The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Decorators’ Show House opens

Taken from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Brenda Hamstead, North Atlanta Office Founding Member, REALTOR®

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Decorators’ Show House and Gardens opened its stately doors Saturday in Tuxedo Park, where dozens of interior and landscape designers have transformed a once faux-painted Colonial Revival mansion into a very in-the-now abode. 

The elite tour, celebrating its 40th year, is an exploration of Atlanta’s evolving design scene. The seven-bedroom home, formerly the dwelling of Falcons owner Arthur Blank, is listed at $6.9 million with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty. Viewers can see styles ranging from French antique, as seen in Meg Adams and Emeleni Solis’ breakfast area,  to imaginative and youthful, as seen in Margaret Norcott’s crafts suite. The home’s gardens are a must-see.

The tour is presented by the Atlanta Symphony Associates and benefits the ASO’s Learning Community.

If you go:
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s 2010 Decorators’ Show House and Gardens runs April 17 through May 9 at 3639 Tuxedo Road N.W. in Atlanta. Tickets $25 For detailed hours and ticket purchase information, call 404-733-5000 or visit www.decoratorsshowhouse.org.

Want to bring a touch of symphony style to your home? Here are a  handful of the designers strategies for their stylish space.

Corey McIntosh, McIntosh Interiors; Sitting Room and Gallery

Taking a note from the now-defunct Metropolitan Home’s “high and low” issues, which depict two mirror-image rooms sourced from high and moderately priced vendors, McIntosh designed this seating area off of the master bedroom with a mission in mind: “I wanted to show people who think they can’t afford a designer that maybe they can.”

Helen Marie Rutter and Yvonne McFadden, Summerour & Associates; Young Gentleman’s Room

When creating a space for a younger clientele, Rutter and McFadden say to consider durable and stylish fabrics. That’s why in this masculine space, you’ll find leather-piped pillows and well-worn hardy materials.   If you’re looking to bring the outdoors in, mix materials such as gnarled wood (as seen in their barley twist twin beds).

Mary Kathryn Timoney and Dusty Miller, Design Galleria; Kitchen

If you’re among the lucky ones who get to design a kitchen from scratch, do your ceilings a favor and build cabinetry all the way up. That simple trick instantly makes a room feel taller, Timoney says.  In this spacious kitchen, Timoney made use of reflective surfaces, such as silver and mirrors, and creamy cabinetry and marble to brighten the room. And while the space could easily accommodate a massive island, Timoney and Miller designed two islands with a built-in connector for when extra counter space is needed.