"Simply Belgian" interiors by Jim Howard, featured in Veranda

I love it when a house I have personally visited is featured in a magazine. This doesn’t happen too often, but given that Atlanta is known for its beautiful homes and its nationally known designers, it happens on occasion.

When a representative from Veranda contacted me to see if I was interested in featuring a house that is in the September-October 2012 issue of  the magazine, I was very excited to see that it is an Atlanta house that I visited when I was in the early stages of designing my own house.  The homeowner is an acquaintance (our children used to go to school together), and the designer himself, Jim Howard, gave me a personal tour back in the fall of 2009.  The house made a big impression on me – the architecture (by William T. Baker), the landscape (by LandPlus, whom I had already hired to create my own landscape), and the design are nuanced and beautifully done, and all work together in harmony, perfectly reflecting both the taste and style of the homeowners.

Note: all Veranda watermark photos are by Max Kim-Bee and are used with permission.

 

The living room is central to the house, and is a wonderful space both architecturally and from a design perspective.  There was very little styling that needed to take place for this photo – this is how the room looks on an every day basis.  Note the plaster walls, and the curve where the planes of the wall and ceiling meet. The architectural ornamentation is at a minimum, and the lines are clean and spare – the article in Veranda is titled  ‘Simply Belgian’, and notes the Belgian modernism style of the house, and the quietly intriguing interiors that the homeowners requested.

The Dusty Griffith painting to the left of the fireplace caught my eye right away – I would love to have one of his encaustic and mixed media paintings in my library! I have my eye on one of his paintings right now, but have to wait until 2013 to make any more furniture or art purchases, alas.

The article only had one small glimpse of the dining room. I seem to recall a fabulous David Iatesta chandelier in this room…

The kitchen as seen in Veranda.  The clean lined and and modern style of the kitchen combined with the classic touches of the white marble, white cabinets, and glass front cabinets makes this kitchen a favorite.  It was interesting to learn in the article that the stools are from Design Within Reach, and the cabinet hardware from Restoration Hardware.

A head on shot of the kitchen, as seen in Jim Howard’s web site, which shows where the kitchen is located in relation to the living room – the opening to the right of the 27” fridge shows a peek of the living room space.  As with many European style houses, the living room is not only a beautiful room, but a passage from one place to another, ensuring that it is used on a daily basis in many different ways.

The kitchen is open to the family room and casual dining area. The Veranda feature has a double page spread on this room, which provides a wider view, so make sure to check it out in your copy.  This is a space that has definitely evolved since I saw it, with the addition of the Afghan dough bowls that really take the room to a whole new level.  If I am not mistaken, that is an original Todd Murphy piece above the fireplace.

Here is a view of the family room as I saw it three years ago.  The basics are the same, but the furniture has been rearranged, and the room feels much more complete as seen in the more recent Veranda picture.  Seeing this picture makes me appreciate the transformative effect of the Afghan dough bowls on the room, and the fact that a room often becomes more layered over time.

Now, onto my favorite room in the house – the master bedroom.  I remember when seeing this room in person, I was truly struck with its beauty. The views are magnificent, the architecture soars, and the design is so nuanced and elegant. This is such a serene space, and is filled with light. The large arched window faces east, and there are two other windows that face north and south, so there is constant light all day, and in the morning the room is truly filled with light. As a morning person, I love an east facing bedroom – as one of my favorite architecture books (A Pattern Language)  notes, “give those parts of the house where people sleep an eastern orientation, so that they wake up with the sun and light.  This means, typically, that the sleeping area needs to be on the eastern side of the house”.

A view of the other side of the bedroom – such a charming vignette, and love that little pop of orange that the Hermes blanket lends to the space.

Since I have been in the house, I knew that this striking powder room from Jim Howard’s portfolio is also from this house. A little peek of a Carolyn Carr painting can be seen in the reflection – in my own house, I have a wall that I am saving for a Carolyn Carr painting. I love her work!

This is a teenage daughter’s room (not pictured in the Veranda article – this is from Jim Howard’s website) – with the endearing and fresh combination of bright orange and pale blue.

When I had the chance to look through all of the beautiful pictures that were part of the article (with photography by Max Kim-Bee), I was surprised that an exterior picture of the front and back were not included. To me, the exterior and the landscape tell an important part of the story of this house.  I asked my Veranda contact if any exterior shots were taken, and after he pulled a few strings he was able to get me these exclusive pictures that show both the front and the back.

The front of the house is beautiful – the article refers to it as a ‘French style manse’.  The mellow stone-like color of the stucco and the steely gray of the slate work beautifully together.  One of the front wings is a library, and I seem to recall that the other is a garage.  Look at the beautiful landscaping, designed by Alec Michaelides of LandPlus.  The relative flatness of the lot (not the norm in Atlanta!) lent itself well to the parterre composed of tightly clipped hedges and boxwoods.  I love the creeping vines that grow over the front door and the French doors to the left and right of the front.

The back of the house is just as beautiful. The three doors in the center are part of the living room; the window to the right (on the main level) is the window over the sink in the kitchen. The large arched window on the right is the family room, and the arched window on the left is the master bedroom.  This is truly a beautiful back yard, with the accent colors of the lounge chairs and outdoor furnishings matching the color of the pool perfectly.

Here is a gorgeous picture of the house that is on architectural designer William T. Baker’s website.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into a beautiful Jim Howard designed home featured in this month’s Veranda!  To read the designer’s perspective on the house and its décor, and to see the other wonderful features in this issue of Veranda, check your local newsstand. It is a great issue!  Cote de Texas did an in depth feature on the townhouse by Jane Moore that is featured on the cover of this issue – check it out here. Finally, follow Veranda on facebook here - http://www.facebook.com/VERANDAMagazine – it is a great place for behind the scenes information and more information on current and future features.

What is your favorite aspect of this house?  I love everything about it – and seeing the pictures and reading the article makes me remember the way in which I felt when I saw the house in person. The architecture of the spaces, the beautiful light in the house,  and the style of the décor - and the way all three of these interact - are hard to put in words or capture in images, but I think that the Veranda article and the photographs by Max Kim-Bee came as close as you can get without actually visiting the house in person!

P.S. - many of you have asked how I came to be asked to feature houses from recent magazine spreads on my blog. I simply commented on posts of others who had featured different articles - and the magazines looked at my blog and thought it might be a good fit for additional features they had coming up - clearly the magazines are reading the comments!  

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Inspirational Design: an Interview with James Michael Howard

My favorite stores in Atlanta are Mrs. Howard and Max & Company. The Atlanta stores are situated in a high end retail area designed to have the look and feel of classic city townhouses; both Mrs. Howard and Max & Company are three levels, finished to feel like luxurious homes. Of course I love the furniture and accessories in the store, but truthfully I get just as much inspiration from the beautiful architectural details in both spaces. I have never seen a store before with such exquisite attention to architectural detail, and the design of architectural detail in the stores were the sole domain of the talented designer James Michael Howard.

Jim graciously agreed to answer some questions for me, as part of my inspirational architecture and design series. Interspersed with the questions are examples of Jim's work in both architectural and interior design.

Designer Jim Howard chats with a guest at the opening of the Charlotte 'Mrs. Howard' store. Image via Charlotte Observer, photo by Photo by Olivia Fortson.

Q: How did you decide to pursue a career in architectural and interior design?

A: Actually, I fell into it by accident. In high school I worked after school for a furniture store doing deliveries and odd jobs. My only goal after high school was to move to New York and see the big city. I heard about Parsons School of Design and enrolled in what I thought that 'furniture school'.

The foyer of Atlanta's Max & Company store. Customers enter through an octagonal shaped space, with a beautiful patterned wood floor. This really sets the tone for the experience at Max& Company. Jim is responsible for the architectural design of all of the Mrs. Howard and Max&Co stores.

Q: Where do you draw inspiration from? Particular architects, designers, things, places?

A: Good design is everywhere! My office makes fun of me because I'm always saying that good things can be found in carefully concealed places called...books! I travel a good bit and always carry a sketchbook. It helps me record information about a useful detail, or resource.

The hexagon floor tiles, carefully chosen by Jim Howard, at Max & Company Atlanta. They truly take the space from good to great. There are so many variations in color in the tiles, making it the perfect grounding for the ever changing furniture scenes in this room.

Q: Do you have a particular style you favor (French, English, Belgian, etc)?

A: I am easily satisfied with the best of anything! Being an American, I like the mixture. Americans want it all. When planning any house, however, I usually take design references from the architectural language established by the architect. The most exciting houses have done have a mixture of design references including Irish, Belgian, Dutch, etc. The clients set our the agenda, but recognizing the styles, knowing the guidelines, the do's and the don'ts and managing them is my job.

This room, designed by Jim Howard, is so balanced and pleasing to me. Nothing seems heavy in here, and the curtains are beautiful - they provide a softening effect for the room, yet they also let a lot of light into the room.

Q: What are your favorite exposures for quality of light (N, E, S, W, or any variation)?

A: I inherit the house, its location on the site, and work from there. Light is your friend, but it is not the exposure. It is managing that exposure and the view that comes with it. I care more about what you see with that exposure. Sometimes the windows are beautifully placed in a room with wonderful light and views and sometimes they are not. Windows are a design element and one of the backdrops for your room. I am fortunate enough to work on some projects with pretty good views, but that is not always the case. Never let the window treatment compete with the view, and ALWAYS let the light in!

I love this detail around a round window on the third floor the Max & Company Atlanta store. It is sculptural and adds a nice third dimension to the window.

Q: What type of projects do you work on (i.e. size of home, renovations, new construction)?

A: Size does not matter; I do both residential new construction and renovations. Projects vary widely from a house we just completed on the island of Bermuda, a recent house in the mountains of Montana, a Cape Cod renovation, to a hybrid in Jacksonville Beach. When I am hired by the client I immerse myself in books and design resources to develop the best design features for that particular style. I begin with the interior architecture and fold the client's existing things into that envelope and fill in the blanks. I will take any project where the client is open-minded, and kind never hurts.

Here is a room that was a recent Jim Howard project; he was responsible for both the decor and the architectural details. There is a richness and layered effect to this room that I love. There is symmetry, but also individual elements that keep the eye moving around the space.

This picture, of the same room, shows the beauty of the wood floors.

A detail shot highlighting the intricate carvings on the mantle.

Q: What projects are you working on now?

A: Fortunately in this economy we have quite a few projects! Our newest Mrs. Howard/Max & Company is complete and opened in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 5th. It is a two story Regency building built in 1925 and is a treasure trove of design experiences. Max & Company is getting a more modern perspective, but still maintains a relaxed and casual look. My design influences were more Frank, Giacometti, and Eileen Gray. That look is timeless and edgy at the same time. Mrs. Howard (in Charlotte) has 12 to 15 foot ceilings and huge windows. The building was formerly the Charlotte Women's Club, but one of the rooms is a huge paneled room that Phoebe (Jim's wife) dubbed 'Men's Club'. There is a sepia and grisaille mural in one of the bedrooms, an Etruscan room, a free floating stone staincase with a skylight as big as Texas. If you have been in one of our stores the message is the same, but bigger. It is by far our biggest store to date.

I am also working on a stone house in Little Rock, Arkansas in a beautiful setting designed by P. Allen Smith. The house is lovely and folded perfectly into the neighborhood. Sveral beach houses, of course, one of them in Sea Island and a pseudo modern Greek house in Atlanta. We just wrapped up a house in East Hampton, New York, with six bedrooms. The house was designed and completed in nine months! Whew!

The entry of Max & Company Charlotte creates another spectacular first impression. I love the shape of this room, but I think it is the floor that steals the show.

I have not yet visited the newly opened Max & Company Charlotte store, but it looks like the architectural details designed by Jim for this space are just as spectacular. The floor is is like a piece of art, definitely the star of this space.

A room on the second floor of Max & Company Atlanta. The composition of this scene has always been very pleasing to me, but look beyond to the architectural details in the room - the dentil molding and the square panels are spectacular.

A detail shot of the mantle on the second floor of Max & Company Atlanta. Have you ever seen a store with such magnificent architectural details?

Q: What is something you should not skimp on when designing your home?

A: Enthusiasm, dreams, passion, and of course...me! Don't be afraid to take chances and don't be lazy! Every angle must be considered, reconsidered, and considered some more. Think of yourself as a designer in an upcoming showhouse. You only get one shot to make that room the best. Take it piece by piece, one room at a time.

This is perhaps my favorite image from Jim Howard's design portfolio. Every touch is just right, from the shape and lines of the furnishings to the little touches like the height of the painting - the eye travels from one side of the room to the other, taking in every single component.

Q: What trends are you seeing in your projects? Smaller, larger, green? Classical, modern, the blending of the two?

A: I am working on my first green house. The client is from Houston and formerly in the energy business, so he knows all of the tricks. It will be LEED certified. The industry is catching on and more and more products and green.

Obviously people are embracing a more modern aesthetic lately, and it is exciting! We are seeing some really talented artisans that are emerging with fresh new perspectives on existing ideas. We have worked very closely with our design partners to develop new products that are extraordinary and affordable. After all, it is not just what you know but who you know. The trends now are that good design has become far more affordable.

One of my favorite pictures of the beautiful architectural details that Jim designed in Mrs. Howard, Atlanta. The pattern in the marble floor is a great balance for the gently curbe of the stairs. These are details that are not seen in many new homes these days, so to find them in a store is remarkable.

Q: Is there a fad you hope to never seen again?

A: I wouldn't call it a fad, but can we PLEASE get past mid-century!

I hope you enjoyed this interview with designer Jim Howard. For more information on Jim, (as well as dozens of inspiring pictures from his portfolio) please visit his web site.

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