Summer Loftin brings dramatic flair to her interior and antiques businesses.
Mississippi native Summer Loftin fell in love with the classic styles and historic architecture of Atlanta more than 20 years ago. She started her design work at an art and antique gallery on Miami Circle that imported from Europe after attending Ole Miss, where she focused on period styles, furniture and decorative arts. She also studied antique appraising at the University of Georgia. That varied experience has served her well as the principal of Summer Loftin Antiques & Design, a two-pronged business that encompasses her interior design work and her eye for antiques. She founded it more than 15 years ago after gallery clients kept asking for her expertise and advice.
Loftin designs for clients across the country, many of them owners of historic homes. She pulls in antiques where appropriate from that side of the business, which is set up at Interiors Market and is available online at 1stDibs, Chairish and Instagram. Here, she explains her zest for design and how the two businesses work in tandem.
How would you describe your design process and style?
I went to Ole Miss for art history, and now I primarily work on historic homes. I’ve designed interiors for two Neel Reid homes and a Philip Trammel Schutze home. I love period styles, but I also love retro and quirky things. I designed interiors in an Airstream for Jim Thompson fabrics, and in Buckhead, I did a Lustron rental home made entirely out of metal; even the interior walls are metal, and you have to hang things with magnets. I look at the architecture and figure out what the home calls for naturally, then I mix it up. I love statement pieces, color, pattern, texture and the unexpected.
You opened Summer Loftin Antiques in 2022. How is that business different?
My design business began with my antique clients wanting help with styling their homes. I opened the booth at Interiors Market in 2022 and also sell online. Most of my clients are fellow creatives and collectors like me. They usually already have a collection, and if they don’t, we help them make one. Most of them enjoy traveling and sourcing pieces. I feel like my magic is putting their collections together in fun and interesting ways.
What’s your favorite period?
I love Art Deco; it’s hot right now. There was a housing boom in the 1920s in Atlanta, and Art Deco fits with a lot of the architectural styles here. I love the rich, beautiful wood grains paired with more modern and clean lines. It’s such a transitional style that you can mix it with true 18th- or 19th-century pieces, or you can bring it forward and pair it with midcentury modern. It’s flexible. I also love anything Italian. They just do everything a little bit better.
How can someone incorporate antiques into their design?
You don’t need every single piece to be special. You can build a room around that one perfect statement piece, and everything else will come together to give you a wow factor. Southerners love their antiques. My booth had a great showing at the Marburger Farm Antiques Show in July and we will be there again in January 2025.
SUMMER LOFTIN ANTIQUES & DESIGN
404.314.9548
summerloftin.com
@summer_loftin
@summerloftinantiques
