Kandrac & Kole Interior Designs, Inc.

Highlights from the 2015 Atlanta Symphony Decorators’ Show House

Joann and I are off to the Highpoint Furniture Show in just a few hours but I wanted to share with you some of our favorite highlights from this years Atlanta Symphony Decorators’ Show House.  We were honored to have a sneak peek today with our other “press” colleagues. I tell you sincerely, that this was my favorite ASO Showhouse in many, many years.  The design aesthetic throughout the home featured an extraordinary use of color, vintage finds, original art, stunning wallpaper and delectable textures. 

I have to start with the front Study designed by our good friends Lance Jackson and David Ecton of Parker Kennedy Living. As David explained to me the custom made, screen printed Fromental wall covering is “Willy Wonka yummy. You just want to lick it.” Indeed it is.

Lance 2

Thank you Lance for your stylizing talents and your bravery with color!

Lance 1

I spy an original piece of art by Kelly O’Neal of Design Legacy.

lance 3

Let’s peak in from the gorgeous foyer designed by Loren Audrey Taylor & Carolyn Abrams Taylor. 

foyer

The living room was sexy cool like the designer himself Michel Boyd. 

Michelle 2

Michelle 1

Another favorite space of mine was the Breakfast Room & Den designed by our friend Vern Yip. Vern’s work is very dramatic but still relatable. Notice the light fixtures that are from his brand new collection available thru Stonegate Designs. All of the casegoods Vern used are from Frontgate.  The fabrics Vern used are from his collection for Trend by Fabricut. 

Vern

Vern 3

You can tell Vern is a perfectionist when it comes to the details!

Vern 2

Another Atlanta designer we admire is Patricia McLean. Her traditional Guest Bedroom has some fun details like Thibaut wallpaper on the ceiling and painted doors. 

Patricia

door

I think every house should have a gallery somewhere – large or small. They add so much personality to a home. This one was designed by Kings Home Furnishings. 

gallery

Designer Melanie Turner’s guest bedroom was beautiful using the homes original wallpaper. 

Melanie

The feminine bathroom and dressing room swathed in navy designed by Danielle Rollins & Bill Ingram was a luxurious, peaceful retreat (the music piped into the tub). 

daniel

closet

Our afternoon ended with a special celebration with friends hosted by Parker Kennedy Living at The Blue Ridge Grill.  Thank you David and Lance for your hospitality and friendship.

Bravo to so many of our designer friends for doing such a tremendous job at this years ASO Show House!

book

I would love to post more but I have to go pack for Highpoint! The press event was only two hours long. Joann and I really need to go back and take in the beauty and details of this years Show House one more time. The house, Chateau Soleil, is located at 4701 Northside Drive in Atlanta and is open to the public from April 18- May 10, 2015.

Enjoy and Be Inspired!

Kelly 

What Designer Showhomes Teach Us

Last week, we took time off from our busy schedule to visit the 2012 Atlanta Symphony Associates’ 42nd Annual Decorators’ Show House and Gardens.   This home, sponsored in large by Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles is a goodie. Seriously – treat yourself and visit this gorgeous landmark home named Knollwood.

As designers, we love to visit the Decorator Show Homes not only to support the sponsors and our designer colleagues, but to see, touch and feel the best that Atlanta designers have to offer. It’s a creative candy land even if your not in the biz.

If you’ve never been to a showhouse, don’t be intimidated. It’s a great place to get ideas about design, scale, color, texture and creative ways to use a space. Here are a few notables from Knollwood:

1. Like a good frame enhancing a piece of art or a photo, LIGHTING MAKES A ROOM.

I loved how Kellie Griffin Interiors accentuated the long, smokey hallway into the gentleman’s game room with these sconces.

2. EXPLORE A VARIETY OF PAINT FINISHES.

Look what a high gloss finish does to the upper hallway ceiling designed by Melanie Millner (and note another super cool light fixture).

3.  YOUR KITCHEN DINING AREA DOES NOT NEED TO CONSIST OF A WOOD TABLE SURROUNDED BY MATCHING WOOD CHAIRS.

The mother/daughter team of Womack Interiors  shows us how to mix and match banquets (I like them on the ends and not the sides!) with upholstery and black lacquered wood.  If you are rolling your eyes that this would never go in your crazy kid filled home, think of these banquets made up in easy to wash slipcovers and the chairs upholstered in a brightly color vinyl or faux leather!

4. Go BIG OR GO HOME. SCALE IS EVERYTHING!

Scale is probably the number one design element that people consistently get wrong in their homes. A showhouse is the perfect place to see design done to scale at it’s finest. The dining room in this home is enormous but designer Carole Weaks makes the room feel cozy by inserting not one but TWO round dining tables (with a mix of chairs and banquets) along with this art that takes center stage in the room. You can’t really tell in the photo, but in person this painting is huge (yet perfect).

5. DETAILS MATTER

They say copying is the greatest form of flattery so I will be doing just that with these great finishing touches in the Guest Retreat bathroom designed by Dillard Pierce Design Associates.

Hmmm….. I have a little chair just like this…

 I love this idea for makeup brushes in marbles!!

6. CELEBRATE YOUR LIFE THROUGHOUT YOUR HOME IN UNCONVENTIONAL WAYS

This last room cleverly designed by Barbara Heath and Jim Green for The Mercantile, is one that is near and dear to our hearts because it represent our mantra in design which is celebrating your life.  Our clients are often searching for ideas on what to do with that rarely used formal living room. For that matter, who uses their formal dining room that much these days either?

We dubbed this room “the memorabilia room” tastefully and comfortably displaying all types of sports awards and memories. This is what is so great about Decorator Show Homes – they show us how to think outside the cookie cutter uses for regular spaces.

This particular tour is running thru May 13th so you still have plenty of time to go! You can purchase your ticket at the door for just $20!  That’s a cheap date if you ask me and well worth it!!!!

Lovin’ the Lotus House

This week we broke away from the grind to visit the Atlanta Symphony Associates Decorators’ Show House & Gardens sponsored by Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles. I have to say, it was one of our all time favorites!

Unlike many designer show homes, this one flowed beautifully incorporating a perfect fusion of East meets West. The zen ambiance that permeated the house was so peaceful. We especially loved the Indian and Moorish influences throughout the home. Kudos to all 33 of the interior and landscape designers – each one did a spectacular job!

I’d like to be able to share photos of each room and give each designer a big pat on the back, but the docents were drill sergeants with eagle eyes so I could only take photos of a few spaces.

Our favorite space was the outdoor sitting room designed by Donna Deanglis, Barbara Heath and Tim Green of The Mercantile.

This creative table setting makes me what to have a party!

If I ever had a Gardening Room, I’d want one just like this one designed by Brenda Zaharchak of Noelle Michael Interiors.

Pops of extreme color mixed with calming neutrals was a trend throughout the home like this great sideboard from Lorts in the kitchen designed by Christy Dillard.

Or a gorgeous pop of green in the foyer designed by Cheryl Lucas and Jackie Cottrill.

The girls bedroom was another one of our favorites. Designed by Manishka Kulkarn & Janice Palmer of Y Design International.  The room was super colorful but not overdone. I love the Moorish shape of the headboard.

Another beautiful detail consistent throughout The Lotus House was the attention paid to the cabinetry, hardware and surfaces.

I wish I could show you some of our other favorites like the exquisite bathrooms designed by Michael Habachy, the Living Room by Barry Dixon, the Family Room by Patricia Mclean and the Prayer Room artfully designed by Raymond Goins but I would have been scolded big time by the women manning each room.

Thank God for the excellent camera on my new (white) iPhone 4:)

 

Gardens of Giverny

“Some keep the Sabbath going to Church

I keep it staying at Home

With a Bobolink for a Chorister

And an Orchid for a Dome.”

– Emily Dickinson

Yesterday, Joann and I toured the 40th Annual Home Decorators’ Show House and Gardens sponsored by the Atlanta Symphony. After the tour, we attended a champagne reception hosted by the talented Ed Castro of Ed Castro Landscape. Living in Atlanta, we are very fortunate to have over a dozen inspiring show homes (designed by some of the best designers in the SouthEast), to tour throughout the year.  This is the first show home I’ve ever toured where the beauty of the gardens and the talent of the landscape architects were the absolute highlight of the home.

Boxwoods Gardens & Gifts designed a spectacular greenhouse that I wanted to stay in all night!

Check out the glittery purple stones between the tiles ( I thought they were tiny flower petals at first).

And I thought my yard looked good…. geeeeeezzzz……