Photograph by Lauren Rubinstein
Anytime weather permits, the steel doors are open at Rachel Milling’s house. Inside and outside are fluid here, with the resort-like pool, porch, living room, kitchen, and breakfast room all flowing together, linked by 10-foot-high metal doors and windows. Rachel and her husband, Kirk, and their three boys aged 15, 18, and 22, designed this house to accommodate plenty of guests. “We wanted the kind of house where the boys bring their friends back home, even when they’re at college,” Rachel says.
Photograph by Lauren Rubinstein
Photograph by Lauren Rubinstein
Photograph by Lauren Rubinstein
Interior designer Lindsey Hene stepped in when this dream was just an empty lot in Milton, working with architect Pat Kirkland and builder Panama Properties to create a home with a contemporary edge. The north Fulton town is known for its horse farms and rolling acreage, but this house embraced nature in other ways. Lindsey picked up on design clues, such as the Millings’ love of California-style open floor plans, and Rachel and Kirk’s favorite resort, the Four Seasons in Anguilla. The end result includes a dramatic foyer with 22-foot ceilings, a big kitchen, and that wall of steel windows to draw the eye outside.
“Most of the rooms are white, and much of the furniture is covered in an easy linen, but we injected color through pillows, artwork, and accessories,” says Lindsey, who sought out ways to incorporate antique rugs, mixed metals, and texture. White-oak floors and pecky cypress accents are in a just-right tone that’s warm but not too yellow. The dining room became a jewel box, using the “juicy colors” of plum, turquoise, and citron, with stand-out marbleized wallpaper and a custom Britt Bass painting.
Photograph by Lauren Rubinstein
Photograph by Lauren Rubinstein
Photograph by Lauren Rubinstein
Photograph by Lauren Rubinstein
Some holidays, the Millings entertain nearly two dozen family members, so the double kitchen islands, ample seating, and outdoor areas get plenty of use. Rachel doesn’t miss the formal living room in her old house. “I wanted to make sure family and friends felt comfortable anywhere in the home, with a lot of natural materials,” says Rachel. “The best comment someone made to me about our home was that it looks and feels like our family, so mission accomplished.”
Resources
Interior designer Lindsey Hene and Jennifer Schoenberger, Elle and Vreeland, elleandvreeland.com
Architect Pat Kirkland, Kirkland & Associates, kirklandarchitects.com
Builder Panama Properties, panamaproperties.com
Foyer Light fixture: Bobo Intriguing Objects, bobointriguingobjects.com. Mirrors: Ikea, ikea.com. Console: CFC, customfurniturela.com.
Living room Daybed: CFC. Sofa: Bernhardt, bernhardt.com. Light fixture: Visual Comfort, visualcomfort.com. Toile pillow fabric: Robert Allen, robertallendesign.com.
Dining room Light fixture: Circa Lighting, circalighting.com. Dining chairs: Lee Industries, leeindustries.com. Dining table: Restoration Hardware, rh.com. Acrylic brackets on wall: Wisteria, wisteria.com. Painting: Britt Bass, brittbass.com.
Kitchen Counter stools: Noir, noirfurniturela.com. Pendants: Visual Comfort.
Breakfast room Light fixture: Bobo Intriguing Objects. Chairs: Restoration Hardware.
Porch Outdoor furniture: Restoration Hardware. Outdoor umbrellas: Pottery Barn, potterybarn.com.
Powder room Custom wood countertop: Wood ’n’ Nickel, wood-n-nickel.com.
Office Desk: CFC. Chairs: Bernhardt. Niche with lucite console: CB2, cb2.com.
Master bedroom Light fixture: Arteriors, arteriors.com. Wallpaper and window treatment fabric: Kravet, kravet.com.
Master bath Ro Sham Beaux, ro-sham-beaux.com
This article appears in our Fall 2019 issue of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME.
