Barbara Westbrook, Atlanta Designer

As a relative newcomer to Atlanta, I have enjoyed getting to know this great city through the 
monthly publication of Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles.  The May 2010 issue is chalk full of talent and inspiration.  

...is known for her design from West Palm Beach to Buckhead, a much desired area in Atlanta.  About four years ago she scaled down from a larger suburban home to her home in Whittier Mill Village Historic District, a small in-town neighborhood along the Chattahoochee River. The village which dates back to the 1880's - laid out in a crescent around an old cotton mill - was the first to be reestablished after the civil war and is today one of the oldest residential communities in Atlanta.

She styled her 1000 square foot home with creativity for the small space.  The high ceilings give it a spacious feel along with her great design.   

She renovated her home in 6 weeks adding a new custom kitchen and two 8-foot floating walls to separate the living, sleeping and dining areas, and of course a new coat of paint to freshen things up. 
I love how she blends the rustic with contemporary here.  The white chairs are from Donghia, the rusted lantern adds to the charm of the room and she has an identical one in her office. One would never know that hiding behind the linen panels.....

...are her shoes (which she admits to a wee fetish!) , neatly organized and stacked. It also provides storage for essential home items.  Looks like Mr. Kitty is keeping watch perched on the stool to reach high places.

I like the way Barbara mixes textures and decorative elements.  Here she has a beautiful Swedish armoire (I wonder what story it could tell?) and a lamp with a formal flair, notice the architectural design on the shade.  I would not have thought to have used a piece of petrified wood for an end table.  It works and adds to the charm of the room. 

I love her bedroom.  The iron bed with the beautiful linens flanked by the gilded Art Deco chaise in a gorgeous heather gray wool. Mmmmmm.

The paint she uses throughout her home is SW Pemetic Trail, a warm neutral that Barbara says goes with just about everything.  I am going to add it to my paint collection. 

In the article, Barbara says, "the thing about space like this where storage is limited, is that it keeps you from collecting too many things you don't need - you have to put things back where you found them - there's a spot for everything, or it's chaos.  You are tempted to accumulate things like you would in a house with a big basement, when many times you don't even know what's down there."  As a person that has moved frequently and had to make things fit in new places, I certainly appreciate this.

It's one thing to know a designer's work, but it's another to see how they live in their space.  I like her scaled down life and simple but lovely style.  I like decor that is inviting and this certainly is.   Does this appeal to you or do you like something more opulent? 

(Text is taken from the article written by Kate Abney and Erica George Dines took the fabulous pictures that I have scanned, albeit not too well).