Design Advice

Gone are the dark and dreary basements of 1970s sitcoms. Today’s terrace levels are no longer afterthoughts full of used furniture.

It’s no surprise that New York–based designer Miles Redd, an Atlanta native, is currently crushing on the big and the bold, the graphic and traditional, the dramatic and cinematic (after all, he was a film major). His new collection with Atlanta-based Ballard Designs is a reflection of this eclectic, fantastical vision.

Depending on how it’s used, green can be either soothing or energizing, according to Stephanie Andrews, founder of Balance Design Atlanta.

Create instant drama with bold black interiors, while a serene white palette is really many colors in one.

When it’s 90 degrees in Atlanta, IT professional and writer Blake Donley can escape to his basement listening room with a cool beverage and 3,000—give or take—of his favorite LPs.

Kitchens invite guests again, laying out natural materials and rich colors as a welcome mat. Here, four new kitchens at the center of family life and festive gathering.

When designing a master suite, builders usually prioritize the bedroom. But if you step back and think practically, the bedroom only contains the bed—while the bathroom and closet hold everything else. A lobby-style setup, which combines the two rooms, may be more effective and luxurious.

When your client owns more than 100 plants as well as a colorful yoga studio, boring colors are not an option. The client is Shelley Carroll, owner of Dancing Dogs Yoga on the BeltLine; and the designer is Leah Alexander, who took a yoga class that eventually led to her redecorating Shelley’s Reynoldstown loft.

Light and understated was never the personality of this loft—or its owner—says interior designer Gina Sims, who amped up this plain kitchen with layers of bold features. Homeowner Cati Teague specified “awesome and green,” which sent Sims on a hunt for the perfect backsplash tile.

This lively breakfast room addition by Atlanta architect Norman Askins and interior designer/author James Farmer fits nicely in a 19th-century house.