It's a match made in heaven. Interior designer weds homebuilder and they give birth to a charming, well-appointed home in Norcross.

Mandy and Miller Lowry built their cottage-style home two years ago on Autry Street, a historically African-American neighborhood, just steps away from downtown Norcross.

Alison Church / Special (ENLARGE)

The breakfast room serves as the dining area for both formal and casual dinners at the home of Mandy and Miller Lowry.

Alison Church / Special (ENLARGE)

Mandy and Miller Lowry built their cottage-style home in downtown Norcross.

Miller is invested in the area. He's developing Norcross Astoria, a 4.5-acre development of 21 custom bungalows priced in the $500,000 range. Pak Heydt & Associates is the architect. Mandy Lowry is a designer for K.L. McCall Interiors, and the firm is providing design services for the development.

Miller Lowry calls their home "a classic cottage reminiscent of the 1920s." The molding and trim throughout the home is consistent with 1920s architecture. Inside, Mandy Lowry prefers transitional design, a style between modern and traditional.

"It's very clean lines," she said.

In the parlor, Mandy Lowry has arranged antique furniture, including a 130-year-old French settee. The drapes and pillows are Bergamo Fabrics. Bird finials on the curtain rods give the windows a touch of fun.

Miller Lowry had a carpenter add the coffered ceilings, wainscoting and other details.

The home was recently part of the 2007 Norcross Tour of Homes.

"A lot of people (on the tour) asked if this was old when we remodeled it," he said.

The breakfast room — there is no formal dining room — includes the couple's Christmas wedding china. It's a Kate Spade pattern cleverly named "Donner Road." A dark wood round table is surrounded by chairs upholstered in powder blue leather.

The family room, kitchen and master bedroom are grouped together because they spend most of their time in those rooms, Miller Lowry said.

In the family room, chartreuse and orange accent the fireplace, which features a hand-welded fire screen and custom mantle. The gray buffet anchors the room.

The Lowrys used an exotic granite for the kitchen counters. The cabinets are cream with a chocolate glaze, and the farmhouse sink features a copper gooseneck fixture that adds to the room's character.

Mandy Lowry, who enjoys entertaining, made sure to include a commercial-grade oven.

The kitchen and family room lead out to the loggia, another area of the home where the Lowrys spend a lot of time. Miller Lowry built the steel deck loggia to last. It also serves as a walkway to the in-law suite which now serves as his office. The floor is done in slate tile complimenting the brick fireplace.

The Lowrys said the home tour was a success and that they had fun participating, though their sleeping arrangements changed.

"We didn't sleep in our bed for a week. I had this so nicely ironed," she said, pointing to the still-crisp white bed linens.

On the wall of the master suite, Mandy Lowry has hung her pressed wedding bouquet in a frame. The room also includes a circular tray ceiling with recessed lighting instead of the traditional square tray.

"The main thing about this bedroom for us is it's relaxing and soothing," Miller Lowry said. "When you live such a fast-paced life, you need every bit of relaxation you can get."

The master bathroom is centered on an oversized, old-fashioned Victoria and Albert soaking tub. The dual-entry doorless shower has two shower heads for maximum efficiency. The tumbled stone floor and walls are done in blue tones, and the dual vanities include polished Carrera marble.

On the upstairs landing, Miller Lowry displays his great-grandmother's antique chair, still in excellent condition.

"She traveled a lot and was very meticulous," he said.

Next to the chair hangs a quilt Earlene Pantel made for the Lowry wedding. Pantel, who is the mother of Mandy Lowry's best friend, made the crazy quilt which includes a spider — said to represent good health, good fortune and good friendship.

"It's my most treasured piece," Mandy Lowry said.

The upstairs layout includes two guest bedrooms and Mandy Lowry's turquoise office with pops of orange and white.

"It's very fun and funky," she said. Built-ins include a long window seat with storage. She used a colorful striped Dash and Albert rug to punch up the room. "To me, this stuff is easy," she said.

The guest bath includes walnut Shaker-style cabinets with crystal knobs. One of the guest bedrooms is painted celadon green and evokes an airy cottage feel.

The couple finished the basement just in time for the tour. Miller Lowry used exposed brick walls to give it a cozy feel and made sure to use a rowlock pattern in keeping with the historic look. He added flush joint mortar and tumbled bricks.

The couple enjoy living in Norcross. Miller Lowry's grandparents used to live in the area.

"It's charming, and we love the downtown area. It's got a small town feel," Mandy Lowry said. "And I can be at work in 15 minutes in Buckhead."

Miller Lowry's commute is a bit closer — down the street.

HOUSE HIGHLIGHTS

• Two-story home with finished basement is 4,600 square feet. Four bedrooms and three and a half baths and an in-law suite above the garage.

• Miller Lowry is developing a nearby neighborhood of 21 custom homes. He said he is taking a purist's approach to reproducing historical architecture. His wife's firm, K.L. McCall Interiors, is providing design services for the project.

• The home is part of a transforming area of Norcross that features high-end historic style housing.