From a multitude of fresh greenery to live trees in each of their children’s room, Mark and Mary Sage’s Inman Park home keeps holiday decor traditions alive. Mary, who grew up on a dairy farm in central Pennsylvania, remembers having a tree in her bedroom as a child, essentially bringing the woods into the home during the holidays.
In the Sages’ Atlanta home, greenery is abundant. Multiple trees include colorful versions in the kids’ rooms, a formal tree with antique bulbs and white lights in the parlor and an 11-foot family tree with glass ornaments, many of which have been handed down for generations. The seasonal adornments join works by local artists, furniture from Mark’s BoBo Intriguing Objects line and antiques collected by Mark from all around the world.
“There’s nothing in this house that doesn’t have a story in it,” Mary said.
Snapshot
Residents: Mark and Mary Sage and their children, Greyson, 8; Oliver, 7; and Silver, 5; and their 11-year-old Labrador retriever, Cake. Mark owns Atlanta's BoBo Intriguing Objects. Mary is a former art director in the advertising industry.
Location: Inman Park, Atlanta
Size: About 4,800 square feet, five bedrooms, three baths
Year built: Early 1900s. Some research shows as late as 1920, but others have told the family the home dates to 1908, 1906 or even 1902. The house numbers in Inman Park changed in 1928, making any dates prior to that difficult to trace, Mary said. The home's colorful past is one of the reasons why they love the house, Mary said. The family that started the Southern Bakery built the house. At one point, the owner of the house was in debt to the coal company (six original coal fireplaces remain), so the coal company took over the deed to the carriage house next door to cover the debt, Mary said. The home also served as a boarding house. Artists hung out in the house during the 1970s and 1980s. A punk album, "Standard Deviation," was recorded and produced in the home by Bill Mohr, a former resident, Mary said.
Year bought: 2005.
Architectural style: Victorian
Favorite architectural elements: The "S"s in the wrought iron fence, which stands for Southern, as in Southern Bakery. They felt it was fate because of the tie to their last name, Mary said. The fence, which was rusty and falling down, was refurbished, which required welding, sanding and painting it by hand.
Renovations: In 2008, the Sages added a garage, mudroom, kids' bedroom, laundry room, playroom, art room and outdoor terrace/grill area. Other changes: pulling up linoleum and refinishing the hardwood floors, removing wallpaper, repainting, and remodeling the master bathroom.
Cost of renovations: $450,000
Architect: Randy Pimsler of Pimsler Hoss Architects
Design consultants: Jim Prible (landscaping); Tim Smith of Lotus Landscaping (deck design); Susan McCracken of Architectural Artworks (stained glass restoration); interior designer Smith Hanes (drapes), Miles Ligon of Professional Hardwood Flooring; David Babcock of Man of the People (front porch)
Interior design style: Eclectic. Mark selected the vintage pieces and designed furniture such as the dining room table and chairs, numerous light fixtures and many decorative items.
Holiday decor resources: Fraser fir trees from Barefoot Mountain Farms (barefootmountain.com); Burford holly wreaths and reindeer moss wreath from Marie-Laure at Le Jardin Francais (lejardinfrancais.com); decorative items from Heeney (heeney.com).
Favorite holiday design features: Placing evergreen boughs over mirrors, doorways and elsewhere. Mary ties the greenery from Barefoot Mountain Farms together and decorates them with collected items so that no two boughs are the same. She uses the tying technique her father taught her, which he learned from his father.
Artists on display: Their collection includes local artists Tony Hernandez, Radcliffe Bailey, Cooper Sanchez, John Marino, Anne Williams, Tommy Taylor, Todd Murphy (who began his career in Atlanta and now lives in Brooklyn) and photographer Benita Carr. Other artists include: Beth Marcum of Greenville, S.C., Caroline Lathan-Stiefel (originally from Atlanta and now lives in Pennsylvania) and international artists. The Sages have acquired a number of pieces from Susan Bridges at the Whitespace Gallery in Atlanta.
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