Southern Sanctuary

Designer Jimmy Stanton imbues a country residence with style and soul, creating a retreat that's equal parts stimulating and restorative.

In the midst of the brand-spanking-new Foxhall development, the showhouse created by Stanton Home Furnishings is well at ease. From the moment you step through the front door, there’s an immediate sense of comfort, one often acquired over time. But the brilliance of Jimmy Stanton is that he instills that feeling from the get-go. Though the paint is barely dry on this impressive new residence, the interiors are warm and welcoming, giving the impression that someone’s been at home here for years.

His signature “collected” look—achieved with a mix of antiques and found pieces—is at once relaxed and elegant, comfortable and affordable. “I’d describe it as updated traditional without being stuffy,” says Stanton of the project. “We do everything from modern to traditional, but this was all about those people in the middle, those who have antiques and want to use them but want an updated look, as well. I’ve been to so many places—Blackberry Farm, the Old Edwards Inn, Rosemary Beach. There are things that I loved in all of them, and thought they could be used here. So I’ve taken pieces and snippets, translating them into one thing.”

Looking to those great getaways for a certain sense of style, Stanton used a vast assortment of natural elements throughout the house. On the main level, rich hardwoods underscore the spaces while, in the four upstairs bedrooms as well as the terrace-level family/rec room, there’s wall-to-wall seagrass. Linen wraps many of the upholstered pieces while tables indoors and out are topped with the likes of zinc and even old railroad car flooring. Even materials that aren’t natural appear to be, like the tile in a guest room that looks like brown linen and the herringbone-patterned ceramic floor in the upstairs lounge that looks like wood.

While the wide range of natural materials is readily apparent, what brings them together into one cohesive whole is much more subtle. “One of our signature things is taking one paint color and enveloping the whole room in it—the walls, the doors, the ceiling, everything,” Stanton explains. “It’s so comfortable; it pleases the eye and changes the entire feel of the room. And we’ve done the whole house that way. There’s lots of different paint colors but the palette gradually moves from tone to tone. We used a single khaki-gray color in all the hallways and the main living spaces and then specific rooms evolve into other neutral shades—like an all-chocolate room and an all-gray room. The upstairs lounge , which we did in a brown-green—almost an army green—is my favorite room in the house.”

Illuminating the entire residence is lighting that’s brilliant in every way; Stanton hand-picked, and often custom-created, the perfect fixture for each place. From pendants made from vintage cream cans in the kitchen to search lights-turned-sconces in a boy’s bedroom, his choices are just as fun as they are functional. In fact, a reflection of the house as a whole.

The Secrets of Style

WEEKEND READING: Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, Elle Decor, Veranda, Country Living, House & Home and House Beautiful magazines
WEARING: Worn-in boat shoes
COCKTAILS: Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka with lemonade
CHINA: Ralph Lauren
PLAYLIST: Andrew Bird, Band Of Horses and Iron & Wine
ESSENTIALS FOR A WELL-STOCKED GUEST ROOM: Magazines, TV, bottled water, towels and dark chocolate
LINENS: Libeco Belgian linens
TOWELS: Thomas O’Brien for Target
WHEELS: BMW Al fresco
DINING: On Six Feet Under’s rooftop (on the Westside) and at Gaby’s By The Lake at The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation
SUNDAY BRUNCH: Farm 255 in Athens, Georgia Being
ACTIVE: Crossfit at Fitness Battalion
TECH GIZMO: iPad
ARTISTS: Pezhman Deljou, Todd Murphy, John Folsom, James McLaughlin Way, Ulises Toache and Pam Moxley
“IT” BAG: Filson Oil Finish Tote from Sid Masburn
ON THE WALLS: Mirrors, original artwork and found items
NO-FAIL FINISHING TOUCH TO ROOM: Utility Euro pillows and fire-scented candles
GROWING IN THE GARDEN: Dahlias
COLOR PHILOSOPHY: Neutrals with pops of color
COLLECTING: Black-and-white transferware and pewter