the May 2009 issue of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles) were previously inspired by the great decorator Dorothy Draper, this time it was the work of another female phenom, Kelly Wearstler, who prompted the home’s edgy flair. Graphic rugs, geometric-print fabrics and a black-and-white color scheme punctuated by jewel tones all speak to the homeowners’ adventurous spirits.

Considering the vigor that these bold furnishings brought to the house, the mother-daughter duo instinctively knew that refined, elegant pieces were needed for balance. Their admiration for antiques and important 20th-century furniture because of their romance and history led the designers to introduce the Roulands to furniture designed by famed French design firm Maison Jansen. Peppering the home are two cocktail tables, a pair of commodes and a sideboard that all bear the Jansen stamp, an added bonus, says Margaret, to the furniture’s good looks and excellent quality.

For all of the home’s dashing features, it is supremely livable, thanks in no small part to a generous helping of comfortable furniture and durable fabrics. Both real and faux leather (which can be easily cleaned) and Sunbrella fabrics serve as armor-like upholstery, able to withstand the exuberance of the family’s two young daughters and their dog, Grits. The lifestyles of the couple are very much in evidence, too, with his dark, masculine library-cum-office at one end of the house and her trellised ladies’ drinking parlor on the other, a suitable spot for charity committee meetings and, at times, a cocktail or two.

Describing their working relationship, Margaret notes, “We might butt heads, but when all is said and done, we agree that we must both be proud of [our work].” And mother and daughter are in complete agreement that this house is something to be proud of—for the second time.

INTERIOR DESIGN Margaret Bosbyshell and Clary Bosbyshell Froeba, Margaux Interiors Ltd. margauxinteriorslimited.com