Southeastern Design Showhouse in a James Means house!

While in Atlanta I attended the last open day of the extremely popular Southeastern Showhouse which benefits the Atlanta History Center ( based at Swan House which I have blogged about HERE).

The showhouse benefits from being a private home in which the homeowners worked hand in hand with the selected designers in order to create a home for themselves unlike many showhouses which become disjointed rooms with no flow. This was possibly the best showhouse I've ever visited (and I've been to many!).

The original house was built in 1962 by architect James Means of reclaimed materials, making the house feel historic while offering the best of modern day conveniences. In similar fashion, architect Yong Pak with Pak Heydt & Associates worked with the homeowners in updating and expanding the Means house for 21st century living.

Landscape architect Richard Anderson was brought on to make the best of the truly breathtaking site.

But lets move inside, shall we? Above is the first floorplan which will help orient you.  The house is enormous so I'll only be showing a few of my favorite spaces. The original James Means house is seen in the lower portion of the floorplan.

Decorator and chair of the showhouse, Jackye Lanham, decorated the stairhall. The marble floor was original from James Means' design but was only installed during this renovation.

I loved the treatment of this hall which goes up to the attic level. Notice the black painted stringer and railing with white pickets and trim.

Up towards the attic level a pair of eagles mounted on gilded brackets anchor a dormer window.

The attic bunkroom featured interior windows which are so charming and help bring light into the stair.

The dining room (room 9 on the plan) located inside the original James Means house and decorated by Tammy Connor, features a large Chippendale printed grasscloth wallpaper and lovely woodwork.

Off the dining room is a wetbar perfect for parties, with an antiqued mirror backsplash and gorgeous zinc countertop.

The library decorated by Chad James (#3 on the plan) was a more modern, cozy but luxe retreat.  It featured enormous steel windows with views of the backyard though they were unfortunately covered with a grasscloth blind! I couldn't tell if this was part of the original house or the addition (which is a sign of a good reno!).

Speaking of steel windows (which are EVERYWHERE in Atlanta), this huge opening was about 9' wide and 13' tall opening off the family room (#21 on the plan) decorated by Phoebe Howard.

The large covered porch off the family room above was a great indoor/outdoor space.

The Man Cave in the basement was decorated by William Peace and featured reclaimed wood clad walls and an enormous kitchenette/bar. What a great movie watching space this is!

Loved the detail of this iron arrow into the wall near the entry -perfect for hanging coats.

The wine cellar by Randy Korando and Dan Belman was built with even more reclaimed lumber and ingenious metal pegs to hold bottles. This made the room feel much larger than the more traditional wood crates.

The master suite was a large part of the ground floor addition (rooms 4-6 on the plan). I loved the vestibule and master dressing rooms decorated by Anna Braund.  Great lighting by Visual Comfort also.

Between the vestibule and the dressing room was a lovely round window for more shared light.

I loved this treatment of the narrow hallway: a coved, uplit ceiling with antique mirror at one end and the bedroom doors at the other below a leaded glass transom.

The master suite also included a small office which was charmingly decorated by Margaret Kirkland. Loved this wallpaper!

The sunroom off the master bedroom, decorated by Tristan Harstan, was tented with fabric - the best room in the house!

Saving my favorite for last however, a small bedroom on the 2nd floor (#13 on the 2nd floorplan above) really stole the show.

Designer Sarah Bartholomew created a haven wrapped in a lovely blue and white fabric with red trim.

I loved the window seat which is a great spot to read (notice the tape trim on the sides and ceiling).

The red frames on the antique prints above the dresser really tied everything together. I could move right into this charming bedroom!

I so love visiting Atlanta. The entire city appreciates good design and fine living on a level that makes Washington look barbaric. This design house was packed on a daily basis and appreciated by all. I know I'll be making a visit to Atlanta next spring to see the new Southeastern Showhouse!

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Bramante's Tempietto, Rome

On vacation last month my number one destination whilst in Rome was a pilgrimage to one of the most fascinating and influential buildings known to architects; Bramante's Tempietto.

Overlooking Rome from high upon the Janiculum hill, San Pietro in Montorio is a 15th century church supposedly built on the site where Saint Peter was crucified (which replaced an earlier 9th century structure).  Works by Michelangelo, Vasari, Raphael, and Bramante originally decorated its' halls; a veritable who's who of the Renaissance.

I can tell you it was a pilgrimage as the walk up this hill is brutal; bring your climbing gear! But the reward at the end of the slog is one of the masterpieces of the High Renaissance which would inspire architects for centuries to come including Palladio who included it in his Quattro Libri (and don't miss the astonishing views of Rome!).

Once inside the museum (The Spanish Royal Academy) one weaves through cloisters and exhibition spaces to come to the small temple, hence named the Tempietto.

Designed by architect and true Renaissance man Donato Bramante in 1502, the Tempietto was based on earlier Christian churches and ancient Roman temples creating one TINY perfect jewel box of symmetry.

The temple is located in the center of a small cloister which Bramante originally intended to fill with a covered colonnade, which would have obstructed the view of the building. Probably why it was never built although no one knows for sure.

One gets a perfectly framed view of the front face of the Tempietto from the exterior gates (first picture) which faces Rome. Even if the museum is closed you can still at least see the exterior of the Tempietto!

I've been fascinated by this small, perfect structure since college when I first studied the building in both architectural and art history courses. Small buildings give one the opportunity to craft truly perfect buildings. Not only will the entire design be visible in one glance (talk about instant gratification) the budget also tends to be smaller and probably more achievable!

 The rear is what one first experiences upon entering the cloister, or courtyard.

The colonnade surrounding the temple is only a few feet wide and built with perfect proportions of elongated Doric columns (my favorite order!) taking your eye up to God.

 But lets go inside the main floor.

The interior is just under 15 feet round with the top of the dome being double that amount above you providing perfect proportion.

The ceiling of the dome is decorated with gilt stars on a blue background. The ribs become more slender towards the center to fool your eye into thinking it is higher than it actually is. 

As sophisticated as this structure is on every level, it still is an early 16th century building, attested to by the simple wood doors exiting to either side below elaborate shell niches.

Contrast this structure with other buildings from the early 16th century and you can see how it was so influential.

 Niches on either side of the altar hold statues depicting St Peter.

Don't miss the lovely ancient hand blown glass windows at ground level and stained glass at the mezzanine level above.

The extraordinary marble mosaic floor contains an open grill through which you can see the tomb chamber below.

 Around the back where we first entered are exterior stairs which lead you down to the crypt level.

 The ornate plaster (or perhaps stonework?) on the ceiling is beautiful and highly elaborate.

This room is kept gated but can be viewed from the base of the stairs. The hole in the enter of the ceiling is the same grate in the floor of the temple above.

If you ever find yourself in Rome I highly encourage a trip up the Juniculum hill to view Bramante's masterpiece the Tempietto or at least the city views.  Also be sure to check out the interior of the church which is filled with a treasure trove of Renaissance art.

See plenty of drawings and read more about the Tempietto HERE at Great Buildings Online.
Learn more about Renaissance proportioning at the Tempietto HERE.

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