Housewife' Phaedra Parks mixes luxury, chicness

Home and Garden

Entertainment attorney Phaedra Parks has gained recognition after being cast on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. She describes the decor of her 4,100-square-foot home as 'transitional.'

Entertainment attorney Phaedra Parks has gained recognition after being cast on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. The Athens native's new family -- she married Apollo Nida last November -- was integral to her decision to join the cast of the reality TV show. "I was approached by Bravo. I worked with Bravo on the second season as an attorney for one of the castmates on the show. The casting experience might have been a little different for me because of that relationship," Parks says.

Parks has lived in her 4,100-square-foot brick home for nine years. It has five bedrooms and five bathrooms. "My interior design is transitional," she says. "My (home's) interior blends traditional and contemporary characteristics that are unified by color and design choices." Taupes and purples were used in her living room.

Promise Fulfilled, an original work of art that is Parks' favorite piece, is mounted beside a window and her son's tall chair in the breakfast nook. It was created by Kevin Williams, an Atlanta resident whose work has been commissioned by Bernie Mac and Oprah Winfrey. "I love social pieces that really tell a historical perspective of what education means to different cultures," Parks says.

"I love wallpaper," Parks says. Custom-designed wallpaper was used in the study (shown), formal dining room, an accent wall in the guest room, over the fireplace in the living room, the nook in the foyer and each of the five bathrooms.

"Christmas is the fondest memory in my home" Parks says. "I love to cook and entertain. Every Christmas I cook dinner for my family and friends. I usually have 25-plus guests."

The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast is immortalized in a vivid portrait montage that Bravo's Andy Cohen gave Parks "to celebrate the third season of the show." One week before her Housewives debut, Parks hadn't seen any of the episodes. " I always try to realize that people don't know this part of me, she says. This gives people the opportunity to see me at home and on an intimate, personal level. I just hope the true me shines through."

Another of Parks' collectibles is an autographed throwback jersey from ex-Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. It hangs in the recreation room.

"I love to entertain," Parks says. "However, with my busy career and extensive travel schedule, my entertaining at home is often limited. My last gathering at my home was a month ago. I had 50 guests over for a sip-and-see to celebrate the birth of my firstborn." When she does have people over, the bar area with red pops of color invites people to hang out there.

"I enjoy my entire house, but I spend the majority of my time in my kitchen and master suite (shown)," Parks says. "I am definitely a self-proclaimed Southern belle, as you can tell from my home. I enjoy not only my professional life but being a homemaker. I love to cook. I consider myself a Renaissance woman because I do a lot of things very well."

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Entertainment attorney Phaedra Parks has gained recognition after being cast on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. The Athens native's new family -- she married Apollo Nida last November -- was integral to her decision to join the cast of the reality TV show. "I was approached by Bravo. I worked with Bravo on the second season as an attorney for one of the castmates on the show. The casting experience might have been a little different for me because of that relationship," Parks says.

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