French influences abound in Jill and Talbot Nunnally s dining room: A Louis XVI mirror shimmers above an Italian marble-top console, while a bronzeand-crystal chandelier illuminates a dining table surrounded by slipcovered chairs that take their color cue from a faded Oushak rug.
smooth cadence An Atlanta couple stretch their small abode with a family-friendly addition in tune with the home s French leanings and their indoor-outdoor living preferences. writer: ANN WILSON photographer: EMILY J. FOLLOWILL producer: LISA MOWRY 123
THIS PHOTO: A farm table topped with wooden urn lamps carried back from France by Talbot s ancestors anchors one end of the dining room. OPPOSITE TOP: Louis XVI wooden sconces serve as ornate counterpoints to the living room s relaxed fabrics and comfortable furnishings. OPPOSITE BOTTOM: Outfitted with a wood-shingled gambrel roof, stucco siding, chimneys, dormers, and casement windows, the Nunnallys Atlanta home mirrors the architecture of country homes in southern France. 124
d Dreams do come true just ask Jill Nunnally, who lives with her husband, Talbot, and their children in a house Jill first fell in love with as a young woman. When I was single, I had a girlfriend who lived in the home s guesthouse, Jill says. When I visited, I always thought, When I grow up, I want to live in that house! Years later, and just days after Jill gave birth to her third child, a friend asked if she and Talbot were interested in the house because the owners were moving. It wasn t long before the family of five moved in. My husband and I loved the home s comfortable, casual country feel, Jill says. It was pure French farmhouse and minimal. It was a perfect fit for our French furnishings, many of which we inherited from heart pine floors, exposed pine beams, plaster walls, Talbot s family. casement windows, and arched doorways. A French- The home was designed in 1972 by renowned architect James Means and features century-old inspired landscape of boxwoods, white hydrangeas, stone pathways, and a vine-covered gazebo enveloped 125
places We wanted it to look like the and materials were artisan-made, as if they had all come from nearby, just like they would have in a French home. architect LINDA MACARTHUR the home in lush greenery, providing extended living space which the Nunnallys treasured given the home s limited original interior square footage. The house was very small, but we lived here for 10 years, letting the space sink in and gathering things we loved, Jill says. We wanted to create an addition that would perfectly serve our family and match the home s existing architecture. When the time was right, architect Linda MacArthur devised a plan that did just that: A two-story rear bump-out paved the way for a family room for the kids, a separate breakfast room opening to a new swimming pool, a larger kitchen, and a back-hall mudroom and stairway. We wanted to be respectful of the home s origins and let the front of the home be the star, MacArthur says. Whatever we added inside or outside had to match what was already there, so you couldn t tell what was original and what was added. Jill called on furnishings, fabrics, and colors capable of enhancing the seamless flow between old and new. I don t like color, so choosing a color scheme was easy, she says. And we love antique furnishings they have a character all their own. You can t hurt them; use only enhances their beauty. 126
THIS PHOTO: Reclaimedwood ceiling beams, glazed upper cabinets with chicken-wire insets, and limestone countertops lend patina to the remodeled kitchen. OPPOSITE: Custom lower cabinets featuring intricate carvings and a rich walnut stain are designed to look like heirloom furniture. Lighter upper cabinets introduce a weathered finish that gives the kitchen furnished-overtime appeal. 127
128
OPPOSITE: The breakfast room provides a sunny spot for family meals and becomes a hub when the family entertains, as people flow through it to the kitchen and poolside patios. White-painted wood-paneled walls lend the new space a sense of age. ABOVE LEFT: Black-and-white photographs of Jill and Talbot s children, the house, and the gardens draw the eye up the home s original front staircase. ABOVE RIGHT: A remnant of the original landscape, a vine-shrouded gazebo provides a shady spot for guests to gather and enjoy views of the gardens, house, and pool. BELOW: The soothing sounds of the spillover from the spa ruffling the pool water lends tranquillity to the backyard. The pool is just outside the home s new rear addition. The guesthouse that kicked off Jill s love affair with the home sits to the right of the pool. 129
Neutral walls spotlight Jill s curated mix of gilded furnishings, French and Italian antiques, farmhouse finishes, and crystal chandeliers. The peace-promoting medley is personalized with a few surprises. I like to re-cover formal pieces in linens, cotton duck, and burlap or in whimsical patterns to make them more durable, casual, and fun, Jill says. This is a house where dogs sit on the furniture, and our kids and their friends come in and out from the pool. It s this sense of relaxed elegance and gracious indoor-outdoor connections that allow the house to elegantly meet the demands of a modern family. The house works perfectly because we considered what we needed and then designed the house around those needs, Jill says. The expanded garden plays an important part in how the house functions. We love to entertain, and the pool and gazebo invite us outdoors, Jill says. When we are not outside, the windows and doors are open, inviting the natural light in. 130
THIS PHOTO: An inherited green-painted bench set the stage for the master bedroom s color scheme. Jill re-covered the bench in toile and repeated the fabric on the iron four-poster and at the windows. OPPOSITE: Jill combined two wroughtiron consoles, boards from a razed carport, and a reclaimed European concrete trough to fashion the powder room sink. 131