A decorator's showhouse in Southwest Atlanta

Home and Garden

A decorator's showhouse in Southwest Atlanta

Southwest Atlanta interior designer uses her home as her portfolio.

By day, Pam Spencer works as a pharmaceutical sales rep. Evenings and weekends she works at her interior decorating firm, Taste Maker Interiors in Atlanta. She uses the dream home she and her husband, Winston, built as her portfolio.

The Spencer's traditional brick home in Southwest Atlanta is in a development of homes that start at $500,000. Their 5,000-square-foot estate has five bedrooms and four and a 1/2 baths on three levels. "We're not moving anyplace else. This is plenty of house for two people," Spencer says. "We're working on kids now. When we leave here, we'll be downsizing."

The contemporary living room has white furniture, glass tables, abstract art and a metal sundial clock. "I wanted it to be transitional," says Spencer. "With this room, it's just a matter of swapping out the pillows if I want to do something different."

The Spencers invested in their traditional dining room set when they got married. Before moving to their new home, they had the chairs reupholstered to blend with the glazed terra cotta wall paint.

The medallion on the chandelier was originally white, but Pam Spencer had it painted bronze to match the light fixtures.

The family room has 18 foot ceilings, a stone fireplace and a wall of oversized windows.

The big screen television is inconspicuous on the fireplace mantel with its picture frame border. The Spencers purchased the oversized chairs because they liked the shape, but immediately had them reupholstered to match their earth tone color scheme.

The couple brought the leather sofa and chair in the family room from their former home. Spencer had bronze nail heads added to change the look. "I just wanted a facelift," she explains. "It kind of gave it a more upscale look."

The kitchen opens to the family room. "We like to hang out here when we have company," Spencer says.

The gourmet kitchen has Uba Tuba granite counter tops, hardwood floors, window pane cabinets, a double oven and an island that seats four. "Cooking is not one of my favorite pastimes, but I can cook," says Spencer.

The basement, or terrace, as Spencer prefers to call it, is as elegant as the rest of the home. It has an exercise room, a billiards room, a bar and kitchen, and a huge recreation room. The game room is where the couple hosts card parties. "We have a dinner club and once a month, we'll go out to eat and meet at someone's house to play cards," Spencer says.

The Spencer's chose stacked stone for the bar to match the stone accents throughout the house. "We wanted something masculine enough for Winston, but feminine enough for me. And we wanted it to be very open," explains Spencer. "No matter what room you're in, you able to see the (projection screen) TV."

The rec room has a 72 inch projection screen, and is ideal for sports events. "With surround sound, it's like being in your own mini theater," she says.

The couple initially wanted a water wall, but after investigating the cost to install and maintain one, they opted for wavy mirrors instead.

To get the look, they purchased nine mirrors from Ikea and asked their builder to evenly space them four inches apart. "I actually saw the look in a hospital," notes Spencer.

The floor of the billiards room is a combination of wood and porcelain tile. "The tile mimics the tray ceiling and it won't crack," explains Spencer.

The exercise room is a serious gym with free weights and machines. "Winston is the Hercules in the family. He's really into fitness," jokes Spencer. "I try to get in there about three times a week."

The spacious master suite is dominated by a traditional king-size bed. The suite includes two sitting rooms, walk-in closets and a huge bath. Spencer and her husband, Winston, had the home custom-built 18 months ago.

One of the sitting rooms in the master master suite. "This is where we are all the time," Spencer says, describing the room they use the most. "We like to watch TV in here, so if you fall asleep you're right near the bedroom."

The master bath is as large as a bedroom. Spencer is looking for just the right chair or bench to place at the vanity.

Pam Spencer's own office sports two contemporary, glass top desks. Spencer uses one for her pharmaceutical job, the other for her interior design business. "With double desks, I can utilize space efficiently and work on two things at the same time," she says.

Winston Spencer's office outside the master suite. "Winston is a banker so he doesn't do much work from home. His desk is more for play," jokes Spencer.

The two zebra chairs, which Spencer found at a wholesale store, work perfectly in a corner on the upstairs hallway. "Since it was a landing I thought why not make it functional? I want every room in my house, every corner to be functional," she explains.

One of the couple's guest rooms. "My niece or nephew are here all the time, so that's their room," Spencer says.

Spencer jazzed up the back deck by putting copper tops on the banisters. "I saw them a lot on upscale homes and it was something I always wanted," says Spencer. "So I went straight to Home Depot and got them. It kind of dresses the deck up." The removable tops range from $3 to $13, depending on finish, according to Spencer.

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By day, Pam Spencer works as a pharmaceutical sales rep. Evenings and weekends she works at her interior decorating firm, Taste Maker Interiors in Atlanta. She uses the dream home she and her husband, Winston, built as her portfolio.

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