You all are in for a FUN treat today! Wait til you see this house. I got an invitation to preview the Southern Living Idea House down in Senoia, GA (south of the airport) last week and I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw that it is a restored farmhouse. It did not disappoint at all. My friends, Debbie and Jen and I ooohed and ahhhhed over all the beautiful furnishings and the architectural details in this house.
We found out from talking to the Southern Living folks that the house was in a state of ruin when it was bought and moved next door to a new foundation. The farmhouse was restored and added on to and now it’s ready for the 21st century.
The party was to celebrate the partnership of Southern Living and Ballard Designs new tabletop collection, which was highlighted at the event. Beautiful collection of tableware! And Ballard Designs furnished the house, so you know that’s a good thing.
Are you ready? You know I always take a ton of pics and as usual, I’ll have to split this up in 2 parts.
A large sign listing sponsors is outside on the corner. The little town of Senoia, GA is where the house is located. This was my first time visiting Senoia.
Interior Design: Tracery Interiors of Mtn Brook, AL/Rosemary Beach, FL
We found out that Senoia is a full-fledged movie town and lots of movies and TV shows are filmed here. We met the producer of The Walking Dead, and he lives across from the house in a brownstone (just over there) and shoots the show full time in Senoia. He loves living there away from the traffic in Atlanta.
Very cool bit of trivia to learn! I’m not a huge fan of zombies, but apparently teenage boys think this show is the bomb.
The house sits on a pretty corner all picturesque and stately. Very Southern, don’t you think?
Think old farmhouse updated for modern life. That’s what this house is all about.
Southern Living and Ballard Designs, two of my favorite brands.
They greeted us on the porch with drinks and pretty tables.
And what a front porch this is.
With a swing and sitting area on one end, wow is the word to describe this. Love old fashioned porches like this. My grandma in Florida had a porch very similar with a swing sitting in this same spot at her house. I have fond memories of swinging in that swing as a youngster.
So I couldn’t resist trying out that swing for a bit.
Love the pair of planters flanking the front door.
Inside the the foyer, this wall grouping was beautiful.
Turn to the right and there’s the living room, dining room and kitchen.
This pretty console table was behind the sofa with all sorts of pretties grouped together.
The living room was very neutral, but definitely not boring.
The sofa in the living room looking back towards the foyer.
A vignette on the floor in the corner. Love old things, don’t you?
The coffee table looked artfully arranged, but almost as if someone could sit right down and be at home.
Check out the dining room nook, a wall of windows. And do you see that ginormous lantern? Yep, that’s the one I just bought for my dining room, the Calisse! I gasped when I saw it hanging there.
And here’s the kitchen and it’s a beauty. Guess where these cabinets are from? Can you believe this is an Ikea kitchen? I haven’t spilled this yet, but I’m leaning heavily towards getting these cabinets myself in my new house. The door style is Adel and they are beautiful.
Seeing this kitchen just further pushes me towards Ikea. It’s a stunning kitchen and I would happily love it.
On one side of the kitchen, these stacking open shelves display the new tabletop collection of Southern Living/Ballard Designs. Pretty, aren’t they?!
Another look at those beautiful cabinets, I’m really diggin’ that chevron rug too.
Displays on the countertop.
Close up of the cabinets.
Nice!
The dishwasher even had a paneled door to match, I thought that was very clever.
One more shot, I can’t get enough of this beautiful kitchen.
This was some clever storage on a nearby wall. Hanging baskets from Ballards.
Right next to the kitchen, this beautiful little sitting area was prettily adorned.
Check out that paint treatment, I really really like it.
The console is decorated with some vintage finds.
A back mudroom with hooks and brick floors.
Staircase going up to the 2nd floor.
We loved these café curtains. So cute! And that long row of hooks could come in handy too.
Cows and antlers and schoolhouse lights. A nice combo in a farmhouse.
The laundryroom is off this area too.
With chalkboard paint and a pretty sink.
Upstairs is a guestroom.
Sitting area.
Sliding barn doors
This hardware seems to be easy to find now and I’d love to find an old door and do this on my closet door instead of the bifolds. One day!
Headboard and striped shams.
Pretty bathroom with vintage style tile. Love this! Maybe I’ll do some vintage tile in my bathrooms eventually.
Cute little sink.
A Southern sign. In Jawjah…did you get that one? 
So, Micah from Old Try, the Southern team behind these cute vintage typography signs, stopped by to tell me the meaning of this one. I’m usually pretty good at this Southern stuff, but this one stumped me a bit. It means ATL, GA. Say each letter out loud, with a Southern drawl. Cool! I’m really liking their signs. Check out their site, I love their story.
From upstairs looking down.
So, that’s Part 1 of the house and I’ll show the other 1/2 next week! It’s beautiful, inside and out! What did you think? Do you love this house as much as we did?
Here’s Part 2 of the Southern Living Idea House!
Color me a SOUTHERN LIVING ADDICT!!!
I love everything they do – thanks for giving us a heads up.
Can’t wait to see this in the September issue with resource leads.
Hugs!
patti
Oh I just love this house! And I’m a huge, huge Walking Dead fan & so is my hubby! Love that show & I’d have swooned upon meeting one of the producers. Was it Glen Mazzara? He’s the one who took over as showrunner when Frank Darabont left. Anyhow, very lovely home. Thank you very much for showcasing it!
Oh, I didn’t get his card, so I don’t remember the name. He lives in a brownstone across the street from the house.
Rhoda,
Thanks so much for sharing this charming home with me…I always love seeing there homes and this one is so my style. I have never heard of this area of Atlanta, so maybe I should check it out.
Blessings,
Linda
I do love this, Rhoda. The house looks gorgeous, and I enjoy seeing all the design ideas. Thanks for sharing.
WOW, what a treat! Thnx for the tour. Loved it all, I’m one of those city transplants, and true to the ‘ol cliche, “can take the girl out of the country but never the country oughta the girl”, so I completely identified with everything farm…….Love & Blessings, Lady Delores.
Love love love the porch (I do wish they had done a round column instead of the square, but it is still very pretty), but I am a bit disappointed in the interior. The space is great, but most of it seems too modern for a “southern” house. To me, the vinettes and “vintage” items come across as kitschy and instead of traditional. But I think that would change if a family moved in and warmed it up a bit with their personal items. Granted, this is an “idea” house, so on that note, the did well. I am on the hunt for an old barn door, and I am in Oklahoma, so if I find one, and you are willing to travel, I will let you know.
Lori
What a wonderful treat! Thank you for sharing the tour, I have been eyeing some other those items in the catalog!
As for The walking dead….LOVE it! I never thought I would be interested in anything zombie ish..but I heard so many raves about it, my husband and I gave it a shot and we are hooked! It is soooo addicting. Another show we love is The Vampire Diaries!
Not to be confused with the other Lori from Oklahoma (above…how crazy is that!!!!!???), I loved the entire house. I could move in and be happy. AND I was glad to see the cafe curtains. I put some of those in my own laundry room. I really want to try the paint treatment. I love the color and the look! Lori Lucas/Oklahoma
Okay, that IS just crazy!!!
Another great post! I, too, love the kitchen lights over the island. Do you know where those came from?
I think most of the lighting is from Ballards. I’ll have to go back & look at those again in the pics, but I bet they are from BD.
LOVE this house! SO many ideas for my house… thanks for sharing! NOW, I wonder if I could talk my husband into taking a short drive down 85?? Hmmmm….
By the way, I LOVE how your house is coming along. I cannot wait to see it all done. I know that you are getting very excited about moving in. 🙂
Do it, Rhoda! Go for the Ikea cabinets! My husband and I installed them in our laundry room and we are *so*happy*with*them! We’ve always said if we ever re-do a kitchen, then Ikea is the way to go! If i makes you feel any better, Sarah Richardson almost always uses Ikea cabinetry on her shows. And you can really glam it up with countertops from other stores, beautiful backsplashes, etc, etc. Do it, do it!! You won’t regret it 🙂
http://tellerallaboutit.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/airing-our-dirty-laundry-chapter-5-the-big-reveal/
Lindsay, lovely laundry room!! Ikea does have some great looking cabinets. I’m pretty sure that is the way I’ll go too.
Loved the color palette in this updated farmhouse. If only I could turn my boring colonial 2 story into a comfy cottage urban farmhouse! I can’t wait to see the photos next week as well as your new place. I know – its a work in progress! Thanks for sharing.
Liz
OK, that was fun!
NOW…I get the Jawjah (Georgia) but what the heck does Hay Tea Ale mean???
Well, I get Hay and Tea as being Southern, but the Ale part suprised me too. Drinking an ale, I guess?!
I think “Hay Tea Ale” is how we say “ATL.” So it says “Atlanta, Georgia” in our Southern accents. 🙂
Ohhhh, now I get it! LOL I just couldn’t figure it out. Cute! The house is just wonderful and, Rhoda, I so enjoy your blog and your progress on your own new house.
OMG….this house is amazing…..I love that couch….and can’t wait to see the rest. Loved it. I think you can’t go wrong with an IKEA kitchen…..I go nuts evertime I see their kitchens and think they are really beautiful…….
Rhoda, thank you so, so much for sharing these. I love everything about this house and since there’s no way this Kansas girl will get to see it, I loved your photo tour.
That plaid painted wall is wonderful! Any idea what the countertops in the kitchen are?
Julie, from what I remember they look like Black Galaxy (or similar) granite to me.
I LOVE the house and your photographs! The exterior looks so much like the photos of houses that I’ve collected for my dream home. I noticed the dining room rug is the jute rug that’s in their catalog. Can anyone give me their opinion on having that rug under a mahogany dining table? (I’m getting rid of my oriental)
Penny, I had a seagrass under my very traditional table in my old house & will have one in my new dining room too. I love the mix of traditional furniture and natural fiber rugs. Go for it!
So beautiful & so many ideas to get here for my own house.
You will have to explain the southern jawl to me in your next post on this house. I am in the south but I guess I’m not far enough south to have heard this before. Is there more to it than the obvious definitions of hay, tea & ale?
Hi, Jen, I am not sure I can explain that one either. I guess it is just Southern terms. The ale was not an obvious one to me either.
Hi there, this is Micah from Old Try. If you close your eyes and listen to it, you’ll hear it ‘A-T-L, Ga.’ Atlanta it is!
Micah, so glad you stopped by & cleared that up. NOW I hear it! Great job with those signs. I might need one for my Jawjah home.
Finally, the answer! Now I can sleep… ha!
Oh Rhoda what a beauty….I adore that paint treatment in the little sitting area !!!
I NEED one of those sliding doors…..too 🙂
All the best,
Kathy 🙂
ps your Casa is coming along nicely, and your Mum and Dad, bless their hearts are SUPER !!!!
Rhoda….that sign HAY TEA and ALE does that mean “hey to y’all ??”
Hi, Kathy, thanks for stopping by. I am not sure what that is except words. I don’t think it means y’all, not seeing that part.
hey
tea
ale
is a twang way of saying A-T-L
It is certainly beautiful….will have to plan a trip to visit . Of course, they may have to pry my hands off that kitchen to get me out! I love Ikea kitchens….I was pleasantly surprised to see they do have traditional styles as well as modern.
I watched the “time-lapsed” photography of the renovation, and I must say “renovation” is an understatement. What a transformation!
Thanks for sharing…your pics are grand!