InterIor desIgner Courtney gIles awakens a hIstorIC ansley Park

Classic&Current
Interior designer
Courtney Giles
awakens a historic
Ansley Park home
with her signature
blend of color,
print and shine
Written by
Alison Miller
Photographed by
Emily Followill
Bathed in natural
light and neutral
tones, the airy family
room is grounded by
shades of orange,
brown and the
couple’s colorful art collection.
Sheer draperies by
Schumacher. Custom
sectional from
Bungalow Classic in
Henry Calvin fabric.
Dennis and Leen
chair in John Hutton
fabric. Console by
Hickory Chair.
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silver and gold metallics, gray tones and
mother of pearl create a smashing effect,
establishing a fine
balance between
tr aditional and
modern interiors.
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Seating arrangements suitable
for cocktails and
entertaining trumps
the need for heavy
upholstery in the
formal living room.
Chinoiserie wallpaper by Anna French.
Isabella bench by
Formations in Larsen
mohair with Bergamo pillows. French
club chair from Niermann Weeks in Lulu
DK. Klismos chairs
from Wicker Works
in Threads fabric.
Mirrored coffee table
by Julian Chichester.
Custom firescreen by
Smithworks Iron. opposite The Greek key
motif on the draperies inspired this cozy
but dramatic study,
which is brightened
with pops of yellow
and white. Custom
draperies by Great
Plains. Coffee table
from Hickory Chair.
Custom wool rug by
Eve & Staron. Pillow
and bench fabrics
from Romo.
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W
With a homeow ner’s illustr ative r equests
and affection for stylish drama in mind, Atlanta interior designer Courtney Giles was otherwise given carte
blanche to transform a lovingly preserved 1911 home from
classic to current for its young owners.
Having upsized from a tiny bungalow to a four-bedroom
house in Atlanta’s historic Ansley Park, the homeowners,
together with Giles, approached the design process room
by room, which allowed each space to inform the next. “All
of the public spaces on the first f loor share the same colors
and feel,” says Giles, who pulled out her swatch book of
grays, metallics and signature shine for the project.
“She wanted the dining room to look like the face of
a ladies watch,” says Giles of her jewel-inspired mission.
“I gave her metal tones, silver and gold, mother of pearl,
diamonds and all.”
The first room Giles tackled was the dining room; she
then built off of that room’s glimmering tones and level of
formality in the study and living room, by taking its silver
tones darker. The gray office, which moonlights as an
entertaining hub, boasts a bit of an edge thanks to pops of
yellow, Greek key-patterned valances and a cream-painted
fireplace. Chinoiserie-style wallpaper envelops the pewter-filled living room, and was designed with the couple’s
company in mind. “They weren’t worried about big, heav y
upholstered furniture, but more of a pretty space in which
to have cocktails and easy f low,” says Giles, who remedied
the room’s tight layout with a multiseat furniture arrangement. “The drop-arm chaise is my favorite piece in the
house,” she says. “It’s covered in mohair, which I thought
was a little daring.”
The local designer has a fondness for including unexpected twists in the rooms she creates, like the lustrous
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Thanks to Giles deft
design hand, the
flow between rooms
feels easy and seamless. Each dramatic
space in the Ansley
Park abode is counteracted by a serene
moment in which the
designer’s affinity for
pattern, color and
shine reveals itself.
silver, red and black f loral wallpaper she hung in the
powder room. “It’s kind of dramatic in that small space,
but it echoes the shine connection,” says Giles. Whimsical
polka-dots on the upholstered banquettes presiding in the
spacious foyer create a grand entrance and reaffirm pattern as one of the home’s leading design elements.
Adept at symmetry, Giles counteracts each dramatic
moment with a serene one. In the master suite, for instance, the homeowner requested an aqua-and-cream
palette—cool tones that helped the small room live larger.
Attached to a generous sun porch, the bedroom was kept
minimal. “We installed a built-in window seat, small yet
functional nightstands and an upholstered queen-size
headboard,” says Giles, who completed the look with
gilded accents. The neutral palette continues into the
master bath and his-and-her closets, an expansion created
by tearing out a spare bedroom. In the lavish bath, selections such as mother of pearl tile and a sparkling chandelier provided inspiration for a showstopping centerpiece:
a nickel tub. The overall effect recalls a stylish bracelet to
layer with that ladies watch of a dining room.
The heart of the historic house, of course, is the family
room and kitchen, which combine the couple’s passion for
color and art. The window-wrapped family room, overlooking the leafy backyard, is an airy space grounded by
warm orange and brown hues. “The couple already owned
a big horse painting—one of them is from Kentucky—
which we displayed on an easel, so that’s where the pops
of orange came from,” says Giles of the bright hue that
adds a youthful vibe to the space. Elsewhere, eye-catching
contemporary art helps establish a fine balance between
traditional and modern interiors. “The house is pretty
classic with a twist…and not stuffy at all,” she says.
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Presiding over the
antiques-filled dining
room is a ceiling
covered in Chinese
pewter tea paper
by Roger Arlington.
Crystal pendant
from Circa. Dining
chairs from Hickory
Chair in Larsen silk
and Nancy Corzine
cut velvet. Custom
banana silk rug by
Eve & Staron. Trio of
paintings by Alexis
Walter. Silk drapes
by Cowtan & Tout.
Fire screen by Smithworks Iron.
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A sitting room
beckons with sumptuous seating and
a touch of pattern
from accent pillows
covered in Vaughn,
Cowtan & Tout and
Jane Shelton fabrics.
Sheer Roman shades
by Hinson. below Metallic wallpaper adds
drama in a powder
room. Wallpaper by
Clarence House.
Sconces by Urban
Electric Co. opposite
The kitchen is as
high-style as it is
warm and welcoming
thanks to Lee barstools covered in
a vivid Kravet vinyl,
an antique bench
and decorative
plates Roman
shades by Schumacher. Runner from
Designer Carpets.
adept at symmetry,
interior designer
courtney giles
counter acted each
dr amatic moment
with a serene one in
this historic ansley
park home.
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A freestanding nickel
tub, a sparkling
chandelier hung from
an arch-top ceiling
and showstopping
art from Anne Irwin
Fine Art fashion
a glamorous but
serene master bath,
pictured and opposite. Plumbing fixtures by Waterworks.
Crystal sconces from
Brighton Collection.
Spiral base table by
Christopher Norma.
Cabinetry by Karpaty
Cabinetry and Griffith
Construction.
top left Aqua and
cream tones create
a serene master
bedroom. Custom headboard
upholstered in Jim
Thompson mohair.
Dust skirt, custom,
Lee Jofa. Bed linens
from Gramercy
Home. Hickory Chair
bench upholstered
in Pierre Frey velvet
stripr. Wool-andsisal rug from Eve
& Staron. left The
boutique-inspired
master closet for her
is concealed behind
mirrored doors and
lacquered cabinetry
by Karpaty Cabinetry
and Griffith Construction. Draperies
and trim by Fret
Fabrics. Rug by Eve
and Staron. Window
seat, Lee Jofa.
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