At 8,000 square feet, this Atlanta luxury home offered local expert interior designer Tish Mills an enormous opportunity for creativity. After the new homeowners decided to task the Tish Mills Interiors founder with overseeing some custom conversions during the home’s construction, however, Mills earned an opportunity to help the six bedroom, 7.5 bathroom house reach new creative heights.
For an interior designer, it’s a special opportunity.
“The O’Donnell Group was the developer of this project,” Mills told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “They referred me as a potential interior designer when the client was converting it to a custom home. The day I met with the new owners, we immediately clicked and got to work. This often happens when a house is sold during the construction process. I met with Andrea from The O’Donnell Group and the builder to take an inventory for what had been specified for the remaining construction finishes, what was already on order and what could be changed to reflect the homeowner’s taste. I really like to be a part of the process from the ground up as it allows a more unified vision for the home.”
Credit: Chris Little
Credit: Chris Little
Comfort, luxury, elegant, classic, sexy — each word has found its way into this project through a unifying synergy that ultimately brought the home’s unique personality to life.
“Every project that I create is a true reflection of who the homeowner is and how they live their lives,” Mills said. “These descriptors describe the clients as well. They are a young family with excellent, elegant taste rooted in classic design. We worked to showcase their personality through every selection such as the sleek, sexy lines of the hood in the kitchen to the elegant buckskin suede on the ottoman in the main living room. The custom dining table in the dining room was designed to host extended family for the holidays while looking chic, sophisticated and inviting day-to-day.”
Teasing out a home’s personality through interior design is no easy task. When it came time to put the finishing touches on all three stories of this 8,000 square foot megahouse, Mills said that everything truly came together on the back porch.
“If I think about the family, I love the back porch,” she said. “They said again and again through the process that they would actually ‘live’ out there year-round. They brought the idea of the wood tiles as the flooring which was the perfect accent against the stone fireplace and furnishings. I can see them this time of year out there with a fire in the fireplace and a good football game gathered with friends enjoying the space. I also really love the dining room and the thought of family holiday gatherings. The custom table from Robert James was created from the lines of one of their coffee tables.
“The funny thing is now it has been introduced as a part of their collection. I also love the surprise of the wallpaper in the ceiling coffers and the light that the chandelier casts. But the mood created by the photograph by Erik Heck through Jackson Fine Art is spot on.”
Credit: Chris Little
Credit: Chris Little
Art proved to be an integral part of the home’s personality, bringing almost every single living space in the home to new heights.
“Art is incredibly personal,” Mills said. “I love on this project that the homeowners shopped for art and took a lot of time to truly love what came into the home. It is really the way to do it. Select the pieces that you have an emotional reaction to or that speak to something in your soul instead of focusing on filling the walls. It is one of the things that truly makes a house a home. It really gives that personal touch and usually there is a good story to tell around the piece as well.”
For any Atlanta homeowners inspired by Mills’ work, the designer warned against following trends.
“Take your time and buy what is a true reflection of you,” she said. “Forget trends. Classic and something personal is always the way to go. You are your home.”
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