When people hear the words luxury residence, there can be an expectation of what that home should look like—beautiful finishes, elegant furniture, expensive materials and everything perfectly coordinated.
But for me, luxury has never been about filling a room with expensive things.
It is about creating an environment that feels considered, personal and completely individual to the people who live there.
When I worked on this residence at the St. Regis Atlanta, I wasn't interested in creating a home where everything came from the same collection, designer or even the same part of the world.
That's simply not how I design.
We combined pieces from designers and makers including Ralph Pucci Collection, Ngala Trading Company and Saccaro, with artwork sourced through The Americas Collection Gallery in Miami and pieces custom designed by Fine Line specifically for the residence.
The architecture gave us a beautiful, traditional foundation—high ceilings, substantial moldings, arched openings, dark wood floors and incredible natural light.
Against that backdrop, I wanted the furnishings to feel contemporary, artistic and sometimes unexpected.
The goal wasn't to make everything match. It was to make everything feel as though it belonged.
Let the Architecture Be the Foundation
One of the first things I consider when approaching an interior is what the architecture is already giving me.
Not everything needs to be changed.
In this residence, the classical architectural details provided a beautiful framework. Instead of repeating that traditional language through the furniture, I chose to create contrast.
Clean-lined contemporary furniture sits beneath traditional moldings. Sculptural lighting is framed by classical ceiling details. Modern art and unusual objects appear against otherwise restrained walls.
That contrast gives both sides more presence.
The architecture feels more interesting because of what we've placed inside it, and the contemporary pieces become more striking because of their surroundings.
Let the architecture and furnishings have a conversation. Classical moldings and arched openings create the framework for contemporary furniture, sculptural objects, art and unexpected materials.
Let Art Become Part of the Room
I don't think of art as something that gets added to a room after the design is finished.
Art is part of the room.
In this space, the three large textile works were custom designed by Fine Line specifically for the residence. Their scale was intentional. Rather than filling the wall with several unrelated objects, the three vertical works create an almost architectural backdrop behind the Ralph Pucci Collection velvet chairs.
I love the relationship between them.
The chairs are contemporary and beautifully restrained, while the artwork introduces layers of texture, muted color and irregularity.
Nothing matches exactly, but everything feels connected.
Custom changes everything. Fine Line-designed textile artwork creates an architectural backdrop for velvet chairs from the Ralph Pucci Collection.
Texture Can Be More Powerful Than Pattern
Texture is one of the strongest elements throughout this residence.
Velvet, feathers, acrylic, wood, metal, glass and textiles all appear within the same home, but they aren't competing with one another.
The plum velvet sofa, for example, brings softness and depth to the sitting room, while the Lucite table keeps the overall composition feeling light.
In another sitting area, the Ngala Trading Company chairs with feather detailing add movement and softness. We paired them with an acrylic coffee table custom made by Fine Line, allowing the table to almost disappear visually rather than adding another heavy element to the room.
That balance is important.
If every piece has the same visual weight, a room can become flat. I like mixing pieces that have very different personalities and then finding the connection between them.
The transparent acrylic gives the eye somewhere to rest, while the velvet, feathers and other textiles provide richness.
Texture creates depth without creating clutter. Velvet, Lucite, soft upholstery and a sculptural side table bring personality to an otherwise restrained room.
Give a Room Something Unexpected
I believe every interesting room needs something that makes you look twice.
The seating area with the orange rug is a perfect example.
The fringe chairs from Ngala Trading Company aren't quiet pieces—and I didn't want them to be. Their movement and texture bring something unexpected to the room, while the orange rug defines the seating area and gives it a strong visual foundation.
Behind them, the black-and-white artwork sourced through The Americas Collection Gallery in Miami introduces another layer without competing with the furniture.
This is where I think people sometimes become too concerned with whether everything “goes.”
I am much more interested in whether everything contributes something.
A room needs an element of surprise. Fringe chairs from Ngala Trading Company, a saturated orange rug and artwork sourced through The Americas Collection Gallery in Miami create a space built on contrast.
A Home Office Doesn't Have to Feel Corporate
The office is one of my favorite examples of designing around function without allowing function to dictate the personality of the room.
The desk and mirror are from Saccaro, and their clean forms establish the foundation of the space. From there, I wanted to introduce pieces that would make the office feel like an extension of the residence rather than a conventional workspace.
The red upholstered chair brings in an unexpected moment of color, while the oversized lamp and chandelier play with scale.
This is something I think is especially important in home offices.
A desk and office chair may be necessary, but the room doesn't have to stop there.
Your workspace should still feel like part of your home.
Work, without the corporate feeling. A Saccaro desk and mirror provide a refined foundation while sculptural lighting and an unexpected red chair give the office personality.
Don't Design Every Room in Isolation
This may be one of the most important lessons from the project.
Every room doesn't need to look the same, but the entire home should feel connected.
As you move through this residence, certain ideas repeat rather than specific pieces.
You see sculptural forms. Strong artwork. Tactile materials. Moments of color. Contemporary furniture against traditional architecture.
That repetition creates continuity without making the home feel overly coordinated. The rooms have individual personalities, but they still belong to the same story.
Luxury Should Feel Personal
After years of working with furniture, art, accessories and interiors, my definition of luxury has become less about what something costs and much more about how thoughtfully it has been chosen.
A beautiful home can include important designer pieces, custom furniture and extraordinary art. But those things alone don't give a home personality.
It's the combination that matters.
It's knowing when to introduce color and when to pull back. When a room needs another layer and when it needs nothing else. When two pieces that shouldn't necessarily work together somehow do.
That is what I loved about this St. Regis Atlanta residence.
It is sophisticated without being overly formal. Contemporary without ignoring its traditional architecture. Colorful without being dominated by color. And most importantly, it doesn't feel like a formula.
It feels collected. It feels personal. And it feels like a home.
At Fine Line Furniture & Accessories, that's ultimately what I want every project to become: not simply a beautifully designed interior, but a home that couldn't belong to anyone else.