Serial Game Movie

A Day at the Lake House

Available link for download

A Beautiful House in Atlanta–Again ! !

The story of how the catalogue Ballard Designs started is a well known one.  In 1982, Helen Ballard Weeks, from Atlanta, entered a decorating contest in the then popular design magazine, Metropolitan Home.  After Helen won and her house was featured in the magazine, over 500 readers called the magazine wanting to know how they could order items from Helen’s condo, especially her dolphin table:

Her dolphin table had its own back story.  When Helen was looking to furnish her condo, she went searching for a table base and eventually found one – this dolphin – made by an artist, one at a time, in his garage.

All the calls asking about her  dolphin table and other furnishings made Helen think that perhaps she had something unique to contribute to design, perhaps she could sell the dolphin tables herself.  A year after she won that contest, she sold her condo and started Ballard Designs.  Her first catalogue consisted of just two black and white pages – with the famous dolphin table on its cover. 

Needless to say, the catalogue was a huge hit.

Early catalogue covers.

Ballard Designs became one of the most successful catalogues, thanks to Helen’s aesthetic.  She favored a bright chartreuse velvet and black accents, with lots of animal skin and gilt mixed in.  Additionally, there were the plaster architectural pieces, like brackets and columns, that were based on the classical shapes that Helen loved.  Many of the decor items sold at Ballards were modeled after European,  especially French, antiques Helen collected on her travels. 

Eventually, Helen sold the company and later retired in 2002; today Ballard Designs is owned by a subsidiary of HSN.

An early Helen office with her famous mannequins and architectural element above the door.

Helen’s contribution to design is huge.  She helped make fine design available to the masses through her affordable merchandise.  And she forever changed the way we shopped for home decor.  Additionally, with Ballard’s fabric by the yard and their upholstered furniture, people were able to achieve their dreams of having a “House Beautiful” home without having to hire a decorator.

Helen’s former office featured many early Ballard Designs items.  Notice the two green velvet French chairs – they will show up again much later in this story!

Helen seemed to juggle it all, a husband, children, and a hugely successful business.  I was surprised to discover that Helen is actually my age – 61.  Wow.  I had no idea that while I was out and about wasting my youth, she was heading up a conglomerate!  Talk about giving someone a complex!

The mirrored screen reflects the columns Helen loved.  The back of the green chairs is too cute!

Once Helen left Ballard, she seemed to disappear from the public eye beyond Atlanta.  I still love the catalogue, and along with Wisteria, those two are, without a doubt, my favorites.  But, I do miss her touch.  The chartreuse is no longer prevalent, nor is the animal skin; but then…Ballards gave us Suzanne Kasler and Bunny Williams, so who could complain?

Mannequins were popular back then, as were the architectural relics, like the one sitting on the books.  The large gilt framed bulletin boards are still a staple at Ballards. 

So, after many years of missing Helen’s aesthetic, I was thrilled to happen upon a gorgeous house for sale in Atlanta, filled with antiques and looking like someone with fabulous taste had decorated it.  They had.

The house being sold belonged to Helen Ballard Weeks and her husband.  It took over three years to build and was completed in 2011.   It’s large, filled with custom finishes and the architectural elements Helen found in Europe.  Even better for those in Atlanta, Helen held a huge estate sale before she moved out and I’m so sorry I wasn’t there!   A few special items were later auctioned off. 

The architect that designed this house is the uber talented William Litchfield HERE.  Interior Design by Carolyn Malone of CM Antiques & Interiors, (404) 264-9509

And so, now that the house is sold and the Weeks have moved on, here is a look at the fabulous home she  built just a few years ago!

Enjoy!!

Located on a private street, a tree lined, gravel lane leads up to the stone house, called “The Mill.”

To the left of the house is a large garage with an apartment above it.  The real estate brochure says the house was built both in 1979 and in 2011.  My guess is that either the original house was torn down in order to build The Mill, or the renovation done in 2011 was extensive enough to call it newly built.  Not sure!   Helen?  Call me!

To enter the garage, you drive through the opening and pull into it from the back of the structure.  The French doors with shutters actually look into the car bays.

French blue shutters, stone, gravel, and boxwoods gives the house its Provencal look.  Twin concrete dogs great visitors.

An earlier view of the house from the architect’s web site shows the entrance before the dogs were placed here.  I love the dogs!   Also, there were turquoise planters with box that are no longer there.

Let’s look at the exterior views first.

A large covered porch out back has a stone fireplace and is furnished with French antiques and accents.  Through the doors is the library.

An aerial view gives you an idea of how the estate is laid out.  The covered porch is located at the back, left side of the house.   There is a large expanse of grass on that side of the back yard.  At the right is the pool,  tower and greenhouse, and firepit.  At the side of the house off the kitchen is the parterre garden and chicken coop.  Hidden in the trees is a tennis court.

Here is another view of the covered porch.  Love the lantern hanging on the side of the house.

At the opposite end of the covered porch is the outdoor dining room that sits under the pergola.   These French doors enter into the Family Room in the house.

The pool and tower – here you can see the opening through the hedge that leads to the large grass expanse at the left side of the backyard.

From the pool looking up to the house.  You can really see the hilly nature of the lot from this view.  The Juliet balconies are so pretty.

Past the pool and the tower are the stairs that lead down to one of the the parterre gardens.

Inside the tower, or the pool house:  the bathroom with the trough sink, ladder, tile floor, and twig chandelier.  Notice there is also a shower in there!!  WOW.  I could live here!  Helen…call me!
 

The art studio – notice the cute sink.  I’m not sure there is one “normal” sink in the entire complex!  I THINK this area might be under the sun porch next to the tower.  But…not sure!!

Behind the pool and tower is the firepit and greenhouse.  Too charming!!!!!

Of course, it’s another place to decorate!  Who doesn’t decorate their fire pit with antique French bird cages?  I would, if only I had a fire pit like this!!!!  

Well, no fire pit?  Then there is always the greenhouse to decorate!   Love the gravel floor and the black paint.  Especially love the mix of the rustic chic and the contemporary.

At the side of the house, off the kitchen, are these beautiful green arched doors that keep the parterre vegetable garden off limits to critters.

The parterre garden, with vegetables growing.  Love this!!!!

The chicken coop.  Every chic person grows fancy chickens these days.  Thank you Martha Stewart!

An instagram photograph of the right side of the estate with the large, manicured lawn.  Notice the railing is glass, which leaves the view unblocked.  At the left, is the break in the hedge that leads to the swimming pool.  I do wonder if this might be a grass tennis court?  That would be a great idea if is!  A more natural looking court without all the concrete?  The real estate brochure says there is a court, but because of the dense tree cover, you can’t see it on the aerial view.

Ready to go inside the front door?  Instead of a solid door, the French door acts as the entry, designated from the others by the blue shutters.

Inside the foyer, stone stairs lead to the second level.  The foyer, with its stone floors and stucco walls, is filled with antiques, some quirky like the mannequin.  The touch of chartreuse and black and white pillows is vintage Ballard.  Through the open doors in the back are the stairs that lead to the lower level.

And looking from the living room behind the foyer back towards the front door.  A contemporary bench sits under both the mirror and the ultra contemporary bubble fixture.  Love the black lanterns on the walls.

From Litchfield’s web site:  Another view of the French antique settee and the screen.  Through the door are the stairs to the basement.

To the left of the foyer is the dining room with limed paneled walls.  There is an assortment of chairs and benches to sit around the table, draped in linen.  Contemporary art work and twin mirrors fit in with the Sputnik fixture.  After the Estate Sale, this Jean De Merry chandelier was sold at auction.  I love the way Helen decorated this room – a mix of new and old that looks so fresh and on trend.

The dining room from the other view.  Here looking through the doors to the butler’s pantry and onto the kitchen.  The door on the right leads to the living room.   Love this room! 

From Litchfield’s web site – a much earlier view of the dining room when it was set up for dining.  Today, it’s more like a drawing room.  The room is much for trendy now and so much more exciting.  Great changes!!!


Available link for download