Summer Loftin's Inspirational Trophy Room

I met Summer Loftin two years ago when she was one of the few designers of the Inspiration House, part of The Cathedral Antiques Show at The Cathedral of St. Philip. We were introduced by a mutual friend, I fell in love with her work, and she and I have been buddies ever since.

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

Cathedral of St. Philip: A Beacon on the Hill

The Nave

St. Philip's has been around for more than 150 years. Established as the Episcopal Church of St. Philip in 1846, its first building was constructed in 1848 in downtown Atlanta.

A few buildings later, the church became the Cathedral of the Diocese of Georgia in 1904. The church moved to its current location on Peachtree Road in 1933 where they had built "the little gray church."

The new building, the one we know as the "Cathedral of St. Philip" was dedicated in 1962 and was later consecrated (after the retirement of debt) in 1980.

The Cathedral of St. Philip is a landmark in Atlanta and it turns out that they give tours!

The Tour

Nave Windows

I attended a Christmas concert at the Cathedral of St. Philip in December and was neck-bending fascinated with its majestic architecture and then was very excited to see a sign at the entrance of the nave indicating that tours are offered on the first Sunday of the month.

I've been in cathedrals in Chicago, New York City, and the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., but this was the first time I'd had the opportunity for a guided tour of a cathedral.

And a friend who has previously attended St. Philip's was able to join me for the tour. His generous sharing of his wealth of information about the Episcopal faith and the ceremony of its services were brilliant and very much appreciated by me.

We arrived early. The tour was scheduled to commence following the 11:15 a.m. service (there's an earlier tour, too). I made the erroneous assumption that the service would finish at 12:00 p.m., like so many other Southern churches.

As it turns out, looking at the program, there was still quite a bit of the service remaining, so my friend explained the program and invited me to join him in the cathedral. We sat in the back for the remainder of the beautiful service, he took communion and I quietly observed.

The service concluded at approximately 12:30 p.m. and we joined the other congregants in the cathedral lobby during a fellowship period and waited for our tour guide to identify him or herself. We'd asked an usher earlier where the tour would begin and he advised that it would be in the lobby near the tour sign that I mentioned earlier.

When the last few of the remaining people started to leave, who had been deep in conversation, I asked if they knew anything about the tour that was scheduled that morning (pointing to the sign that was still there). They offered possible reasons for the absence of a tour guide and then one gentleman offered to give us an impromptu tour…very kind of him, I thought.

While not usually a tour guide, he was able to share quite a few interesting tidbits about the Cathedral that we would not have picked up on a self-guided tour.

There were two other tour seekers at the front pews of the Cathedral (where the website says to meet for tours), so we joined them.

Our tour was restricted primarily to the nave (completed in 1962)…and a majestic nave it is. Based on the detail and size I assume there's a plethora of information to be shared during a regular tour.

We were fortunate to have a sunny day, so the stained glass windows, created mostly of blues with a fair amount of red, as well as many other colors, were illuminated in an ethereal brightness. The windows were the highlight for this particular tourist.

The stained glass windows throughout the cathedral, created by Willet Hauser Architectural Glass, are truly amazing. Varying in size and shape (I really like the larger of the lancet windows), they all have stories to tell. We were told that there is a pamphlet that provides details of the windows, but evidently there were none available on this particular visit.

Willet Hauser also completed a restoration project on 15 of the windows in 2004.

The Rose Window

The most impressive window, and the closest I've ever been to a stained glass window of its size, is the Rose Window located in the balcony at the north end of the nave. This Rose Window has a unique story.

In the same year as the completion of the Cathedral, 1962, a group of Atlanta's arts community leaders had been traveling in Europe on a month-long mission to broaden the city's arts endeavors.

On the last leg of the trip, aboard a chartered plane leaving Orley Airport, just outside Paris, the plane crashed killing all 132 passengers, save two crew members. Following a period of city-wide mourning, the Woodruff Arts Center was born and today is one of the largest multi-discipline Arts complexes in the world.

Several members of the Atlanta arts delegation aboard the plane were members of the Cathedral of St. Philip. The Rose Window is dedicated to their memory, as well as those of all who were killed in the crash. A plaque just under the window bears the names of all those remembered.

Cross of Nails

The Cross of Nails, a symbol of reconciliation and peace, is recognized worldwide. The Cathedral of St. Philips is home of a Centre of the Community of the Cross of Nails (CCN), one of only 15 in the United States. A Cross of Nails hangs at the front of the Cathedral. There are 160 Centres located in nearly 30 countries around the world.

The organ of St. Philip's is amazing and something of a rarity. The sound is phenomenal, at least to one who is not so musically inclined. And the church has a sense of humor. There's a sign near the organ that instructs those nearby, presumably the organist and the choir, to "Please Fasten Seat Belts."

The Cathedral of St. Philip is located in the posh Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead. On a hill where Peachtree Road bears right (if heading North), the church is immediately in front of you…thus St. Philip’s being "a beacon on the hill."

Cathedral of St. Philip

This intersection, home of some other churches, is often referred to as "Jesus Junction." To my knowledge, this reference is not at all derogatory, but merely a landmark reference.

It turns out that many in the congregation of the Cathedral of St. Philip are fellow tourists. Some of the groups within the church plan regular outings, including education programs that sometimes include tours. The 20s30s group will be touring a Hindu temple soon as part of their world religions study program.

I find this absolutely fascinating (and, truth be told, I'm a bit little jealous). We never had a program like this at any of the churches I attended. Kudos to the church leaders for expanding minds!

The Return

Will I return to the Cathedral of St. Philip for a formal tour? I probably will not, but only because there's so much more to see! But I highly recommend it for those interested in architecture…churches or stained glass in particular. You might want to call ahead, just so the designated tour guide has a heads up that guests are coming that day. It's a beautiful church that I think you'll enjoy touring.

Touring the Cathedral of St. Philip

Date Toured: Sunday, February 6, 2011
Location: 2744 Peachtree Road, NW (directions and map)
Parking: Free onsite parking
Hours: First Sundays following the 8:45 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services (meet at the front pews)
Website: http://www.stphilipscathedral.org/

Rose Window in the Nave