Christmas Greetings

Hello from The Design Atelier! We hope that this holiday season has not been too crazy. Here at The Design Atelier, this holiday season has been busy busy busy! The season is always hustling and bustling with things to do, people to meet, places to be, gifts to buy, food to prepare... there is little time for what this Christmas season is about.

peace. joy. hope. love.

This time of year brings about a time of reflection of the past year and we have a favorite little spot that is perfect for such quiet moments...

The Barbara Johnson Prickett Chapel at Westminster.

The architecture makes the building seem like it was built hundreds of years ago, when it was actually commissioned by Terry Lamphere in 2010. The chapel consists of eight arches made from Adirondack granite and a twenty-seven foot granite tower located at the rear of the building. The stone was primarily carved by Alan M. Webster, Jr. and Curt vonSchilgen. All of the stone used for the building is granite from the Adirondack region in upstate New York. The chapel was built in New York and then shipped to Atlanta for reassembly.

Mies van der Rohe once said, "Simplicity is the outcome of technical subtlety." Such simplicity can be found in the details of this chapel. The stone work is absolutely incredible, contributing to the timelessness of the architecture. It reminds Melanie of growing up in New England and fond childhood memories shared. The chapel proves that something small and simple can have significant meaning if you care about the details and quality of the craftsmanship.

It is a favorite place to sit, reflect and be intimately surrounded by a structure that silently speaks of greatness.

Whether at the Prickett Chapel or in your home, we hope that you are able to find peaceful moments in such a hectic time of year. We wish that everyone has a joyous holiday season with loved ones. 

Merry Christmas from The Design Atelier!

Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Feature

We at The Design Atelier are super excited to announce that the Serenbe Designer Showhouse was featured in the December issue of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles! 

We are so excited that our project was highlighted in the article. In addition, our living room was the opening spread to the article!

If you want to check out the article online click, here.

Thank you so much to Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles for the opportunity to be a part of the Serenbe Designer Showhouse. We are thrilled to have been included! It was such a wonderful experience.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

New York! New York!

 Happy Friday!!

We hope everyone is staying warm this week -- it's been so chilly! With frosty forecasts coming, it finally is feeling a little bit like fall winter (sorry, fall. You got bypassed). 

Last week, Melanie had the incredible opportunity to attend the 2014 Design Leadership Summit in New York City. The Design Leadership Summit is hosted each year by the Design Leadership Network, creating a community for design leaders while also promoting advocacy, pursuing research, and educating peers to strengthen the design professions.

In the tradition of the Design Leadership Network, the 2014 Summit continues with extraordinary programming that both inspires and educates. Informal group discussions allowed attendees to interact and learn from each other’s experiences in addition to the guided discussion. Attendees are invited to join the dynamic conversation on the impact of the increased globalization in art, design, and architecture, and how it relates to the rise of local movements in craft and culture. 

The first day began at the United Nations building with a challenge to consider the increasingly international scope and scale of the design marketplace. Attendees engaged with major business and design leaders with international influence. Each session inspired members to rethink and shape their approach to design within a global perspective

Sculpture outside the UN Building

Inside the UN Building

On the second day, the Summit traveled to Brooklyn’s Industry City, a 6-million square foot cluster of historic warehouses. These warehouses are quickly becoming the city’s most dynamic destination for designers, innovators, start-ups, manufacturers and artists. Brooklyn symbolizes small batch craftsmanship with fine attention to detail, becoming an inspiration to a generation of people engaging in the maker movement in all the creative pursuits that guide our culture.

Inside Brooklyn's Industry City

After the meetings, discussions, and tours, attendees got to go out and enjoy the city!

Peter Sallick and John Edelman

Photo Booth Fun!

Melanie said that the Design Leadership Summit was a truly memorable experience and a wonderful learning opportunity. The knowledge gained there was invaluable and will benefit us here at TDA. She's already looking forward to next year!

Also, give Melanie warm birthday wishes because today is her birthday! Happy birthday, Melanie!

Bungalow Classic :: A Night of Design

Yes, this was a couple of weeks ago, but we are still reeling from what a fun night we had at Bungalow Classic's "A Night of Design."

With Milieu Magazine, Bungalow Classic hosted a fabulous party (catered by Bacchanalia!!) commemorating the launch of their collaborative line with Clay McLaurin textiles, the release and signing of Bobby McAlpine and Susan Ferrier's book The Art of the House, along with opening up the store after hours for browsing, mingling, and celebrating all that Randy and Courtney do.

We were a little busy chatting with everyone to snap pictures of the affair, but to give you a peek, here are Instagram pictures of the event.

Stacks on stacks on stacks of Milieu Magazines 

Clay McLaurin Textiles

We love every color!!

The presentation of the textile collection, and a preview of some upholstery pieces. Safe to say, we're obsessed!

They made attractive pillows, too!

We each got The Art of the House and got Bobby McAlpine and Susan Ferrier to sign them! And we got to snap a picture of the dynamic duo.

 "A Night of Design" was truly memorable, we had such a splendid time. Thank you for an absolutely wonderful event, Bungalow Classic! 

To see everything that Bungalow has to offer, check out www.bungalowclassic.com.

Follow:

Bungalow Class on Instagram

Dororthy Burke on Instagram

Buckhead Apartment :: Updates

Things are picking up speed here at The Design Atelier! We've got a lot of wonderful projects that are gaining momentum, so there's a lot of work to be done!

Here is an apartment in Buckhead that we recently completed. It is a 900 square foot space right by the St. Regis with an incredible view of the city. This project has been so much fun! Especially when the client is a woman after our own hearts. She loves classic design, but is not afraid to go a little dramatic and funky. We have enjoyed getting to know her, collaborating with her, and designing her fabulous apartment!

This is her bedroom. We did fun swing-arm sconces paired with a custom headboard and custom bedding. Our client loves the color purple, hence, purple bedding! It's feminine and sophisticated, with just the right amount of color. 

Here is her living room in progress. We asked Jason Smith to do a custom bookcase that used up the whole wall. It turned out great and we are waiting to fill it with books, baskets, and other fun accessories!

View of the den from the kitchen.

How gorgeous is that Holly Hunt Roman Ring Lamp with the teal velvet sofa?! We're in love. 

View of the banquette

View of the banquette from the den. We love these colors

Emi posted photos of the bedroom and the photo above and got wonderful feedback from her followers, fellow designers, and our vendors. We are all in agreement that this apartment is one of our favorites!

Let us know your thoughts on the space! 

BEFORE & AFTER :: Rec Room Transformation

We hope you have had a great week! This week has been busy a one, and we can't wait to share what we've been up to! In addition to the projects we already have on deck, we've started a few new projects (that we'll share more of later). This week, we finished up a client's basement/rec room. It looks so great and we love how it all turned out!

Here are some before pictures:

And here is the finished product!

The basement is most frequented by the clients' children and their friends (meaning, lots of video games and slumber parties!). But the clients also wanted a place for them as a family to unwind and enjoy each other's company. We designed these custom modular floor cushions to be rearranged to however they wished. 

The clients also love playing pool, so we found this super cool pool table and had it custom made so that the felt matched the other fabrics in the room. 

However, not all projects are smooth sailing. We definitely hit a few bumps with this one. When the pool table arrived, one of the pieces of slate was damaged and the felt was too small. We had to work out an arrangement with the pool table company and the installers, so that each problem could be fixed as fast as possible. We also had ordered a custom-sized enameled steel chalkboard for a magnetic dart board. Well, the board arrived damaged... twice. So, we figured out an alternative, a cool cork wall that can be a real dartboard with real darts included. 

Although there were a few mishaps along the way that we had no way of controlling, everything worked out in the end. And what matters most is that we gave the client a great room that will be enjoyed for many years to come!

How to Do :: Lucite Furniture

Everyone has seen all of the lucite furniture that has been quite trendy recently. Lucite (or acrylic) furniture has waxed and waned in popularity over the years, and designers have definite opinions about it. Some love it, think it's timeless, and think it is essential for a space. Others think it is quite tacky and should not be used at all. What do we at The Design Atelier think? We think it is all about balance. Too much and it looks like... too much. However, if well-placed, lucite furniture can be that perfect finishing touch. 


Here are some inspiration images that we think do a good job of incorporating lucite furniture:

In this office, the lucite desk balances the dramatic wall color and rug.
It also allows the eye to focus on the super cool shelving.
Another desk would offer a little too much competition and would be overwhelming.

Here, lucite chairs complement the fun bubble chandelier.
Lucite accent pieces, like the candlesticks, help make the room light and airy.
Transparent pieces also do not detract from the large window and its view of the city.

These fun lucite side tables serve as the coffee table.
Moroccan details on the leg add visual interest.

The lucite coffee table here coordinates with the soft color palette of the room.
It adds dimension with its curved edges, but does not distract from other details
like the wall panelling, accent pillows, painting, or accent pillows.

Let us know your thoughts on lucite furniture and where you like to see it used!

Serenbe Showhouse :: Installation Photos

Is it just me, or did September fly by more quickly than ever?? I feel like we just installed the Serenbe Showhouse yesterday when in fact we actually un-installed it yesterday! Crazy how time flies!!

We are so happy to have been a part of such a fun project and we cannot wait to share the final photos taken by our amazingly talented friend, Emily Followill of Emily Followill Photography. 

Cocktail Table by Kevin Scanlon

Mobile by Julie Frith

Painting by Tom Swanston

The final photo is a detail shot of the custom fender we designed and had made by another good friend, Jason Smith of Smithworks Iron & Design. It is up for grabs if anyone is in the market for a beautiful fender!

Many thanks to the vendors that made this all possible:

• Bungalow Classic 
• B.D. Jefferies
• Beau Studio
• Brooks & Black Fine Art
• Moattar
• Twig

Please let us know if you had a chance to stop by the Showhouse! We would love to hear your thoughts!