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Marvelous Madison, Georgia

May 4, 2011 in Events, Showhouse, travel by Kate | 7 comments

Wouldn’t you love to explore Madison, Georgia, like a true design insider? Jimmy Stanton, owner of popular Atlanta shop Stanton Home Furnishings and subject of a special double feature in our May issue (which you can read here at AtlantaHomesMag.com), has given us the inside scoop on all the things you can do while in town for this Friday and Saturday’s Madison in May Spring Tour of Homes, which will also feature the home of Boxwoods Gardens & Gifts proprietors Dan Belman and Randy Korando. Find out why Atlanta design giants love to get away to the serenity of this fabled Southern town. We encourage you to stay a night at a charming inn—or better still, at the home of a good friend—to get the full experience, but even a day’s excursion is an opportunity for many lovely adventures to unfold. Per Stanton himself: “There are so many wonderful things to see and experience in Madison; here is a list of my favorites. . . . Most are within walking distance from the downtown square.”

TOUR
Heritage Hall
277 South Main Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-9627; www.friendsofheritagehall.org

Madison Morgan Cultural Center
434 South Main Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-4743; www.mmcc-arts.org

Rogers House/Rose Cottage
179 E. Jefferson Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 343-0190

Madison’s Historic Graveyard

STAY
The James Madison Inn
260 W. Washington Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-7040; www.jamesmadisoninn.com

Farmhouse Inn
1051 Meadow Lane, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-7933; www.thefarmhouseinn.com

EAT
Town 220
220 West Washington Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 752-1445; www.town220.com

The Icehouse Restaurant
271 West Washington Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 343-0040; www.icehouserest.com

Madison Chop House Grill
202 South Main Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-9009

Amici’s Italian Cafe
113 South Main Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-0000; www.amici-cafe.com

The Madison Gift Mart & Cafe
140 West Washington Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-9940
Order the chicken salad and the Gentleman Jim’s Tea

Claudia’s European Coffee Shop
142 Academy Street, Madison, GA 30650. (404) 293-0338

Adrian’s Place
342 West Washington Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-1600
Best Fried Chicken and fresh vegetables. This is local secret.

Tequila Express
270 West Washington Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-0729

Perk Avenue Cafe
111 West Jefferson Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-2562

Antique Sweets
132 East Washington Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-0034
Known for the “Bulldog Bites”

Scoops
123-B West Washington Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-3002

Ella’s Sweet Shoppe
191 West Jefferson Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-7544; www.ellassweetshoppe.com
Old-time candy shop; this carries items you haven’t seen in years.

SHOP
Madison Markets
144 Academy Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-8795; www.madisonmarkets.com
Multiple antique dealers display their wares in this high-end market

Le Petite Jardin
281 Hancock Street, Madison, GA 30650  770-262-1177
A must-see for plants, flowers and gifts

Belles Beaux & Gifts
115 South Main Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-3311; www.bellesbeauxandgifts.com
Antiques and gifts

Godfrey Cox
127 South Main Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-2229

Amelia’s & Barkin Dogs Shoe Company
172 South Main Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-2986 for Amelia’s and (706) 342-2929 for Barkin Dogs www.barkindogsshoeco.com

J & K Fleas An’Tiques
184 South Main Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-3009

Laughing Moon
183 South Main Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-8008

In High Cotton
158 West Jefferson Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-7777

Madison Hardware
174 West Washington Street, Madison, GA 30650. (706) 342-0217
The star of the store is Tulip, the Jack Russel mix that sleeps in a cardboard box. She goes home around lunchtime to play so you have to see her early in the day.

NOT SO FAR AWAY
 The Ritz Carlton Lodge at Reynolds Plantation/Lake Oconee (approx. 25-30 min drive from Madison)
One Lake Oconee Trail, Greensboro, GA 30642. (706) 467-0600; www.ritzcarlton.com/reynolds
Eat at Gaby’s on the Water (great food with an amazing view)

Blue Willow Inn at Social Circle
294 North Cherokee Road, Social Circle, GA 30025. (770) 464-2131; www.bluewillowinn.com
Traditional Southern cooking. . . . I highly suggest reservations.


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Perkins + Will, Many More Win “Best of the Best” Forum Design Awards from IIDA of Georgia

February 25, 2011 in Designing, Events by Kate | 5 comments

Last week on Wednesday, February 16, I had the pleasure of attending the sixth-annual International Design Association (IIDA), Georgia Chapter Best of the Best (b.o.b.) Forum Design Awards, held at Opera nightclub in Midtown. And, I must say, this was one of the biggest, most fabulous productions I’ve been to in the city yet. Each year, the theme revolves around a different decade, and this year paid tribute to the groovy ’70s. Approximately 400 folks from Atlanta’s design industries were in attendance, festively dolled up in their most fabulous Pucci prints, Go-Go boots, afro wigs and bell-bottom pants. We all feasted on tons of delicious food and libations, with complimentary desserts at our table—quite a treat! The Design Forum Awards—which encompassed winnings for historic preservation, residential, sustainability, retail, government and more—were presented by big names in the Atlanta design community, including Herman Miller, 3form, Tandus, Shaw, Maharam and CWC, with big winners like Insight Design, TVS Design and Perkins + Will (who also took home the “best of the best” designation). And in keeping with its true award show pomp, this event featured a short film series in between award presentations, “Bob’s Angels,” playing off the “best of the best” moniker. What a fantastic occasion! As you can see below, everyone had a blast. All photographs of the fête were taken by John Clemmer of John Clemer Photography.

Jason Hyder, Elizabeth Chambley and Chris Stulpin

Bryce Otte, Terah Henderson, Elizabeth Chambley and friends

The committee who put on this fabulous shindig

The scene inside Opera Nightclub

IIDA Georgia Chapter President-Elect Michele Lyden and President John Gaul

Chris Heard, b.o.b. Awards chair Keli Lauric and Jason Haner

More glamorous attendees


Several of the night's big winners, including Perkins + Will's Joyce Fowns, second from right.

Best of the Best Residential recipients Stephanie Martinez and Allison Lanier Jones of Insight Design along with presenters Bryna Wiggins and Jennifer Hopkins

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Brilliance for Baby

December 1, 2010 in Editor Picks, New Product, shopping by Kate | 2 comments

New bedding and nursery decor from Oilo Studio

Though I may not have a tot of my own, plenty of my young friends are starting families of their own, or are eagerly preparing to welcome a little one in the coming year. So I can definitely commiserate with them on their searches for stylish nursery staples that offer something more than the expected sugary pastels and hand-me-down motifs. While the gold standards (DwellStudio, B Braithwaite) never disappoint these fashionable desires, I was happy to recently discover two additional lines that are stylish enough for even grown-up aesthetes to covet.

Modern Berries Crib SetWheels crib set

Surely, little sophisticates will swoon over Oilo’s lines of lighting, bedding, cribs, gliders, ottomans and winsome wall decals. I prefer the more subdued palettes found in the “Sticks” line, as well as “Cobblestone” and “Wheels,” but cheery shades of spring green and aqua also show up in collections like “Raindrops” and “Modern Berries.”

Happily, this two-year-old company recently debuted duvet sets for bigger kids, as well—sized for twin, full/queen or king/California king. Oilo is available locally exclusively at Precious Cargo in Smyrna, as well as online at oilostudio.com.

Carousel Designs

Similarly, the 22-years-strong, online-only Carousel Designs, which happens to be based in Atlanta, offers a colorful range of out-of-the-ordinary bedding options for baby and child.

Helmed by two West Point graduates and military veterans, Jonathan Hartley and Allan Sicat, Carousel Designs just launched “Version 3.0″ of its interactive virtual Nursery Design program for parents, who can pick from more than 300 fabrics, Benjamin Moore paint colors and select cutting patterns to design the custom baby bedding of their dreams. Carousel Designs is the only baby bedding company in the industry to offer this degree of customization.

Carousel Designs owners

Carousel Designs owners Jonathan Hartley and Allan Sicat

Both are cause for even we grown-ups to jump for joy.

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The Holidays Get a European Touch

November 24, 2010 in Designing, Editor Favorites, Events, shopping by Kate | 1 comment

Enterprising garden and floral designer Marie-Laure Coste Dujols, the visionary we profiled for our June 2010 Design Dossier, extends her well-cultivated sense of beauty and nature to her projects for Le Jardin Francais, her highly regarded Atlanta-based floral, garden and event design company. So naturally, we’d expect nothing less than such brilliance from her holiday pop-up shop, Boutique de Noel, located at the Westside Urban Market. Boutique de Noel stocks amazing European holiday décor, boxwood topiaries, potted bulbs, wreaths made from a variety of natural materials and much more. Sophisticated, elegant and charming are fitting adjectives to describe the display, which remains open through December 20. We think you’ll find it as lovely as Coste Dujols herself. 1198-B Howell Mill Rd., Atlanta, GA 30318. (404) 792-1680; lejardinfrancais.com


Photos by Andrea Taylor Studio

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Have You Seen the New Crate & Barrel?

August 24, 2010 in Editor Favorites, New Product, shopping by Kate | 7 comments

Something’s happening at Crate & Barrel. While we’ve all been abuzz over the debut of the company’s contemporary offshoot, CB2, along Atlanta’s Midtown Mile, the big daddy, it seems, has been slowly transforming from standard-issue style to superior sophistication. Truth be told, I’ve never found more reasons to say “Wow!” about Crate & Barrel before. And the Fall 2010 catalog reveals this approach boldly with stunning design statements and a refreshing repertoire of new pieces for a fresh season. Dubbed “Modern New Classics for the way we live now,” the latest collections present an aesthetic that’s not only in step with the changing mode of Atlanta, but also the looks that Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles editors champion in the magazine’s pages month after month. Below, I detail the pieces I love most:


Probably my favorite of all, the Hendrix Desk is constructed of rough-hewn reclaimed Peroba wood, black walnut, heavy-duty steel “M” legs and iron hardware.



…And the best part: the back of the desk doubles as an open shelf for all of your favorite texts. $1299.



The Shadowbox Tower is a very modern way of looking at the bookcase/display case. Made of cold-rolled steel, this artful addition boasts a hand-applied graphite finish. $899. Plus, I’m in love with the European white oak Dakota Dining Table for a handcrafted look. $1399. The all-weather wicker Captiva Chairs are $269-$329 each.



A Midcentury revival, the Paloma Sideboard is made from strips of eco-friendly peroba wood wrapped around a solid mahogany frame. $2499.



The new Walker Dining Table, shown here in Cherry, reinterprets the classic farmhouse stretch table by adding graphic lines and a powder-coated steel base plus a high-gloss top of engineered wood. It’s also available in six additional colors. $999.



I think the pattern of the Cruz Pillow is just lovely: graphic yet feminine, contemporary yet vintage-inspired—and the color palette is right on point. $70.



Part desk, part console, part dining table, the super-versatile Phoenix Work Table is made from reclaimed Brazilian telephone poles so that each has its own distinct character. The shape of the iron loop base makes this rugged piece more graceful and interesting. $1299.



A reissued classic, the Milo Classic Leather Lounge Chair revives the vision of Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin. It features semi-aniline leather cushions on a nickel-plated, flatbar stainless steel frame. $2499.

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