For some designers, the chance to do a show house is akin to a refreshing palate cleanser between rich courses at an elaborate dinner.
When working for paying clients, “you don’t always get to do what you want to,” observed Kelly Crago Hansen of Kelly Crago Hansen Interiors. “It’s almost like taking a vacation after a project. Sometimes you just have to get some creative things out.”
Designer Courtney Giles, who created her first show house this year, agreed. “The fun part is that you can take the room in any direction.”
But a show house comes with its own special set of challenges.
“A group of decision makers for a charity or fund-raising event have selected and are depending on you to draw visitors,” noted designer Maria Nutt, a six-time symphony show house participant.
“Planning has to begin immediately and is short and sweet,” Nutt said. “There is never any wiggle room for install dates. The show begins on opening night ... period.”
Atlanta show house veterans offer tips they have gleaned from designing these high-profile spaces that any homeowner can use:
Atlanta Symphony Associates’ 2012 Annual Decorators’ Show House and Gardens
Courtney Giles, Courtney Giles Interior Design
Giles’ task was to transform a tight 144-square-foot second floor bedroom into a cozy, welcoming guest room.
-- Be print adventurous.
“A guest room provides the opportunity to play with some bolder patterns that you might tire of in a master bedroom,” Giles said. “Geometric prints, ikats or florals can be great at the windows, and you will be less likely to tire of them because they aren't in a main space.”
-- Balance bold with restrained.
Giles recommends balance if you are playing with busy fabrics in a guest room. “Even if you use a bold pattern, a soft color on the walls will be soothing for your guests,” Giles said.
-- Be creative with small spaces.
Think beyond space-hogging furniture in a small room. “Guests need somewhere to sit their cellphone, glasses and a cup of water. If space is tight you can have brackets mounted to the wall to use as bedside tables instead of actual tables,” Giles said.
-- Tailor the room to guests’ comfort.
In addition to the bedroom’s main space, Giles used an additional 16-square-foot alcove as a work area for guests. “It is nice to provide guests with a small desk for laptops or jotting down quick notes,” Giles said of a space that transforms a guest room into something closer to a hotel suite.
Atlanta Symphony Associates’ 2012 Annual Decorators’ Show House and Gardens
Bill Musso, Musso Design Group
Nurseries are not typical show house features. But these transitional spaces lend themselves to super creative, hip and modern design schemes.
-- Mix modern with classic.
“For this room, we looked for the unexpected, such as placing a modern baby’s room in a very traditional home. On the walls, we painted over a textured wallpaper to neutralize the room while keeping the texture. Finally, a huge mirror was strategically placed to help reflect light and open up the space,” Musso said.
Atlanta Symphony Associates’ 2011 Annual Decorators’ Show House and Gardens
Bill Musso, Musso Design Group
For last year’s symphony show house, Musso created an exotic retreat in the master bedroom to reflect the homeowners’ multicultural background and the designer’s recent trip to Morocco.
-- Use travel as inspiration.
Musso blended design inspiration from not just Morocco but from China, Africa, France, Greece and the United States. “Don't use too many items from one culture or else you could end up with a Moroccan Disneyland,” Musso said.
Atlanta Symphony Associates’ 2008 Annual Decorators’ Show House and Gardens
Maria Nutt, McLaurin Interiors
In a breakfast room connected to the kitchen Nutt’s focus was finding a way to distinguish between the two spaces.
-- Create boundaries.
Nutt recommended using a rug to create a boundary between the breakfast room and kitchen.
-- Shape can determine comfort.
A round table is often a better use of space. It can be extended for extra seating and softens the room, as do drapery panels on simple metal rods. “A balance of lines, soft curves, textures and colors expresses a sense of restful harmony, creating warmth and comfort," Nutt said. "Isn’t that what you want in the morning?”
Atlanta Symphony Associates’ 2012 Annual Decorators’ Show House and Gardens
Maria Nutt, McLaurin Interiors
A luxurious space for most homeowners, the ladies dressing room Nutt created for the show house is a gorgeous refuge whose mix of sensuous fabrics and soothing colors helps lend an air of serenity.
-- Overthink your furnishings in a tight space.
“These lounge chairs were selected for their shape and scale,” Nutt said. “Narrow in width to provide ample room to move around, but with a luxuriously tall rounded back to rise above the level plain of the island and console.” Nutt also added a unique clover leaf-shaped ottoman that could serve as a table or footstool.
Atlanta Symphony Associates’ 2012 Annual Decorators’ Show House and Gardens
Kelly Crago Hansen, Kelly Crago Hansen Interiors
Hansen’s challenge was to enliven and bring interest to three levels of a service staircase. “It was very institutional. The stairs were white, the railing was white, the walls were yellow.”
-- Use artwork to unify a space.
The first tip is to use a coordinating color to unify vintage items. Hansen had some intaglio reproductions painted a pretty green that coordinated with the acid green carpeting on the hall stairs. Hansen said a staircase is also perfect for placing the less showy, more personal artwork that doesn’t work in the more public spaces of your home.
-- Rework a closet.
Hansen removed some unappealing folding closet doors at the base of the first-level stairs and created a cozy nook out of that closet with a small sofa and vintage telephone. “It’s somewhere you can get away and have a conversation.” Other options for a closet might be a wet bar or wall-to-wall bookshelves.
-- Transitional spaces lend themselves to dynamic wall treatments.
Hansen’s tip is to use fabric transformed into wallpaper with the addition of a paper or acrylic back. “It gives you a little different texture and it’s not necessarily as severe as wallpaper. It’s a little softer,” Hansen said.
Cottage Living Magazine 2008 Holiday Coastal Cottage, Sunbury
Kelly Crago Hansen, Kelly Crago Hansen Interiors
For a master bathroom in this coastal home, Hansen took advantage of a beautiful tub and great views.
-- Break up a large tub.
Three panels of mosaic tiles were a way to add interest to the large tub in this master bath. As an added benefit, the tiles can be placed on a movable panel if the homeowner needs access the tub plumbing. Hansen also incorporated show house sponsor Hunter Douglas’ blinds in an innovative way by placing the blinds halfway up the window to retain access to a great view.
Atlanta Symphony Associates' 2012 Decorators' Show House and Gardens at Knollwood Estate. Through 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. $25. Knollwood Estate, 3351 Woodhaven Road N.W., Atlanta. Tickets can be purchased by calling 404-733-4935 or at www.decoratorsshowhouse.org.
