Photograph by Marc Mauldin
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.
“Shelley gave me carte blanche to design a kitchen that would be brighter than her existing dark-brown cabinets,” says Leah. “I proposed teal and chartreuse as a nod to her studio colors and the perfect backdrop for her existing plants and artwork.”
Photograph by Marc Mauldin
As a first step, the designer changed the layout from a U-shaped kitchen with a peninsula to an open floor plan that allows better views of the loft’s steel windows. Working with ADAC’s German Kitchen Center, they came up with the show-stealing teal cabinetry in a matte-lacquered finish. Panels cover the dishwasher and trash receptacle for a seamless look and wrap the counter-depth refrigerator, as well.
Leah then found some chartreuse handmade subway tiles to add contrast. “It was a combination I’d never seen that delighted Shelley,” she says. The Cambria quartz countertop in “Brittannica Warm” provided the right amount of neutral.
Lighting is intentionally over-scaled. “I’ve been insisting on a single, stunning statement fixture above the island for years now,” says Leah. “It packs more punch, clears sight lines, and can be more economical.”
Photograph by Marc Mauldin
Photograph by Marc Mauldin
Because the space is surrounded by timeless loft style—such as the home’s original brick-and-concrete floors and ceiling—Leah left those areas as is but painted the kitchen ceiling with a bright shade of white to reflect the colors. A mix of metals also fits the industrial feel.
For accessories, a shelf full of cookbooks adds a personal touch, and plants soften the hard surfaces. The large-scale Buddha is a big focal point, but also a metaphor for the space itself. “The Buddha inspired the global vibes,” says Leah. “It promotes the sense of well-being this kitchen evokes.”
RESOURCES | Interior design: Leah Alexander, Beauty is Abundant. Cabinetry: German Kitchen Center. Backsplash tiles: Stonelluxe. Countertops: Cambria.
This article appears in our Spring 2023 issue of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME.
