A world traveler and collector creates a home that is both sophisticated and warm
Perched on a hillside in North Chattanooga, Candy Lloyd’s farmhouse-style space has the vibe of a mountain home, nestled in a green paradise that feels remote from everything. But peer out almost any window on the south side of the home and you’ll see an incredible view of downtown Chattanooga including the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge, the Tennessee River and the Hunter Museum of American Art.
“You see why I had to buy it,” said Lloyd, leading visitors through the space.
When she was on the hunt for a new home in Chattanooga after a lifetime in Atlanta, Lloyd took one look at this new-build house with the character and details of an older home, and had to have it. She built a life and career in Atlanta as an interior designer at her eponymous Chandler Lloyd Interiors which she founded in New York City and then moved to Atlanta in 1980. But in many ways Lloyd has returned to her roots in Chattanooga. It’s the city where she was born and where her boyfriend Wendell is the same boy she had a crush on at age 15 (bonus: he cooks now).
A career as an interior designer and a lifetime as a world traveler and collector have created a home that is both sophisticated and warm, filled with plenty of cozy chairs, sofas you can sink into and stools at the kitchen island where friends can enjoy a glass of wine. There are also two outdoors spaces for taking in the phenomenal views.
What makes a house a home for Lloyd? “Comfortable furniture upholstered in performance fabric that dogs and grandchildren cannot hurt (and friends with red wine). For me it’s warm neutral colors on main pieces of furniture that flow together with pops of color from pillows, area rugs and paintings.”
To the right of the home’s back door entrance and driveway is a small vegetable garden where Lloyd has grown a bounty of Black Krim tomatoes. To the left, a whimsical display of metal flowers peek out of the planters. A lattice fence hides metal buckets for bird seed and grill utensils. A long table is the perfect spot for outdoor dining when the weather is nice. Above the robin’s egg blue door is a cozy covered porch.
One challenge for Lloyd, who moved in during the spring of 2017, was the ground floor level: one long, open room that Lloyd wanted to feel more intimate and inviting. Before tackling the space, though, she spent seven months on air mattresses and lawn chairs with just a smattering of furniture in the space. That time allowed her to get her bearings, and figure out the best way to activate the home before moving all of her art, rugs and furniture in.
Lloyd cleverly divided the room into multiple living and dining spaces. One subtle modification made a world of difference: Lloyd replaced the last step on the staircase for a more old world, vintage-style rounded step. She also swapped out the wooden banister with a curved wrought iron one created by a local artist. Light is a major part of the home’s charm (and the secret to her exceptionally robust, enormous fiddle leaf fig) which Lloyd has maximized by leaving some windows without curtains or window coverings of any kind. The living room walls are painted in a pretty workhorse neutral: Sherwin Williams’ Colonnade Gray.
The second floor dining room is a delightful surprise with an incredible view of Chattanooga and the same 10 foot ceilings as downstairs. Nearly every wall in Lloyd’s home is ornamented by artwork from her extensive collection, including a large painting in sugary pastels on the left; it was the first artwork Lloyd bought on her own as a 20-something.
You can’t go wrong with a classic white kitchen. Zellige subway tiles and a few open shelves add a modern touch to Lloyd’s kitchen which also features a large walk-in pantry, laundry area, storage space for vases and a countertop for flower arranging, another of Lloyd’s many skills.
Lloyd initially thought about putting a large table in this area next to the kitchen. But she followed her own advice to clients and lived in the space for a bit before making big design decisions. She realized it made more sense to use the space as a gathering spot for people to sit and talk while food was being made, turning the kitchen into a much more social space. Lloyd’s beloved Havanese LuLu stands guard.
A covered porch beyond the dining room is a great place for a pre-dinner glass of wine or cocktail. Sheer curtains help diffuse some of the light coming from the west.
“My parents had great art, and I’ve inherited some of that,” said Lloyd. She laughs and points to this painting hanging between her kitchen and living room that her parents bought instead of a swimming pool, a travesty for a kid who would rather have spent the summer playing Marco Polo. On the table below are two bowls created by the Moulthrop family — three generations of Atlanta woodturners. Lloyd is not only surrounded by art, but also by artists including boyfriend Wendell.
A maestro of the vignette, Lloyd has created moments throughout the home to display her extensive art collection and objects inherited or collected over a lifetime.
The wonderfully quirky and elegant Osborne & Little wallpaper in the ground floor powder room features moths set against a metallic gold backdrop. Powder rooms are a great place to take some design chances and give guests something to remember.
The public facing entrance to the home features a convenient gilt framed mirror for guests and host to check their looks. Lloyd calls herself a “nester” more than a flipper. She bought her first 980 square foot home at age 28 “by myself,” she said, in Garden Hills. It went on to be featured in a “Southern Accents” book.
“When I buy something I have to love it,” she said, and still uses the small dining table near her kitchen from that Garden Hills home.
Sun pours into Lloyd’s primary bedroom, in which she has created multiple lounging, reading and resting opportunities, including this inviting window seat with built-in storage. To the right are pencil on paper portraits of Lloyd and her two children.
A sumptuous claw-foot tub in Lloyd’s primary bathroom is bathed in natural light from the adjacent window. The pink floral sconces above the double sink vanity are from designer Kate Spade.
Next to the covered porch is a gracious guest room with a walk-in closet that Lloyd keeps stocked for guests. Lloyd outfits her two guest rooms to encourage visitors. “I also treat my guest rooms like a wonderful hotel: great mattresses and bedding, empty closet with bathrobes, good towels, new soap and fun lotion, phone chargers on either side of the bed. Can you tell I miss my friends! I make sure they think of this as a getaway so they come back often!”
Interested in showing off your home? We’re on the lookout for unique spaces throughout the Southeast. If that sounds like your place, reach out to michael.horton@ajc.com.
