Reminiscent of elegant row houses found in Savannah and Charleston, our Senoia, Georgia, Idea House takes a refreshingly new approach to traditional style. Step inside to see our favorite ideas.
Welcome to Abercorn Place
Welcome to the 2010 Georgia Idea House. Click through these slides to find the best design ideas and style tips to inspire your own home.
Take an Overview Tour of the Georgia Idea House
Entryway Lumber Floors
The heart-pine floorboards throughout, supplied by Willis Everett of Vintage Lumber (vintagelumbersales.com), were salvaged from dismantled structures.
Living Room
To give the living room a focal point, we created a faux fireplace with an antique mantel that was stripped and repainted in an aged, distressed finish. The fireplace was set on a rectangular piece of slate as the hearth. A gray mirror with a slate surround inside the opening gives the fireplace a sense of depth.
Artwork in Living and Dining Rooms: Georgia landscapes by Millie Gosch (milliegosch.com), David Boyd, Jr. (web.mac.com/rdboyd2/), and Bill Turner (billturner.net)
Tour the Living Room
Living Room Bookcase Wall
Designed to resemble an early-1900s library, the living room contains a wall of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Two large double-hung windows punctuate these built-ins, along with cozy window seats below.
Living Room and Dining Room Curtain Fabric
Residence Damask in Slate Blue by Thibaut (thibautdesigns.com) unifies the two rooms that act as one. A uniform khaki wall color in both rooms also makes the space look larger.
Dining Room
On the left side of the room, reclaimed heart-pine pocket doors can be closed to give privacy from the kitchen.
Dining Room Chandelier
Eloise Pickard of Sandy Springs Galleries (770/324-2557) created this and other vintage-looking fixtures from bits and pieces of turn-of-the-century gas and electric fittings.
Uniform Ceiling Color
On all of the ceilings in this house, Sherwin-Williams Window Pane in Hi-Gloss has a wonderful finish that reflects light back into the rooms.
Kitchen
To balance out the traditional feel of Abercorn Place, the kitchen's counters, appliances, and cabinets are all by IKEA (ikea.com).
A quartz material called Caesarstone (caesarstoneus.com; available through IKEA) protects not only the top of the kitchen island but also the sides from daily bumps and dings.
Paint: Toasted Pine Nut by Sherwin-Williams, sherwin-williams.com
Tour the Kitchen
Custom Vent Hood
Builder John Bynum surrounded the IKEA stainless-steel vent hood with wood planks, trim, and support brackets to give it a built-in cabinet look.
Scullery
Adjacent to the kitchen, a pantry houses the refrigerator and handles much of the work and mess of food prep.
Tour the Scullery
Keeping Room
Traditionally, a keeping room is a smaller sitting area typically located near the kitchen; Historical Concepts designed this one true to form.
When not in use, the TV is tucked away in a recess above the mantel. It is concealed behind framed artwork by Artissance (artthatfits.com) that’s been divided and hinged like bifold doors.
Keeping Room Fabrics
The room’s curtains display cool-colored stripes, #32143 in Surf by Duralee (hearthandhomeinteriors.com), while the high-backed chairs feature a geomtric-pattered brown, Hive in Acorn from C.R. Laine Furniture (crlaine.com).
Family Room Calendar
A corkboard calendar above the built-in desk helps keep track of appointments and parties.
Tour the Family Room
Master Suite
This welcome getaway, with its soothing, cream-colored walls and mixture of antique and reproduction furniture, feels conveniently detached from the family hustle and bustle. In reality, the kids’ bedrooms are just a few steps down the hall.
Furniture: Antiques and reproductions from Englishman’s Fine Furniture (englishmansfurniture.com) and Holland & Company (hollandandcompany.com)
Tour the Master Bedroom
Master Suite Canopy Bed
A lovely canopy frames the traditional bed, adding dramatic height and making it a true focal point in the room.
Master Suite Fabrics
The canopy features a floral, Tremont Sage from Ballard Designs (ballarddesigns.com), while the bed skirt displays a light gingham, Pattern #76628 from Ethan Allen (ethanallen.com).
Spa-Like Master Bath
Continuing the calm elegance found in the master bedroom, the master bath evokes the opulence of an old-world spa, complete with a large soaking tub and a spacious master shower that's covered in intricate tilework. Large double-hung windows bathe this space with natural light that’s reflected by the honed-marble tile flooring. Cafe curtains provide privacy when drawn, while allowing sunlight to enter the upper window sashes.
Cabinets under the a ledge conceal the tub’s plumbing lines, supplies storage for towels and bath products, and create a display space for plants and artwork.
Tour the Master Bath
Entertainment Room
While Abercorn Place is designed with family in mind, it’s not all geared toward the kids. In fact, the top floor is the grown-ups’ domain. Created with the feel of a warm and cozy den, the front room contains rich upholstery and textiles, dark-stained furniture, and a leather wing chair.
Tour the Entertainment Room
Entertainment Room Curtain Fabric
The floor-to-ceiling curtains blend with the room’s warm color in their floral fabric, Pasha in Celedon/Aqua by Cowtan & Tout (hearthandhomeinteriors.com).
Pub-Style Bar
Serving as a bonus to the entertainment room, an adjacent bar comes equipped with an undercounter fridge, ice-maker, and wine chiller. It also serves as a handy coffee station and kitchenette for overnight company.
Outdoor Overlook
The party in the entertainment room can continue outside on the adjoining terrace. Finished with brick pavers and stuccoed walls, it also affords a bird’s-eye view of downtown Senoia. The Big Green EGG grill sets in a custom cabinet.
Multifunctional Porch
Lined with handsome box columns and accessible to the indoors through pairs of French doors, the side porch functions much like an interior room, complete with comfortable seating and durable outdoor rugs. This gracious extension of living space contains a teak dining table for informal meals.
Tour the Terrace and Porches
Porch Seating
Inspired by Charleston side porches (called “piazzas”), the outdoor-friendly furniture arrangement provides a great place to socialize with neighbors or to take in the fresh air while reading a book.
Awning
A retractable awning by Tri Vantage with Sunbrella fabric keeps the porches shaded, which is always welcome during Georgia’s summers.
Awning Fabric: Spa/Wheat Vintage by Sunbrella (sunbrella.com)
Courtyard
The porch is gracefully connected to the courtyard below by two sets of descending steps. Because an urban setting like this tends to “hem in” private yards, the brick-paved area was individualized as much as possible. The courtyard is also surrounded by a high brick wall because it’s bordered on three sides by streets.
Garden experts James T. Farmer III (allthingsfarmer.com) and Carmen Johnston (nectarandcompany.com) created lush potted plants to soften this hardscaped area while lending it some needed color.
