Home for the Holidays Showhouse

Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine has done it yet again! The publication’s talent at producing stellar showhouses is on full display at 3466 Old Plantation Road NW in Atlanta. This is the 13th-annual Home for the Holidays Designer Showhouse, this year’s effort benefitting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Not only is this wintertime tradition a showcase of some of the region’s most esteemed design talents, it’s also a celebration of the warmth and magic of the holiday season.

Home for the Holidays on View

The Main Floor Guest Bedroom, designed by Sande Beck, includes our Gingko Gold Wall Sconce. Image credit: David Christensen.

Embracing the traditions that define this special time of year, designers pour so much creativity into their spaces it’s impossible not to be buoyed along by the holiday magic. The roster this year includes Valerie Garrett Interiors, Kristin Kong Designs, and Sande Beck Design, in whose rooms we are thrilled to have products showcased. There is a variety of holiday events that include pop-up shops, floral demonstrations, and candlelight tours within the new English Regency residence on a two-acre lot in Buckhead’s Paces neighborhood. Dietrich T. Logan returns as architect and developer of this year’s showhouse, a 11,383-square-foot home brimming with symmetry, classical design, and natural elegance.

The entry to the Home for the Holidays showhouse, the greenery by Boxwoods Gardens & Gifts. Photo credit: David Christensen.

A limestone front entry spans both floors, surrounded by antique brick and details that include stacked sets of large windows and eyebrow dormers, which are characteristic of Regency architecture. Modernized exterior elements include a large, open entryway with a steel door and steel windows, an iron railing, and Ludowici roof tiles, which were chosen over the traditional wood shake. A second-floor balcony, accessed from the lounge and other rooms, overlooks the motor court and four-car garage.

The Home for the Holidays showhouse space designed by Valerie Garrett includes our Willim drinks table. Photo credit: David Christensen.

The layout of the home, which has five bedrooms, and five full and three half baths, takes advantage of the views of wooded areas and the pool. The main living spaces are set within a free-flowing design that encompasses the dining room, great room, office, breakfast room, and kitchen, which has two islands and two pantries. Gentle vaults and curves soften the ceilings to create a relaxed ambience. Cabinetry with clean lines and natural finishes, and wide-plank floors speak to the home’s transitional interiors. If you’d like to know more about the home before you visit, there is additional information on this web-page.

Celebrating the opening of the showhouse are Melisa Morrow, Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta; Elizabeth Ralls, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles; Dietrich Logan, Logan Design Group; Brad Hanner, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles. Photo credit: Drew Wills for Business of Home.

We asked Elizabeth Ralls, the publisher for Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine, about the experience of participating in the project during this special time of the year.

C&C: Does having the showhouse as a project this time of year bring you the holiday spirit early?

ER: Once the interiors and landscape have been installed, it’s time to Christmas-ify the house! Each year, we rely on holiday stalwarts such as Boxwoods Gardens & Gifts (Showhouse exterior and pop-up boutique) and Tradition Trees to bring on the holiday cheer, both inside and out. We’re always surprised about the creative ways in which our designers add that cheer—this year, one happy surprise was the wreaths (pinned onto pool noodles) floating in the pool. After that, it’s as simple as pumping holiday tunes throughout the house and smelling Operations & Events Manager Lori Hojnowski’s home-baked cookies to put you in the holiday spirit—even if it’s November 7!

Kristin Kong’s colorful and lively bedroom includes our La Rue Floor Lamps. Photo credit: Mali Azima.

C&C: Was there anything about this year’s showhouse that particularly inspired you?

ER: The transformation of the property by our developer, builder, and architect Logan Design Group was remarkable. Walking in the front door and seeing directly through the hallway and great room and into the pool and cooking pavilion is also such a wonderful first impression. It’s a large house, but thanks to LDG’s use of scale, proportion, and symmetry—it still feels warm and welcoming.

One of our Arcadia vases in Kristin Kong’s space in the Home for the Holidays Showhouse. Photo credit: David Christensen.

C&C: It must feel great to know that some of the proceeds are going to such a great cause.

ER: We’ve been fortunate to partner with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as our beneficiary for several years now and we value our relationship, as so many of our designers and sponsors have relied on Children’s for their own families, or have supported the organization because it is so vital to our community. This year, we are collecting pajama packs in all sizes to deliver to patients and their families who may be admitted to the hospital without knowing how long they will stay, and that’s been a fun way to gather our designers and sponsors together for a wonderful (and practical) cause.

Holiday Charm by Three Designers

In the bedroom designed by Sande Beck, a pair of our Forget-Me-Not table lamps sparkle.

Among the designers who tapped our products for inclusion is Sande Beck, an ASID member heading up her full-service interior design firm based in Atlanta. Inspired by her Southern upbringing and an attraction to timeless and beautiful interiors, Sande and her team strive to curate spaces that are welcoming, balanced, unique, and comforting. Sande designed the main floor guest bedroom and bathroom, a pair of our Forget-Me-Not table lamps (shown above) festive in the space.

In the bedroom designed by Sande Beck, our Sappho Orb Chandelier and a pair of Cait table lamps illuminate the softly hued space.

Sande also chose our Sappho Orb Chandelier and a pair of our Cait Table Lamps, seen in the images above; our Gingko Wall Sconces (shown earlier), and our Bee My Honey Chandelier for her space.

Valerie Garrett (right) toasting Lauren Iverson, the Editor-in-Chief of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine. Image courtesy Garrett’s Instagram feed.

Valerie Garrett is a Georgia-based interior designer, who has been providing residential and commercial design services across the Southeast for more than 25 years. She and her team create interiors of impeccable taste and modern elegance with a refined aesthetic. The results are beautiful, gracious, personal, and timeless. Her space includes our Grand Lotus Gold Oval Chandelier, shown in the image below.

Valerie Garrett’s space includes the Grand Lotus Gold Oval Chandelier. Photo credit: David Christensen

She says about this special time of the year: “For me the holidays and my spaces are always about creating beautiful, elegant environments for us to connect with family and friends; and I always lean toward less is more. I don’t like things to be overdone, including decorating for Christmas, because this takes away from the whole. So many times, I will remove furniture to make room for Christmas.” Garrett also included our Willim Drinks Table (shown in an earlier image and in closeup below), Karoo Small Vase, and a trio of London Ivory Tea Boxes in her space.

Kristin Kong in her bedroom in the Home for the Holidays Showhouse. Photography by Drew Wills for Business of Home.

Kristin Kong is an Atlanta-based designer who, with her team at K Kong Designs, specializes in both residential and commercial projects. Inspired by architecture, form, and function, the firm creates spaces that are inviting and engaging, while seamlessly blending a traditional, classic aesthetic, paired with a fresh mix of bold contemporary elements. She designed a bedroom for the Home for the Holidays Showhouse, which she named the Sugar Plum Suite, that includes a number of our products, including the Davos Large Mirror, Happy 40 Black vases, and Arrow Box Set.

Kristin Kong’s bathroom includes our Davos Large Mirror, Happy 40 black vases and Arrow Box Set. Photo credit: Mali Azima

She says of her space: “The holiday decorations in my room at the showhouse are a true departure from my normal style. My tree at home is family focused. It is filled with ornaments that represent our hobbies and interests; they are definitely not decorative or beautiful baubles. In this showhouse, I was able to create the tree I always think I am going to add to my home….but never end up doing. Since I live in a house of full of males, it was a fun departure to decorate a tree with pink bows, flowers, and butterflies.”

The tree in Kristin’s space was a departure for her. Photo credit: Mali Azima.

There was an “ah-ha” moment in her design process early on: “The moment I saw Thibaut’s Cleo Vine wallcovering, I knew I had found the inspiration for my room. The pattern is a wonderful modern floral with these incredible colors that are rich without being overpowering. The plum color especially drew my eye and that became the theme for our room, which we named the Sugar Plum Suite.”

The custom bed Kristin designed for her space is in lively shades of pink. Photo credit: Mali Azima.

She continues, “For ages, I had been dreaming of creating a custom bed with channel detailing and ombre tones. So, I collaborated with a local workroom to fabricate the bed in a palette ranging from lilac to that deep inspirational plum color. The bed is truly the focal point of the room, and I could not be happier with the way it turned out.”

The frame of our Davos Large Mirror and the pattern on the arrow boxes create a beautiful texture in the bathroom, while the Happy 40 black vase resonates with the black in each. Photo credit: Aimee Kurzner.

A close-up of the Willim Drinks Table in Valerie Garrett’s space. Photo Credit: David Christensen.

About the time it takes to achieve the beauty she envisioned, she notes, “The planning and installation of any showhouse always ends in a race to the finish line. It is stressful. With this showhouse, I don’t think you start to feel the magic of the season until opening weekend. You see, for many people, visiting this showhouse is an annual holiday tradition. Seeing friends and families, and enjoying time together is what I love most, and I like being part of creating that memorable moment for them.” And, she adds, “It feels great to know that proceeds from the showhouse go to help children in our community. We are so fortunate to have CHOA in our city. As a parent, it has always given me tremendous peace of mind to know that this resource is so close to home.”

Other designers who created rooms this year include Suzan Bozeman, Carter Kay, Liza Bryan (all three of these are this year’s honorary chairs), Brittany Cason Johnston, Amy Underwood, Bowdre Longo, André Jordan Hilton, Buffy Ferguson, Liz Williams, Suzanne Kasler, Bradley Odom, Marcel Olariu, Courtney Giles Decker, Dina Varner, Michele Gratch, Devin Taylor, and Randy Korando and Dan Belman.

The decorated tree in Valerie Garrett’s space. Photo credit: David Christensen.

If you plan to visit, be sure to read the Health Measures that are in place for safety purposes before stopping by. You can buy tickets online before you go, and there is a list of retailers offering $5 discounts on tickets if you buy them in the stores—the full list is on the Home for the Holidays Designer Showhouse website. Tomorrow evening from 6 to 8 p.m., there is a Candlelight Tour, and on Friday, from 6 to 8 p.m., Lori Hojnowski and Alyssa DeBord will demonstrate how to build the perfect Holiday Charcuterie Board. The last day to visit the showhouse before it closes is December 12th.