October 9, 2020

ADAC and VERANDA recently presented the 2020 Southeast Designers and Architect of the Year Awards to the region’s most innovative minds in the categories of residential design, contract design and architecture. The entrants were judged by top industry professionals and narrowed down from 18 finalists before the final three were chosen. The 2020 Southeast Designers and Architect of the Year Winners include the following:  

Architect: Summerour Architects – Atlanta

Contract Design: Blackberry Farm Design – Walland, Tenn.

Residential Design: Melanie Turner Interiors – Atlanta

KBB spoke with Turner to find out more about the residential design project that won her a prize.

What was your goal with this project?

Turner: “To be respectful of the past. This was a 1920s total renovation, so we were conscious of having one foot in the past and one in the future. Getting the mix of old and new right was of the upmost importance.”

What were you challenged by?

Turner: “Pushing the client out of their comfort zone. I also needed to temper the grandness of the house with today’s lifestyle.”

What materials did you use in particular to accomplish your goal?

Turner: “The products were mainly derived from the 20s with a modern twist.  We used the company SOURCE for classic materials – i.e. subway tile and basketweaves as well as custom design tile.”

How did you make a neutral palette feel more exciting?

Turner: “The master bath had a lot of hidden details. We book matched the patterned marble above the tub, we barreled the ceiling, and we mimicked an antique mirror door on both sides of the tub. We also added brass fixtures, which became the jewelry of the space.”

What was your favorite part of this project?

Turner: “The ability to create a fresh take on classic design elements as seen through the use of unexpected color.”

“This work is tremendously beautiful. It feels at once historically sensitive and thoroughly modern – and the sophisticated design evokes a European sensibility yet feels right at home in a historic, southern city home,” said judge Steele Marcoux about Melanie Turner Interiors. “I also fell for the palette. Never before have neutrals felt so exciting, bringing such a range of emotion and style.”