A BUCKHEAD HOME PROVES COLORFUL CHOICES CAN BE BOTH STYLISH AND DURABLE!
Olivia Head purchased her circa 1927, three-bedroom, two bathroom Peachtree Hills Craftsman- style home in 2022. Plank siding and shingle accents serve as a backdrop to the copper lantern, porch swing and teal door. It has a letter slip for mail, and it’s finished with an American flag.
From the outside, the home is quintessentially classic, evoking a sense of seaside serenity. However, the front door opens to reveal a colorfully posh interior that suits Head, a historic preservation consultant with a client roster that includes the National Park Service. It is an ideal space for herself, her two dogs and two cats. “Home is where I am most comfortable; I can let my hair down and do puzzles or build LEGO sets while watching my favorite trash TV. Most importantly, though, home is where my menagerie reigns and feels safe and cozy,” Head says.
Working in partnership with her cousin, designer Virginia Cheek, Head gave minimal direction for getting started. “I think I just told her I love green and purple, and that I wanted to make it a little quirky and funky,” Head says. The pair recalled Firmdale Hotels such as New York’s The Whitby and London’s Ham Yard, known for their maximalist styles and layered looks, to serve as inspiration.
“When people first walk in, the view from the living room through the cased opening into the dining room and then farther into the kitchen always catches them off guard,” Head says. “The three rooms are very different in terms of color and style, but they blend and flow so well. You move from a bright space to a moody space and back to a bright space, so you get a varied experience.”
In the living room, a custom sofa is covered in an indoor/outdoor fabric that mimics the front door’s teal hue and is paired with a dusty rose, oyster shell finish coffee table. Sentimental artwork flanks the window. “Virginia helped me commission four small paintings by artist Caroline Gray based on old photographs of my parents. If I’m ever missing my family [who lives in Birmingham], I can just look up and see a painted version of my college-aged dad drinking beer on a beach or my mom snow skiing like a pro,” Head says. Cheek added a collected-over-time look with a reproduction chest from Modern History and a set of wood-mounted museum bees in frames upcycled into small works of art. Vintage paint-by-numbers horse motifs from Head’s art collection were chosen to complete the space.
Cheek used Benjamin Moore Lush, a more saturated version of the sofa’s color, to add depth to the dining room walls. “It’s what I wanted but couldn’t put into words. Virginia found the perfect shade of green that is simultaneously moody and homey,” Head says. The room is anchored by a walnut dining table from New Orleans-based Doorman Designs, complete with custom purple-gingham upholstered chairs, a dramatic Urban Electric Company light fixture and a wall-to-wall custom banquette, which Head says is her favorite piece of furniture in the house. On the opposite wall, a built-in wet bar showcases Head’s casual entertaining panache. “It’s my main hosting room,” she says.
In the kitchen, Cheek and Head made cosmetic upgrades such as swapping hardware, adding a Phillip Jeffries textured grasscloth wallpaper and dotting the space with punchy citrus shades. “I am unfortunately not much of a cook, but this kitchen is more fun to cook in than any of my previous kitchens. The wallpaper, cabinet paint color and window treatments make it so bright and happy; it inspires me to cook more than usual. My go-tos are typically really easy, [such as] tacos and pasta, and I love throwing on a podcast or audiobook while prepping and cooking. I do make a really mean queso that matches the kitchen perfectly,” Head says. Cheek points to the Roman shade fabric as encompassing the home’s spirit. As such, she chose to repeat it on the skirted table in the mudroom.
As a voracious reader living in a 1,300-square-foot home, Head needed storage for her bounty of books. Novels and other reading material are tucked here and there throughout the house, in the arched shelving or artfully stacked on tables. Cheek also created a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf for the study, opting to drench the room in Gray Sky by Benjamin Moore. “It’s so pale it almost reads as a neutral,” Cheek says. “It also has that feminine feel without being overtly pink or fussy.” The corner reading nook features a vintage chair and ottoman from Interiors Market recovered in matching fabric to give them a unified look.
Head’s request for all things green is perhaps best showcased in her bedroom. The homeowner and designer started with the fiddle-leaf fig Ferrick Mason fabric and wallpaper, found on the walls and window treatments, and used it to guide the rest of the space. Thoughtful details such as green embroidery on the bed linens reinforce the color palette. In the ensuite bathroom, green cabinetry mirrors the corresponding room’s fabric.
The guest room is anchored by a bed and bolster Head already had, which Cheek repurposed and reupholstered. Visual Comfort library lights with custom lampshades draw in the berry hue from the bedding, and a custom rug cut around the fireplace to fit the room makes it feel even cozier.
Cheek decided to
reuse the bedskirt
fabric from a
previous design.
They then pulled
plum and mustard
into the soft
furnishings such as
the curtains and the
pillow shams.
The home is ultimately designed for Head to share with her friends, family and pets. “The pops of color throughout the house help hide any dirt the dogs might track in. Virginia chose many of the materials to be easily wipeable and rip-resistant. All of the furniture also already had the perfect, lived-in look that made the house feel so cozy and disguises any wear and tear that the animals have inevitably caused,” Head says. The result is a charming, lived-in abode that creatively uses color to capitalize on functionality.
IN THE DETAILS
Homeowner Olivia Head shares some of her favorite household items.
1. Skirted table. “Virginia designed a table for my mudroom that serves as a coffee stand, but it also has curtains that hide the litterbox and other unsavory animal items.”
2. Ichendorf Milano wine glasses. “They are stemless and have glass animals at the bottom. I started with the ducks, but have since collected turtles, deer, snails, Christmas-themed creatures and my favorite—the hedgehog. These always come out when I am entertaining.”
3. Doorman Designs dining table. “I often have friends and neighbors over for dinner, a mahjong game or a drink. It’s also a great spot for puzzling.”
PHOTOS: Heidi Harris, Patrick Heagney
