Home Tour: A Craftsman Home In Atlanta

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

[ngg_images source=”galleries” container_ids=”41″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_pro_slideshow” image_crop=”0″ image_pan=”1″ show_playback_controls=”1″ show_captions=”0″ caption_class=”caption_overlay_bottom” caption_height=”70″ aspect_ratio=”1.5″ width=”100″ width_unit=”%” transition=”fade” transition_speed=”1″ slideshow_speed=”5″ border_size=”0″ border_color=”#ffffff” ngg_triggers_display=”always” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]Phil Lancaster, Senior Director of Merchandising at Ballard Designs, has made a career out of staying ahead of trend. So it’s no surprise he bought a house in a hip, historic neighborhood in Atlanta decades before it became one of the most desirable places in the city to live. Buying in 1978 meant he was way ahead of the big housing and renovation boom that transformed the neighborhood. The Craftsman bungalow, purchased from the original owner’s daughter, had been left largely untouched since it was first built in 1909. And this suited the avid antiques collector and his wife, Zoë, just fine.

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

The red brick fireplace with an inset mirror and mantel is original to the house. It’s the perfect place to display the avid collectors’ Arts & Crafts pottery.

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

The “new” living room furniture (bought within the last 20 years) is traditional in style, so it complements the antiques in the room nicely.

With the familiar architectural details of a Craftsman home intact, including unpainted, varnished wood trim and paneling throughout and a red brick fireplace in the living room, the home provided the perfect backdrop for the many antiques Phil and Zoë had slowly amassed since their art school days in upstate New York. “When we were in college, we used to go to antique auctions as entertainment,” he told us. “We learned a lot about buying antiques then.”

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

The first thing you notice when you walk into Phil’s home — if you’re lucky enough to score an invitation — is this enveloping feeling of warmth. The interesting contrasts in wood tones and the abundant combination of textures lend a real sense of richness and depth. And then there are the antiques, in every room. It isn’t all Mission furniture, as you might expect. Rather, a range of styles is represented here, from Shaker to Georgian to Victorian and, yes, Arts and Crafts. But the leather sofa and coffee table that reside in the living room? Those are contemporary. And, suddenly, you start to marvel at how it all fits together so seamlessly. So we decided to ask Phil to share a little bit about his decorating style and love of antiques — and hoped we’d gain some tips along the way.

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

The American Arts & Crafts settle (sofa) to the right is from the early 1900s, while the Georgian dresser is English in origin, dating from the early to mid-1800s. The painting above is by a Scandinavian artist from the turn of the century.

Ballard Designs: How would you describe your personal style?

Phil Lancaster: I would certainly say that our style is very eclectic. We’re big collectors of all kinds of things. In fact, we have the best yard sales in town.

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

All of the wood trim and molding is original to the house. Framed antique botanical book prints flank the front door.

BD: Your front door opens onto your living room, with a smaller sitting room to the right, and you can see straight into the dining room. So you really have this open space of adjoining rooms, just like many modern homes today. How do you create a cohesive flow and feel to it all?

PL: Yes, it’s really a big L-shaped space. Everything somehow needed to relate. There’s a Japanese term called wabi-sabi, that basically means finding the beauty in imperfection, such as an object made by hand.  That is the kind of aesthetic we are attracted to. We like things that are handmade or look old or feel old. And you could say that is what pulls all of this together — it all has some sort of patina.

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

The Shaker console is American-crafted from walnut. On display are “various wood objects that are all tools of some sort,” including a sauerkraut masher, spindle and hat block.

BD: So the thread running through these rooms are these antique pieces with a natural patina to them. Yet they hail from different time periods and have vastly different styles. Does that even matter?

PL: I don’t have any problem mixing furniture styles. It’s not like you walk out and buy everything new when you move. You have an armoire that belonged to your grandmother, a table that belonged to your parents, and then you went to the store and bought something new, and all of that somehow fits together. It’s different styles, because it all came from different time periods. But it’s a more organic way of decorating a home than running out and buying all new furniture. In the dining room, we have a French buffet that’s 200 to 300 years old sitting directly across from an Arts and Crafts piece from 1915. I don’t ever think about the fact that they’re different.

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

Phil’s favorite antique, the Eastlake Victorian table, is surrounded by antiques from different time periods. The original wood paneling hosts his collection of ironstone china. “We have lots — more than we can display on the plate rail.”

BD: Between the dark wood molding in every room and the wood furniture, there is a lot of different wood tones happening. What is your philosophy on mixing finishes?

PL: It doesn’t matter to me. Not everything is made out of oak or pine. It’s going to be a lot of different woods. That being said, I probably wouldn’t have a contemporary bleached or light-colored wood finish, because that might be a little tough to blend in. But, in general, all kinds of wood tones work together.

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

The Arts and Crafts buffet from 1915 is flanked by a pair of antique French leather chairs.

BD: What is your favorite piece in the house that you could never part with?

PL: That’s darn near impossible to answer! I’ve had the dining table for 40 years and that’s something I’ve liked a lot. A big table like that is super useful.

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

The antique buffet, a French piece from the late 1700s to early 1800s, holds court with a Craftsman-era cabinet directly across the room.

BD: Tell us about it.

PL: We bought it at an auction in Syracuse. It’s Eastlake Victorian, which is the tail-end of Victorian and not as ornate. It doesn’t come off as Victorian, but it’s not the straight lines you’d get in a Craftsman-style table. This was a farmhouse table, so it has eight leaves. We currently have six in place. We matched it with Stickley chairs that we’ve collected over time.

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

The bar, embellished with Art Nouveau tile, is from the turn of the last century. “I think we bought that in Syracuse, and we’ve been using it as a bar ever since.”

BD: Not everyone would think to match Arts and Crafts chairs with a Victorian table. Even though you have a houseful of antiques, do you continue to shop for them?

PL: Always. It’s what we do. But that’s why we have garage sales. In order to buy more stuff we have to get rid of some of the stuff we have!

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

The renovated kitchen takes on Craftsman styling.

BD: So where do you hunt for antiques?

PL: We shop a lot at Scott Antique Market, of course, and just about every in-town antiques store. And whenever we go out of town on a trip, we shop antiques stores.

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

While it may look like an antique, the guest bed frame and headboard is actually from Ballard.

BD: You could say it’s your job and your hobby. It’s a natural extension of what you do for a living, isn’t it?

PL: Yes, it’s part of what I do at Ballard. We just got back from a lighting show in Dallas and we went to six or seven antique stores on the half day we had left.

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

An unused corner in the guest bedroom reveals the couple’s collecting habits, from natural objects to antique wooden milliner hat blocks to books. “I believe we have books stacked up in one fashion or other in every room of the house.”

BD: Do you have any helpful tips for shopping antiques?

PL: For me, it’s not really the level of importance or authenticity of the piece. It’s whether or not I like the piece. It’s not like you’re going to casually find a piece you see on Antiques Roadshow that’s worth $50,000. Someone else owned it. Those just don’t get found in your attic. So it’s really about, do I like the color, do I like the wood, do I like the footprint of the piece and do I like the style? If so, then it works.

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

The staircase shows off the beautiful original woodwork in the home. On the landing is an old Ballard favorite: a French wine bottle made to look faux bois from paper mache and cut pieces of wood. Next to it is a little wood cabinet filled with red leather-bound classics that once belonged to a traveling salesman. “The salesman would bring these cabinets filled with books to the classroom and hang it on the wall for kids to select the books they wanted.”

BD: And what about bargaining?

PL: You should always ask for less! It’s expected that you’re going to offer a better price. The only other advice I have is, collect what you love and somehow it will all work out, because you like it.

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

 Thank you so much, Phil, for letting us share your home and your sage decorating philosophy with us!

Tour this Craftsman Home in Atlanta, Georgia

For more design inspiration, visit our Pinterest Boards, or find more gorgeous rooms in our Photo Gallery

Caroline McDonald

Caroline lives for pairing together patterns, mixing furniture styles, and oogling over our newest furniture pieces. As you can imagine, her little 1920's craftsman is in a constant state of flux. Here on How to Decorate, it's her goal to help you turn your home into your own little slice of paradise.

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  1. Reply

    Kristen

    February 25, 2020

    Hi! Any idea on the window coverings? Looks almost like a Roman shade but not. I’m obsessed though!

  2. Reply

    Leslie

    August 15, 2019

    Hi
    I listened to this episode the other day and loved it! Phil was very informative about furniture. Please bring him back for more lessons on furniture!
    Thanks,
    Leslie Polatty
    Augusta, GA

  3. Reply

    Chris

    February 3, 2018

    Realize this post is a couple years old but I live in Atlanta now and just curiuos what neighborhood this is in. Grant Park? Inman? Candler? Oakhurst?
    Beautiful home. Thanks for sharing!

  4. Reply

    Gail

    July 5, 2016

    Utter sophistication of design and highly functional. The most significant message from any client to their designer.

  5. Reply

    Muriel

    November 9, 2015

    I’d love to know the paint colors for the living room and bed room. It’s hard to find the perfect creamy white. Thanks!

    • Reply

      Caroline McDonald

      November 15, 2016

      Muriel,
      Unfortunately we don’t have any information about the paint colors used in this home. Sorry!

  6. Reply

    Marilyn Baxter

    February 18, 2015

    Put “How To Decorate” were it will be noticed ………all this work and you hide it away

  7. Reply

    Kim-in-the-Cove

    February 15, 2015

    Absolutely beautiful! I love how the mix of furnishings from different time periods all blend together.

  8. Reply

    Marilyn Baxter

    February 13, 2015

    Thank you Phil and Zoe for the walk through your home. I have worked in the design world for years (I am 80…don”t tell) and now live in a mobile home full of antiques and collectibles. Wish you could walk around my home and I could tell you all the stories of all you see. Yes…I am sure you would enjoy. I have bookmarked your home so I can go back and study it more. If I came to your home I would take the masher….I have a small collection of cutters.
    Thanks Again
    Marilyn

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