The 2013 Inspiration House, part of the annual Cathedral Antiques Show, was beyond outstanding. More than 20 local designers created from blank slates rooms that truly do inspire.
Here are a few vignette photos of some of the incredible rooms:
The Andrews-Dunn House, 2013 Inspiration House
Andrews-Dunn House, circa 1910.
2013 Inspiration House, Cathedral Antiques Show
Summer Loftin's "Trophy Room".
2013 Inspiration House, Cathedral Antiques Show
The Moreno-esque chandelier was gorgeous!
2013 Inspiration House, Cathedral Antiques Show
Wood art painted to match the color of its room. Love this piece!
2013 Inspiration House, Cathedral Antiques Show
A brilliant collage and beautifully displayed.
2013 Inspiration House, Cathedral Antiques Show
A room of pinks and blues with Asian inspiration and accents.
2013 Inspiration House, Cathedral Antiques Show
Asian lamp and accessories...this room was beautifully appointed.
2013 Inspiration House, Cathedral Antiques Show
One of the smaller of the many striking chandeliers.
2013 Inspiration House, Cathedral Antiques Show
The upstairs 'apartment' featured a number of modern appointments...beautifully done.
2013 Inspiration House, Cathedral Antiques Show
A rather cozy, inviting seating area in the basement.
2013 Inspiration House, Cathedral Antiques Show
I loved all the attention-to-detail throughout the House.
2013 Inspiration House, Cathedral Antiques Show
The china in the Dining Room was absolutely stunning!
2013 Inspiration House, Cathedral Antiques Show
Some detail in the Dining Room...
2013 Inspiration House, Cathedral Antiques Show
The Foyer featured a hand-painted mural from a scene in Georgia. The company offers four different Georgia scenes. This was among my favorite features.
Summer Loftin,
Cathedral Antiques Show's Inspiration House
You might ask, "Why are you writing about an interior designer on a tourist blog?" Well, this post is about Summer's room in the Inspiration House—certainly a tourist destination—and also because Atlanta has for many years been at the top of relocation destination lists, so this gives me the opportunity to showcase the phenomenal talent of one of our local interior designers. I'll share more about the rest of the Inspiration House in a future post. I think you'll be extremely impressed with the quality of work and beauty throughout the House.
Giraffe in Summer Loftin's Room,
Cathedral Antiques Show
Summer was wonderfully gracious to grant me an interview, so you get to hear from Summer herself...not just hear what I thought about the Inspiration House. Bonus!
But, before I get to the questions, just let me say—and I say this buddy or not—Summer's room is the interpretation of a trophy room that should earn her a World Cup trophy in interior design! I absolutely loved it! I asked Summer about her approach to the room. She said, “Given the historical nature of the home, I wanted to show an historic room concept designed with a fresh perspective. Since the house itself took me back to my very first experience in a trophy room in Mississippi, I took that theme and ran with it. When envisioning the client, think Hemingway meets Indiana Jones meets Richard Branson.”
The transformed room is technically the "Virginia & Harry Dobbs Library." Should one enter the house from the front, Summer's room is at the back of the house on the left. However, visitors during the Show were entering from the 'original' front of the House (today, the 'new' front faces Andrews Drive). The House has a very interesting history. I encourage you history buffs to research its story. Search for: The Andrews-Dunn House, circa 1910, additions 1928-1929.
High-character antique sofa in Summer Loftin's room,
Cathedral Antiques Show
The Room transported you to another time, another place. You certainly didn't feel like you were in Atlanta, but instead in the comfort of a hunter's lodge or a parlor in a grand mansion where gentlemen would retire to converse about the day's hunt, while enjoying a cigar and a soothing glass of scotch. The gorgeous leather sofa, showing signs of many years of hunts and safaris regaled, is one of the most beautifully handsome I have ever seen. And then there's Summer's idea book...a foretelling of the collection that would make anyone who has ever been on Safari quite envious. And, just for the record, I could write a book about everything going on in this room! Summer shared exciting and enthusiastic stories about the various pieces in the room and the designing process, a process she started immediately after last year's Inspiration House was complete.
Summer Loftin's Idea Book,
Cathedral Antiques Show
I asked Summer what about putting the room together was the most fun. She said, "The most fun I had was selecting the trophies with Vonda Mills of VonRob Exotics. Vonda has been dealing in taxidermy for more than 16 years and has recently relocated to the Atlanta area. She is an absolute joy to work with and her depth of inventory made it fun and easy to select rare and unusual pieces for the room."
Peacock Trophy and Stenciled Wallpaper,
Cathedral Antiques Show
When posed with the question that asked what was the most difficult aspect of creating the trophy room, Summer replied, "The most challenging part of the room design was the custom wall stencil. I wanted to use a stencil as an inspirational 'throwback' to Victorian times. Using the leaded windows as inspiration, I thought the pattern of the stencil should follow a diamond pattern, but maintain a very primitive stylistic quality. I was very happy with the end result and enjoyed being able to work my logo into the wall treatment." And the room is not without its feminine touches. A ruffle-edged, needlepoint pillow, featuring a dog on a stool—Summer's logo—graces a fur draped chair, adding a touch of inviting comfort. Actually, I personally found the entire room comfortable. I could have crawled up into that chair, or especially the sofa, and made myself at home. But alas, I was among other tourists.
Summer Loftin's embroidered logo,
Cathedral Antiques Show
"I was very excited about incorporating 'Velvet Feathers' and 'Highlands,' both Jim Thompson fabrics, into the room. They played so well with the Trophy Room theme and the sepia tones were a perfect complement to the worn leathers and wall color," said Summer. "My favorite things in the room are a ruffled pillow with a custom needlepoint of my logo—the needlepoint by Penelope Malone—and also the commissioned painting of St. Philips Cathedral, painted by Richard McKey for the room," Summer continued. "The Cathedral has served as a beacon of the community for many years and thus the painting is of the Cathedral shining in the night sky."
St. Philip's Cathedral painting, Richard McKey,
Cathedral Antiques Show
What looks like a wardrobe is actually a 19th-century Murphy bed, and an incredibly ornate one at that. It's one of the most beautifully carved pieces of furniture that I personally have seen in quite a long time. The revolving mirrors are especially clever.
Antique Murphy Bed,
Cathedral Antiques Show
When asked Summer what was her favorite aspect of creating this year’s room, Summer said, “My favorite part of this year’s experience has to be the house itself. Since I live around the corner and walk my dog, Patton, by the house regularly, I have always appreciated the architectural details added to the house by Ivey and Crook. In particular, the leaded glass windows, stone plinth base, and double staircase (facing Andrews Drive). It was hard to choose a space for the room proposal...I wanted to decorate the entire house!”
Summer Loftin's Trophy Room,
Cathedral Antiques Show
So...there's an all-too-brief overview of Summer's trophy room. If you find that you're looking to move to Atlanta, rest assure that there are phenomenal interior designers in our fair city. And if you've never been to the Inspiration House, part of the annual Cathedral Antiques Show, make sure you go see it next year. I believe it's always in January. It's a fun thing to do during the colder months in Atlanta. And be sure to pop in to see the Antique Show itself, inside the Cathedral.
Summer Loftin's Trophy Room,
Cathedral Antiques Show
A friend and I went to the Cathedral Antiques Show, at The Cathedral of St. Philip, this past weekend—for the first time—and thoroughly enjoy it. There were antiques vendors from all over the U.S., and a friendly lot they were. The antiques ranged from elegant furniture to historic paintings (in excess of $17,000), to LOTS of silver (some gorgeous candlesticks and tea services) to estate jewelry. It was every bit elegant and extremely tempting.
The Cathedral of St. Philip, Nave
While the Antiques Show was absolutely wonderful, this post is about an excursion...a quick jaunt to the Nave in the Cathedral of St. Philip.
I diverted my friend and I to the Nave, just for a moment, because he'd never been there. We were very fortunate that the organist was practicing...and it was brilliant! We went to the balcony where we had the extraordinary pleasure of enjoying a couple of numbers in peaceful tranquility...that private concert could not have been more perfect.
While we were there, the lighting changed, which you'll notice in the following dramatic photo montage...
The Cathedral of St. Philip, Rose Window
The lights were dimmed...
The Cathedral of St. Philip, Rose Window
Side of the Nave...
The Cathedral of St. Philip, Side of the Nave
Side window of the Nave...
The Cathedral of St. Philip, Side Window
The Rose Window...
The Cathedral of St. Philip, Rose Window
The Cathedral used to offer guided tours and maybe they still do, but I can't find anything on their website about it. But they do offer a brief photo tour of the Cathedral...worth viewing.
There's a lot more going on at St. Philips beyond church services. They're also home of one of the more popular Farmers Markets in town—the Peachtree Road Farmers Market, which features some of Atlanta's most popular Atlanta chefs for Chef Demos. And they're the largest producer-only Farmers Market in the State ("producer-only" meaning that everything at the Market has been grown, raised, or made by the seller).
Hope you enjoyed this all-too-brief overview of a mere fraction of the stained glass windows at St. Philips. Now, head over to the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook Page for more photos!
Quite honestly, I didn't know about the show until the day before going to tour the Cathedral of St. Philips, the presenter of the Antiques Show. The friend who I'd been planning for a number of weeks to tour the Cathedral with learned of the show and made arrangements for us to attend following our tour of the Cathedral.
The Inspiration House itself is the Deanery of the Cathedral of St. Philip, on the Cathedral grounds at Peachtree Road and Andrews Drive in Buckhead.
Deanery
As we walked from the Cathedral to the Inspiration House, my friend explained that the House was redesigned by professional interior designers, an individual or team for each of 10 rooms. One of the designers is a friend of my friend and I would meet him momentarily.
We arrived at the House and were greeted by Scott Reed, of S. Reed Design, one of the designers who would also serve as our tour guide that afternoon. We were given blue, slip-on "footies," the kind you see worn by engineers in a spacecraft white room or by doctors and nurses in an operating room.
The footies, in stark contrast to the beauty we were about to behold, were totally necessary during the weeks of the show to sustain the newness of the redesigned spaces. And foregoing foot fashion so someone can have a beautiful home is an easy sacrifice.
The Tour
The designers selected to participate in the Inspiration House program were challenged to present ideas for decorating and incorporating antiques in the homes of today…thus the official title of the project: The Inspiration House – Antiques for the Modern Home.
I'll share with you a little about each of the rooms in the order in which we toured them.
The Entry, designed by Laura Green Thome of L. Green Studios, LLC, is welcoming and calming…exactly what you want when coming home from a challenging day at the office, right?
The walls are painted with cherry blossoms, which immediately took me back to years of attending the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., which is without a doubt one of the most beautiful sights in the entire city.
Powder Room
The Passageway & Powder Room was designed by our tour guide, Scott D. Reed of S. Reed Design.
The placement of antique mirrors skillfully accentuates the ceiling height of the powder room and the unconventional tweed drapery fabric is a perfect complement to the conjoined spaces.
At first glance you're convinced that the sink skirt is silk, of a beautiful steel blue color (one my favorite colors), but Scott advised us that for practicality one should use a faux silk, so that the skirt can be removed and cleaned…excellent advice, thank you, Scott.
Library
The Library, designed by Marcia Sherrill and Summer Loftin Antiques, incorporates the most surprising color...bright orange! The deep rust, modern drapes are a perfect match and surprisingly worked extremely well with the intricate antique wood desk.
The lotus-esque chandelier is my favorite piece in this room, but the 1920s fashion prints came in at a very close second place.
Keeping Room
The merger of mid-century and 19th Century furniture in the Keeping Room, designed by Rick Anthony Bonner of bonner llc, is absolutely brilliant. The room was created to give the feeling that all its pieces had been collected over a period of time, refusing to look overly designed.
Well, mission accomplished!
My favorite piece in the Keeping Room is a tie between the four scissor chairs and the grand painting of a horse (I loved horses growing up and grew to love them even more when I worked on a horse ranch during high school in Big Piney, Wyoming).
Kitchen
The Kitchen, traditionally connected to the Keeping Room, was designed by HammerSmith, Inc. The Kitchen was a total and complete redesign.
Given the Kitchen's relatively modest square footage, the resulting design is simple, yet elegant. The use of stained concrete counter tops and a glass tile backsplash give it a modern feel and the use of orange accents ties it to the other inspiration rooms.
Dining Room
The Dining Room, designed byRobert Spiotta and Deadwyler Antiquesis spectacular. I was immediately attracted to the fixtures in this room…the chandelier and lamps. Their design is not antique but not overly contemporary either, yet the high shine of the chrome that they're made of totally conveys "modern."
At one end of the Dining Room is a grand antique, claw-footed sideboard and at the other end is a four-panel glass and wood window screen (used to diffuse drafts while still allowing light to pass through, prior to the invention of air conditioning).
The cloudy silver faux finish on the walls and the side rail molding lend to a formal feel in the space.
Living Room
We had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with the designer of the Living Room, Mary Caroline Mumpower of MCM Interior Design. Mary Caroline's attention to detail is quite impressive.
The room's light color is outlined with a deep, dark taupe (just for the record, not being an interior designer, my descriptions of color and such should be considered that of a lay person). That same band of molding is continued at the top of the window valances, but in fabric…a detail so seamless that it would escape the eyes of many.
The most conspicuous element in the Living Room is the abundant seating. The modest use of gold and fuchsia highlights bring color and balance to the room's less vibrant floral, animal, and metallic accents. It's an extremely well-done room with clever use of a number of obelisks and lions.
Bedroom
The Bedroom, the only room on the tour that is upstairs, was designed with a young girl in mind, immediately evident by the flowing canopy bed, oversized stuffed elephant, and the lively pink and white color palette.
Created by Terry Brown and Terry Vawter of Terry & Terry Interiors, my favorite piece in this room is the gigantic birdcage (I could fit inside comfortably and I'm 6'2"!), an antique of French origin.
It was great to see the designers so excited about their work and a privilege to speak with Mary Caroline and Scott both. Their enthusiasm made you feel like you were there during the design process…coupled with what we were seeing, their narrative really brought the rooms to life.
To complete the project, other firms contributed a landscaping redesign and an exterior refresh. From roof to lawn, the Inspiration House does exactly that…it inspires.
The Return
Will I return to the Cathedral Antiques Show's next Inspiration House? I hope so. There's talk of it becoming an annual attraction. So, I'll be keeping an eye out for next year's announcement and hope for just as much inspiration as I received this year.
Touring the Inspiration House
Date Toured: Sunday, February 6, 2011 Location: 2977 Andrews Drive, NW (directions and map) Parking: Free onsite parking Cost:$10, or included with a "Run of the Show" ticket
Hours: Last day is Saturday, February 12, 2011, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Website: http://www.stphilipscathedral.org/
