2009 Decorators' Show House & Gardens

Text: Kate Abney, Sejal Bhima and Heather J. Paper
Photos: Erica George Dines
The St. Regis Atlanta Hotel & Residences, which debuted in Buckhead this spring, was marked from the start by legendary style and elegance that made it an ideal setting for many of the city's top designers to unleash their talents as part of the 39th annual Decorators' Show House & Gardens. The resulting 29 spaces—spanning three distinctly different high-rise units—demonstrate that luxury has never been more evident—or more important—than it is today. Atlantans are not scaling back or scaling down, but rather, making the skies the limits for great design. Even traditional spaces pushed these boundaries, adopting an eclectic mix and a fresh outlook, as with C. Smith Grubbs' high-impact dining room and Patricia McLean's customized “Tricia Show House Green” walls—perfectly complementing the high-rise lighting. Bob Brown's living room, too, demonstrated how usually-grounded antiques can find a home high above West Paces Ferry, while contemporary quarters such as Bill Peace's living room showed that contemporary can have a warm, earthy and dynamic verve. From classic to modern, show house rooms took inspiration from history—like Kay Douglass' 18th-century French hotel logs and Boxwoods' throwback to Old Hollywood Glamour. Offering interest at every turn, these spaces are the sort you'd want to linger in for hours—and many of you did.
 
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