Atlanta’s Burns Century approaches her interior design work like art. For her, interiors are like a canvas. But the canvas is in 3-D.
Background: After studying marketing and business at Penn State, Century moved to the Atlanta area and later pursued a degree in interior design from Brenau University. She is a certified kitchen designer and a member of the American Society of Interior Designers and National Kitchen and Bath Association. Century also designs custom furniture and is a fine artist, creating mixed-media art for her clients' spaces.
Her company: Burns Century Interior Design was established in 1996. The design studio specializes in whole home remodels, new home design, plus kitchens and bathrooms with a modern and contemporary viewpoint.
First design job: In my early teens, my parents remodeled the attic into a suite for me, and they let me design and select everything for the new bathroom.
My personal style: Modern and contemporary with a twist of organic and artistic.
As seen in or on: Trends, Design Bureau, Kitchen & Bath Business, plus the Atlanta Modern home tour and DIY/HGTV House Crashers Across America.
Best way to quickly transform a room: Take everything out that you don't love, and keep only things you do love. You may end up with an empty room, but then it opens the doors to creating a better space.
Design pet peeves: Anything that matches.
Where should people splurge — and save: On art or anything that is unique or custom. Save on commodity items.
Current design obsessions: All shades of gray (it really is a happy color) and designing outdoor living spaces.
Most important elements in a room: A mix of balance and contrast.
New or re-emerging design looks you like:
• Authentic luxury and minimal designs – not for show, but for the pure appreciation of the quality and design.
• Taking philosophies and classics of past modern design eras and mixing them with current contemporary designs to create something fresh and relative to how we live today.
• Biophilic designs that connect interiors to nature.
• Matte finishes in furniture and interior designs, such as waxed floors, oiled natural woods, matte lacquer and paint finishes and low-luster concrete.
Design looks you are glad to see go: Anything totally traditional or something seen over and over again (except iconic modern classics).
Most unusual design request: A shower in the master bathroom to accommodate the bathing requirements of a client's parrot.
Common design mistake homeowners make: Using small-scale items in a small space (it actually makes the space feel smaller) and hanging paintings too high.
Favorite home stores in Atlanta: Design Within Reach; Pirch; Context; and Switch Modern.
Places for great and unexpected finds: Consignment stores and auctions. Decades Antiques & Vintage and Simple Finds Interiors & Antiques. Also LiveAuctioneers.com. Bid online or attend local auction houses.
My favorite design:
- Blogs: Freshome; Coastal Living; ArchDaily; Architizer; and Houzz
- Magazines: Luxe Interiors & Design; Dwell; Elle Decor; Interior Design; and Wallpaper.
Household issue I am fussy about: I'm obsessed with eliminating clutter.
Can't stop collecting or buying: Modern design iconic chairs and design magazines from the 1950s and 1960s.
Latest design project: A contemporary kitchen remodel in historic Norcross.
Up next: A mid-century remodel in Buckhead and a custom sofa design.
Find Burns:
http://burns-century.squarespace.com
http://www.houzz.com/pro/burnscentury
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