Although I have a special place in my heart for Georgian and French style architecture, I admire and appreciate all sorts of architectural styles. I recently came across a spread from Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles March '08 that featured a 'Tuscan' style home that was the AH&L 2008 spring showhouse, and I thought it was quite beautiful - it was Tuscan done with a soft palette and a light touch. More and more I gravitate to a style that is casually elegant, simple but crafted and designed with care. This home really fit the bill. The home is located in a 400 acre community called Montaluce that is one hour north of Atlanta; the planned community was built around a working winery. The architecture was by Harrison Design Associates, one of the top architectural firms in Georgia; the interior design was by Jillian Pritchard Cooke of DES-SYN. All photography by Erica George Dines.
An artist rendering of the home.
The home has one dining area, so it is dressier than a casual dining area, but more relaxed than a formal dining room. I love the dress maker details on the slipcovers for the chairs - the buttons, the contrast welting, the band across the bottom, the pleats. The beams on the ceiling add a great architectural element to the room.
From this angle, the shape of the wood chairs can be seen. The slipcovers are a great design solution for a house that has one dining area - the look of the room can be changed easily with the addition or subtraction of the slips.
I love this room, which is noted as the living room in the house. As is the trend in so many new homes these days, there is no formal living room - this is the more of a 'great room' concept. The room has light on two sides - the French doors that lead off the back, as well as a sidelight window to the left of the fireplace. Note the back of the French bergere - it is a solid that picks up on the stripe of on the seat. Fresh combinations of fabric do so much to update the look of a classic chair. The chandelier and beams on the ceiling set more of a casual tone, which is perfect for a home like this - casually elegant, not formal. I can actually imagine spending time in this room - although I do wonder where the TV would go!
Here is the front side of the chair - the solid is used on the chair back, along with nailhead trim. This picture really appeals to me - the traditional but updated chair, with a great square contemporary art piece in a soft tone and style. I also appreciate when a magazine spread shows different angles of a room. Recently, I have been looking at pictures in a whole new light, and appreciating the floor plans and flow of the rooms I see. Initially I thought that there might be a hall to the right of the fireplace that leads to the master, but I was able to find the floorplan online, and the windows on either side of the fireplace are actually recessed due to the depth of the fireplace, and lead to the back yard.
A beautiful master bedroom designed in sophisticated dark and light tones. The intent was that the room would not compete with the views of nature outside the windows.
To see the website for the Tuscan style community that this home is part of, please see the website for Montaluce Winery and Estates. For those of you looking to ease the pain of the loss of Southern Accents, consider subscribing to Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles; every month two wonderful homes are featured (it used to be three - I keep hoping they will go back to three....).
Come see what everyone is hooked on this Friday at Hooked on Houses!
