Chris Socci Designs an Atlanta Home That Beautifully Blends Nostalgia, Art, and English Manor Elegance

The Hovanciks’ extensive travels also influenced their decisions, starting with the style of the house itself. “We’ve spent a lot of time in London and fell in love with English architecture, and I knew I wanted an interpretation of that,” says Hovancik. The Hovanciks hired architectural designer Rick Hatch of Harrison Design to bring it to fruition. “I started looking at all the images they had collected, and there was a recurring touchstone—gabled English styles,” says Hatch. “So, we settled on a classic English manor with a brick-and-limestone façade.” The architectural designer veered a little off course by including an abundance of large iron windows and sliding doors. “Having grown up in New York apartments and living in Portland, Oregon, for years, I wanted as much light as possible everywhere,” says Hovancik. “In several rooms, there are three-way views onto the property,” adds Hatch. The pool and landscape were also inspired by memories of the Hovanciks’ trips to Costa Rica and other alfresco dining experiences abroad.

In addition to references of the past and detailed plans, Hovancik also wanted a sense of joyfulness reflected in her home and a place to create new memories with her current and future grandchildren. “Wendy and Andy believe that laughter is the most important emotion you can bring to life; they didn’t want their house to be too serious,” says the designer. Within an envelope of tailored elegance and anunderstated palette of soft grays, beiges, and taupes with brushstrokes of matte gold and platinum are injections of color and fun. “Chris totally understood my plans and vision, but he also pushed me to add in some more unexpected moments,” says Hovancik. Socci introduced teal blue window panels on the floor-to-ceiling iron windows and doors in the serene neutral living room to inject a bit a boldness. “We also used wall coverings to add a more dynamic presence,” says the designer. For example, a blue floral watercolor-like paper brings dreaminess to one powder bath, an edgy clashing lines paper in the sons’ sitting room is reminiscent of New York skyscrapers, and exaggerated palm fronds lend a tropical attitude to the golf simulator space in the basement.

Art also adds another layer of intrigue and is more than just a supporting player throughout the home. “I’ve been collecting art for decades, but after we started planning this house in earnest, I become even more focused on finding pieces that would suit the scale of the rooms,” says Hovancik. “When I fell in love with something, I asked the gallery to hold on to it until we could find a place for it!”

Hovancik decided where each piece would hang during the planning stages so she could have art lights installed to highlight her finds. Socci and his client even planned rooms around certain works of art. For example, in a color departure from the rest of the downstairs, Hovancik’s office is wrapped in navy blue on every surface, including all the built-ins, which makes the eye go directly to a favorite piece—a large circle of goldfish on a white ground by Ysabel Lemay accompanied by an orange chair, a favorite color combination of hers. Some of the art plays off the interior décor, and sometimes it’s a departure, such as the primary-colored piece by Debby Krim in a hall that leads to Hovancik’s glamorous closet, but every choice is carefully considered. From the bigger decisions, such as the lovely large plank white oak, down to the smallest, like the kitchen hardware, the Hovancik home reveals an expertly calibrated symphony with a few pop tunes thrown in for good measure.