Tom and Linda Schulte’s Buckhead home presented a surprising decorating dilemma, as they moved from Cumming’s Vickery community to shorten Linda’s Perimeter-area commute.
The furniture placement, use of rugs, color palette and other design decisions took the open floor plan into consideration, creating distinct spaces that tied together.
“I’ve done all my decorating up until now, but this house was a challenge because of the openness,” said Linda, a health care consultant for Dominium Benefits.
Snapshot
Residents: Tom and Linda Schulte
Location: Buckhead
Size: About 3,600 square feet (plus about 1,800 finished square feet in the basement), four bedrooms, five baths
Year built: 1983
Year bought: 2011
Architectural style: European
Favorite architectural feature: Columns and Palladian windows. "Architecturally, it's got a lot of columns and window details without being heavy," Linda said.
Interior design style: Transitional, with a twist. "I always have liked to decorate so that when you walk into every room, there would be a surprise, something you didn't expect," Linda said.
Interior designer: Bill Mohr
Favorite design feature: One of the first things guests encounter are two sofas placed back to back -- one facing the entryway, the other facing the living room. "I bought those before I hired Bill, and then I was like, 'Oh my gosh, what are we going to do with these?' " Linda said. "The placement of that gets a lot of compliments. It is quite impactful when you walk into the rooms."
Favorite outdoor feature: The property, which is more than 1 acre, has 100-plus magnolia trees in the backyard.
Favorite designer item: The round dining room table and banquette are from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. They're surrounded, though, with affordable chairs from Overstock.com. "I do believe in mixing and not overspending in one area, but when there is something you love, you buy it, and you fill in with other things, and it all works together," Linda said.
