When Kimberly McDonald purchased her seven-bedroom, six-bathroom home in Atlanta’s elegant Buckhead neighborhood, she knew she wanted to overhaul the design.
“When I first saw the house, it was extremely outdated and not my taste,” she said. “I knew when I purchased it that I would need to open it up to allow a better flow of positive energy throughout my home.”
The owner of Kimberly McDonald, a home furnishings and jewelry boutique that recently launched men’s and women’s clothing lines inside Buckhead Village, transformed the home. It went from a traditional 1990s dwelling to a contemporary space that retained the vaulted ceilings and front staircase McDonald already loved.
“They just needed an update to bring them up to my personal taste level,” she said.
For the boutique owner, the goal was twofold.
“I wanted a place where I can showcase my home collection as well as my shoe collection,” she said, laughing. “While I enjoy relaxing, more important to me was a bedroom with a master closet large enough to store my shoe collection. So I created one. "
McDonald, whose high-profile clientele includes Michelle Obama, Carrie Underwood, Amy Adams, Steph Curry and Taraji P. Henson, remarked that the resulting owner’s suite was “more like a closet with a bed in it.”
She also aimed to bring elements from her collection and mix unique discoveries into her designs, which were pulled together in part by contractors she managed. The finished looks included custom cut tiles covering the primary bathroom’s walls and a custom-designed double sink. Lots of light, a blend of colors and natural elements were important aspects to mix in to create “a very earthy and sensual feeling,” McDonald said.
Despite making the home an oasis for her, the entrepreneur didn’t forget about her guests.
“For my visitors, I wanted to create a space that was peaceful, welcoming and calming, I want them to be intrigued by the natural elements around them, and inspired by the juxtaposition of rough and fine accents with unexpected details, textures and colors,” she said.
Perhaps as much for herself as the guests is the formal living room, which is McDonald’s favorite room in the house. With walls painted in a matte-finished charcoal gray, it provides something that the homeowner said “gives it a moody background.” She also wanted “soft” artwork since the color “can be a little harsh.”
Other favorite spaces include the custom-built shoe closet and the foyer, which features a wallcovering collaboration between McDonald and Circa Wallcovering.
Snapshot
Resident: Kimberly McDonald, owner of Kimberly McDonald inside Buckhead Village, which offers fine jewelry and home decor and accessories. Items featured in the space include stalagmite wine grottos, custom wall coverings and area rugs alongside a recently launched mens’ and women’s clothing line.
Location: Buckhead
Size: 7 bedrooms; 6 baths; two, half-baths
Year built: 1990
Year bought: 2017
Renovations: A variety of contractors, all of whom were managed by Kimberly McDonald
Consultants/Designers: Kimberly McDonald
Favorite Architectural element: Love the vaulted ceilings in the foyer and living room, custom glass front door.
Interior design style: Eclectic with a focus on natural materials
Collections: Kimberly McDonald
Resources: Kimberly McDonald
