DEL.ICIO.USPRIVATE QUARTERS / A look at Atlanta's properties and personalities
Druid Hills home aims for 'kid-friendly, but not kid-ish'The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/01/07
Kitschy antique toys and personal artwork are hallmarks of the Druid Hills home of Petra Geiger and Todd Relaford.
Geiger and her husband chose the three-bedroom Cape Cod-style home six years ago because of its quaint style and modern elements, added by the previous owner, an architect. "We loved the old metal windows. It also has quite a large backyard that was landscaped nicely and easy to maintain," she said.
 Louie Favorite/Staff | ||
| The master bedroom is reflected in the vanity mirror. The Druid Hills home of Petra Geiger and Todd Relaford is full of antique toys, modern furniture and personal artwork. | ||
 Louie Favorite/Staff | ||
| Throughout the home, Petra Geiger has showcased the family's collection of toys from the 1960s. | ||
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The decor is eclectic and contemporary, including mid-century antiques. The dining set is Heywood-Wakefield, a staple of lovers of mid-century modern. A Heywood-Wakefield vanity adorns the master bedroom. Chairs in the living room are Bertoia and the rocker is Eames.
"We tried to keep it kid-friendly, but not kid-ish," Geiger says. They have two children, Lucy, 7 and Kaspar, 6. "We baby-proofed a little, but also taught them about respecting what's around them."
The downstairs includes a playroom and game room, as well as the living room, dining room and kitchen. The three bedrooms are upstairs and Geiger's office is in the basement.
Throughout the home, Geiger, 39, has showcased their collection of toys from the 1960s, including a rare toy cash register. And in the master bedroom, the fun toy painting is by Jonathan Fenske.
Geiger, a graphic designer, has turned her knack for making and marking handcrafted handbags into a business. She owns and operates The Beehive Co-op in Buckhead. She rents space to local designers who pay a low monthly rent in return for a dedicated boutique area. Each cooperative member must work four hours in the store each week, which keeps overhead low and creates a collaborative environment where entrepreneurs can learn to grow their businesses.
Artists' work from her store, as well as artwork from her husband, a web designer and furniture maker, and her children adorn the home. The painting in the living room is Todd's as is the shelf in the dining room and a giraffe-shaped shelf/toybox in Kaspar's bedroom.
The artistic vein runs in the family. Geiger's father is a commercial furniture designer and manufacturer. Atlanta-based Geiger Brickel was acquired by Herman Miller in 1999. Today, he dedicates his time to cultivating River Oaks, a 125-acre development in the Appalachian foothills of South Carolina that is the site of an 8,000 square-foot Norwegian-style log home.
HOUSE HIGHLIGHTS
• Kaspar's room features Blik wall graphics, easy to stick on and remove. www.whatisblik.com
• The home's previous owner added architectural elements such as the dividing wall in the dining room and other renovations to make it more contemporary.
The shelf in the dining room was designed and built by Relaford.
• The home was built in 1940. Square footage according to tax records is 1,550 plus 832 square feet of basement space.
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