DEL.ICIO.USShow homes make the leap
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, May 14, 2009
The homes on this year’s Modern Atlanta tour are all examples of groundbreaking design, but one’s a little more groundbreaking than the others.
It isn’t on the ground.
Jillian Pritchard Cooke
The Brookwood home tour benefits the Susan G. Komen breast cancer research foundation.
Jennifer Brett / jbrett@ajc.com
More than 30 works by Alabama artist Coleman Mills will be on display in one of the residences at the Mansion.
For the first time, this year the tour chose a high-rise residence as one of its featured properties.
“I think condos are definitely an option for many people who don’t want to deal with the maintenance of a home or are living a lifestyle that is more easily accommodated by a turn-key space that meets their needs and desires,” event director Elayne DeLeo said.
Similarly, the 39th annual Decorators’ Show House tour benefiting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra highlighted three residences at the new St. Regis in Buckhead.
“This year’s Show House was the very first to make the leap to a high-rise concept,” said Celeste Pendarvis, director of volunteer services and special events for the ASO, which held its tour earlier this month. “We thought it would be the perfect year as we are seeing many of our constituents downsize to high-rise living.”
The St. Regis, where just seven of 53 residences remain available (starting price: $3 million), pitched the idea, Pendarvis said.
“The appeal and reputation of the St. Regis, plus the cost savings for the organization including on-site parking, hotel housekeeping and security services, made it an opportunity we could not pass up. It was a win for all parties involved.”
Home tours, a stalwart of the fund-raising repertoire, offer designers and real estate agents a chance to showcase their wares and talents to potential clients, while patrons get to soak up ideas (or maybe just gawk at ritzy cribs). At a time of falling home prices and surplus inventory, a high-rise home tour can be a fun way to get things moving.
“In selling condominiums in this market, it’s important to get people in to see, touch, feel and experience,” said Gayle MacIntyre of Urban Realty Partners. The developer’s new LEED-certified property, The Brookwood, is hosting a home tour this week to benefit Komen Atlanta, an affiliate of the Susan G. Komen breast cancer research foundation. Touring hours are noon to 4 p.m. through Sunday. Admission is free but donations are accepted, and guests can purchase $10 raffle tickets for an eco-friendly scooter at the concierge desk through October.
“Prices have certainly been adjusted to reflect the market,” said MacIntyre. “Having the Susan G. Komen tour has created a platform for us to get more attention.”
Eco-friendly designer Jillian Pritchard Cooke’s firm, DES-SYN, outfitted the tour space at The Brookwood, where prices start in the high $300s and 20 of the 219 residences are under contract. She salutes the idea of high-rise tours, irrespective of a sluggish housing market, as they introduce potential clients to the idea of streamlined living. She scoffs unabashedly at clients who want to park themselves on acres of space, rather than considering “high-density living with green spaces that are common.”
“These (condo) residences really lend themselves beautifully to efficient living,” Cooke said.
DeLeo, the Modern Atlanta tour director, said the property on the 46th floor of the Mansion fits the event’s theme well.
“The reason we selected the Robert Trestch-designed flat was due to his vision for the space and the combination of modern interiors,” she said. “We want to educate attendees that modern does not mean cold or cubed, and we think Robert expresses this brilliantly in the home he has designed for his clients by his use of materials like reclaimed teak that covers the floors and ceilings.”
The Modern Atlanta tour is from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, and tickets are $35. (For details on the tour and all featured properties, see modern-atlanta.org).
Tretsch, of the firm Harrison Design Associates, was on hand earlier this week as workers were finishing out the residence and Alabama artist Coleman Mills was hanging pieces to be displayed there during the tour.
“There’s a lot of excitement about the building,” Tretsch said.
Of the property’s 45 residences, 12 have sold and a number of others are under contract or are on hold. Prices start at $2.5 million.
Mills sees the Mansion’s relatively low occupancy rate as a plus — a blank canvas, if you will.
“I get the unique opportunity to come in when the space is fairly raw,” he said.