Brenda Galina's favorite room isn't a room at all. It's her penthouse rooftop garden in Midtown.

After moving to their Colony Square penthouse three years ago, Brenda and Morton Galina gave the redwood deck new life by installing unfilled travertine stone and adding landscaping, water features and, of course, art.

Pouya Dianat / Special (ENLARGE)

Brenda Galina sits at a table in her roof garden directly outside her penthouse. Galina's home will be on the first Colony Square Tour of Penthouses on Oct. 28.

Pouya Dianat/Special (ENLARGE)

A wooden figure graces the view from the foyer to to the piano room of Galina's penthouse at Colony Square.

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The result is a peaceful perch surrounded by jeweled skyscrapers and lush gardens. Bradford pear and maple trees grow without limits.

"It's wonderful. It's a mental freedom because you know you're not locked in. At night, it's really magical with all the lights," Brenda Galina said.

The Galinas' 14th-floor penthouse and garden is part of the upcoming Colony House Penthouse Tour on Oct. 28. The tour benefits the Museum of Design Atlanta, where Galina serves as executive director. Tickets can be purchased online at museumofdesign.org.

The 2,400-square-foot penthouse, with two bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, is a showcase for the couple's art collection. Bathed in white tones, the main floor consists of a music room, living room and dining room. Interior designer Charles Gandy renovated the Galinas' contemporary pad.

"All of this artwork has been a collection over our lifetime," Galina said. Pieces that had faded into the background in their Roswell home now take center stage at the penthouse and vice versa.

"Sometimes when you move stuff around, it gets a new life again," said Galina, who chaired Georgia State University's Early Childhood Education department for 22 years before moving to the art world.

"All through my life I liked design," she said on what drew her to her newest career at the museum. Her husband, Morton Galina, is a physician.

Guests are immediately greeted in the entry by a sitting female figure carved in wood. Opposite the grand piano in the music room, Gandy placed her collection of Moulthrop wooden bowls on Plexiglas pedestals. The wall behind the bowls is made of onyx, as is the fireplace surround. Galina originally thought she would choose marble, but fell in love with the look of onyx.

Galina has slowed her art collection, mainly due to lack of space.

"What has to come in now has to be really special," she said.

In the dining room, a Zoe Hersey work gives color to the white dominated backdrop. "This was a no-brainer," she said of the neutral color in the room. In contrast, the dark gray color in the lower level was a heart-stopper. Even the painters were concerned when they started applying the color.

"The painter looked at me and said 'Don't worry, it's just paint. We can repaint it," she said. To everyone's relief, the Galinas and the designer loved it.

Downstairs is a breathtaking sitting room and master bedroom, discovered at the end of a white narrow hall brimming with white art. Breathtaking because of its color — sometimes silver, sometimes dark gray, and other tones of black depending on the time of day or your mood. The room is bold, wrapped in silk panels and drenched in the dark color.

The downstairs, which was originally three bedrooms, is now divided into two bedrooms plus the sitting area. Galina said each owner of this penthouse has renovated the first floor. Some eliminated the hallway and made a larger master suite.

The couple's renovation started modestly when their shower pan broke and flooded the downstairs apartment.

"So it started. It's just a disease," she said, chuckling.

The Galinas bought a smaller penthouse across the hall that serves as a guest suite for her daughter's family. Gandy had the studio-style suite painted chocolate brown and used the Galinas' furniture from their former home in Roswell. Galina said many penthouse owners purchase the smaller condos across the hall to use for extra rooms or for guests.

There's no turning back to the single-family, detached home lifestyle. The Galinas love the easy walking distance to all things cultural in Midtown.

"We go to the symphony and everybody's getting in their cars, and we just laugh," she said.

HOUSE HIGHLIGHTS

• The tour includes homes designed by some of Atlanta's premier interior designers, including Rita Carson Guest, Charles Gandy, Jerry Pair and Stanley Ellis. The art collection includes the work of Andrew Crawford, Amy Landesberg, Dale Chihuly and Ed Moulthrop. During the tour, many homeowners will have their designers on hand. Several of the artists whose work Galina collects will also be present.

• The penthouses are on the 14th floor of Colony House in Colony Square. The tour is from 2 to 6 p.m. and tickets are $75 per person.

• The Galinas enjoy views of Ansley Park and Stone Mountain from their east-facing home.