A Buckhead townhome was a shell when Edward Labry III and his wife, Kimberly, purchased the unit in 2011. There were no walls between rooms. The elevator and heating and air conditioning units were in, but none of the features that would make that space their home. A concrete floor had been poured, but no hardwood or marble floors had been selected for the townhome.
“It had never been lived in,” said Edward, vice chairman and adviser, First Data Corp.
As the couple worked with an architect to design everything from the basement to the third floor, they carved out space for special areas, such as a whiskey room and 1,500-bottle wine cellar. Then they added architectural details, such as barrel vault ceilings and walls made of brick from Mississippi, along with new furniture and meaningful heirlooms.
“Each piece of furniture in this house has a story behind it,” Edward said.
Snapshot
Residents: Edward Labry III, vice chairman and adviser, First Data Corp., Kimberly Labry and their dog, Flynne
Location: Buckhead
Size: About 5,500 square feet, five bedrooms, four full and two half baths
Year bought: 2011
Year built: The exterior of the building was completed in 2005, but the couple finished the interior in 2013.
Architect: Yong Pak
Architectural style: English
Favorite architectural feature: Barrel vault ceilings. If you stand where the ceilings intersect in different areas of the townhome, you can see how they fit into each other and see illusions of double arches, Edward said.
Design consultants: Linda Castle, Decorated Designs; David Dempsey, Viridis Garden Design; Jean Laurent, Blue Vision; Vintage Lumber; Lipko Iron Work
Interior design style: A fusion of “South meets West.” Kimberly previously lived in California and desired cozy spaces with natural light while Edward was drawn to more formal Southern interiors.
Favorite interior design feature: Venetian plaster walls in dining room. The couple had discussed incorporating a mural as opposed to a traditional painted room, Kimberly said. She remembered how the plaster walls in her father’s house looked like artwork. The plaster walls are beautiful, said Edward, and the room is one of the few areas of the home that doesn’t have artwork.
Favorite furniture: About 10 pieces, including a secretary, chest, and dining room sideboard and mirror, from Edward’s family. Newer items include a Dessin Fournir chandelier from Grizzel & Mann in the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center.
Favorite kitchen gadget: The deep fryer, which they use to make everything from chicken wings to fried asparagus.
Artwork on display: Pieces by Antonio Massa, Everett Shinn, Paul James, Vladimir Kush, Angelo Accardi, Atelier Jeremy Kleinberg
Resources: Kitchen and bathroom fixtures from Waterworks and Ferguson, furniture from the showrooms in the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center, Century Furniture and Bungalow Classic.
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