Jennifer Reiner and Robert White are serious about creating unique spaces for their residential and corporate clients throughout the South. But along with their design know-how, they bring a sense of humor to every job.
The company: Atlanta-based Reiner White Design Studio was founded in 2009 after the design duo were introduced at a bar and realized they had found their professional soulmate. RWDS offers full-scale design services, ranging from new construction planning and renovations to furnishings.
First design job: Universal Diamonds corporate office and showroom buildout at Sovereign building in Buckhead.
Big break: 2010's Brookhaven Hideaway project. We gutted three floors of an upscale residence and rethought the entire house from studs-in — and gained clients for life.
Current obsessions: Matthew Quinn and his new kitchen book; Miles Redd for Schumacher fabrics; Black Label from Zinc and Romo fabrics, Bernhardt's latest line; Sarah Atkinson for Grey Furniture; and anything that Kelly Wearstler breathes on.
Pet peeves: Jewel tones; under-scaled lighting; anything that reclines; poly-fill pillows; Jennifer's coined "PandaLeopardTigerBear" interiors (where there is too much and too many different things fighting). Also, the color Sage; drapery that doesn't function; fan-light combos; and fake vintage signs.
New (or re-emerging) looks we like: Satin brass; over-scaled hardware; modern shiplap; graphic painted concrete tile; 40-inch high countertops; acrylic canopy beds; burl wood on anything; graphic wallcovering; channel-tufted banquettes; velvet; large light fixtures; campaign chest corners; and Benjamin Moore's "Pale Oak" in a matte finish.
… and looks we are glad to see go: Satin nickel; pewter; accent walls; and the color tan.
Most unusual request: A single client told us: "I want people to walk in and be completely impressed, and then say, 'I so want to be naked in here."'
Our biggest design mistake: Overdesigning. Also, under designing.
… and biggest mistake homeowners make: Costly revisions to an existing plan and assuming they can make a House Beautiful cover happen over a weekend for $5.
Designer challenges: Clients without vision; keeping track of hourly billing; their own homes; being a life coach-personal shopper-best friend-drinking buddy-marriage counselor and still keeping it together professionally.
Favorite design tricks: Using huge floor mirrors; fresh down throw pillows; an over-scaled chair; an almost too-large light fixture; a massive piece of art (notice a scale trend here?); or simply adding an Hermes Avalon blanket to the back of a sofa. Also, "turning a room on its head" by reversing or rethinking a furniture layout, creating a focal point and redirecting the eye with a bookcase or large case piece. Then painting a ceiling black and adding modular ottoman seating.
Favorite room to design: Bedrooms. They should be intimate and reflective, goal-driven and sexy – and always comfortable.
… and hardest room: A kid's room. Because next week he'll want to be a pirate.
Favorites
- Atlanta-area home/design stores: R Hughes; Martin Nash; Walker Zanger; Bradley Hughes; FLOR; Jonathan Adler; Mitchell Gold; and Circa Lighting.
- Blogs/websites: Flynnside Out and ModShop.
- Instagram: Kelly Wearstler; Nate Berkus; Kerry Howard; Mary McDonald (our hero); Bobby McAlpine; Kim Kardashian; and Mid-Century Atlanta (on facebook).
- Magazines: Modern Luxury; The Atlantan; Veranda; Elle Décor; Luxe; Dwell; and Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles.
- Places for unusual (or great finds): Westside Market; The Merchant; Homegoods (you'd be shocked); Chamblee Antique Row; Paris on Ponce; Highland Row Antiques; and small-town consignment shops.
About us
Our home style:
RW: Distinctively masculine, leaning more toward a balance of rustic, industrial pieces and traditional furnishings with modern textural fabrics.
JR: My surroundings reflect a breezy, streamlined, "deco loft modern" feel mixed with warm, vintage-inspired finds and layers of cozy texture. We both have extremely, extremely stocked bars.
Household issues we are fussy about: Making beds and re-fluffing pillows when you rise from a sofa.
Favorite pieces in our office: A pair of vintage gold and Mongolian fur bar stools that adorn the lobby.
… and in our homes: RW: My "Cher Chair," a custom fabricated tufted velvet club chair with floor-length leather fringe trim. JR: My closet. Also a framed female nude sketch in my foyer, signed and dedicated to me by actor Peter Falk.
Can't stop buying: Pillows, candles, sunglasses and Tom Ford scents.
Latest projects: Designing a 14,000-square-foot house in Sandy Springs from the foundation up with Harrison Architects. Also gutting and renovating a West Paces mid-century home and designing a waterfront luxury estate in Fort Lauderdale beach.
Up next: A midtown pied-a-terre condominium; designing and building a modern masterpiece house for one of Atlanta's top real estate moguls; launching a line of distinctively bespoke and outrageous pillows; and expanding our south Florida presence.
Where to find Reiner White:
- Website: reinerwhitedesignstudio.com
- Facebook: Reiner White Design Studio
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