Designer Andrew Howard brings colorful, sophisticated South Florida style to this Buckhead home

Layered paints, wallcoverings, fabrics, and art give this five-year-old Buckhead home a colorful, decorative persona

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Designer Andrew Howard's sophisticated South Florida style and a thoughtful art collection create perfect harmony

Photograph by Noe Dewitt

Some people see blank white walls and love the minimalist calm, but not interior designer Andrew Howard and homeowner Christina Nordin. The two took the blank canvas of this five-year-old Buckhead house and layered paints, wallcoverings, fabrics, and art to give it a colorful, decorative persona. “Christina was clear she wanted a ‘Palm Beach meets Atlanta’ type of house,” says Andrew, who is based in Jacksonville. “She likes lots of color.”

Designer Andrew Howard's sophisticated South Florida style and a thoughtful art collection create perfect harmony
A blue-and-green motif in the great room includes window treatments with Virginia Kraft fabric, a Hickory Chair sofa, and a Stark rug. Homeowner Christina Nordin chose art by Nashville-based Kayce Hughes for above the fireplace. “The circle is one of Kayce’s signature looks, and, since our family has come ‘full circle,’ I felt Kayce’s art would represent that in our home,” she says. “This piece is saturated in blue, and it’s the focal point when guests come through the front door.”

Photograph by Noe Dewitt

Designer Andrew Howard's sophisticated South Florida style and a thoughtful art collection create perfect harmony
This five-year-old Buckhead house came with graceful architecture, sunlit rooms, and well-maintained grounds.

Photograph by Rustic White

Designer Andrew Howard's sophisticated South Florida style and a thoughtful art collection create perfect harmony
Erik, Christina, and daughter Lily Ann chose their new home partly for its welcoming outdoor spaces.

Photograph by Rustic White

Designer Andrew Howard's sophisticated South Florida style and a thoughtful art collection create perfect harmony
Family-room curtains are a floral-lattice pattern from Alamwar Textiles, which specializes in handmade designs from India. Ottoman is by Bunny Williams Home. Butterfly art is by Carrie Penley.

Photograph by Noe Dewitt

Christina and her husband, Erik, were drawn to the newish home for its good bones, sunlit rooms, and well-maintained backyard and pool. As Andrew was rounding up furnishings and accessories (with Covid-era challenges, no less), Christina was mentally arranging her art collection and even adding new pieces. “I’ve always collected art, even in my 20s when I was a teacher and bought inexpensive items at garage sales. I’d put those pieces up along with art by my students in my classroom,” says the Marietta native. “I’m drawn to art that connects with nature, a memory, or any artwork that invokes a meaningful feeling.” Later, favorite sources became regional artists at local art galleries, school fundraisers, pieces collected during travels, and, in modern fashion, Instagram pages. For this house, she collaborated with several artists: a commission from painter Sally King Benedict livens up daughter Lily Ann’s room, North Carolina–based Caroline Boykin used the dining room’s graceful blue wallpaper as inspiration for her porcelain flowers, Birmingham artist Lindsey Porter painted botanicals with colors drawn from fabric swatches, and Whitney Stoddard created a tea-stained piece for the living room.

Designer Andrew Howard's sophisticated South Florida style and a thoughtful art collection create perfect harmony
The sunny breakfast room includes Century Furniture chairs and a custom banquette upholstered with fabrics from Soane, a British-based textile company.

Photograph by Noe Dewitt

Designer Andrew Howard's sophisticated South Florida style and a thoughtful art collection create perfect harmony
A teal botanical wallcovering by Kravet and bold blue appliances give personality to the laundry room.

Photograph by Noe Dewitt

Designer Andrew Howard's sophisticated South Florida style and a thoughtful art collection create perfect harmony
This commission by Atlanta artist Sally King Benedict adds style to daughter Lily Ann’s room.

Photograph by Noe Dewitt

Designer Andrew Howard's sophisticated South Florida style and a thoughtful art collection create perfect harmony
Pink and green complement each other in daughter Lily Ann’s playroom, smartly designed with built-in cabinets, a sleeper sofa, and framed art by Lily Ann herself. Quadrille fabric covers the sofa, with more preppy fabric on the Palacek chair.

Photograph by Noe Dewitt

Andrew layered in custom pieces and lively patterned fabrics, sometimes gathering accessories from the family businesses of Mrs. Howard and Max & Company, which have a location at the Galleries of Peachtree Hills. Each room also contains at least two vintage or antique pieces, a way to add history and longevity to this relatively new house. “Rooms that feel like they may have evolved over time are usually going to have many colors, patterns, and textures,” says the designer. “We did our best to bring those to each space.”

Designer Andrew Howard's sophisticated South Florida style and a thoughtful art collection create perfect harmony
“This house was barely lived in by the previous owners, so I called it my ‘blank canvas,’” says Christina. “Our mission was to bring color and life to the rooms.” A rose-colored sofa (Lee Industries in Pierre Frey Fabric) is surrounded by pattern and cheerful hues, including Benjamin Moore “Aegean Teal” lacquered on the walls and window treatments in Soane Britain fabrics.

Photograph by Noe Dewitt

Designer Andrew Howard's sophisticated South Florida style and a thoughtful art collection create perfect harmony
Of the dining room, Christina says, “When I step into this beautiful room—lovingly wallpapered in Gracie chinoiserie wallpaper—I’m taken back in time.” Playing off the timeless wallpaper, she commissioned the porcelain-and-canvas art from Raleigh-based Caroline Boykin for a feminine, three-dimensional touch.

Photograph by Noe Dewitt

Designer Andrew Howard's sophisticated South Florida style and a thoughtful art collection create perfect harmony
Benjamin Moore “Hudson Boy” wraps this bedroom in a cheerful blue, with bunks upholstered in striped fabric from Jasper.

Photograph by Noe Dewitt

Designer Andrew Howard's sophisticated South Florida style and a thoughtful art collection create perfect harmony
Floral wallpaper by Pierre Frey livens up a mostly white bathroom.

Photograph by Noe Dewitt

RESOURCES | Interior designer Andrew Howard, andrewjhoward.com Living room Light: Made Goods, madegoods.com. Art: Whitney Stoddard, whitneystoddardart.com. Curtain fabric: Soane, soane.co.uk. Sofa: Lee Industries, leeindustries.com, with fabric from Pierre Frey, pierrefrey.com. Wall paint: Benjamin Moore, “Aegean Teal,” benjaminmoore.com. Dining room Wallpaper: Gracie Studio, graciestudio.com. Art: Caroline Boykin, caroline-boykin.com. Chandelier: Vaughan, vaughandesigns.com. Host chair: Hickory White, hickorywhite.com, with fabric from Schuyler Samperton Textiles, schuylersampertontextiles.com. Side Chairs: Hickory Chair, hickorychair.com. Ginger jars: Mrs. Howard, mrshoward.com. Daughter’s playroom Curtains: Supply Showroom, supplyshowroom.com. Sofa fabric: Quadrille, quadrillefabrics.com. Accent chair: Palecek, palecek.com, with fabric from Fritz Porter, fritzporter.com. Cocktail table: Oomph, oomphhome.com. Light: Coleen and Company, coleenandcompany.com. Wall paint: Benjamin Moore, “Hummingbird” and “Fresh Scent Green.” Family room Curtains: Alamwar, alamwar.com. Sectional: Lee Industries with fabric from Holland & Sherry, hollandandsherry.com. Ottoman: Bunny Williams Home, bunnywilliamshome.com. Green throw: Mrs. Howard. Daughter’s bedroom Curtains and both bed fabrics: Alex Conroy Textiles, alexconroytextiles.com. Art: Sally King Benedict, sallykingbenedict.com. Bed: Amanda Lindroth, amandalindroth.com. Bathroom Wallpaper: Pierre Frey. Laundry room Wallpaper: Kravet, kravet.com. Breakfast room Banquette: Lee Industries in Soane fabric. Side chairs: Century, centuryfurniture.com.

This article appears in our Summer 2021 issue of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME.

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