Nothing about the mix of 18th- and 19th-century antiques, the gold-rimmed Limoges china or the subdued oil paintings from Tew Galleries at the Atlanta Symphony Associates’ 2012 Decorators’ Show House and Gardens implies chaos.
And yet, interior designer Carole Weaks -- who created the elegant dining room for this year’s show house at the Knollwood Estate in Buckhead -- affirmed that behind the veneer of refinement, the preparations for this glamorous, deadline-oriented event could give reality TV some competition.
A 21-year veteran of the symphony show house -- one of the most significant and longest-running show houses in the country -- Weaks has seen her share of last-minute complications and interior designer temper tantrums that she humorously refers to as “diva meltdowns.” This year’s event, however, was notably drama-free, she said.
In one unforgettable moment at a past show house, the drapes Weaks had installed the night before the house opened to the public went up in flames -- the result of a camera person’s light being placed too close to the fabric. Luckily, her seamstresses were able to salvage remnants from the trash to patch the holes in the charred fabric.
But ultimately all the drama, the time, the effort and expense are worth it, Weaks said. In 1991, Weaks found herself designing a “wretched staircase” for that year's symphony show house, her first. But she was rewarded for her efforts with a loyal client who admired her ability to transform such an inconsequential room. “You can’t buy an ad big enough in a magazine to get the kind of publicity you do with doing the symphony show house,” Weaks said.
Four days out from the debut of this year’s event, the house is buzzing with a very refined form of chaos. Designed by noted Atlanta architect Phillip Trammel Shutze, the 1929 Knollwood Estate is a hive of busy, nose-to-the-grindstone designers, assistants, photographers, magazine editors, landscapers and hired muscle putting finishing touches on this three-story English Georgian mansion. There is more last-minute primping than at a Miss Teen USA pageant.
A chance for the creative talent to show off their skills, the annual Decorators’ Show House and Gardens provides an opportunity to visitors to learn from Atlanta’s best designers.
Viewers of the 42nd annual show house will notice a mix of bold colors, such as the chartreuse carpeting chosen by Kelly Hansen for the home’s back staircase, juxtaposed with rooms founded on soothing neutrals. The butterfly is a common decorative motif this year, adorning the walls and linens in Dillard Pierce Design Associates' guest retreat and also standing in for checkers on the home’s solarium game table. Showing off the new trend for ultra-modern nurseries, the “Bebe du Moment” room created by Musso Design Group features cheeky Jonathan Adler accessories and an Italian Flos lamp from Design Within Reach. Also very new: The floating shower in the lavish gentleman’s dressing and bathroom created by Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio.
Longtime designer John Oetgen offers a color palette of jewel-tone amethysts and corals and a mix of artwork (including his own) in the home’s exquisite glass-enclosed solarium. Taking his cue from the outdoors, Oetgen ornamented the space with exotic afrocarpus, succulents and banana trees provided by Planters Garden. “I thought this was an extremely beautiful room. And that’s why I wanted to do it because I love a room where nature is inside and out” Oetgen said.
“It’s so John,” event chairwoman Amy Musarra said as she led a tour of the home. “He’s such an artist. So whimsical.”
Musarra, who has an art history degree from the University of Georgia and 17 years' experience in the retail, antique and design industry, is no Johnny-come-lately to the show house circuit. As a fifth-grader, the Buckhead native begged her mother to take her to her first show home. “Every year since then we went," Musarra said. "There is just something about getting to peak inside a world that you’re not a part of.”
One hundred and fifty designers competed to be among the final 25 firms selected for this year’s show house. Musarra said the organizers strove to show an illustrative mix of Atlanta’s design community, from old guard talent such as Stan Topol to ambitious newcomers such as Dillard Pierce Design Associates.
The annual event has garnered $1 million for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in the past five years, with proceeds supporting a wide range of programs, including the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Concerts for Young People series and the Talent Development Program that nurtures promising young Latino and African-American musicians pursuing careers in classical music.
In addition to the house itself, this year’s program, which is expected to attract 5,000 to 8,000 people, is a bonanza of educational and ancillary opportunities to wallow in history and design, including a lecture on Shutze’s architecture, wine tastings and author events.
Preview
Atlanta Symphony Associates 2012 Decorators’ Show House and Gardens at Knollwood Estate
April 21-May 13. 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays; 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Thursdays; 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; noon-4:30 p.m. Sundays. $20 for tickets purchased before April 20; $25 for tickets purchased at the door or online after April 20. Knollwood Estate, 3351 Woodhaven Road N.W., Atlanta. Tickets can be purchased by calling 404-733-4935 or online at www.decoratorsshowhouse.org.
About the Author
