Victorian meets vintage in Nick and Kendall Stowell’s Inman Park home.
Original items from the late 1800s home, built in Atlanta’s first planned community, include four fireplaces, stained glass, a brass doorbell and claw foot bathtubs. The Stowells recently renovated the kitchen and throughout the home, they have blended vintage maps, mid-century pieces and artwork, including photos of iconic Atlanta spots, with new furniture and heirloom pieces that have received modern updates.
It’s fitting for a house believed to be built by a furniture salesman and with only a few different occupants over the years.
“For as old as it is, there haven’t been many owners,” Kendall said. “We feel like people have taken great care and kept its character.”
Snapshot
Residents: Nick and Kendall Stowell and their dogs, Audrey and Sam. Nick is a lobbyist for Equifax; Kendall is store director at Billy Reid who also does interiors/prop styling.
Location: Inman Park
Size: 1,500 square feet, two bedrooms, two baths
Year built: 1896
Year bought: 2011
Architectural style: Victorian
Favorite architectural elements: The front porch, peak roof, rotunda and siding with scalloped edges.
Renovations: So far, the couple has renovated the kitchen (working with Atlanta Kitchen), along with repainting the interiors. "The kitchen was rough," she said. "But we did love the floor. The black and white tile really is cool. And it's hard to find because it's actually ceramic, so you don't see that very often. We wanted to keep it simple to highlight the floor and not compete with it."
Cost of renovations: $8,000
Interior design style: A mix of modern, eclectic and classic. Kendall notes that she loves antiques and "finds," but also appreciates rustic and contemporary styles. "I tried to break it up in the house so it's not all the same thing," she said. For example, she painted her grandmother's old record holder a bright orange, placing it in the hallway, where there's also a chest from her grandparents' house and a new light fixture from West Elm.
Favorite interior design element: Painting the walls, some of which are plastered, dark gray (Benjamin Moore's Chelsea Grey) to make the "fat" white moldings stand out.
Favorite artwork: Paintings by Lana Mitchell, an Athens artist, and Bradley Gordon in Oxford, Miss., and photography by Rob Simmons are in the home.
Favorite outdoor feature: The spacious front porch, where the Stowells wanted to create the feel of a living room by bringing in seating and lamps, as well as a heater or fan, if needed. "The front porch is pretty amazing," Kendall said. "We always have said we would love a big front porch."
Resources: Furniture, accessories and lighting from stores and websites, including Authentique Home, thisisbrickandmortar.com, Stanton Home Furnishings, Redefined Home, West Elm, Kudzu, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Accentrics Design and IKEA.
Decor tip: Buy pieces you are drawn to, even if you don't know if they will work with everything else, because it seems to always work together, Kendall said.
