The resident of this stunning Midtown Atlanta condominium owns a gymnastics business and oversees hundreds of energetic children on a daily basis, so having a soothing home base was priority number one. “She above all wanted a place that would be a retreat from her busy and hectic life,” says interior designer Minhnuyet Hardy, who chose a neutral color palette and natural materials for this spa-like residence.
Because the condo is only 1,200 square feet, Minhnuyet also needed to maximize furnishings in every room. “I advise people to get rid of unnecessary furniture,” she says. In this living room, for instance, she replaced a previous entertainment stand that was 20 inches deep with a wall-mounted TV, while then storing the audio/video equipment in a bedroom closet behind the TV wall. A low sectional sofa provides all the seating that’s needed, while not blocking the striking view of the city. Similarly, the designer selected a low console custom-built by Tritter Feefer to go behind the sofa and allow for two lamps to brighten the space.
As another clever touch, Minhnuyet replaced a space-hogging, four-poster bed in the master bedroom with a wall-mounted headboard, and lighting mounted on the wall, instead of on bedside tables. “Use mirrors when possible to reflect light and open the space like we did in the master bedroom,” she advises. “The antique mirrors with the sconces flanking either side of the bed helped open the space, making the bedroom appear larger.”
The designer took a second bedroom and gave it a dual purpose: home office and guest bedroom for visiting relatives. The office sofa pulls out into a bed, and the storage ottoman (large enough to hold linens for the bed) is on wheels to be pushed out of the way. To give the room some pizzazz, she added a subtle tone-on-tone wall stencil, applied in a semigloss finish. “Only when you stand at certain angles do you even see the stencil pattern, so it becomes an unexpected element when you’re in the room,” she adds.
For a touch of whimsy and color in the entryway, the designer chose a contemporary velvet chartreuse chair from Luna Bella and a sculpture of mountain-climbing men from Global Views. Her favorite feature is the focal-point wall in the living room, a Zen-like area made of gray marble tiles and an electric fireplace. “Those items took a little convincing to implement,” says Minhnuyet, “but I think they made the biggest impact in the condo.”
Lisa Mowry is a writer, editor and stylist with more than 25 years writing for home and garden magazines. See more of her work at lisamowry.com.
Special thanks to photographer Christina Wedge for the photos.
