Atlanta Home Decorated with Antiques

An Atlanta home recently featured on the blog “Things That Inspire” is a great example of how to incorporate antiques and collections into a design scheme. This classic beauty in Brookhaven was renovated by architect Norman Askins and designer Jackye Lanham, and we hear it may be up for sale. Can you imagine happening upon these fine interiors while house-hunting?!

Breakfast Nook Must-Have: The Windsor Chair

Last month, we posted about incorporating Windsor chairs into the breakfast room, which local designers Huff-Dewberry had done so well for a Buckhead couple (see “The Wonderful World of Windsor Chairs,”) so we were happy to see in a recent issue of Veranda that even prolific designers like Los Angeles’ own Barbara Barry use the Windsor chair in their projects for maximum impact.

Below, see the breakfast nook Barry designed for a home sited on 18 acres in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

While the sleek black chairs look at home in this home’s earthy color palette, we would like to remind you that The Gables has a wonderful and rare set of 19th century English chairs, as well as invidually sold reproduction English splatback Windsor armchairs. Perfect for your breakfast nook or dining area–where we are seeing them in our interiors today!

Coffee Talk!

Searching for the perfect little cocktail or coffee table? Finding just the right table can be daunting. When choosing a table, “consider scale, context and function,” according to SouthernAccents.com. Regardless of the style you choose, its style should enhance the character of your room.

Check out a few tips below on choosing the perfect accessory, from the editors of Southern Accents.

• “Your coffee table should be more or less the same height as the seat of your sofa, usually 16 to 18 inches high, and positioned 15 to 18 inches away from the sofa.

• “Regardless of the size of your room, a giant coffee table isn’t gracious or pretty, and it takes up too much space,” says designer Jan Showers.

• If a very small table is in order, in front of a settee, for instance, designer Gerrie Bremermann recommends a tray table. “A beautiful oval tray on a stand contains things nicely,” she says.

• With their elegant profiles, exotic woods, and interesting surface treatments, Chinese tables are popular because they fit into traditional or contemporary schemes.

• “My favorite table accessories are books. People always enjoy leafing through them,” Showers says. “A piece of Venetian glass is wonderful too. But anything you place on your table, especially flowers, should not be so tall that it interferes with conversation.”

• When choosing a coffee table, designer Cathy Kincaid makes sure that it is not too large or too heavy. “You want to be able to get around it and move it easily,” she says.

• “A slightly higher table in front of a sofa can also be used for informal dining,” Kincaid says.

Here are a few examples from The Gables to get your design minds churning.

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