Alison Michaels-Fandel’s longtime preferred palette is white and black, a combo she brought to her Queen Anne Victorian in historic Grant Park.
The exterior, once hot pink with yellow trim, now is a crisp white. Inside, white walls present a clean backdrop for art and photographs, and to showcase locally curated goods during shopping events she hosts with friend and artist Alyssa Cassatto.
White and black mix in the lighting, rugs and furnishings in the renovated 127-year-old residence, which is on the May 18-19 Grant Park Tour of Homes.
“My design is pretty in line with historical design in the Netherlands and in Switzerland,” Michaels-Fandel said. “It’s not that unusual for old design to be taken in a modern aesthetic.”
Credit: Text by Lori Johnston/ Photos by Reann Huber
Credit: Text by Lori Johnston/ Photos by Reann Huber
Snapshot
Residents: Derek Fandel and Alison Michaels-Fandel, and their Great Dane, Francis. Alison is a real estate agent and founder of Shoppe Native, an in-home, invitation-only event of locally curated goods and art. Derek, a painter, was a high-end furniture and architectural metal worker for years.
Location: Atlanta's Grant Park
Size: About 2,400 square feet, three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths
Year built/bought: 1892/2017
Architectural style: Queen Anne Victorian
Favorite architectural elements: 12-foot ceilings, original doors, transoms and knobs, and original wide plank, heart of pine floors
Design consultants: Alison Michaels-Fandel (interior design and general contracting), Frank Klimes (contractor) and Howkins Landscape & Design
Renovations: The full-scale renovation included reworking the floor plan, updating the kitchen and bathrooms, and adding structural walls for closets. They earned a state tax credit for rehabilitating a historic property, so they didn't remove any walls. They whitewashed the existing heart of pine floors and returned the repaired moldings to their original rooms. Exterior changes included a new deck, hobby furniture shop, landscaping and front walkway.
Cost of renovations: About $200,000 for the house, $50,000 for the yard and $15,000 for the hobby shop
Interior design style: Modern traditionalist
Favorite interior design elements: Custom pieces, such as the bleached ash dining table and kitchen shelf by Kendrick Anderson, photography by local and international artists, and a plant collection mostly from The Victorian Atlanta. Interiors should pave your own way instead of trying to be like others, she said. "It's about owning something that someone maybe doesn't recognize," she said.
Resources: Furniture from Design Within Reach, RH, Room & Board, Crate and Barrel, Dixon Rye, Chairish, Bed Down, Anthropologie, Article and Rejuvenation. Powder room wallpaper from Walnut Wallpaper. Bedding from RH, Amber Interiors and The Citizenry. Sherwin-Williams' Pure White for the exterior and most of the interior, and Tricorn Black for the master bedroom. Rugs from Anthropologie and Maven Collection. Mirror from CB2. Lighting from Schoolhouse Electric, Cedar & Moss, Mazzi & Co., Stanton Home Furnishings, Rejuvenation and Onefortythree. Floor and kitchen backsplash tile from Emser Tile.
Design tip: When trying to create a lighter space, go for bright whites because warm whites can pick up yellow. "All whites are not created equal," she said.
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