Legendary designer to introduce new line to Atlanta

Bunny Williams’ legendary design firm may be based in New York, but the interior designer’s traditional aesthetic has classic Southern appeal. Williams is known for creating welcoming interiors designed for how people live and entertain, right down to where the homeowner sets her cup of coffee.

The Virginia-born designer has catered to New York’s high society for more than three decades, but that doesn’t mean she is turned on by sparse, modern interiors.

Enlarge this image

SPECIAL

Legendary designer Bunny Williams says BeeLine, her new line of limited-edition furniture, upholstery and accessories, is ‘the basics that everybody is always looking for and can’t find.’

Enlarge this image

SPECIAL

Bunny Williams created the naughty bunny throw with pets who get on the furniture in mind.

Home design stories

• Grant Park couple raise roof to get more space 
• Urban design excellence is rewarded 
• Designers find common cause with global artists 

• Back to Home & Garden

“People should not be afraid to make a room warm,” she says. “I want to go in a room where I feel like people actually live in it.”

Williams travels to Atlanta often to shop antiques and the city’s expansive showrooms, she says, and is returning to Buckhead on Friday to debut her first line of furniture, BeeLine, at the Mrs. Howard boutique on Peachtree Hills Avenue. While her high-end pieces may not be in many’s reach (side chairs begin at $2,500), her design advice translates to all price points.

We chatted with Williams about her latest creations, design dos and don’ts and why she loves the South.

How did you come to create BeeLine, your new line of limited-edition furniture, upholstery and accessories?

I think every designer at some point says, “Oh, what’s next?” The idea of designing a collection is in the back of everyone’s mind. I wanted to provide something I believe in wholeheartedly, and I couldn’t just turn it over to someone else. These are the basics that everybody is always looking for and can’t find, like the perfect side table or chair. It’s transitional with a little modern, so it will go with your antiques and gets along with more modern pieces. I didn’t want to do a line of reproduction furniture. There’s enough of that out there.

I understand that you are an animal lover. (Williams and fellow interior designer Kitty Hawks created Tails in Need and the Great American Mutt Show, organizations that find owners for homeless dogs.) Do you allow pets on the furniture and, if so, what is your secret for upkeep?

In my new collection, I have what we call the “naughty bunny throw.” It’s fake fur, and so I’ll wrap cushions in the fake fur throw … It looks intentional, but the dogs can get on it and then we throw that in the washing machine. And always make sure your dogs enter through a mudroom. I keep a stack of beige towels by the door and dry them off before they’re allowed to enter the house.

What do you see as among the most common design mistakes?

People don’t get scale right. The furniture is all on steroids, or worse, so diminutive. If you have something big, put smaller pieces with it to make it more interesting. Also, people often do not consider the floor-plan, which evolves with how people live. I don’t think people often consider how guests will gather and relate to each other; eight to 10 people should be able to sit and chat. And make sure when people sit down they have a table nearby. It’s awful if you’re stranded and can’t reach the coffee table.

What’s your take on design in the South?

I love Atlanta — it’s a city that’s a haven for designers. I think people in the South really are comfortable with their homes and they love to entertain. If you’re from there, it’s part of the package.