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Thursday, September 3, 2009

A Touch of Tuscan



Although I have a special place in my heart for Georgian and French style architecture, I admire and appreciate all sorts of architectural styles. I recently came across a spread from Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles March '08 that featured a 'Tuscan' style home that was the AH&L 2008 spring showhouse, and I thought it was quite beautiful - it was Tuscan done with a soft palette and a light touch. More and more I gravitate to a style that is casually elegant, simple but crafted and designed with care. This home really fit the bill. The home is located in a 400 acre community called Montaluce that is one hour north of Atlanta; the planned community was built around a working winery. The architecture was by Harrison Design Associates, one of the top architectural firms in Georgia; the interior design was by Jillian Pritchard Cooke of DES-SYN. All photography by Erica George Dines.


An artist rendering of the home.


The home has one dining area, so it is dressier than a casual dining area, but more relaxed than a formal dining room. I love the dress maker details on the slipcovers for the chairs - the buttons, the contrast welting, the band across the bottom, the pleats. The beams on the ceiling add a great architectural element to the room.

From this angle, the shape of the wood chairs can be seen. The slipcovers are a great design solution for a house that has one dining area - the look of the room can be changed easily with the addition or subtraction of the slips.

I love this room, which is noted as the living room in the house. As is the trend in so many new homes these days, there is no formal living room - this is the more of a 'great room' concept. The room has light on two sides - the French doors that lead off the back, as well as a sidelight window to the left of the fireplace. Note the back of the French bergere - it is a solid that picks up on the stripe of on the seat. Fresh combinations of fabric do so much to update the look of a classic chair. The chandelier and beams on the ceiling set more of a casual tone, which is perfect for a home like this - casually elegant, not formal. I can actually imagine spending time in this room - although I do wonder where the TV would go!


Here is the front side of the chair - the solid is used on the chair back, along with nailhead trim. This picture really appeals to me - the traditional but updated chair, with a great square contemporary art piece in a soft tone and style. I also appreciate when a magazine spread shows different angles of a room. Recently, I have been looking at pictures in a whole new light, and appreciating the floor plans and flow of the rooms I see. Initially I thought that there might be a hall to the right of the fireplace that leads to the master, but I was able to find the floorplan online, and the windows on either side of the fireplace are actually recessed due to the depth of the fireplace, and lead to the back yard.



A beautiful master bedroom designed in sophisticated dark and light tones. The intent was that the room would not compete with the views of nature outside the windows.

To see the website for the Tuscan style community that this home is part of, please see the website for Montaluce Winery and Estates. For those of you looking to ease the pain of the loss of Southern Accents, consider subscribing to Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles; every month two wonderful homes are featured (it used to be three - I keep hoping they will go back to three....).

Come see what everyone is hooked on this Friday at Hooked on Houses!

34 comments:

  1. Even the 3x3 1/2 houses at Menteluce look huge.( Living rooms with that shape, style, and window scheme keep appearing uncannily in your posts.)

    This Neel Reid in Druid Hills has been on sale for too long. I'm not sure if it's exactly Tuscan but it's an Italian beauty that reminds me of similar one's in Buckhead.

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  2. I love it when a reader knows my blog so well that they can see common threads in my posts that not even I was aware of....

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  3. TTI,
    I like this very much, the colors in the LR are very much mine and I do like how the French chair is upholstered. I saved the pix for my files. Nice master BR too.
    You always find the neatest things!
    Blessings...

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  4. Beautiful! Love the green fabrics and art!

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  5. I love Atlanta Homes. I've subscribed for years and don't know how I would get along without it! I recall when this home was featured, loved it then and love it now. Great post!

    Angela in WA

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  6. I love the slipcovers on the dining chairs {I'm into slipcovers lately}, and that green and white striped chair - I could live with that.

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  7. Beautiful! I love the large interior planters.

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  8. I have the same living room on my blog today...great minds think alike. I love that house.

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  9. I love this twist on the Tuscan style. I've always seen the deeper warm tones, but it is lovely to see the cooler, lighter colors.

    I'm definitely going to have to look into the Atlanta H&L. I'm missing all my magazines!

    Thanks!

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  10. * Now THIS is totally charming and it "feels" soooo "barefoot comfy"! (The true test for me!)~~~ Everything marries up so beautifully AND livably... and the colors (or should I say "NON-colors"?) in the MBR I find stunning!!!

    I AM curious to know if the CLOSENESS of the houses bothers/concerns anyone else. Obviously aware of the cost, I still believe it's WORTH paying the larger amount of $$$ to have more "breathing space" and privacy~~~ anyone else feel that way?

    As always, a beautiful journey into a wonderful home full of great style & taste!!!

    Many sincere thanks,
    Linda in AZ *

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  11. Thank you for the insight - I think I like this home because of its nice architecture (the casual elegance of it, the windows, the beams) and because of its color palette. I do not like rich tones - rich yellows, reds, oranges - but the palette of this house is nice and light, textured, and appealing to me. There is not too much dark wood everywhere you look, which is often in the Americanized version of Tuscan. I wonder what the kitchen looks like?

    Linda, I see you went to the website for the community! I did not go to this showhouse (I tend to only go to the ones inside the perimeter, which is the loop that surrounds Atlanta), but I would love to see this community in person. It looks like the community was designed with retirees in mind - people who don't want the maintenance of a big yard, but want a beautiful home and a beautiful environment. From what I can tell, the community looks like a little village in Italy at the base od a mountain range (I believe this community is in the foothills of the mountains). The website says there are 1 acre lots available, though.

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  12. The pictures are stunning. I love the button detail on the slipcovers.

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  13. Michele @ MicheleBeattyInteriorDesignSeptember 3, 2009 at 12:42 PM

    You had me at Tuscan but this is my favorite kind. You mentioned that it's a lighter brighter version, yet still has the rustic charm of the beams and finishes. Great post!

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  14. What a beautiful home. I love the living room. It is very serene and the painting over the fireplace is very calming as well. I'll have to check out that magazine... I was just thinking yesterday how sad it was that Southern Accents went kaput. Thanks for sharing.

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  15. I love the decoration on the wall in that dining room!!

    Greet

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  16. This is a beautiful home. It is subtle yet lovely. The colors are delicious!

    Tricia

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  17. Absolutely beautiful home. Tuscan and Spanish style architecture has become really popular hear in Houston in the last decade or so, totally eclipsing Georgian as the design of choice for both surbanites and their urban counterparts. That said, I think it can often come off as a bit hooky or theme-y for me, but this space really mixes it up in terms of style and doesn't read as trying to look like the house is straight out of some Tuscan fantasy.

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  18. I really love the slipcovered chairs in the dining area.

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  19. It's a very sophisticated design. It's not crowded, and not minimalistic either. Just right.

    Nicolette
    http://www.furnitureanddesignideas.com/

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  20. I am not a fan of Tuscan, but I like this. Your title is good - just a touch of Tuscan - but the right touch, the light touch. It works!

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  21. ~Gorgeous decor'! I adore Tuscan style. You have a wonderful and inspiring blog. Love it!

    Have a blessed Holiday weekend. ~Melissa :)

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  22. I agree, the living room is lovely! Very nice post.

    xo,
    cristin

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  23. I'll take one of the one-acre lots! Why not dream big?

    Another beautiful post! Thanks for joining my party and sharing it with us. Hope you have a lovely weekend. :-)

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  24. gorgeous!!! love the great room!!

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  25. Luscious! The ART, THE FLOWERS THE DECOR; i LOVE IT! oOPS SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS i AM TOO TIRED TO CHANGE AT THE MOMENT! i did finish a new painting I will post soon!

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  26. I just read your first comment. You truly have the eye and creativity of a designer. I had once chosen a textured carpet with a diamond pattern along with 2 others to bring to my clients home. When I got there, I noticed that her millwork had accents of a diamond pattern in the doors which would now be repeated in the area rug. Something I had not consciously picked up on the first time I was there. That's when you know you should keep your day job :)

    You most definitely have that gift as well! Love this room and especially the large stripe on that chair!
    xo
    Maria

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  27. Love the beam...actually have one in my kitchen..but sometimes they can weight down a standard height room. Love how all the photos seem to have higher ceilings. Thanks for the Atlanta mag tip. Trish

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  28. The button slipcovers are delicous..a wonderful touch. The striped seat against a solid background looks smashing in this setting.

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  29. Tuscan, but not in your face thematic...really well done...and the artist...beautiful work, in a perfect scale.

    Thanks!
    Michelle

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