Private Quarters
Making the transition from a modern Chicago high-rise condo overlooking Lake Michigan to a three-story townhome in Buckhead caused Maggie Gerlacher to draw inspiration from another newcomer to Atlanta.
She asked her interior designers to visit the lobby of the St. Regis, a luxury hotel that opened in Buckhead in 2009, before they selected the furnishings, color palette and accessories.
"The St. Regis, to me, embodies a sort of 1940 art deco style. I said, this is the feel that I'm going for," Gerlacher said.
Snapshot
Residents: Maggie and Tom Gerlacher, managing director of investment banking for SunTrust Robinson Humphrey
Location: Park at East Paces, north Buckhead
Size: About 3,610 square feet, three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths
Year built: 2007
Year bought: 2009
Builder: Monte Hewett Homes
Architectural style: Traditional townhouse
Interior designers: Don Easterling and Nina Nash, Mathews Furniture Galleries
Interior design style: A transitional look with pops of modern, coastal accents and a hint of 1940s glamour that reflect Maggie Gerlacher's love of travel, art and design.
Favorite interior design feature: The custom-carved 8-foot-by-6-foot floor mirror in the breakfast area, which looks as if the wall opens up into another space while bringing in more light, she said.
Favorite colors: Soft earth tones — blues and greens and hints of platinum/silver with iridescent gold tones — start off in the formal living room (originally intended as a dining room) and are carried through to the family room. Shell and coral accents used throughout remind Maggie Gerlacher of growing up on the California coast. The back of the bookcase is painted a "dreamy blue" to add a pop of color and to highlight the accessories, shells and books, while mercury glass items add shimmer, she said.
Favorite furniture: The Baker chair in the living room. Its curvy, art deco lines of the polished dark cherry wood, contrasting with the silk cream fabric and silver-dotted seaweed pattern, inspired the 1940s glamour feel in the room, she said. A pair of tufted light blue linen chairs by Hickory Chair — spotted on a St. Regis visit — are in the family room.
Favorite outdoor feature: Each floor has a wall of windows with French doors opening onto a private deck or patio. "We love to sit out there among the trees and in the garden, and it's all private, which is not typical of townhomes," she said. "Usually you're looking into someone else's backyard and into someone else's deck."
About the Author
