Decorating Mecca - Atlanta

Two weeks ago I flew down to my favorite town for interiors shopping - Atlanta - to shop for some clients (oh, and for Haven on Hanover). Yes, Washington, D.C. has its share of great shops, especially along Wisconsin Avenue and O Streets in Georgetown, but Atlanta has it, hands down, for the design obsessed. We started our quest at Atlanta Decorative Arts Center - fondly known as ADAC.

Washington, DC, where the firm I work for is based, has a Design Center but something about ADAC makes shopping so much more fun and easy. We know we will always hit the jackpot. We started at Smith Grubbs, right inside the door and found a great variety of lamps and side tables for our client who lives on Long Island.

Isn't the hammered finish on this table divine?

I've been searching for the perfect bar cart for a client in Georgetown and this one hit the mark.

This table lamp would be very happy at Haven.

And this table lamp we could sell to several different clients.

We had so much luck and the fun had just begun. Off to our favorite rug source, Moattar, Ltd. A client in Georgetown needed a runner for her front hall and we had searched in DC and New York all summer. We walked in to Moattar, showed Andrea Moattar a swatch of fabric and a photo of an existing rug and a few minutes later we had a couple of options to send to the client back in DC.

Bingo!

Next we blew through Travis & Co. and shot some photos of some lovely acrylic tables and more great lighting:

Then we happened upon Bradley Hughes who used to be on Miami Circle but just recently moved to ADAC. There we found some pendant lights for a client looking for a "funky" fixture for her stair hall.

After a quick bite in ADAC's cute luncheon spot, we zoomed over to another pair of favorites, Mrs. Howard and Max and Co. Much has been written in the blogosphere about these two shops so I won't go into a lot of detail, but suffice it to say if this is the first you've heard of these two shops, then google them and then get yourself over there pronto. You won't be sorry. Here are some images:

I could have crawled right into that bed. Or this one.

Hating to leave but knowing that time was getting away from us, we popped over to Bungalow and found some great accessories and ended up at Bill Lowe gallery to peruse the latest art in his collection. Feeling very inspired, but tired and hungry, we checked into our hotel and called it a day.

The next day the cab showed up at 7:30 to take us to Scott's market. Shopping at Scott's is so much fun and exhausting at the same time. There is so much to see that one's eye can not take it all in. It is a bit difficult to shop for clients there as it is "cash and carry" so we typically buy things and put them into inventory knowing that down the road we'll be able to place them. We purchased some prints from Prints Charming and then stumbled upon a vendor with some beautiful lighting that had just come in from France. I purchased this ceiling fixture for my powder room and after I take it to be electrified it will be installed here at Haven.
I also picked up these sconces which will find a home here at Haven - probably in the Dining Room. Someone got carried away with gold paint but that is easily rectified with some artist's acrylic and a paint brush.

Some more images from Scott's:

I thought these angels would make awesome lamps.

Very nice crusty trumeau.

My partner in crime, Beth, had to run for the airport to make a noon flight back to DC but I was staying for one more day to shop some more and visit with my younger sister, Kelly, who lives with her family in Dunwoody. I taxied up to the Mart in downtown Atlanta to visit one of my favorite lighting showrooms, Currey and Company and to see who else might be open. It turns out not too many showrooms were open - it was like a ghost town. Rats - but I'll be back another day.

The next morning I took off from my sister's house in my nephew's car feeling ultra confident with his tom tom on the dash. I wanted to visit Ballard Designs outlet store. Tom Tom gets confused in Atlanta and I wound up in some one's town home driveway. Luckily I had printed out mapquest directions as well. Ballard's outlet was very lean - maybe a sign of the times - hard to say. I guess my shopping success (and navigation success) was at an end. I mapquested my way back to Dunwoody and hung out with my family until it was time for my flight.

There was progress at Haven this week. The base trim which had to be custom made to match the rest of the house is slowly going in and being primed and painted. All of the kitchen cabinets are in place and the templates have been made for the marble counters.

The refrigerator was ordered over the Internet long ago and seems to have gone down the black hole. I've learned a lesson there - better to buy from your local appliance guy - I've spent more time on the phone trying to track this than I care to admit. We purchased a washer and dryer from Lowe's on Broad Street and they were delivered the very next day. Now I'm feeling the need to wash everything in sight. That can't last for long.The gas fireplace insert has been selected and this mantel was brought over on approval.
This is where in a renovation it gets down to the details and they say that is where the devil is.

However some say “God is in the details,” meaning that opportunities for discovery and creativity come from digging into the details - I think both are true when thinking of a renovation.

One more thing - today is my 27th wedding anniversary - Happy Anniversary to Harry Homeowner of Haven on Hanover - you've made all of this possible and I love you.