Knetta Lilly isn’t the kind of person to walk into a furniture store and purchase an entire room, as she sees it on a showroom floor.
The interior designer instead would take a piece of furniture and add inexpensive and unique finds, from high-end boutiques, discount retailers such as HomeGoods and Ross Dress for Less, consignment stores and garage sales, along with custom touches.
The accessories, including artwork, in her southwest Atlanta residence, for example, range in price from $2 to $600. She designed and sewed the home’s custom drapes, keeping the price tag for each window drapery below $150.
Lilly, owner of K Lilly Interiors, a boutique residential interior design firm in Atlanta, says her designs are proof that people don’t have to spend a lot in their homes.
“To create a custom look, I mix patterns, textures, furniture and accessories in a way that is bold, eye-catching yet comfortable for my lifestyle,” she said.
Snapshot
Resident: Knetta Lilly, owner and principal designer for K Lilly Interiors
Location: southwest Atlanta's Princeton Lakes Enclave
Size: 2,300 square feet, four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths
Year built: 2008
Year bought: 2008
Architectural style: modern-day single-family home
Renovations: decorative niche built into stairwell by John Graves of Apollo Design
Favorite architectural feature: The two-story family room that opens to the kitchen. "This floor plan is perfect for intimate or large gatherings, as I love to entertain," Lilly said.
Interior design style: transitional modern with a chic elegance
Favorite design feature: Distributed audio system that allows music and/or TV to be heard anywhere in the home. Lilly said this feature is especially good for parties that revolve around watching sporting events.
Favorite outdoor feature: Large backyard, which Lilly said is perfect for barbecues and offers unobstructed views of the neighborhood.
