Author Mary Kay Andrews' Atlanta home reflects vintage Christmas

Private Quarters

PHOTOS: Best-selling author's DeKalb home reflects vintage Christmas

You know her as Mary Kay Andrews. See photos of her home, which is on the 24th annual Avondale Estates Christmas Tour of Homes.

The stockings are hung by the chimney as a way for author Kathy Hogan Trocheck (aka Mary Kay Andrews) to deal with write's block. She made these stockings out of wool blankets and thrift store sweaters. On the mantel, Trocheck filled blue-and-white ceramic pieces with dried hydrangeas. The tree is one of four in the home, which is on the December 11 Avondale Estates Christmas Tour of Homes. Text by Lori Johnston and Shannon Adams/Fast Copy News Service.

The Trochecks' home in Avondale Estates is an English cottage built in 1926. The home has about 3,700 square feet, with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The front door pops against the trim and whitewashed brick.

Kathy Hogan Trocheck sewed this floor-length tablecloth from six wool stadium blankets. Then she, interior designer Clay Snider and floral designer Kevin Hotelling created the rest of her vintage-meets-Ralph Lauren holiday look. Cedar, magnolia leaves and bows cover a lantern from Circa Lighting that illuminates the entry year-round.

Some of the author's blue-and-white ceramic collection is displayed in her entry, which has painted concrete floors. Designer Kevin Hotelling assisted her on the floral selections to prepare the home for the 24th annual Avondale Estates Christmas Tour of Homes 3-8 p.m. on December 11. )

These red chandeliers from Scott Antique Market hang year-round, but are the perfect top to the dining room's holiday style, which designers Clay Snider and Kevin Hotelling helped create.

Blue-and-white transferware plates and platters frame the dining room mantel, which is topped with a gilt mirror. The mantel greenery -- magnolia leaves, cedar, holly, nandina, ivy and dried hydrangeas -- comes largely from the home's yard. The overall effect is an eclectic traditional style with rustic holiday flair.

Vintage midcentury linens and inexpensive plaid chargers from Michaels create a colorful holiday tablescape. The cut glass goblets were a wedding gift, and the blue-and-white transferware is part of Kathy Hogan Trocheck's collection. Christmas party crackers and candy complete each place setting. Christopher Oquendo/AJC FILE

An antique secretary in the dining room displays Kathy Hogan Trocheck's collection of vintage snowmen. In 2014, Kathy and Tom moved into their home, which will be on the 24th annual Avondale Estates Christmas Tour of Homes.

The dining room chairs are from Scott Antique Market and were recovered in fabric Kathy Hogan Trocheck fell in love with at an estate sale. The fake pheasants in the centerpiece are another estate sale treasure, fitting with her "eclectic hoarder traditional" design style.

This is the Trochecks' first Christmas in their remodeled kitchen. The home's former galley kitchen was expanded and updated with marble countertops, from Atlanta Kitchen, and a Wolf range. Subway tile backsplash, from Walker Zanger, and blue-and-white transferware in an antique oak Welsh cupboard continue the decor's vintage look.

Bottlebrush trees from the 1930s, '40s and '50s are among the vintage holiday decor. The antique Welsh oak cupboard is one of the pieces of furniture the Trochecks have purchased to celebrate their anniversary over the years.

When the Trochecks remodeled the galley kitchen, they wanted to make sure to keep the 1920s style of the house. "I didn't want it to look like a hospital laboratory," Kathy said. "It's a kitchen." She and designer Robin Pittman, working with Pearl Custom Cabinets, created an inviting, functioning space for family meals and entertaining.

The remodeled kitchen has two sinks. Above this one, there is a vintage fixture pulled together from pieces of two lights by the Big Chandelier in Atlanta.

Antique Christmas postcards, which Kathy Hogan Trocheck purchased on a recent anniversary trip to New York City with her husband, Tom, adorn open shelves. Greenery tucked into the shelves further infuse holiday spirit into the remodeled kitchen, which has subway tile backsplash.

The metal chandelier over the island, from Circa Lighting, is draped with cedar branches from the backyard for a wintery touch. The island is topped with marble countertops from Atlanta Kitchens. For the remodel, the homeowners worked with designer Robin Pittman, Pearl Custom Cabinets and contractor Heriberto Lopez.

A butler's pantry is a new feature in the home, joining a kitchen remodel. The butler's pantry took over a former pass-through space between the kitchen and dining room, and the design by Pearl Custom Cabinets holds a refrigerator, ice maker, bar area and plenty of storage.

The living room is a warm, welcoming spot filled with stories. Author Kathy Hogan Trocheck spotted the pair of chairs at an antique store while on a book tour years ago. The timing was fortuitous, because the store's owner had a truck headed to Georgia and added them to the load. The couches are from Stanton Home Furnishings.

On an estate sale coffee table in the living room, an antique silver punch bowl holds an arrangement of hydrangea and baby's tear.

A custom gold chandelier brings a bit of polish to the wood-paneled living room, which also has couches from Stanton Home Furnishings. Some of the needlepoint and tapestry pillows were scooped up at an estate sale, along with the coffee table that Tom Trocheck cut down to fit the space. The painting is a contemporary version of a scene in Tuscany.

Kathy Hogan Trocheck's love of antique textiles and needlepoint is evident in her collection of pillows from estate sales. These add a vintage touch to a new couch from Stanton Home Furnishings.

Shiplap accentuates the ceiling height and cottage feel in the master bedroom. The canopy-style bed is an Anthropologie frame found on Craigslist, and a custom headboard fits over the ironwork so the homeowners can comfortably read in bed.

Floral fabric from Lewis & Sheron Textiles drapes the master bedroom's windows. The floors are in keeping with the home's eclectic, vintage style.

In Kathy Hogan Trocheck's studio, some of her 24 book covers and New York Times best-seller lists are displayed. Her most recent book, "The Weekenders," written under her pen name, Mary Kay Andrews, came out in 2016, and "The Beach House Cookbook" is scheduled for release in 2017. The couch is a slipcovered estate sale find, made even more snuggly with a colorful quilt.

In the sunroom, a vaulted, octagonal ceiling creates a charming spot for writing and reading. The coffee table was being tossed out by a neighbor, but Kathy Hogan Trocheck rescued it. The Trochecks repaired it with a new walnut top and by shortening the legs. "I love that piece, because I love knowing that it came from one neighbor's grandmother's house in Druid Hills, and then the top came from another neighbor," Kathy said.

The sunlight-filled room is one of the author's favorite places to write. The Nativity barn was from an estate sale in Savannah. The homeowners covered the chair in Ralph Lauren fabric.

Vintage picnic tins, thermoses and coolers serve as an unexpected tree skirt. Author Kathy Hogan Trocheck says her holiday decorations remind her of what if would look like if Ralph Lauren were trapped in a 1950s Woolworth.

Toile wallpaper features scenes of bird dogs, which also are depicted in the sporting prints with ornate frames in the guest bathroom.

A vintage red settee brings a spot of bright color to guest bedroom. The cool-hued walls give the room a relaxing anchor, making it possible to use more daring accessories.

Framed prints out of an antique book in the guest room keep with the home's eclectic interiors. A headboard from Ballard's Backroom is paired with nightstands from Scott Antique Market.

One of the pieces Tom Trocheck made for his Avondale Estates home is a console table on the screened-in porch, which has furniture from RH. Most of the seating is from an estate sale, covered in Sunbrella fabric.

Tom and Kathy Hogan Trocheck, who moved into their Avondale Estates home in 2014, recently spruced up the front door with holiday garland and new paint, Delft by Sherwin-Williams. Kathy is a New York Times best-selling author who writes under the pen name Mary Kay Andrews, and Tom is an industrial development consultant.

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The stockings are hung by the chimney as a way for author Kathy Hogan Trocheck (aka Mary Kay Andrews) to deal with write's block. She made these stockings out of wool blankets and thrift store sweaters. On the mantel, Trocheck filled blue-and-white ceramic pieces with dried hydrangeas. The tree is one of four in the home, which is on the December 11 Avondale Estates Christmas Tour of Homes. Text by Lori Johnston and Shannon Adams/Fast Copy News Service.

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