Moody Hues Elevate An Atlanta Colonial Revival's Refresh
A designer employs moody hues and sophisticated finishes to bring a youthful, urbane sheen to an Atlanta architectural gem.
To a thirtysomething Atlanta couple trading their urbane Midtown loft for a more family-centric homestead a few miles north, not just any home would do. For the wife, embracing the polar opposite of walkable city life—a multi-acre property in a particularly forested part of Buckhead—provided the fresh perspective she and her family desired. “Because the lot sizes are so large, it really feels like you’re out in the country,” she notes. “We frequently spot deer grazing, and many of our neighbors have horse stables or working farms.”
At the heart of this sylvan retreat is a shingle-clad center-hall Colonial Revival residence designed in 1989 by revered Atlanta architect Norman Askins. “Although it was built in the ’80s, when you walk inside you get the sense—due to the scale of the rooms, age of the floors and the ornate moldings—that this house is much older,” the wife comments. Decorations introduced by previous owners reinforced the home’s mature demeanor, “but we were after a cooler vibe; we wanted to ‘young it up’ a bit,” she adds.
Aiming to bring youth and vigor to the somewhat serious abode, the couple looked no further than Bradley Odom, a designer whose work they felt could be as much at home in New York or Los Angeles as in Atlanta. “For us, it was important to work with someone who wasn’t going to take this house in its natural direction—which would have been to double down on a Southern traditional aesthetic,” the wife explains.
“ The evidence of Norman Askins was running through everything—the elaborate details, trim package, layout .”
–BRADLEY ODOM
Odom was excited by the challenge. “The evidence of Norman Askins was running through everything—the elaborate details, trim package, layout,” he says. “But his design was tailored to a different time, and we needed to update it for modern-day living.”
Thankfully, the home’s original bones, trim package and century-old heart pine floors were intact; Odom’s charge was to add a dash of modernity and edge. Drawing inspiration from the woodsy surroundings, the designer’s sophisticated palette centers on mossy greens and burnt oranges teamed with the classic blues and grays of tailored suiting. It’s a combination Odom calls “a little more masculine and moodier” than your usual fare.
Home Details
Interior Design:
Bradley Odom, Bradley Odom Interiors
Home Builder:
Michael Jordan, Sterling Millworks, LLC
Clad in Holly Hunt’s Regents Street wallcovering, the foyer features The Urban Electric Co.’s Albee pendant, a 19th-century Khotan rug from Moattar and an antique bench updated in Donghia’s Points of View textile. In the back hall, a skirted table wears Schumacher’s Marietta cotton.
In the living room, Verellen sling chairs mingle with Italian reproduction burl-wood chests and a marbleized garden stool by Paul Schneider—all from designer Bradley Odom’s shop, Dixon Rye. A Deborah Zlotsky painting hangs above the original fireplace as a Fibreworks sisal rug runs underfoot.
Renaissance Tile & Bath’s Zellige Oasis tiles span floor to ceiling in the kitchen, its Sky colorway delineated by a fine pinstripe in the shade Drift. Emtek hardware and a Newport Brass faucet adorn custom walnut cabinetry by general contractor Michael Jordan.
Kravet grass cloth wraps the walls of the family room, where Lancaster upholstery from Dixon Rye—the brand’s Carmel sectional and Genevie swivel chair—offer comfortable spots to unwind. Pillows of Kelly Wearstler’s District linen for Lee Jofa complete the scheme.
A vintage wall lantern found in France, freshly restored by Odom’s team, brings colorful verve to the room’s neutral walls. Repurposed vintage French planters-turned-table lamps from Dixon Rye boost the mood lighting.
Odom painted the primary suite’s fireplace surround Farrow & Ball’s Setting Plaster, accenting it with a round encaustic artwork, Ganymede’s Dream, by Michele Schuff. The geometric motif of 19th-century Spanish chests from Provenance Antiques complements draperies of Kerry Joyce’s Best Buds textile from Ainsworth-Noah.
Bespoke cabinetry by Jordan joins dramatic slabs of Calacatta Viola marble from Altura Stone and Tile employed for the floors and countertops. Visual Comfort & Co. sconces light a vintage faux-bamboo metal chair from Dixon Rye.
In the primary bathroom, Tempest tiles from Fireclay Tile surround a Kallista tub and Watermark Designs filler, both from Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery. A Rococo stool from Foxglove Antiques & Galleries adds gravitas near draperies of Natasha Baradaran fabric from R Hughes.
The home’s fresh attitude is first apparent at the entry, where Odom’s selection of a large-scale geometric wallpaper in a smoky slate shade sets off Askins’ trademark trim. Leveraging the principles of compression and expansion, Odom then choreographed the transition between the vestibule and back hall “to create this artistic moment with all-white pottery and a skirted table,” he notes. “I love how the palette pulls you forward from this dark, welcoming cocoon into that brighter area.”
For the kitchen, the wife requested an English-style cook space, necessitating the biggest changes to the home. Odom worked with general contractor Michael Jordan to incorporate a wealth of the clients’ beloved walnut—expressed in the reeded woodwork gracing the hood wall and center-island cabinetry. “Much of the design was about the naturalistic exterior influencing the interior,” the designer notes.
The ability to host a crowd with ease was important to the couple, who have two preteen children and cook for family and friends frequently. In guest-ready spaces, Odom responded with versatile solutions—a custom dining table that can seat up to 16, performance fabrics in just the right doses. “These clients hold true to the belief that ‘stuff is stuff,’ ” he shares. “Several pieces were designed for wear and tear, but they didn’t want to worry too much if someone set a glass down on a surface.”
“There’s so much texture and pattern, it feels like a hotel retreat in the countryside.”
–BRADLEY ODOM
One area where Odom did dial up the sense of luxury is the primary suite. He honored Askins’ architectural envelope by preserving the room’s impressive mantelpiece, yet carried the design forward by painting it blush pink. “We didn’t want to disrupt that element because it’s so incredibly beautiful—almost like latticework,” explains Odom, who also added matching tumbling-block chests to mimic its geometric detailing, paired with vine-printed draperies that echo the bucolic scenery. “There’s so much texture and pattern, it feels like a hotel retreat in the countryside.”
His clients couldn’t be happier with their home’s metamorphosis. “Because Bradley’s approach is so cosmopolitan, fresh and curated, we trusted he could shift the direction of the house toward something that feels current, like it could exist in any city—or country,” the wife quips. “The bones may reference history, but with the art, furniture and finishes, it became our style through and through. And it’s been a pleasure to watch this house adopt a whole new personality.”