“We wanted the apartment to feel like an old Parisian apartment that had been updated, with historic details like plaster walls, intricate trim, and French oak chevron floors,” she says.
“I get a lot of inspiration from commercial projects,” says interior designer Carole Carter Malloy. “I’m drawn to masculine textures like brick, steel, glass, and wood.” So, when she was finishing her raw-space apartment on the 15th floor of the St. Regis in 2018, she kept coming back to places like Ponce City Market, Barcelona Wine Bar, and Sid and Ann Mashburn’s stores. After a year of searching, she discovered the same person, architect Mark Blair, had helped design them all. At the time, he wasn’t available for residential projects, but he connected Carole with his architect wife, Sarah. (The two Georgia Tech grads now have their own residential and commercial firm, Curious Projects.)
Adding another layer to that industrial look, Sarah took a French Modernist approach. “We wanted the apartment to feel like an old Parisian apartment that had been updated, with historic details like plaster walls, intricate trim, and French oak chevron floors,” she says. Touches like Louis XIV–inspired moulding and subtly rounded corners where walls and ceiling join helped soften the 5,000-plus square foot space. Marble permeates the house, notably in the kitchen, bathrooms, and bar area.
Offsetting all this elegance, iron doors and windows add the desired industrial touch. Italian sofas, sculptural light fixtures, and art done by Carole’s daughter, Zoe, or friends and family such as Bruce Bobick, Maddie Grace Maierhofer, Lyall Penley, Jerry Chappell, Steve Penley, Carrie Penley, Tim McClain, and Rob Matre finish the look. An antique gilded mirror in the living room opens accordion-style for access to a TV.
A custom walnut dining table, which doubles as a ping-pong tabletop, was chosen both for style and family fun. Behind it, retractable doors painted by Carole and her son, Scout, open to reveal the bar.
The Malloys enjoy the amenities of the St. Regis hotel, including their beloved room service. “We have a good time together, since we designed this with a public area and a private area in a manner that sort of forces us to hang out,” says Carole.
RESOURCES | Architect Sarah Blair, AIA, Curious Projects, curious-projects.com Interior design Carole Malloy and Michael Berzsenyi, Josephine Design House, josephinedesignhouse.com Contractor The Berndsen Company, berndsen.com Entry Metal doors: RG Ironworks, rgironworks.com. Living room Sofa and chairs: Context Gallery, contextgallery.com. Dining room Table/ping-pong table: Venture Games, ventureshuffleboard.com. Benches by table: Jackson Builders, 770-712-1342. Light fixture: Lindsey Adelman Studios, lindseyadelman.com. Kitchen Cabinets: Skylar Morgan Furniture, skylarmorganfurniture.com. Owners’ bedroom Bedside chests: Noir Furniture, noirfurniturela.com. Bed: RH, rh.com. Bedding: Peacock Alley, peacockalley.com. Fringe throw: Dixon Rye, dixonrye.com. Bench: Anthropologie, anthropologie.com. Rug: Eliko Rugs, elikorugs.com. Small art: Carrie Penley, carriepenleyart.com. Porch Chairs: West Elm, westelm.com. Powder room Light: Arteriors, arteriors.com. Foyer Gate: Ironworks International Inc., ironworksintl.net. Daughter’s bedroom Bed: Serena & Lily, serenaandlily.com. Bench: Stanton Home Furnishings, stantonhomefurnishings.com.
This article appears in our Winter 2021 issue of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME.