About TSW

TSW is formed through the partnership of founding principals Bill Tunnell, Jerry Spangler, and Thomas Walsh. After opening the firm in 1990, the three have kept a small office size to deliver a more hands-on approach in each project. With around 30 full-time employees, the firm operates smoothly; collaboration is easier and more effective. As a result, the firm has delivered impressive works and has collected several accolades. One of its awards is the 2018 Excellence in Housing Development Award for Olmsted Chamblee from the ULI Atlanta Chapter. The firm has also been featured in several online publications including Patch.com, CNU, and businesswire.com.

Featured Projects

Throughout its 31 years, the firm has handled several projects throughout the southeast. These projects include multifamily and mixed-use developments as well as commercial and civic buildings. One of the firm’s best works in Atlanta is the Bolton Park Apartments. Providing construction documentation and design development, the firm has placed the final touches on the project. For the buildings, the firm selected a combination of materials such as bricks, horizontal sliding, and stone to create contrasting tones and textures. The result is a contemporary building that blends well with the neighborhood. Around 226 apartment units are included in the development. Aside from residential units, the firm has also helped create the swim club, student center, and parking garage for the development.

Tunnell, Spangler, and Walsh want to provide architecture services to help communities. Part of helping communities is using environmentally-friendly practices in every project. As LEED APs, Tunnel and Spangler make sure to guide the team in using sustainable designs. Sharing this commitment is co-founding principal Walsh. All three leaders believe in the concept of New Urbanism. Mixing this concept with sustainable practices, the three create healthy urban spaces for today and the next generation.

About Niles Bolton Associates, Inc.

Established in 1975, Niles Bolton Associates puts a premium on its client relationships. Having completed projects in 49 U.S. states and 16 different countries, the firm attributes its success to its clients’ trust. For the firm, the secret is understanding and listening to client needs. Through this, the firm can work effectively to meet project requirements and satisfy client demands for every multifamily residential, commercial, and institutional project. Over the years, the firm has collected several awards including the 2018 B.O.B. Award for the Multifamily category. The award is given by the NAHB Multifamily Pillars of the Industry to organizations exhibiting superior design and management strategies in the multifamily industry.

Featured Projects

Showcasing the firm’s expertise in multifamily building is Generation Atlanta. This residential tower is an iconic addition to the downtown Atlanta skyline. Standing 17 stories high, the building is one of the tallest in the area holding 336 apartment units. At the top floor, a sky deck and lounge offers stunning views of the city. Without leaving their units, residents can enjoy the view, too, through transparent curtain walls surrounding the building. Adding to the luxurious city living is the building’s pool patio built on top of the parking area.

Guiding the firm in creating iconic structures in Atlanta is chairman and CEO G. Niles Bolton, AIA. He is a proud alumnus of the Georgia Institute of Technology and has received plenty of recognition. In 2015, he received the Joseph Mayo Pettit Alumni Distinguished Service Award from the Georgia Tech Alumni Association. He was also named Most Admired CEO by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

About Smith Dalia Architects, LLC

Based in Atlanta, Smith Dalia Architects uses architecture to honor places, people, and history. With LEED AP principals Greg Cross, Robyn Zurfluh, and Brian Whitfield, the firm honors communities by creating sustainable spaces that will last for generations. All AIA members, the three have their own expertise crucial for the firm’s success. Cross has a wide range of experience in different projects including multifamily housing and multi-acre site planning. Zurfluh has experience in design and project leadership. Whitfield, on the other hand, is a master in urban infill and adaptive-use projects. Under their leadership, the firm has become a top industry player since 1987.

Featured Projects

Over the last 34 years, the firm has created spectacular multifamily housing and mixed-use facilities in Atlanta. One of these is Juniper & Fifth. Earning two awards including the 2021 Atlanta Urban Design Commission Award of Excellence for New Construction, this project was a huge success. With a ziggurat form exterior facade, this unique form of the building is both stylish and functional. By adding terraces into residential units, living space is increased and unit owners get to enjoy outdoor living. Adding to the luxurious experience, this six-story condominium building features a contemporary lobby with sophisticated finishes and an outdoor pool.

About Dwell Design Studio, LLC

Established in 2009, Dwell Design Studio thinks big and small. It formulates big ideas while taking every bit of detail into account. Headed by founder and CEO Jason Shepard, the firm conceptualizes out-of-the-box ideas that go beyond conventions. For the firm, creating clever designs must both cover style and purpose. This guides the firm’s team in producing unique spaces that people love to live in.

Featured Projects

Dwell Design Studio formulates exciting ideas by letting each member have a voice in the project. Calling its members Dwellians, the firm is a collective of innovators, designers, and creators. Every passionate member works with a singular goal: to push the envelope and shake the status quo. By pushing boundaries and going beyond the norm, the firm transforms communities into inspiring dwelling places.

For its groundbreaking designs, the firm has won several awards. This includes the 2020 ABC of Georgia Excellence in Construction Award for its work on Oleander. For the multi-awarded project, the firm has designed an apartment community that embodies upscale living. Located in Brookhaven, the 398,000-square-foot project contains 384 modern, sophisticated apartment units. Focusing on outdoor living, the firm incorporated an outdoor pool and a grilling area into the design. Other amenities included in the design are a fitness center, lounge areas, a game room, and a bar.

About The Preston Partnership

Since its inception in 1995, The Preston Partnership has remained faithful to quality and service. Over the years, the firm makes sure to deliver top-quality designs that tell a unique story. These designs are created through collaboration among team members. Collaboration starts with its leadership: principals Bob Preston and Adam Parrish work together to guide the team to produce inviting, usable spaces. Both AIA members, Preston and Parrish have led the team to receive multiple awards including the 2019 ULI Atlanta Excellence Award’s Excellence in Town Center Development Video for Alpharetta City Center.

Featured Projects

For 26 years, the firm has continuously delivered on its promise. Such quality work and service are displayed on the Irby Avenue project. This project features a 12-story residential building containing 275 apartment units. Situated in a prime location, the firm needed to create a condominium that matches its upscale environment. By using traditional materials and contemporary methods, the firm has developed a one-of-a-kind residential tower that fits the setting. Amenities such as a landscaped terrace and a fitness center add more value to the high-end property.

Successful projects like Irby Avenue build the firm’s reputation. Trusted by many clients, the firm has handled projects in 40 states and has built more than 75,000 multifamily units. Its diverse portfolio includes luxury high-rise residential towers, mixed-use projects, and complex urban infill sites.

About English & Associates Architects

Established in 1982, English & Associates Architects’ focus is on multifamily projects. The firm’s principal, David A. English, AIA, a graduate of Southern Technical Institute, has spent three decades in the industry mastering multifamily design. Having built more than 200,000 multifamily units, English is undoubtedly an expert in the field. English’s expertise includes design and architecture services for apartments, condominiums, retirement homes, and townhouses. Whether it be a low-density, medium-density, or high-density project, English has the right tools and experience to complete the project successfully.

Featured Projects

One of the firm’s high-density projects is the Reserve at Collier Hills. Located in Atlanta, the project features an apartment complex surrounded by beautiful landscaping and accessible roads. At the center of the complex is a charming garden where residents can relax, have a picnic or enjoy a lovely stroll. Some units have steps directly connected to the street, creating oneness between the building and its environment. The same feeling is achieved through balconies included in the units’ design.

For its expertise in multifamily housing developments, the firm has been featured in What Now Atlanta. The online site mentioned English & Associates Architects as the project architect for an exciting 191-unit development in Atlanta’s Riverside neighborhood.

About SGN+A

Founded in 1992, SGN+A offers a hands-on approach to all its projects. The firm makes sure that each project is supervised by one of its three principals: B. Murff Germany Jr., Brian Nonemaker, or James Moran. Germany and Moran are both AIA members while Nonemaker is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). As an ASLA member, Nonemaker offers his specialization in landscape architecture and planning to create extraordinary living spaces. Moran, LEED AP, takes care of the firm’s sustainable designs. Germany, on the other hand, has more than 37 years of experience in the field and has handled over 25,000 multifamily residential projects. All three principals are expert multifamily architects and have experience in both low, medium, and high-density projects. Having one of the three supervising a project gives clients assurance of a project’s successful completion.

Featured Projects

Over the last 29 years, the firm has completed around 50,000 residential units. In these projects, the firm provides a variety of services including design, project management, and construction documents and observation. Aside from multifamily projects, the firm provides architecture services for resorts, commercial, and institutional projects. The Gables Century Center is a result of the firm’s mastery in creating multifamily units and resorts. Located in Atlanta, this 355-unit apartment community feels like a resort complex. With apartment units facing a large outdoor pool surrounded by well-designed landscaping, living in the complex feels like living on a permanent vacation.

About J.W. Robinson & Associates

Established in 1970, J.W. Robinson & Associates (JWRA) is the longest-running firm on the list. One of the first minority-owned architecture firms in Georgia, the company was founded by Joseph Robinson to reshape communities. Through design, the firm envisions creating homes with facilities for gathering and socializing. Today, JWRA stands as a multidisciplinary firm that specializes in architecture, interior design, and urban planning. The firm is currently led by Jeffrey L. Robinson, a seasoned architectural designer. He has been in the industry for over five decades and has handled various projects including commercial, retail, recreational, and mixed-use developments.

Featured Projects

One of the firm’s mixed-use development projects is the Renaissance Walk. The project features 388,935 square feet of retail and residential units. With a budget of 45 million dollars, the firm has executed the historic restoration of three important buildings in Atlanta. In the design, the firm has also incorporated user amenity facilities such as a swimming pool, a fitness center, and a roof terrace. All these amenities echo Robinson’s vision to create spaces to gather the community. For such a well-crafted design, the project has received the 2009 Honor Award from the South Atlantic Region of the AIA for Design Excellence.

About Affinity Kitchen & Baths

Affinity Kitchen & Baths was chosen for its high-quality bathroom remodels in nice Atlanta neighborhoods, and it appears as #15 only because there are so many companies on this list whose bathrooms have been recognized with multiple awards and honors. Affinity’s leader is Elizabeth Ellsworth, company president, and her team consists of skilled and experienced artisans, fabricators, and installers, who handle everything from custom kitchen and bath cabinets to countertops, flooring and any other bathroom remodeling ideas suited to the homeowners’ styles and needs.

Affinity’s website features several of its most modern and elegant bathrooms, including wide-set and freestanding bathtubs, sophisticated marble tile, and spa-like showers with metal fixtures. They also include double vanities and decorative bathroom cabinets that generate storage space. Many of them feature decorative light fixtures that draw attention to the bathtub as the centerpiece of the room, and the large, curved, or patterned-glass windows bring in a lot of natural light.

About Oneida Builders

Oneida Builders was chosen for its experienced team and award-winning bathroom remodel projects in upscale Sandy Springs. Founder and owner Rocco Sinisgalli and his team of licensed contractors have more than 25 years of experience in the home remodeling industry. The company belongs to the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association (GAHBA), and Sinisgalli served as the 2000-2001 vice president and president of the Inner Atlanta Chapter, as well as the 2008-2009 chair of The Remodeler’s Council.

The company received a Professionalism Award for Residential Remodeling through the GAHBA in 1993, 2001, and 2008. One of its projects won a Gold OBIE award (named for the obelisk shape of the award) for a bathroom over $25,000 at a Sandy Springs residence. The repeat clients’ goal was to liven up their outdated bathroom with a more glamorous style. Oneida removed white melamine cabinets, the bathtub, and the stained glass window and replaced them with a spa shower reminiscent of a five-star hotel suite, featuring custom-painted and glazed cabinets and marble floors decorated with artistic mosaics. Oneida understands that bathroom remodeling costs can be high, so the company works to produce spaces that suit homeowners’ lifestyles and budgets.

About Intown Renovations Group

This company has completed projects for 600 clients and counting. Intown Renovations Group has received multiple awards for all kinds of remodeling projects, including three OBIE Gold awards for best bathroom under $25,000 in 2014, 2016, and 2017.

In its 2017 award-winning bathroom remodel, Intown Renovations Group started with a tired-looking space, outdated in both features and function. The company livened up the space with new and bright colors, added rich and interesting textures and materials, and brought in new decorative fixtures, all without modifying the foundational structure of the space. The bathroom was praised for its striking transformation that involved so little structural modification.

The company has been serving Atlanta since 2003 and is operated by founder and President Barry Wright. It specializes in in-town residential properties and works on homes in some of Atlanta’s nicest areas: Virginia Highlands, Morningside, Ansley, Buckhead, Brookhaven, Candler Park, and Inman Park.

About Keiffer Phillips Patricia Brown

This company is operated by husband-and-wife team Keiffer Phillips and Patricia Brown. They believe that men and women see things differently, and that it behooves the client to have the wisdom of both — in their case, derived from a combined 45 years of experience in the building industry.

Over the last 20 years of service, this company has built and renovated some of the finest properties in Atlanta, with Brown working to ensure that a wide range of visions are accessible to clients in a sometimes male-dominated industry. Brown attended the Interlochen Arts Academy and played violin and piano with the World Youth Symphony. Her bachelor’s degree is in business administration from Kennesaw State University. Phillips began as a trade carpenter and cabinet maker, eventually becoming president of the Architectural Fixture Corporation in Atlanta.

The company has received NARI awards for house remodels and baths, as well as a Chrysalis award for a basement renovation. Two of the company’s awards through NARI recognize baths, one a residential bath under $250k and the other for a residential bath between $75,000 and $100k.

About Glazer Design and Construction

Glazer Design and Construction has completed high-end and award-winning bathroom remodel projects in some of Atlanta’s nicest neighborhoods, including Sandy Springs, Inman Park, Druid Hills, Buckhead, and Brookhaven. Owner and President Randy Glazer, who started the company in 1995, has a degree in design and building. He also has experience in construction and flipping houses, and he is state licensed for residential and commercial building.

The company is a Certified Professional in Erosion & Sediment Control, is EarthCraft Home Builder certified, and is a Greater Atlanta Homes and Builders Association member. Glazer contributes to the Atlanta community beyond construction. He has assisted with pro bono work for the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and with Sunshine on a Rainy Day. The company has donated to the American Cancer Society, Camp Twin Lakes, the Scleroderma Foundation, the Coralwood Foundation, and the Special Olympics of Georgia.

Glazer Design and Construction has been featured in several print and online articles, including Atlanta Home Improvement’s Before and After contests, where it earned four awards over the years, including a first-place prize and third-place prize in the 2014 Best Bathrooms category. The first involved adding a vanity with plenty of storage, marble countertops and tile, brand-new cabinets, a heated floor, and a multiple-fixture shower with a bench. The second was an expansion in a space above the home’s garage that made room for a brand-new freestanding bathtub, custom-made shelves, and two large vanities.

About Cardinal Construction

Chosen for its OBIE awards in multiple categories — including bath remodels — Cardinal Construction offers building services in both commercial and residential properties in metropolitan Atlanta. Cardinal Construction is also a design-build company, working with clients from the initial idea stage to the final occupancy paperwork, or the final touches on a remodel project.

President Charley Hipple started his career in remodeling and roofing in Texas while attending school for architecture and business. He and his wife relocated to Duluth, GA, in 1993 to start his own business, and he has been committed to the building industry in and around the Atlanta area ever since.

Cardinal Construction received 11 Gold and Silver OBIE Awards and honors between 2010 and 2012 for residential remodeling and residential additions. These include an outdoor living area, a home theater, a basement, and a kitchen remodel all valued over $75,000; an exterior over $100k; and a whole house renovation over $500k. In 2012, Cardinal Construction earned two OBIE awards through the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association for excellence in bathroom remodels: a Gold award for a bathroom remodel over $25,000 and a Silver award for a bathroom remodel under $25,000.

About Bires Remodeling

Owner Dean Bires has been remodeling Atlanta residences since 1990. He started Bires Remodeling in 2004, and this family-run business focuses on kitchen and bath remodeling projects, basement renovations, luxury closets, and turnkey home additions. For 2010, 2011, and 2012, Bires received Guildmaster Awards for excellence in remodeling and construction. The company is a certified remodeler, holds EPA Lead-Safe certification, and is a member of NARI.

Bires says that since kitchens and bathrooms are the two most commonly used rooms in the home, they require specific attention to functionality. One of the company’s kitchen projects was featured on the cover of Beautiful Kitchens & Baths, a special interest publication of Better Homes and Gardens. Additionally, one of its bath projects received a 2017 Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Bath of the Year award. With Kelly Carlisle as the designer, the bathroom is striking for its floor pattern — a geometric display of marble and porcelain layers from Renaissance Tile and Bath, and Walker-Zanger. Bires Remodeling also remodeled the closet, the master bedroom, and three secondary baths, all of which contain the same intricate geometric tile pattern.

About Hammersmith

Hammersmith is a general contractor providing design-build services in new custom homes, kitchen and bath renovations and remodels, green building, and universal design. Perhaps best known for its work on kitchen and bath remodels in Atlanta, Hammersmith has been chosen as a prominent tour feature for 17 years straight by the Junior League Tour of Kitchens, and the company’s kitchens and baths have been recognized through more than 150 awards and publications.

Hammersmith’s baths tend to be modern and elegant, often featuring rich hues and materials and stylish tile patterns. One bathroom, chosen as an Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Bath of the Year in 2017, belonged to a 1930s Craftsman bungalow residence. The project was a challenge in making the most out of a small space. The result was an elegant space with minimalist elements: smooth white marble tile on both the floor and wall that curls into a rounded ceiling above a large white tub with a wide and curved circumference. The tub is decorated with metal faucets that create an industrial vibe.

About Atlanta Design & Build

Atlanta Design & Build is a full-service design/build firm that has provided the northern suburbs of Atlanta with quality remodeling services since 1996. Dale Contant, president and principal owner, has over 40 years of experience in construction, design, and technology. He has served in leadership roles with the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) at the local and national levels.

The staff’s credentials include certifications through NARI as Master Certified Remodeler, Certified Remodeler, Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler, Certified Remodeling Project Manager, Universal Design Certified Professional, and Certified Lead Carpenter. The company’s proprietary HomeStyle® System ensures their client-centered approach for each project of listening to client needs and desires and transforming each space to fulfill them. Their works are being recognized through several awards, including NARI Contractor of the Year Awards.

About Mosaic Design Build

Mosaic was chosen because it has received over 30 awards, honors, and recognitions for Atlanta-based renovation and remodels, with several of its awards for bathrooms: a 2016 QR Master Design Silver award for a bathroom $50,000 to $75,000, a 2015 Chrysalis regional award for a bathroom, and a 2015 Contractor of the Year Award for a bathroom. Mosaic is a design-build contractor, so its team discusses all of their bathroom ideas with clients, and then handles the design and build process all the way to completion.

With 30 years of experience in Atlanta’s building industry, Mosaic is staffed by a NARI-certified remodeler and a NARI-certified green professional. The company is a Georgia-licensed contractor, a NARI-certified universal design specialist, and a National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) master certified kitchen and bath designer. Mosaic is also certified for renovation and new homes by EarthCraft, certified through Energy Star Builder, and is an EPA Lead-Safe certified firm.

Rich Goldstein, owner, is a registered architect and green certified remodeler. Mosaic serves a number of locations throughout Georgia, including prestigious neighborhoods in metropolitan Atlanta like Ansley Park, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Buckhead, Chastain Park, and Druid Hills.

About Raymac

Raymac is operated by Co-owner David McDonald, a NARI-certified remodeler originally from Australia, and Co-owner and Lead Carpenter Ramon Frangi, an Atlanta native. Frangi learned about the building industry by working for his father during breaks from school. His interest continued through and after high school, and in 1998, he started Raymac with David McDonald, a longtime friend and associate.

The company has earned a number of industry awards through NARI, including two Contractor of the Year awards in 2013, one in 2012, and two in 2011. The awards were for kitchens, baths, residential interiors, and home theater and media rooms.

One of the company’s bath remodels in Cobb County transformed an ordinary, outdated bathroom into an expression of modern elegance. The end result features a spa-like shower with sophisticated, gray-patterned tile and a home sauna. The room is decorated with modern lighting fixtures over two large sets of sinks with their own cabinets for additional storage. A color palette of stone-gray and pale lavender sets the mood for tranquility.

About Small Carpenters at Large

Atlanta-based design/build firm Small Carpenters at Large has remodeled high-end bathrooms in upscale Ansley Park, Oakhurst, Grant Park, Avondale Estates, and Virginia Highlands. Its bathroom remodels in Morningside-Lenox, Medlock, Druid Hills, Inman Park, and Lake Claire all received awards in excellence. Between 2003 and 2016, Small Carpenters at Large earned six Contractor of the Year awards, two Chrysalis awards, a Best of the South Design award, two QR Master Design awards, and a Remodeling Design award, all for baths and bath remodels from $30,00 to $75,000.

Its remodel in Morningside-Lenox started with an undersized and outdated bathroom with only one sink and a modified tub/shower. Small Carpenters at Large turned it into a luxurious walk-in closet, and then transformed one of the house’s bedrooms into a new bathroom with tons of natural light, double vanities, a frameless glass shower, quartz countertops, and gray cabinets matching the porcelain tile. A large tub became the room’s centerpiece.

The company’s work has been mentioned in 61 print and online articles. The team is affiliated with NARI, Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, Southface Energy Institute, GA Solar Energy Association, and NKBA. They are also EarthCraft certified and Level 1A certified through the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission.

About CSI Kitchen & Bath Studio

Since the company started in 1992, CSI Kitchen & Bath Studio has earned numerous awards for its work on residential interiors, basements, kitchens, and baths, with its bath remodels earning increased attention and praise. CSI Kitchen & Baths has earned a Qualified Remodeler Master Design Gold Award for Best Bath $30,000 to $50,000, three Chrysalis Awards for a Best Bath Remodel under $40,000 in 2008, a Best Bath Remodel between $40,000 and $60,000 in 2008, and a Best Bath Remodel under $40,000 in 2005. Its work has been featured in 16 publications, including Atlanta Home Improvement’s 2012 “Best of the Best,” “Makeover of the Month,” and the 2011 “Cabinets and Countertops.”

The company’s founder, Steen Clausen, brings 30 years of experience in the building industry. A licensed contractor in the state of Georgia, CSI Kitchen & Bath Studio offers both design and remodeling services and represents the cabinet lines of Jay Rambo Company, Leicht, Rutt Handcrafted Cabinetry, and Schrock. The company is affiliated with NARI, NKBA, and the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association.

About Canonbury Homes, Inc.

Canonbury Homes has received fewer awards than other bathroom remodeling companies on this list; however, it was selected as #1 for its qualified staff and elegant residential remodel projects. Its 2017 Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Bath of the Year is arguably the most chic and artistic bathroom remodel project on this list.

The company, started in 2005, works in prestigious Buckhead, Brookhaven, and Sandy Springs. Its work has been celebrated in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, Buckhaven Lifestyle, and Modern Home Builder. Owner and President Neil Johnson has several years of experience in the building industry, with specialties in woodworking, cabinetry, and furniture restoration.

Canonbury Homes built the 2017 Bath of the Year with the coordinated effort of distinguished architect Scott West of West Architecture Studio, and designer Willem Stear of Tonic Design Studio. The room — a “Zen sanctuary” designed to marry the experience of bathing indoors with being out in nature — is reminiscent of a retreat or art exhibit. It combines glass, stone, marble, and wood for a serene ambiance, and an intricate blown-glass chandelier adds a splash of elegance. The custom-designed walnut vanity and shower are framed with marble. A striking, 11-foot glass wall opens the majority of the room to views of an outdoor, Zen-style moss garden, which is contained by a beautiful Cherokee stone wall.

About MOSAIC Design + Build

MOSAIC [Design + Build] is a general construction firm with over 35 years of experience. Since its inception in 1987, the firm has been dedicated to delivering a smooth and seamless project delivery that lets its clients see how design, architecture, materials, artisans, and service combine to create a unique project. Attics, basements, whole-house renovations, wine storage, kitchens, bathrooms, master suites, porches, decks, arbors, sunrooms, patios, outdoor kitchens, and fireplaces are just some of the things that this firm does well. MOSAIC’s goal has always been to improve people’s lives by making home improvements that are meaningful, inventive, and carefully made. As a result, the firm’s impressive portfolio and solid track record of satisfied clients are a testament to its dedication to excellence and customer service.

Featured Projects

The 1982 Kitchen Gets Makeover project’s goals were to make the kitchen look better, make it easier to store things and bring in more light. The firm created a new space that is both visually pleasing and functional. The stunning granite-topped island became the room’s primary focus. Tall pantry cabinets with see-through glass are great for displaying and storing wine. There is also a place where keys can be kept and cell phones charged.

About Small Carpenters at Large

With over 40 years of experience, Small Carpenters at Large is a general construction firm committed to high-quality work and excellent customer service. The firm’s integrated, personalized, and hands-on approach starts with proposals that are realistic, detailed, and based on accurate costs. Its smooth design/build process ensures that every project will be finished on time and on budget, and without compromising the quality of the final results. The firm’s impressive portfolio of stunning new construction remodels and additions are a testament to this fact. Along with a solid track record of satisfied clients, the firm has earned massive recognition for its ability to exceed expectations.

Featured Projects

This kitchen had been redone before but it still did not have enough storage space or personality. The firm updated the area by removing the columns and raising the ceiling to make the room bright and open. The layout was changed to make it more useful and to make room for a large island and a lot of cabinets and counter space. The result is a classic kitchen with white cabinets, subway tiles with a cracked glaze, marble quartz countertops, an apron-front sink, and a bridge faucet.

About Innovative Construction

Founded in 2000, Innovative Construction has served Atlanta and nearby locations with countless stunning home remodeling projects. It is a family-owned company focused on designing and building homes. With its high-end home remodeling services and an integrated, hands-on approach, the firm has won many awards for ensuring that each customer has a good and enjoyable experience from start to finish. Over the years, the firm has perfected its design/build process by prioritizing constant communication and collaboration and building solid relationships with its clients and trade partners.

Featured Projects

This stunning kitchen remodel is just one of the firm’s notable projects. It features an all-white design that creates an elegant and sophisticated atmosphere. The warm hardwood floors balance out all the white. The kitchen island is strategically placed in the center to serve as the space’s focal point while creating an efficient layout and additional workspace.

About Copper Sky Renovations

Copper Sky Renovations believes that the right way to do home renovations is to keep a keen eye for traditional design elements, create a well-considered layout, make sure to do careful planning, and pay careful attention to every detail. The firm was founded in 2003 with these ideas in mind. Over the years, the firm has remained dedicated to delivering exceptional projects that consistently exceed expectations. The firm uses the design-build method, a tried-and-true way to combine design and building. The firm is backed by an expert team passionate about doing excellent work on major renovations, kitchen and bathroom remodels, home additions, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and other projects that cost at least $50,000.

Featured Projects

Elegant Atlanta Kitchen Remodel is an elegant galley-style kitchen. This kitchen has traditional and modern features and plenty of space to prepare food, cook, and entertain guests. There is a lot of counter space on a long island with a waterfall top, and the area is tied together with unique open shelving. This elegant kitchen gives the homeowner a lot of space to make meals, cook, and have guests over.

About Glazer Design & Construction

Since its inception in 1995, Glazer Design & Build has completed various residential projects in Atlanta and the surrounding area, providing both new construction and remodeling. Over the years, the firm has focused on perfecting its operations and processes, allowing it to work with each client in an organized and detailed way. Its expert team has a lot of experience remodeling, renovating, and building new homes in Atlanta, ensuring that each new project is finished on schedule and within budget. As a result, the firm has earned a long list of satisfied clients who have written enthusiastic reviews.

Featured Projects

This modern kitchen features clean lines and an all-white color scheme that gives it a sleek, sophisticated look. The kitchen island serves as the space’s focal point, creating an efficient layout and additional workspace. The silver hardware, steel appliances, and marble countertops add visual interest to the design.

About Weidmann & Associates, Inc.

Bill Weidmann started Weidmann & Associates in 1989 as a general construction firm focused on remodeling projects. The firm was founded to give clients the best remodeling experience possible. The firm remains passionate about going above and beyond expectations and providing solid returns on the client’s investment. The firm’s integrated and personalized approach has resulted in high-quality projects delivered on schedule and on time. Over the years, Weidmann has won awards for its work and how well it treats its customers. Its impressive portfolio is a testament to its dedication to excellence and customer service.

Featured Projects

The firm remodeled this kitchen to render the interior and exterior more unified. A new open and flowing concept combines the home’s shared areas and provides a link to the outside living space. This new transitional style is modern and stylish.

About Home ReBuilders, Inc.

Home ReBuilders is a general construction firm that designs and builds homes. The firm provides single-source responsibility for its clients, taking care of everything and making it easy, professional, and fun to design or remodel homes. The firm is backed by an expert team of architects, designers, project managers, artisans, and support staff who work together to deliver exceptional projects. Its in-house kitchen and bath showroom is a boutique with carefully chosen products, allowing clients to make sound business decisions by having a clear idea of the materials used for their homes. Since its inception in 1981, the firm has solidified its reputation as a company that will help every client with their construction needs, no matter the project’s size, scope, and complexity.

Featured Projects

In the featured kitchen, the firm added marble countertops that go well with inset cream-colored wall cabinets and polished nickel hardware. There are no sinks or appliances on the island, which is the space’s focal point, so it provides ample workspace. There is a desk with file drawers and open shelves in the kitchen, which is open to the breakfast nook and family room.

About Kitchen Design Studio, LLC

Although the firm has only been in the industry for 6 years, Kitchen Design Studio has solidified its reputation as one of the best. The firm has put together an impressive portfolio and a solid record of satisfied clients. The firm consistently goes above and beyond when it comes to quality, contractor work, and customer service. There are tricky parts to any given project that require skill and experience to figure out. The firm’s expert designers and builders have years of experience in solving problems, creating cost-efficient solutions, and delivering creative building techniques. The firm pays close attention to each client’s personal tastes. It creates designs with modern features and makes sure detail is overlooked.

Featured Projects

This stunning kitchen features a transitional design. Its crisp, white cabinets have been combined with warm, hardwood flooring. The L-shaped layout with the island at the center offers an efficient workflow and plenty of additional workspace and storage. The golden hardware adds a nice touch to the sleek and sophisticated space.

About Intown Renovations Group

Since its inception in 2000, Intown Renovations Group has been a remodeling firm that delivers stunning residential homes in Atlanta and nearby locations. In every project it undertakes, the firm uses only high-quality materials, cutting-edge technology, and creative design-build techniques to ensure successful results. The firm is dedicated to delivering a smooth and seamless construction experience to its clients by handling every project detail from start to finish, creating more freedom and ease during renovation. This dedication has resulted in an impressive portfolio and a solid track record of high-quality projects and satisfied clients.

Featured Projects

This contemporary kitchen remodel features a modern, sophisticated design. Its dark gray tones balance out the hardwood floors, creating a visual depth to the space. Its kitchen island serves as the focal point of the space thanks to its marbled countertop. The silver hardware and steel appliances add to the sleek and contemporary atmosphere.

About Limitless Renovations

Since its inception in 2014, Limitless Renovations has repeatedly showcased its professionalism, experience, resourcefulness, excellence, and commitment to satisfaction through its impressive portfolio of various kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects. The firm has built its well-deserved reputation by giving every client quality and reliable service. The firm is backed by an expert team that offers years of experience to clients with remodeling needs. The firm pays close attention to every detail of the design, planning, and installation process. The firm’s integrated and hands-on approach allows it to walk each client through the process, from planning to finishing. It starts with a competitive quote for the project.

Featured Projects

This stunning modern kitchen remodel features clean lines and a classic black-and-white color palette that gives the kitchen an elegant, sophisticated atmosphere. The black cabinetry and island compliment the white flooring and crisp countertops, adding to the contemporary feel. The wooden chairs add a rustic charm.

About DiG Architects

Focusing on modern residential and commercial architecture, DiG Architects brings with it the sleek, minimalist, and sustainable designs of the industry’s latest architectures. The newly established firm is headquartered at the heart of Georgia and was founded by David Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt—a member of the AIA, NCARB-certified, and a LEED AP BD+C holder—relies on a process banked on research to deliver modern architectural solutions through BIM and 3D remodeling design methods. His experience as a designer and architect can be attributed to his long history of designing award-winning projects and working with the best of the best in the industry: Atlanta’s Perkins+Will, Lord Aeck Sargent, and New York’s KPF and Dattner Architects. The results are multi-awarded designs recognized by SARA and many regional AIA chapters. Industry publications, such as Archello, Green Building & Design magazine, and A&C Architecture magazine, among others, regularly feature the firm’s works.

The Split Box House is Goldschmidt’s most notable work and to say that it’s the most popular is an understatement. The industry’s biggest institutions like the Society of American Registered Architects (SARA), for instance, honored the project with its 2019 National Design Award of Excellence and the Architecture Masterprize Honorable Mention recognition. In the same year, AIA Georgia gave the project its prestigious Honor Award and People’s Choice Award. AIA Atlanta awarded it the Residential Merit Award in 2018. Magazines and other publications such as Architizer, Design Equilibrium, American Luxury Magazine, Dwell, and Archdaily, to name a few, featured the project’s impressive architecture, especially when it comes to taking on the challenges of its terrain and at the same time, incorporating sustainability and minimalism into its overall architecture. Another project follows the same pattern of using green solutions and creating a simple, yet functional design. The Box House was designed to provide a modern dwelling in Atlanta’s suburban landscape. The home was designed to minimize the carbon footprint of its future dwellers and at the same time, simplify their lives through a minimalist approach to living.

About Norwood Architects

Originally founded by James Norwood “Woody” Vaughan as Norwood Design Build in 2004, Norwood Architects has evolved to offer comprehensive services in architecture and interior design. The firm employs different delivery methods such as design-build and design-bid-build to produce commercial and residential structures of varying styles, values, and complexities. As a designer that offers customized services, the company emphasizes that unlike other firms that identify themselves with the style of homes that they produce, Norwood Architects allows project owners to define the style and guide the project’s designs according to their lifestyle needs and individual preferences. This is the main idea of the company’s philosophy: “Architecture is as much a matter of serving people as it is a matter of good design.” Following this as its guiding principle, the company has secured its place as a leader in the region’s architectural industry. Aside from its lifelong memberships with the AIA, and the US Green Building Council (USGBC), the firm is NCARB-certified, a professional licensed to practice in 15 states and is a registered interior designer in Georgia. The company has also won multiple annual OBIE Gold Awards.

Commended for its “rugged sophistication” by the Atlanta Journal and Constitution publication, this French-Country home located northwest of Atlanta is one of the firm’s most unforgettable works. The 7,950-square-foot residential design houses five bedrooms, seven full baths, and three half baths. The most intriguing element of the home’s design is its choice of materials: the heart pine was salvaged wood from an old barn with a history that goes back to the Civil War. Given a new life, the wood added more character to the home’s interior, providing a charming exposed beam ceiling to give out a farmhouse-country vibe. From the outside, the residence was designed to appear asymmetrical and irregular, the basic elements of a unique, “rambling” house that features a center core of stacked brick of Tennessee fieldstones. The home’s interesting choice of natural materials like wood and stones represent the homeowner’s rural Kentucky and Georgia origins.

About Surber Barber Choate + Hertlein Architects

This firm is highlighted for its eccentric style. Established in 1971, Surber Barber Choate + Hertlein Architects was originally committed to small-scale, unconventional projects. After almost five decades in the industry, the firm has grown to offer more comprehensive design solutions in Atlanta’s residential design scene. Today, the firm has an extensive portfolio that features preservation works, restoration, incorporating modern elements to historic buildings, and designing stunning residences across the region. Principals James Choate and Dennis Hertlein have completed several Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified projects, many of which passed the Gold-level certification. The firm is supported by a team of renowned professionals whose works were recognized through the American Institute of Architects (AIA) awards, including the 2017 Honor Award in Residential Over $1M. Beyond Atlanta, the company’s Casa DeSilva in Nuevo Leon project in Mexico was recognized in recent years by the same organization’s Residential Design Awards during the Atlanta Build Something Great event.

The firm’s Urban Hill House project in Atlanta was designed for urban infill development. Although the home was modestly sized to fit its location, the firm made sure to explore its potential to “feel” spacious. One solution was to design a south-facing living room that opens to a vast backyard, dotted with trees, and blessed with a wide view of the skyline. The home features a modern design but with a nod to nature: the house was built out of cedar, stone, and unpainted stucco, a combination that exudes warmth and relaxation. Expansive windows and hints of exposed steel in the foundation give it its industrial, stylish accent. Another unique work is the Black/White Minimalist home, also built in Atlanta. It was designed to cater to a minimalist lifestyle. Bright, spacious interiors open up straight onto an expanse of forest. The house has four bedrooms with dedicated bathrooms, a spacious and sun-drenched kitchen, a dining room, and family room, as well as a study, garage, swimming pool and children’s rec room. The exterior and interior are structured in abstract, white rectangles to create a striking contrast with its tree-lined surroundings.

About Brightwater Homes

Brightwater Homes is one of the homegrown firms that have greatly contributed to the Atlanta community through active local involvement and efficient business practices. Charlie Bostwick, the firm’s founder, has extensive experience in architecture, neighborhood planning, and homebuilding. Bostwick is also the current president of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, is a Certified Professional Home Builder, and an experienced Trustee of the Atlanta International School as chair of the Building and Grounds Committee. This expertise allowed Bostwick to build a company that can take on a comprehensive design-build operation while providing full architectural design services. While his firm is known for completing a number of high-end residential homes in Atlanta, Bluffton and Charleston, Bostwick is also a local role model. He is a volunteer for the Chattahoochee Nature Center, the Etowah River Habitat Conservation Plan, and the Georgia Native Plant Society. He also helped write the Cherokee County Conservation Zoning Ordinance. In the past, he served on the board of an Atlanta Habitat for Humanity Affiliate.

Brightwater Homes received the 2016 Residential Design Award of Honor for a single-family traditional design, the Yonson Residence located in Milton. The home was designed to combine the elements of the region’s farmhouse style, with a more modern interior aesthetic. Occupying 4,652 square feet, the house features a traditional front porch with cedar siding. Its layout features a round and spacious interior that generates strong energy flow across its rooms through multi-rowed glass doors that opens into a private courtyard. The most noticeable elements of its interiors include reclaimed beams, concrete plaster, and metal fixtures. These complete the residence’s combined rustic, industrial, and modern styles. Another project built in Peachtree was a custom home designed for a family of four. The architecture features paneled walls and ceilings, hardwood floors with wide planks, a spacious kitchen and cozy, open-air back porch with fireplace and seating.

About Ross Piper Architect, Inc.

Ross Piper Architect, Inc. has had a strong and unforgettable impact on Atlanta’s architecture industry. Expertise’s professionals rank listing identified the company as one of the best architects in the city. Principal architect Ross Piper earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Auburn University. In the past, he has worked with leading architecture firms, including Kenneth Lynch & Associates, T.S. Adams Studio, and Norman Davenport Askins Architect. The experience allowed him to design luxurious, high-end residential properties. In his past and current practice, Ross has been known for his detail-oriented approach to each project. His designs are commended for staying faithful to the period, style, and historical significance of its projects. The results are architectures that embody the individuality of its owners and redesigns that pay tribute to the historical relevance and style of each home. Some of these projects have been featured in Atlanta’s Home Living and Art and Signature Homes magazines.

A deep renovation project by Ross Piper led to the remarkable transformation of an Atlanta single-family residence into a charming, Cape Cod-style cottage. The project immediately caught the attention of Southern Living magazine. While its initial design was striking on its own, the firm and the client know that the home had huge potential to be more stunning and unforgettable. The firm addressed the home’s imperfections, including a correction of the imbalanced roofline and expansion of its entrance. At the same time, it amplified its original cottage-style elements and produced an architecture that highlights Cape Cod aesthetics. The new design celebrated the house’s charming cottage presence while upgrading its structure and functionality to fit the demands of modern living. Another project, the 60 Lake Forrest Lane in Atlanta, is a 2016 modern farmhouse that sits on a tree-filled oasis in Chastain Park. With an expansive front porch and metal roofing, the house comes with spacious living areas and french doors leading to outdoor seating.

About Harrison Design

RecognizedOutstanding for its multi-awarded portfolio, Harrison Design has completed classic and modern luxury residences, townhouses, and commercial properties since its inception in 1991. The firm’s architectures are found in Atlanta but they are also scattered across the US and Asia. Over the years, the team has delivered home designs in Georgia, California, New York, Washington DC, Florida, and China. The company operates through a large crew of motivated and accomplished principals headed by Bill Harrison, AIA, who is a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology. His past experiences in traveling and studying in Europe strongly influenced his work to this day. The firm’s team of architects, designers, landscape architects, and interior designers share the same philosophy that has fueled the firm for decades: designing homes is a form of art, and that buildings are investments. They are art forms that endure; they provide spaces where occupants can freely express and enjoy their lifestyles. The products of this concept have long been celebrated in the industry. Some of them were recognized through Georgia’s American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) awards and featured in publications, such as Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, Galerie, Southern Home, Traditional Home, Southern Style, Montecito, Ocean, Home & Design, Architectural Digest, Cabin & Cove, Interiors, Bazaar, Kitchen Trends, Veranda, Seasons, Spring Cottage, Luxe, Period Home, Home Renovation Trends, and many more.

The company’s English Manor Home project in Atlanta is one of its featured works. The structure occupies 8,050 square feet and has five bedrooms, five full bathrooms, two half-bathrooms, two limestone fireplaces, a dining area, entertainment rooms, home office, and a two-car garage. The home’s gourmet kitchen was featured in Beautiful Kitchens and Baths Magazine. The outdoor area provides a place for recreation, with amenities that include a fireplace, a separate fire pit and patio, a koi pond, a potting shed, and space for a swimming pool. Another luxury property that the firm designed in the past is a custom home valued at almost $4M when it was built. It has seven bedrooms, eight full bathrooms and three half bathrooms, and ceilings as high as eleven feet. It also includes a dining room and living room with a master fireplace, a gourmet kitchen with double islands, a breakfast room, a paneled lounge with a fireplace and wet bar, a rec room with a fireplace, a home theater, and a sauna. The firm also designed a separate guest house with its own kitchen, set of bedrooms and bathrooms, and garage.

About Dencity Design

Dencity Design stands out for its ability to create architectures that smoothly blend with their surrounding landscapes. Founded in 2000 by Bryan Russell and Staffan Svenson, Dencity started in Atlanta and expanded to a second office, in order to serve project owners in Berkeley, California. Partners Bryan Russell, R.A., Erica Loesing, and Ali Knox strive to design living spaces that will cater to the functional and stylistic needs of its residents. By combining the emotional and technical aspects of residential design, the firm delivers beautiful and enduring homes. Bryan Russell studied architecture at Mississippi State University and has several years of experience working on commercial properties in California. Passionate about the uniqueness of the Georgian landscape and the challenge of designing residential properties, Russell co-founded Dencity to initially deliver architectural designs to the city’s metropolitan area. Erica Loesing received her Master of Architecture from Savannah College of Art & Design and has years of experience completing projects. Loesing’s interest in design started at a young age, and as a student, she was chosen to present her earliest design portfolio to renowned architect, Frank Gehry. Ali Knox, Allied ASID, joined the firm in 2019 to lead its interior design services. A small but accomplished team, the company is listed as one of Atlanta’s Best Architects, according to Builder Direct.

The firm’s Mineral Bluff Residence features unobstructed panoramic mountain views through its transparent glass walls. This design choice allows not just an abundance of daylight but also helps create an open, spacious atmosphere indoors. Other details of the design include custom-tile bathrooms and showers, modern cabinets and fixtures, and a hardwood-lined kitchen, living room, and bedrooms. Another project completed by the company is the Weststrate Residence. It’s a haven that was designed “to float in the trees.” The firm chose a variety of natural elements, allowing seamless integration with its surrounding natural landscape. This three-story, single-family residence that covers 3,732 square feet, appears to rise up from the earth and impose itself against its surrounding greenery.

About West Architecture Studio

West Architecture Studio has been singled out for doing so much with so little; the firm specializes in designing elegant, modern homes that fill small spaces. The principal of this firm is Scott West, an AIA architect who holds LEED Accredited Professional (AP) designation from the US Green Building Council (USGBC). He has been a licensed architect in the state of Georgia for over 20 years. A graduate of Georgia Tech and Ecole Des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he worked with some of the most established architecture firms in Atlanta. He later on founded West Architecture Studio in 1998, and, since then, has made remarkable achievements in both residential and commercial designs, completing projects from The Paul Mitchell School at King Plow Arts Center, the Westside Shops at Howell Mill, to several contemporary and traditional single-family residences valued at up to $4M. The firm also works on mid-century modern renovations, historical and industrial re-concepts, and restrained traditional and farmhouse modern aesthetics. The team seeks out unusual projects that challenge the balance between contemporary and traditional styles.

The firm’s 177 Randolph Street residence was one of its notable designs. The 2,680-square-foot house is a three-level building that houses four beds and four bathrooms. It features a high-end European kitchen, 11-foot ceilings, and large glass doors that open onto a fenced yard. A custom-fit fire pit and a pond occupy its outdoor spaces. On top of the house is a third-floor roof deck that presents a nice view of the city. Another design project located in Atlanta is a 1,860-square-foot, single-family home with three bedrooms, two full baths, and a two-car garage. Made largely of glass walls and hardwood flooring, the home opens up to a garden area with a pond and an outdoor fire pit with seating. It also has a spacious rooftop deck that serves as an observation deck—a perfect place to witness the magnificent city view.

About Ross Design, Inc.

Selected for its achievements in designing luxurious homes, this firm is listed on ThreeBestRated as one of the top residential architects in the Atlanta area. The listing considered the firm’s reputation as a designer and architect, its history, client reviews, project value, and its overall excellence as a professional. Specializing in high-end and custom residential houses, the firm also offers additions and renovations. The firm’s projects have been constantly featured in publications like Atlanta Home Improvement, Kitchen Trends, Bathroom Trends, The Living Kitchen, and Atlanta Homes and Style, to name a few. Principal and founder Robert Ross, who formed the company in 1997, was inspired by his passion for designing custom residences and applying innovative renovation techniques. Ross has also developed a special interest in the social and contextual aspects of designing brand-new residences. Since its origin, the company has grown to provide designs for specialty retail spaces as well as historic redevelopment services, property evaluation, and construction management.

The firm’s Ansley Park project in Atlanta was a design for a custom home that will occupy one of the community’s remaining lots. The spacious residence was designed specifically for entertaining visitors, with main-level rooms large enough to comfortably host gatherings for up to three hundred people. The terrace overlooks fully landscaped courtyards. A separate garage area is “bridged” via a sloped lot behind the house, to connect to the second floor. Another custom home project, this time in Greensboro, occupies three lots of Reynold’s Plantation. The large, high-value home features a separate master suite, entire guest wings, an elevator, a home theater, an attached three-car garage, and another detached three-car garage that has a two-bedroom apartment on its second level.

About T.S. Adams Studio

This firm is highlighted for its vision and presence in Atlanta. Tim Adams, the founder of T.S. Adams Studio, has over 20 years of experience in designing homes. He is a member of the AIA, the Historical Preservation Society, and the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art. Since his firm’s inception in 2001, it has grown to provide more complex services and to cater to a bigger demand in the residential sector. Its team has grown as well, to include not only architects but also project managers, and other experts in construction. Committed to high-end residential properties, the firm seeks to create houses of “visionary distinction” without compromising the budget and schedule set by its clients. The firm focuses on congruence: the key to its approach in how it combines the best elements of traditional craftsmanship and design with the convenience and functionality of modern methods. Its projects have been recognized in countless publications and press rankings, including a place in Expertise’s 2017 Best Architects in Atlanta listing.

One of the firm’s renovation projects was featured in Traditional Home. The publication highlighted how the firm redesigned the 1918 residence, originally designed by legendary Georgia architect Neel Reid, and transformed it into a modern masterpiece. T.S. Studio honored the house’s traditional style and elegance while adapting it to meet modern-day needs. The firm tore down a kitchen wall to expand the room, renovated it in a way that freely allows natural light in. It also renovated the family room and used wood for insulation. Salvaged wood was also used for its new flooring. One interesting part of the home was the main ceiling and its charming 1920s-style wood beams. To maintain the integrity of the original design, T.S. Adams Studio kept the glass windows but applied insulation to keep the room usable year-round. The company also put in a new carriage house with wide overhangs, an arbor, and an additional guest suite. Another project is a design service for the founder, Tim Adams’s home. The large and elegant, brick-sided Tudor-style home located in the neighborhood of Buckhead occupies 6,000 square feet features artistic woodwork and dashes of old-world Georgia architecture.

About Philip Babb

Philip Babb is a nationally and internationally acclaimed architect. Aside from establishing a good reputation in Georgia, his achievements span New York City and London where he has designed a number of multi-awarded commercial and residential projects. He has been recognized in countless publications, received several awards, and lectured in a number of academic settings. With a degree in architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Philip also studied at Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris before completing further architecture studies at Yale University. He completed several projects in the academic sector, including the Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut, and the Clifty Creek Elementary School in Columbus, Indiana. In 1981, he became the associate-in-charge of the award-winning High Museum of Art in Atlanta. In New York, he completed several renovation projects in high-end neighborhoods. He managed the design of the Eisenman Architects’ competition-winning Columbus Convention Center in Ohio, designed an office building in Edinburgh’s historic New Town, and led the development of performance spaces for Emory University’s Center for the Performing Arts in Atlanta. He also led a team to redevelop Port Authority’s World Trade Center plaza. In 2004, Philip Babb relocated his practice to his home state of Georgia, where he works primarily on high-end residential properties.

Philip Babb’s Serenbe House in Palmetto, GA is a luxurious lakeside residence specifically designed to honor its community’s spirit of preservation. Locals to the area, 30 miles south of downtown Atlanta, are passionate about active, outdoor lifestyles, nature appreciation, and sustainable building initiatives. The house comes with two-sided porches within reach of the street, a two-story courtyard with its own private living space, guest bedrooms, a media room, an exercise room, and an office. The living room, dining room, and master suite open straight onto the courtyard, and the second story of the house features its own wraparound porch with outdoor seating and an entry bridge. An additional screen pavilion sits atop the garage roof for further outdoor recreation and seating. Another notable work is the Nancy Creek project. It includes a pool and guest house that complements a 1958 modern house in one of Atlanta’s most picturesque, tree-lined neighborhoods. In place of a long-time neglected tennis court, Philip Babb designed a large swimming pool, a stone terrace, a landscaped courtyard, and a pool house with its own living area, kitchen, bathroom, and guest room. Each component was designed in alignment with the sun’s rotation to enable day-long sunlight in the pool area, while also achieving a sense of privacy within the trees. Sliding and glazed glass doors to the pool house’s guest room give way to an open-air pavilion designed with a fresh and modern aesthetic.

About William T. Baker & Associates

Chosen for his impact on the architecture world, and in particular, for his spectacular creations within Atlanta, William T. Baker is the founder and principal of William T. Baker & Associates. The firm is an acclaimed residential architecture company with accomplishments recognized nationwide. The firm’s projects have received international attention for their high-end designs, through the prestigious Arthur Ross Award for Architecture in New York City, the Urban Design Commission Award for Excellence in Atlanta, and the Philip Trammell Shutze Award for Architecture by the SE Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art (ICAA) in 2013. William T. Baker also published a book that represents his design philosophy, New Classicists. The work became an international bestseller that was later on translated to Mandarin. Baker is a member of the Institute of Classical Architecture, the American Institute of Building Designers, and the International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture & Urbanism. Baker also serves community organizations determined to provide affordable housing initiatives for low-income citizens. He is also a member of several historical societies.

William T. Baker’s homes occupy a special place in the state of Georgia. One of his most remarkable designs is a Neoclassical French Chateau that sits on two acres of landscaped grassland. Occupying 14,000,000 square feet, the estate was inspired by the European craftsman style and was designed to represent William T. Baker’s high attention to detail. The house has six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, four half-bathrooms, and a domed, marble entrance taking up 26 feet. A nod to Versailles, the home’s luxurious living room comes with a marble fireplace, 16-foot ceilings, three separate family rooms, a study, and a library. It also has a terraced garden filled with walkways and a swimming pool. Many of William T. Baker’s homes in the Atlanta area are high-value and fit the luxury home category. His Lotus House residence, which was built around an interior garden with a lotus pond, features an abundance of natural light visible through steel casement doors; a separate meditation room, bar, and recreation rooms that lead to covered, open-air porches with a fireplace; and a rooftop terrace accessible via private elevator or curved staircase. Designed for hosting events, the steel-framed terrace has its own fireplace. The house sits on one of the highest points of the region, which allows for expansive views of nature during daytime and star-gazing at night.

About Sawhorse

Sawhorse is an Atlanta-based residential contractor highlighted for its years of experience and for its many awards and media recognitions. It focuses on high-end and energy-efficient residential home remodeling and renovation projects in metropolitan Atlanta. With more than 30 years of history serving Atlanta, Sawhorse’s design-build remodeling projects have earned over 100 national and regional awards in categories like the Best of the Best National Award from Professional Remodeler Magazine, Best Residential Universal Design from the Chrysalis Awards for Remodeling Excellence, and Consumers’ Choice Awards for Home Remodeling. The company has also received NARI’s Contractor of the Year Award in categories like Best Bath and Best Kitchen.

Sawhorse has received honorable mentions for sustainability from Environmental Design Construction Magazine, was awarded the Green Project of the Year Award in Remodeling from the NAHB, and won The Best Sustainable Practice Award from the Sustainable Buildings Industry Circle. This construction company’s work has been featured in countless articles in publications like The Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, and Atlanta Building News. Sawhorse has worked on properties in prestigious areas, such as Buckhead, Sandy Springs, and Midtown. One of the company’s design-build projects, a 5,000-square-foot modern basement renovation, was for a local NBA star in Sandy Springs.

About Nandina Home & Design

Co-owner, interior designer and Director of Marketing Susan Victor says that “great interiors are defined as much by emotions as they are by beauty.” Nandina Home & Design works with decors that include traditional, transitional, eclectic, and contemporary. Victor is joined by co-owners/designers Sue Shannon and John Ishmael, as well as Lead Designers Michelle Merritt and Jessie La Falce. The team’s Atlanta office, which opened in 2010, is run by John Ishmael, bringing to the firm more than two decades of combined interior design experience. Nandina Home & Design has been featured as Best South Carolina Interior Designs by KeyInteriorDesigners.com, and the Atlanta branch of the firm has been called one of the top Atlanta Interior Designers.

Featured Projects

Nandina designed the interior of an Atlanta home in 2015 with an estimated project cost of $500k. The home, which is classical in style, features white built-in shelving; a traditional wooden dining table; upholstered chairs decorated with cursive, French words; gray-and-white paneled walls; sofa and chair sets with sophisticated patterns; artistic light fixtures; a cozy, stone fireplace; a granite kitchen counter below pendant lights; a powder room; and a master bathroom featuring his-and-her sinks. Another residence in Atlanta designed by Nandina in 2012 cost an estimated $500k and utilized 5,600 square feet of interior space. The clients sought a brighter atmosphere with a better sense of connectivity. Their house, which was transformed into an open-concept, family-friendly residence, now contains soft, beige walls, a stone hearth fireplace, arched walkways over hardwood floors, a series of brightly colored pillows to spark joy and excitement, detailed area rugs and patterned curtains, large windows letting in natural light, a home library containing several wooden bookcases, a round dining table to emphasize togetherness, a chic modern granite kitchen counter, bar stools with splashes of daffodil yellow, and outdoor furniture made of wicker.

About Jeffrey Bruce Baker

Jeffrey Bruce Baker is a full-service architecture, interior design, and design-build firm located in Atlanta. Known for its modern designs, the firm was founded in 2009 by Jeffrey Baker. Since then, its designs have popped up in Metropolitan Atlanta, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida, and Mexico. Jeffrey Bruce Baker is NCARB certified and works on projects ranging from luxury residential to restaurant, small business, and hospitality. He is the chief client experience Advocate, CEO/design director of the firm, as well as a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), and he formerly worked for Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart & Stewart, and for Hunter Group Architects. Jeffrey Baker is joined by Chris McKinley, client experience director and vice president/COO, who has more than 20 years of expertise with client experience, marketing, and business management. McKinley formerly did advocacy work to raise hundreds of millions of fundraising dollars for nonprofit organizations, both national and international.

Featured Projects

The firm’s team is licensed for architecture and interior design and also completes design-build projects for clients seeking both a designer and contractor. One project, a hillside residence in Atlanta, had an estimated project cost of $1.5M. The house boasts views of tree-covered hills and a small river that runs behind the property, underneath it and then cuts across the yard. The goal was not to detract from the presence of nature around this house. Instead, the firm created vistas specifically for residents to better appreciate the natural beauty in their immediate surroundings. Although modern in style, the house was designed in such a way that it would blend in with the hillside and features an interior courtyard/swimming pool area with a stone fireplace and outdoor seating. The outdoors and indoors feature modern decorative pieces, light fixtures and wall hangings; a common thread in Jeffrey Bruce Baker designs is warm yet modern interiors.

About Erika Ward Interiors

A full-service and Atlanta-based firm, Erika Ward Interiors offers creative and client-focused solutions to design dilemmas. The firm’s approach is founded on “clienteling,” where both clients and Facebook and blog fans are placed front and center. Erika Ward operates on three principles: 1) the firm stands for everything that matters to its clients, 2) luxury doesn’t have to be expensive and 3) the firm keeps it real, i.e., transparency enables strong, long-lasting client-designer relationships. Erika Ward Interiors’ designs have been featured in Atlanta Homes, Better Homes and Gardens, Atlanta Neighborhoods, Refresh Magazine, The Huffington Post, and several others. She has appeared on Fox 5 and was selected as a top design firm by The Atlanta Tribune. She appears on Expertise as one of the top 21 interior designers in Atlanta.

Featured Projects

One of Erika Ward’s projects, in Dunwoody, GA, started with a bland and dim-lit living room, making poor use of the room’s space, and turned it into a warm and cheery Nantucket-style family area. In place of drab furniture, Erika Ward brought in a single, L-shaped Bernhardt sectional sofa, a durable jet-blue rug to arouse the mood of the ocean, and swapped the small wall photos with large works of art by Barclay Butera. The pieces are maritime-themed, and their size helps the room feel larger than it really is. Accessories like knit throw blankets, an ornamental boat oar, and reclaimed wood enforce the maritime pattern. Another design, this one for a residence in Alpharetta, GA, brought a feeling of calm to a bustling neighborhood. Inspired by the urban farming community in Serenbe, the design includes bright green colors, wood furnishings with a weathered look, and several neutral-colored textiles, all conjuring images of nature.

About CG Interiors Group

cg interiors group was founded 20 years ago on the simple notion that good design is magic; that each space tells a story all its own. Led by principal designer Caryn Grossman and senior associate Chris Buxbaum, cg interiors group prides itself on listening — transforming clients’ dreams and desires into solutions that are elegant, playful, enticing, and extraordinary.

The company provides a full range of interior design services to both the residential and commercial markets, from boutique hospitality to turn-key renovations and expansions. Driven by boundless curiosity, CG Interiors Group is known for its bold use of space, sustainable solutions, and innovative sourcing from around the world.

Based in Atlanta, projects span the country, including Miami, San Francisco, and Chicago. The company has been recognized locally and internationally, including winner of the Southeastern Design Challenge at the Museum of Design Atlanta, the Spark International Design Awards, Atlanta Downtown Design Excellence Award and numerous Best of Atlanta awards.

Featured Projects

Several of CG Interiors Group’s projects are located in Atlanta, and many occupy modern, high-end places of residence. In addition to newly built structures, the firm also specializes in revitalizing historic buildings. In a 1915 building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the firm combined two vacant warehouse units to create one spacious modern loft. The firm went out of its way to honor and preserve the original structure, maintaining the exposed brick and plaster walls, timber columns and beams, and hardwood and concrete flooring. All furniture and fixtures within the space were custom-designed by CG Interiors Group and local artisans, and feature an innovative palette of sustainable materials, original artwork, and bold colorways.

About Habachy Designs

Michael Habachy, owner of Habachy Designs, has created luxury interiors for decades. He attributes his success to passion, strong work ethic, and positive relationships with clients. The firm’s designs have appeared in several publications — local, national, and international. One of Habachy’s projects was chosen to appear on the cover of Trends Magazine, and another was featured in the Museum of Design Atlanta. His work has received multiple recognitions and awards through ASID, including gold awards, and one of his designs has appeared on HGTV’s Design Wars. Dawen Huang, the firm’s senior designer, completed designs in New York City for high-end, residential properties, which remain his continued focus today. In the past, he worked on luxury private residences, offices, retail properties, boutiques, and even restaurants. He is NCIDQ certified from the Council for Interior Design Qualification and also a certified professional with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

Featured Projects

The firm’s style has been described as atmospheric, luxurious, timeless yet modern, and filled with hints of Southern charm. The firm works on properties both commercial and residential, and has designed chic spas, fashionable restaurants, and glamorous nightclubs. Habachy Designs’ work was featured at the 44th Annual Atlanta Symphony Associates Decorator’s Show House and Gardens. Habachy designed the pool house, a project starting with a great deal of raw space, which enabled the firm to hand-pick and design the majority of the elements in the final product. These included water-jet cut, Chevron-tiled floors, and a custom-designed, built-in bar. To honor the house’s history — a 1920s Philip Schutze design — Habachy Designs worked to create a space that embodied both Miami-style Art Deco and glamorous, Hollywood-chic. The design’s focal piece was a chandelier sculpture made by Apparatus Studio. The piece utilizes mirrors in order to reflect imagery of the outdoors.

About Peace Design

William Peace, founder of Peace Design, has 25 years of experience in the interior design world. Famous for his sophisticated and peaceful interiors, the firm creates detail-oriented designs whose every element — each color, texture, and type of light — is thoughtfully aligned into what becomes the backdrop to a given client’s lifestyle. Pulling inspiration from worldly and natural beauty, like Montana mountains, Parisian cafes, and Rothko’s works of art, the firm creates spaces that express clients’ tastes and make clients’ lives more comfortable. The firm has received several awards, including the National ASID Project award for residential interiors, City of Atlanta Urban Renewal, and Southeastern Designer of the Year. William Peace has been on the Board of Trustees of the Smithsonian-affiliated Museum of Design in Atlanta and a member of the Advisory Committee for the College of Design at the University of Kentucky, where he studied architecture, interior design and fine arts. The firm’s work has appeared in Architectural Digest, Veranda, Western Interiors, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles and more.

Featured Projects

Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles featured a project by Peace Design described as artful and elegant. A New York executive and his wife seeking a second home in Atlanta approached Peace Design for a design for their new high-rise condo. The goal was a space that would feel sophisticated, ideal for entertaining and socializing, and also comfortable for family. At the same time, the firm aimed to honor the art collection central to the residence without reducing the space’s overall warmth. Peace Design created windows with wide views that also act as frames for the family’s sculpture collection, and designed rooms modeled after galleries to house all of their paintings and photographs. Splashes of sophistication were placed throughout the home, including bronze, marble, onyx, leather, wood, silk, and mohair. The furnishings merge vintage with modern aesthetic, and all of the artwork was purchased at local, Atlanta galleries. Another talked-about project by Peace Design was for the Make a Room project through the American Craft Council. For this experiment, Atlanta designers were provided with a piece of art to use as inspiration for an original, 10 x 10 foot space. Peace Design chose a ceramic piece by artist Michael Schwegmann and a metal piece by Donna D’Aquino, which inspired a room with a clean and industrial interior design. Peace Design envisioned these works of art housed in a room with minimalist style, warm tones and subtle textures, so that the pieces would be enhanced rather than overshadowed.

About VRA Interiors

Founded by Vanessa Mitchell and Reem Tomeh in Atlanta, VRA Interiors’ team has a combined 10 years of experience in interior design. The firm’s mission is to create places where clients love to live, and the team achieves this through listening to clients’ needs, expectations, and desires, then seeking entirely creative and new ideas to meet them. VRA Interiors sees any given client’s history, experiences, and lifestyle as the greatest resource to inspiration. The firm’s ultimate goal in its residential-focused interior design is to create not only visually appealing houses, but homes where family, friends, and loved ones come together and form memories that last. Key to VRA’s success is making sure each client maintains full ownership over his or her home, while at the same time exceeding all expectations and producing outstanding results. VRA Interiors’ website is full of five-star, detailed testimonials written by members of the Atlanta community, and the firm is listed as one of the 21 Best Atlanta Interior Designers of Expertise.

Featured Projects

In 2016, VRA designed a two-bedroom condo in midtown Atlanta, whose renovation cost an estimated $100k. The new design features fresh paint, new floors, cabinets and countertops, brand-new accessories, and window treatments. The space is modern but clean, with glamorous touches of ash grays, burned orange, brass, navy blue, and rich browns. VRA Interiors also added new tiles and enhanced a decorative pillar with metal tiles to achieve a centerpiece, both artistic and modern. VRA’s 2016 extensive design project on a home in Wieuca Road in Buckhead cost around $100k and features a brand-new kitchen, living room, dining room, and home office. The space is designed to appear friendly but sophisticated, with both warm and cool colors, including passionate reds and bright teals on a primarily soft, gray palette. The kitchen boasts a gray stone subway backsplash as the centerpiece, and walls were broken down to create a more airy feeling to the cooking area. The kitchen also contains new cabinets, counters, furniture, light fixtures, window treatments, and decorative accessories.

About Rooms Revamped Interior Design

Rooms Revamped Interior Design is led by Robin LaMonte, known for creating spaces that are beautiful, comfortable, personal, and revealing of each client’s story. Selected for her wide range of high-end projects, which have been featured prominently in Atlanta’s design community, her clients have included young families, professional sports figures, busy single executives, professional couples, and baby boomers. For 15 years, she has designed homes, condos, vacation homes, kitchens, and bathrooms primarily in the Atlanta area, but also in Hilton Head, Florida, New Jersey, and New York. Her work was showcased in the 2015 Atlanta Symphony Decorator’s Showhouse, as well as in the 2012 Mansion in May and the 2013 and 2014 Christmas at Callanwolde. She has appeared on a decorating segment of Good Morning America, and one of her designs appeared in a segment on HGTV. Her work has also been featured in a number of magazines, including Atlanta Homes, Atlanta Home Improvement and Homes & Gardens. She is a member of ASID and the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA).

Featured Projects

Rooms Revamped assessed a decades-old kitchen to determine whether it needed a complete remodeling or could do with simply a facelift or “botox renovation.” To keep costs down, the firm kept the original cabinetry, repainting the wood in bright yellows and greens, and kept the dark-stained, base-level cabinets in order to maintain a level of warmth in the aesthetic. An iron pot rack was removed, and metal fret orange drum shades installed in its place. The kitchen now features large, sunlit windows, bright and bold splashes of color in the brand-new light fixtures and wall decor, a marble backsplash, and new faucets. The focal piece is a dramatic blue hood for the stove, painted to appear with a copper tint. The project cost around $25k. In a higher-end project, Rooms Revamped designed a modern Atlanta loft, whose estimated cost was around $200k. A complete renovation, this project involved a brand-new kitchen, three bathrooms, a retractable exterior awning, and custom outdoor furniture. This chic, brick-walled loft now features modern light fixtures and a more open floor plan; Rooms Revamped removed some of the walls between the bedroom and home office and installed sleek, sliding wall panels in their place.

About Joel Kelly Design

Joel Kelly Design began with watercolor. His mother an artist, Joel Kelly was inspired by his early childhood experiences of observing beautiful things appear on paper. He learned to see, rather than look — to study the details, the textures, and the sounds. He learned “to inhabit the place in which you are.” Later, this translated into design. Joel Kelly studied at Georgia Tech, Ecole Des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and at Princeton, where he learned about the connection between architecture and story. An academic journey through Roman ruins and Greece helped him see how meaning gets attributed to spaces over time. Joel Kelly Design has earned several awards and recognition, including the Georgia Chapter 2016 ASID Best in Show (Residential) award, the 2016 ASID Gold Award for Interior Design for projects over 3,500 square feet, the 2016 ASID Gold Award for Interior Design for a Townhouse, Condo or Loft, and the 2016 ASID Gold Award for Interior Design for product design. In 2015, he was the Global 2nd Place winner in the Sub-Zero Wolf Kitchen Design Competition within the Transitional Kitchen Category. In 2015, he also won the ASID Georgia Chapter’s Best in Show (Residential) and the ASID Gold Award for Interior Design, all through the Georgia Chapter.

Featured Projects

One of the firm’s projects appeared in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles in an “Anything But Ordinary” feature. In collaboration with architect Peter Block, Joel Kelly created a Buckhead residence the magazine described as a “timeworn beauty.” The award-winning space was intended to be a sanctuary, a place suited to pets and children for generations to come. Still, the clients sought an eclectic, rather than ordinary, residence. The result, inspired by historical architecture, was a 7,000-square-foot house divided into unique wings where old meets new: although the house is functional in a modern world, its aesthetic is reminiscent of Old England, with steep roofs, lime-washed brick, and windows with multiple panels. Indoors, the building contains painted wood beams and thickly plastered walls. The library, the “most designed room in the house,” was inspired by an old map of London split into 24 different panels and is stocked with salvaged books. The room is filled with unexpected and quirky decorative pieces, creating a cozy, collector vibe. Intimate without being austere, the interior has a muted color palette with occasional dashes of bright orange.

About Melissa Galt Interiors

Selected for her fame, acclaim, and high-end design projects, Melissa Galt, great-granddaughter of legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright, has 20 years of experience in Atlanta’s interior design business and community. Galt measures the success of her designs by positive changes taking place within her clients’ personal lives during, or following, her design projects: one client reached her goal weight during the firm’s design of her home, another got engaged just following the design process, and another retired in order to spend more time in the environment newly designed by Melissa Galt Interiors. Galt studied at Cornell and the Southern Institute and has traveled through Africa, Australia, India, and Spain, to name a few. While design may be in her genes, her designs are most inspired through her curiosity about other cultures, countries, and customs. Melissa Galt has also facilitated classes at Oglethorpe University, Emory, and Spruill Arts Center. Her work has been featured in Southern Living, Decorating Spaces, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, The Atlanta Business Chronicle, Living in Atlanta, Atlanta Style & Design, Home Improvement, and more.

Featured Projects

One of Melissa Galt’s high-end projects was designing the main level of a home for a pediatrician and family, who had an extensive wine collection in East Cobb. A couple years following the initial design, the client returned to the firm for a complete renovation of the basement, as well. The design relied heavily on strong, copper hues, aubergine, and amber, and one of the client’s goals was to have spaces appropriate for entertaining. The new space includes a movie room, a guest room and bath, a family room, a bar area, and a wine tasting room, ideal for socializing. The client called the new design a “place we look forward to escaping to at the end of the day” and says it is such a comfortable space that friends and neighborhoods never want to leave. The estimated project cost was $100k. Another design by the firm, this one a modern luxury project in Johns Creek, was inspired by a unique combination of influences: 1) high-end golf courses, and 2) the client’s pet, a gray-furred and green-eyed housecat. This 90-day renovation involved three stories and culminated in brand-new furniture, HVAC, window treatments, and floor coverings. The kitchen was merged with the dining area to allow a more spacious atmosphere. The firm added a careful balance of wood, stone, glass, metal, and textiles, and the new color palette featured dashes of the feline-inspired gray, silver, and green. A glass wall waterfall was specifically commissioned for the stairwell. The project cost around $300k.

“I’ve always seen one’s home as your external heart and as such it deserves to be handled with the utmost care, creativity, and respect. Design, when done well and right, has a profound positive transformative impact on the lives going on inside it. I’ve had the great fortune to witness clients improve their health, deepen relationships, increase financial fortune, and change their lives all by design.
It’s always an honor and privilege to be invited to work on a client’s home, and in several cases, they’ve hired me to redesign their offices as well. When you change your interiors, you truly change your life. Being able to see beyond where my client is now to where they want to be, enables me to create living and working environments that empower my clients to reach their full potential.” – Melissa Galt

About Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart

Smallwood, Inc. is a homegrown firm that has been serving different regions in the US for over three decades. Its Atlanta office is headed by eleven principal architects, many of whom are members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certified Professionals. The team’s diverse and cross-disciplinary backgrounds enable complex innovations in design that seek to lead the design industry as a whole into the future. As an architectural firm, one of the primary objectives of the company is to seek interesting design challenges that provide opportunities for groundbreaking solutions. This idea guides the company to complete diverse projects in every sector and design discipline. The firm also follows a more holistic approach to design, highlighting how architecture should respond to the needs of its users and how design helps enhance communities. Over the years, the firm has worked on designs in corporate, commercial, hospitality, multifamily, industrial, governmental, and educational settings.

Featured Projects

One of the firm’s notable projects in Atlanta is Chick-fil-A’s “office of the future.” The project is a 21,770-square-foot structure located inside a warehouse not far from the restaurant chain’s main campus. The firm transformed the building into a dedicated testing area. The location includes versatile areas where different types of work can be completed. At the same time, the same was designed to inspire teamwork, so that different types of professionals can easily engage. Workstations of all types, meeting the needs of various employees, are positioned alongside smaller, more private stations. Quiet rooms offering further privacy are also available, but the key to the design is the collaborative areas, which encompass 30 percent of the structure’s total square footage. The design also includes video conference spaces featuring cutting-edge technology, and adaptable furniture.

About Perkins+Will

Perkins+Will began in 1935 and since that time it has grown into an interdisciplinary architecture, design, and research firm. Composed of over 2,000 employees worldwide, scattered across 20 different offices, the firm’s architects, interior designers, urban designers, and landscape architects seek to be leaders in the field, especially when it comes to sustainability, resilience, health and wellness, and mobility. The firm’s research sector seeks creative technologies and solutions, enabling it to design more evolved environments. The firm receives hundreds of design awards each year and is constantly ranked as one of the world’s top firms in the industry. While Perkins+Will creates versatile designs for all kinds of clients, one of its key concentrations is on creating corporate buildings and office spaces; for this firm, a strong design plan promotes successful businesses and represents an organization’s mission and work culture.

Featured Projects

Perkins+Will has a growing presence in Atlanta. One of its key contributions is the 1315 Peachtree, a structure that houses office spaces for the Atlanta-based Perkins+Will team. This 45,000-square-foot building was certified through the Sustainable Sites Initiatives program and is also a LEED Platinum-certified structure. 1315 Peachtree succeeded by “upcycling” a 1986 office building into a “living laboratory” of sections, including office spaces suited to hold 240 employees, civic gathering spots, and a library. The building features an open-air civic plaza, built on a space that was formerly a parking deck. It features innovative stormwater solutions, including a 10,000-gallon cistern designed to store and reuse rainwater. It also made use of and materials from paints and wall graphics for its carpets—all screened to reduce toxic substances. An underfloor air distribution system promotes optimal ventilation and fresh air, an exterior terrace is covered by a steel trellis and motorized overhang, and the design to let in natural light reduces energy-run lighting by 67 percent. Of the building’s structure, more than 60 percent is designed to be demountable, deconstructed and reused. The building received three Development of Excellence awards from ULA Atlanta, the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Livable Communities Coalition, and the Atlanta Urban Design Commission. It also received a Merit Award through the Georgia Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), earned a Design Award through AIA Georgia, and was named a Top 10 AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) project. Mayor Kasim Reed praised the building for its “true innovation in design, sustainability, and reuse.”

About Warner Summers

Warner Summers, founded in Atlanta in 1964, provides architecture and design services to corporate, office, financial, religious, medical, industrial, educational, and civic settings. Leading the firm are three principals, Dana McClure, C. Scott Ward, and Robert Meleski. These leaders strive to capture the vision, image, and culture of each client in order to optimize business goals, encourage and inspire clients, and make visitors feel welcome in the spaces the firm designs. Scott Ward studied at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, and both Ward and McClure are members of the AIA. Robert Meleski is NCIDQ certified and has received several awards and recognitions, including multiple Design Excellence Awards from the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and a “Best of the Best” Award from the International Interior Design Association (IIDA).

Featured Projects

Although not the largest firm on this list, Warner Summers has designed multiple office spaces for high-profile companies within Atlanta including the Home Depot Corporate Headquarters. At 1.650 million square feet, the office consists of flexible workspaces built to accommodate future growth. The building also houses a cafeteria, conference center, television studio, auditorium, and five division offices. Warner Summers also designed an Atlanta-based office for AT&T, which features 30,000 square feet of collaborative areas and private team rooms. For the Lincoln Financial Group, Warner Summers contributed to the design of a $5.4 million upgrade of an existing workspace.

About Niles Bolton

Niles Bolton defines success by how well a project realizes the vision of its clients and how well a project fulfills the needs of the people who live, work, or experience a given space. Rather than focusing strictly on aesthetics, this firm sees architecture as a process of listening, analyzing, and engaging each client. For the company, design is a system of applied knowledge and experience, helping to achieve true collaboration and long-lasting relationships with active members of a community. With each design, the firm aims to put artistry, style, and functionality into an inspired balance while meeting clients’ unique sets of preferences and needs. Niles Bolton began in 1975 at a time when around 50 percent of Atlanta architects were unemployed. Today, the team is led by a number of promising principals: G. Niles Bolton (AIA), the chairman and CEO, and Ray Kimsey (AIA, LEED, AP), the firm’s president.

Featured Projects

In Atlanta, Niles Bolton Associates created a 90,000-square-foot office for Byers Engineering Company. The building is four stories high and consists of limestone, precast concrete, and sloping, glass façades. Inside, the building contains meeting areas, flexible workspaces, communal areas, and break and recreation areas. The goal of the project was to deconstruct the basic box, with the four-story design inspired by a rectangle made of precast concrete: removing particular segments of “the box” creates a sloped structure where glass windows overlook the sprawling landscape beneath. Deliberately imbalanced in some areas but solid at its core, the design for this building achieves a unique tension. The atrium includes a grand staircase and a combination of hard shapes with natural curves emphasizes the notion of deliberate imbalance. The firm’s other projects in the city include the 3445 Peachtree, UH Midtown, Camden Places, the Home Depot Little Apron Academy. The firm also led the design of an office building for Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP. The project consists of a dual-level interior bridged by a large and central staircase. The space is comfortable but professional, a tone that reflects the work of the law firm inhabiting it, and it includes areas reserved for meetings and training sessions, a boardroom, and even a mock courtroom. The client sought a design that would reinforce its values, and Niles Bolton Associates fulfilled the request with a resulting architectural plan that is modern, efficient, and professional.

About 5G Studio Collaborative

5G Studio Collaborative goes after visionary clients with challenging projects, a significant choice that has produced inspired designs. With a holistic approach to collaboration, the firm tackles its work based on a profound understanding of the life cycle of a given building, its relevant costs, and marketability, and ultimately, its design aesthetic. Founded in 2005, 5G Studio is an award-winning firm that has earned global praise for its innovative and fresh designs found across ten countries. Many of its projects were created for high-profile clients and have won multiple recognitions. In the past, the firm has received the 2016 Architecture Firm of the Year Award, a 2016 United Masonry Contractors Association Golden Trowel Awards Honorable Mention for Restoration, an IIDA Lavish Most Innovative Design Award, and much more. The firm’s projects have been featured in publications like Commercial Property Executive, Arch Record, Hotel Business, Forbes, Design, Film Journal International, Curbed, and The Dallas Business Journal.

“Study Nature and be Inspired.” – Jim Viviano

Featured Projects

5G Studio designed the office headquarters for Georgia’s AIA branch in 2014. The 2,000-square-foot structure is small but sleek and occupies one corner of the Woodruff Volunteer Center in downtown Atlanta. The office is positioned behind a colonnade beneath the building and is completely transparent, with glass walls connecting employees to its bustling metropolitan landscape. The structure is known for its large, vertical bi-fold door, which is made out of locally sourced oak trees that, if not used for this office design, would have been sent to the chipper. At 1,000 pounds, the door was manufactured by Schweiss, engineered by Foresite Group, and installed by Eutree. It can be opened to create a large conference, a meeting area, or lecture space, and closed to attach to the wall, seamlessly creating a gallery space suited to hosting events.

About IA Interior Architects

IA studies environments through the lens of interior architecture, a once-radical concept in design when the firm was founded in 1984. Today, the firm is driven by the principles of change, creativity, innovation, and community service. IA is operated by co-Presidents and CEOs David Bourke and Tom Powers, both seeking to uphold the legacy of David Mourning, the firm’s founder. His legacy revolves around helping clients achieve their business goals through smart, efficient designs that enhance, stimulate, and inspire workers to perform well. Some of the many publications that featured IA’s office designs include FastCoDesign.com, Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc. Magazine, design*milk.com, SEGD Magazine, CNBC.com, Interior Design, Contract Magazine, and Metropolis Magazine. The firm’s long list of notable clients for its corporate workplace market includes Bacardi, LinkedIn, McMillan, Mercedes-Benz Research & Development, Sapient Atlanta, Enel Green Power, Jet, and Invenergy.

Featured Projects

Sapient Atlanta, a modern office with a bold color palette and sleek, futuristic furniture, was the recipient of the ASID Georgia Gold Design Excellence Award for the Corporate Office under 25,000-square-feet-category. The space contains brand messages appearing on digital platforms, a wall with laser-cut logos, collaborative team zones, a hallway made out of walls that can be written on, independent work areas and meeting rooms, graphic carpet designs, and a combination of industrial and colorful fixtures creating a focused but comfortable atmosphere. The firm also designed the Atlanta-based office for J. Walter Thompson: a two-level glass tower with a 50,000-square-foot workspace that incorporates a central, asymmetrical staircase, a series of both interactive and enclosed meeting areas, a hidden media library with a seating area, and digital media walls. Central to the design is its nonhierarchical atmosphere: it doesn’t include a single enclosed office. Instead, each of the 220 employees, including middle management and executives, operates within the same type of seven-foot module.

About HKS

Highlighted for its efforts to produce sustainable office spaces within Atlanta, HKS sees the act of design as a means of enhancing the human experience—an everyday design philosophy that the firm strictly adheres to in order to consistently deliver optimal results. The firm’s executive committee is made up of some the most influential figures in the industry, starting with its president and CEO Dan Noble, Atlanta Principal Julie Volosin, and other multi-affiliated principals working to complete achievements in areas such as architecture, planning and development, programming, project management, structural engineering, interior design, graphic design, branding, sustainability, research, and more. Known for its designs for corporate headquarters, some of HKS’s clients are international brands, such as Lear, Aviva, Radioshack, and Avon Cosmetics. Several of its projects in the US and abroad have received awards. Locally, its Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Airside Modernization Fire Station 40 and Atlanta’s Medline Regional Activity Center Livable Centers Initiative, earned the Outstanding Health Planning recognition in 2015, given by the Georgia Planning Association.

Featured Projects

Terminus 200 is a 585,412-square-foot mixed-use structure located in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta. It was designed in collaboration with Duda/Paine Architects. The building is LEED Gold certified. Its workplace section is rated one of the Top 10 Shared Office Spaces in the area, based on a popular reviews platform’s ranking. The project is now home to some renowned companies and institutions, such as Fitzgerald & CO, Film Connection Film Institute, Greenberg Traurig LLP, City National Bank, and Servcorp—which occupies the 20th floor. Servcorp’s office features sweeping views of the cityscape, a brightly lit marble interior lobby, splashes of orange alongside contemporary furnishings, two-day suites, a boardroom, a five-star coworking space with eight workstations, and landscaped paintings by local artist, Ford Smith, all evoking appreciation for the natural beauty that the artist witnessed during his world travels. One notable milestone in the firm’s portfolio was when it designed its own eco-friendly office in Atlanta, a project commended by Inhabit through an online feature. A LEED-certified design, 191 Peachtree Tower includes solutions to water reduction, energy efficiency, use of sustainable materials, maximization of furniture and equipment reuse, and recycling construction waste. The sleek and modern interior also includes low-flow water fixtures, which enable a 30-percent reduction in potable water use, and lighting fixtures that reduce energy use by 20 percent. Almost 80 percent of the space’s construction debris was later recycled, and the firm brought in previously used furniture from one of its former locations.

About HOK

HOK is an international firm composed of over 1,600 professionals from its 24 locations across three continents. The firm aims to create exceptional, creative, and environmentally sustainable designs for a diverse set of clients from every sector. Its portfolio currently includes large-scale commercial projects, civic and cultural centers, research facilities, and corporate headquarters. Selected for its achievements, HOK sees “work” as something people do—a commitment, an active process driven by a mission, and a set of principles. When Hok works with clients seeking to create or enhance their business offices or headquarters, the firm’s goal is to support the client’s employees, help the client better embody its brand, and achieve a level of flexibility to help the client adapt to its constantly evolving business needs. The firm’s designs for workplaces have received several awards, including a Houston Business Journal Landmark Award in the Office Building Category for its work on Phillips 66 Headquarters in Houston, and a Southern California Development Forum Design Award for HOK’s design for the DIRECTV Office in Los Angeles. Many of the firm’s designs are located in Atlanta.

Featured Projects

HOK designed the Porsche Experience Center and Headquarters in Atlanta, a LEED Silver-certified facility that merges an advanced customer experience center with contemporary office space. The project was designed to motivate 450 employees of Porsche to work together in one main hub, while also providing an engaging visitor experience for potential customers, Porsche fans, and auto enthusiasts. The building sits across from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and acts as one of the first Atlanta landmarks that visitors see upon entering the region. Detlev von Platen, CEO and president of North America’s Porsche operation, sought a sleek, high-performance building encapsulating the Porsche brand. The space achieves exactly that, with a 1.6-mile driver development track running through the courtyard, six modules for driving demonstrations, a vehicle gallery, a restoration center, a human performance center, multiple cafes, and a driving simulator lab. The building even features a restaurant named after the first Porsche ever produced and offers a view of the test track. The 13k-square-foot business center includes conference rooms, event spaces, and a design studio where visitors can create virtual vehicles.

About tvdesign

tvdesign was founded by Bill Thompson, Tom Ventulett, and Ray Stainback, all seeking to create inspired designs for an evolving world. Today, tvdesign is run by President Janet Simpson and Managing Principal Becky Ward. The firm has 50 years of experience and has contributed to the designs of millions of square feet across the world. The firm excels in office designs, with a team of office architects providing services for workplaces that embody each client’s values and promoting communication, creativity, and productivity. Led by a dedicated workplace design team, the firm has created corporate spaces aiming to improve employee wellness and retention and keep up with the changing needs of the modern office. In recent years, ASID Georgia has recognized the firm with two Design Excellence Awards in the corporate office design category, one for Fiserv’s Client Experience Center and the other for LPL Financial’s Ft. Mill campus.

Featured Projects

tvdesign’s 1015 Techwood Building, an expansion of Turner Broadcasting Companies, acts primarily as an operations facility. Located in a classic, collegiate campus, the building includes eight floors that are reachable through a series of covered walkways. A portion of the building’s roof includes a rooftop garden. The building features brick, precast concrete walls, with a color palette and texture that complement nearby buildings. One section of the building is made entirely of glass, allowing an abundance of natural light in. The glass section contains a playful pattern of panels, both translucent and transparent, and reflects the spirit of the building’s creative character. Another project is the Savannah River National Laboratory, a work in progress, located in Augusta, Georgia. While the structure is a mixed-use building, a big portion of it is designed to provide workspaces for business professionals. The design is part of a larger project that will combine the headquarters of the Savannah River National Laboratory with Augusta University School of Science and Technology, with the final product occupying 500,000 square feet of office space. Central to the design is a “collaboration courtyard” built on a raised, landscaped plaza where employees and visitors can congregate, share meals, and socialize.

About Gensler

Gensler’s clients come from a variety of national and global market sectors. Since its inception, the firm has served over 3,500 clients, some of which are ranked among the top Fortune 500 companies, while others are listed as emerging and established technology giants in the United States. Singled out for its success in designing offices, the firm works on projects ranging from large-scale to mid-range, private to public, and for-profit and nonprofit. Known for its collaborative process and client-centered approach, Gensler, led by Managing Director and Principal John Adams, Studio Leader and Senior Associate Lisa Adkins, Design Principals Shamim Ahmadzadegan and Chuck Albright, among others, has received notable awards for architecture and interior design. In the past, it has been recognized as Design Firm of the Year and was a finalist in the 2017 Innovation by Design Awards for General Excellence. Within Atlanta, the firm has completed a number of artistic office designs for high-profile clients.

Featured Projects

Some of Gensler’s notable designs include workplaces in the 525 North Avenue building, the offices of 22squared, one of Atlanta’s largest independent advertising communications agencies, the Atlanta Tech Village, FOCUS Brands Headquarters, NCR Midtown, the Hyundai Capital Operations Center, and the Mercedes-Benz USA Headquarters. Central to Gensler’s designs is sustainability; 22squared originally approached the firm for help redesigning its workspace, and the firm produced solutions that enabled a smarter use of space and enhanced workplace collaboration by 20 percent. The firm was also commissioned to design the Hyundai Capital Operations Center. The 50,000-square-feet office aims to increase productivity and quality of work for employees. Each workbench has a view through a window; desk spaces are separated by translucent glass panels allowing privacy without preventing connectivity; and a textured, cloud-like ceiling sits overhead, unique in its composition of 2,425 fabric cones that create the impression of a gentle movement. A white and gray concrete color palette keeps this modern workplace elegant. It was designed to pass for USGBC’s LEED Gold certification.

About Cooper Carry

Outstanding for its multi-awarded portfolio and its consistency to secure awards for many of its projects, Cooper Carry remains one of the most established architectural firms in the region. Aside from winning 2020’s IIDA Georgia Best of the Best Awards for its Solis Decatur design, the company has also won the approval of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) for its contributions to the country’s commercial real estate and corporate environments. Across the US are notable projects that have transformed how people work through innovative, smart, and stunning workplaces. In the past, a Virginia project won NAIOP’s Award of Merit for the Best DC Urban Office Building category. Another project in the region was featured by the Washington Business Journal as 2012’s Best New Office Development. In Atlanta, some of its projects for the corporate industry earned the Energy Star Awards, Atlanta Downtown Design Excellence Awards, among others. The company has come a long way since Walter Carry and Jerry Cooper started it in 1960. Today, the firm works as a creative collective, championing collaborations and technology-based designs to dominate a long list of industries.

Featured Projects

Some of the firm’s most iconic corporate office buildings reshaped Atlanta’s skyline. These high-rise, high-value architectures exhibit the company’s ability to turn the most complex design ideas into functional, high-performing structures. The Riverwood 200, for instance, is a 319,617-square-foot modern highrise facility that houses multi-tenant office buildings to cater to a new generation of office workers. The project was designed to be sustainable and efficient and currently holds a LEED-CS v2009 Silver certification. Another impressive project still located in the city is the Midtown Union. This state-of-the-art building, expected to be completed in 2022, allocates 600,000 square feet for its office facilities, and the remaining spaces are designed to accommodate hotel rooms, multifamily units, retail spaces, and parking decks. Just like Riverwood 200, its design follows the industry’s strictest green standards. The office building is set to achieve LEED v.4 Silver certification.

About Stevens & Wilkinson

Recognized for its comprehensive architecture, engineering, and interior design services, Stevens & Wilkinson serves a wide range of markets across multiple US locations. Its extensive portfolio features designs, planning, and engineering projects for the healthcare, aviation, entertainment, cultural, government, residential, hospitality, commercial, academic, and corporate sectors, among others. Headed by its chairman, Ron Stang, and its president, Robby Aull, the company is composed of over 100 professionals. Its offices are equipped with in-house project teams that work on projects for specific sectors. Since its founding over a century ago the firm has won multiple awards from the AIA, Associated General Contractors of Georgia (AGC Georgia), and The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. As an architect for the corporate workplace sector that serves Atlanta and other cities in Georgia, it has completed projects for Girl Scout Council of Northwest Georgia and the Delta Air Lines.

Featured Projects

The company’s McKenney’s and Delta Airlines are some of its most notable works for Atlanta’s corporate and workplace sectors. The McKenney’s project gave the firm an opportunity to transform an existing 1960’s office to a contemporary new building to upgrade the office for its bigger, more advanced workforce. The project involved the building design and the interior design of the facility as well as campus evaluation. One significant purpose of the renovation was to open up the structure to better views of its exteriors so that every work area has an unobstructed view of its surrounding landscape. The project for Delta Airlines, on the other hand, was for the redesign of the workplace’s lobby and office cafe. The project was vital to how the airline company presents its brand to those who enter their facility. The goals were to create a good impression, enhance the image of the brand, and at the same time, provide an exciting and stimulating work environment for the company’s visitors and employees. The firm’s sister company, idea|span, provided the project’s interior design.

About ai3

ai3 is a collection of designers, architects, artists, and thinkers striving to create meaningful spaces born out of clients’ stories. Inspired by the teamwork that went into designing the Georgia Aquarium, this steadily growing and inter-disciplinary firm has one of the most widespread influences on Atlanta’s dining scene today. ai3 is led by Lucy Aiken-Johnson, Patrick Johnson, Dan Mass, and Principals Ann-Marie Lima, Kerry Wittwer, and Kellon Minor, many of whom are members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certified Professionals. The firm believes that helping clients narrate their own stories allows the clients to create verbal blueprints for the desired form and function of their properties. The process emphasizes the firm’s client-focused approach. That process ensures that clients are the true “owners” of their projects. Using this philosophy, the firm has successfully completed designs for some industry giants, including the Coca-Cola Company, Microsoft Atlanta, the Atlanta Sports Complex, Central Atlanta Library, Atlanta Hawks, and the Atlanta Country Club. As a restaurant architect, the firm has completed 48 projects, primarily in the Atlanta area, and nearly all of them in the state of Georgia.

Featured Projects

ai3 collaborated with Peace Design on the design for Lure, a fresh seafood restaurant in midtown Atlanta. Inspired by the commercial fishing industry, Lure’s entryway is a landmark in and of itself—a giant, 200-year-old anchor salvaged from a ship that once sunk to the bottom of the Boston Harbor. Inside, the restaurant brings together maritime elements like wood and metal, rough-hewn timbers and beams, an antique wooden pulley and chain suspended from the ceiling, birch wishbone chairs, brass portholes, and fittings, and a lamp made out of a piece of a World War II bomber. Outside, wooden shutters separate diners from the bustling sidewalk and help maintain the sensation of being in a ship’s hull. Another collaboration was for the Drift Oyster Bar project, an upscale—yet not uptight—restaurant that features a design inspired by the culinary choices that it serves. With a vintage oyster can collection, suspended oars, custom steel sculptures, sail cloths, and twinkling lights, Drift sets the tone as if diners are enjoying a seaside vacation. Another collaborative project in midtown Atlanta, The Globe, features a giant chalkboard and globe lights in a European bistro-style eatery, prompting the name of a whole new aesthetic, “schoolhouse chic.”

About CCS Architecture

CCS Architecture was founded in 1990 by Cass Calder Smith. Smith is now joined by other partners, Barbara Vickroy, the Director of Interior Design, Melissa Werner, Director of Operations, and Tim Quayle, Director of Architecture. Although its two locations are in San Francisco and the other in New York City, many of its projects can be found across different cities and regions in the US, including Atlanta. The firm offers architecture and interior design services for a variety of public and private structures. The Cass Calder portfolio is composed of award-winning residential designs but it also has outstanding works for the restaurant and hospitality sector. The firm is driven by creative exploration, common sense, experience, and a desire to bring each project to its full potential. Its creations exhibit exceptional spatial and material qualities, setting its style apart from other design firms. Most importantly, the company is known for its client-centered approach to design.

Featured Projects

The firm’s East coast and West coast locations allow it to expand its services across other regions, including Georgia’s capital, Atlanta. One of its major contributions to the city is its work for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s dining and hospitality section where restaurants like Grindhouse Killer Burgers and Argo Tea operate. The design also accommodated spaces for a media tower, projection screen, and several charging stations. The firm also designed a high-end project that earned the Best Restaurant Design at the Hotel Architecture + Design (HA+D) Awards Ceremony in Hong Kong. The firm followed a three-fold approach, consisting of a restaurant, lobby bar, and cafe area inside the 1967 Hyatt Regency Hotel. The modern, clean, and timeless spaces were designed to give guests a luxurious dining experience. The restaurant, Sway, used to be a bare extension of the hotel lobby. Deep renovation by CCS Architecture turned it into a chic, all-day restaurant with an exhibition kitchen and a wine bar. The interior is cozy, with warm lighting and sophisticated furnishings.

About DeCarlo and Hawker

This firm is the combined creative efforts of husband-and-wife team Michael DeCarlo and Sara Hawker. DeCarlo, who started his practice in 2009, has experience working with Atlanta’s Summerour & Associates, where he specialized in detailed and high-end projects. A licensed architect since 2000, he studied at Georgia Tech and took part in an intensive program in Versailles. He is a board member of Atlanta’s historic preservation Easements Foundation. Hawker, who began working in the firm in 2013, specializes in restaurant design and has collaborated on several projects with other designers on this list. She studied architecture at the Savannah College of Art and Design. DeCarlo and Hawker have partnered with many other designers in the city to deliver local classics that may soon become national landmarks for being a big part of the region’s historic community. Its projects, such as the Marrakesh, Bellina, Biltong Bar, Ton Ton, and Botiwalla, can be found in the Ponce City Market.

Featured Projects

The Ponce City Market is a mixed-use property located in a historic neighborhood in Atlanta. The complex is known for its local stores, restaurants, a food hall, office and boutique spaces, and even some residential units. At 2.1 million square feet, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. Now, investors and owners want to transform Ponce City Market and make it one of the nation’s famous food halls, along with Pike Place in Seattle, San Francisco’s Ferry Building, and the Chelsea Market in NYC. The diverse design elements for each enterprise in the food hall gave the firm an opportunity to showcase its versatility and its understanding of design. For Marrakesh, for instance, the firm designed a brightly lit, Mediterranean-chic mini-market with colorful tiles decorating both the floors and ceiling and wooden baskets tucked in every nook and cranny. For Bellina, the firm designed a charming Italian bistro with deep hues, rich textures, and soft light. Biltong Bar features its sleek upholstery, warm glow, and sophisticated brick walls. Ton Ton, a ramen restaurant, is characterized by its traditional, decorative wood paneling; and Botiwalla, an Indian street food grill peppered with all the decorative details of a bustling city street. Long-term goals for this overall property include rooftop gardens to enable local restaurants to grow their own food.

About Habachy Designs

Composed of a team of interior designers, architects, and graphic designers, Habachy Designs introduces a high-caliber standard in conceptualizing residential and commercial spaces for the region’s most sophisticated clients. The firm is led by its principal, Michael Habachy. As a team that offers interior architecture, interior design, and branding the company has produced award-winning projects that have caught the attention of many industry organizations and publications. In 2019, for instance, Veranda Magazine and ADAC awarded the firm with the prestigious Southeast Designer of the Year award. Local, national, and even global publications have also featured many of the firm’s works. Atlanta Magazine, Home, InDesign, Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles, The Atlantan, among others, highlighted the company’s ability to come up with creative, highly sophisticated, and timeless interiors and architectures.

Featured Projects

Since its founding over fifteen years ago, the company has built up a commercial portfolio that showcases award-winning hotels, nightclubs, spas, and restaurant interiors. One of its most innovative projects as a restaurant designer is the East Wave Cafe in Downtown Atlanta. Its eccentric use of shapes and patterns introduces a whole new experience for dining and socializing. Its unique design won the Georgia Chapter Design Excellence, Bronze Award, given by ASID, the American Society of Interior Designers. Other projects found in Georgia are commended for their nod to luxury. The firm’s Viande Rouge Steakhouse as well as a Korean restaurant, Breakers, design concept introduces the firm’s ability to create elegant interiors that pay tribute to the unique cultural aspect of every project.

About Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry

Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry, an Atlanta-based firm chosen for its achievements in restaurant design, focuses on the holistic aspects of quality dining: cuisine matters, but so does each element of the space in which we eat. The Johnson Studio recognizes that the strength of the setting can elevate the dining experience from a tasty meal to a significant and long-lasting memory of an entire occasion. Focusing on the dynamic between food and place — “the emotional connection between what we eat and where we eat it” — is central to this firm’s success. With 25 years of experience and over 500 project completed, The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry has created important, unique, and memorable restaurant aesthetics throughout the country.

Featured Projects

The KR Steakbar in Atlanta, a new-age Italian steak bar specializing in small plates, was designed to promote a feeling of neighborliness. Located in a 30-year-old former designer showroom, the restaurant features an open-floor plan and glowing walls decorated with walnut wood strips that create a spacious, open mood. A rectangular bar is positioned over cozy, leather lounge seating, which complements the friendly nature of the elegant and exposed kitchen. In Sandy Springs, Kaiser’s Chophouse on Roswell Road provides high-end cuisine in a space designed by The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry. The Chophouse features a contemporary aesthetic with traditional elements, from an open bar to seating areas divided by a cozy library wall made up of bookshelves. Friendly booths for intimate dining are punctuated by wooden tables. Described as “London chic” by the client, the restaurant is filled with friendly booths and classic wooden tables.

About Meyer Davis Studio

Although based in New York, Meyer Davis Studio has established its presence in Atlanta through multiple commercial projects that helped shape the local scene. Bar Margot, King & Duke, and St. Cecilia are some examples of its works in Georgia. Meyer Davis was founded in 1999 by Will Meyer and Gray Davis. Since then, the firm has received national and international recognition for its work in hospitality, specifically restaurant settings and workplace designs. The firm is remarkable for the bold creativity of its multiple restaurant designs. With each project, the firm seeks to tell a story using space, form, texture, and light; each design creates a “visual experience that seeks to compel and inspire.” Meyer Davis has worked with renowned restaurateurs and celebrity chefs including Michael White, Andrew Carmellini, Daniel Boulud, Tom Colicchio, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Josh Capon, and Ford Fry. The firm’s work with restaurant settings has received recognition and praise from Interior Design’s Best of Year Awards, Boutique Design’s Gold Key Awards, The International Hotel & Property Awards, and the Hospitality Design Awards.

Featured Projects

Atlanta’s St. Cecilia is a 10,700-square-foot establishment modeled after European bistros to offer a coastal Italian vibe. The design includes a creamy and natural color palette with ocean blues that evoke relaxed, seaside gazing. Its quirky details lighten the mood—the space has no straight walls, maintaining an open ambiance with tons of natural light. The design relied on local and natural materials including hardwood floors, industrial-style exposed steel, and custom leather barstools. Antique mirrors allow views of a giant oak and brass bookcase decorated with small treasures, all reminiscent of an Italian seaside. Bar Margot, another design by Meyer Davis, is located within the Four Seasons Hotel in Atlanta. CovetED called it a bold and whimsical design inspired by Wes Anderson’s film The Royal Tenenbaums, containing wit and moodiness, while somehow managing to incorporate the “cool charm” of modern Southern hospitality. Another Atlanta restaurant by Meyer Davis, in collaboration with NO Architecture, King & Duke was built around open-fire cooking. Central to the design of the restaurant are a 24-foot open-fire hearth, coal-burning grills, one wood-burning grill, and an assortment of rotisseries and Dutch ovens. King & Duke is located on West Paces Ferry and Peachtree.

About NO Architecture

NO Architecture is a one-man firm established by Tim Nichols, a veteran architect that has worked with the internationally renowned design firm, HoK. While a full-service architectural and interior design company, NO Architecture focuses on creative and immersive spaces, including restaurants and workplaces. Popular for the design of the Atlanta restaurant The Optimist, some of NO Architecture’s other notable works include the Joystick Gamebar, The Lawrence, and Double Zero. Tim Nichols teaches interior design as an assistant professor at Georgia State University and facilitates art tours throughout Europe, including Paris, London, and Barcelona. Named after the limitless possibility of a blank starting page of any truly creative and brand-new design, the firm’s goal is the “confrontation with the unknown”. Courage and conviction, rather than the safety of preconceptions, drive each project. Central to the firm’s success is collaboration—the best antidote to preconceptions. The firm was founded in 2008 and its portfolio is a product of its independent practice as well as collaborative works with other industry leaders. The firm’s strongest presence in Atlanta is represented by its work in restaurants. NO Architecture collaborated on the design of a number of local establishments, including BeetleCat, Superica, and King & Duke.

Featured Projects

The firm’s most talked-about project in Atlanta is The Optimist & Oyster Bar, a dual project in which Tim Nichols worked in partnership with famous chef Ford Fry. It was also a collaborative effort with fellow design firm Smith Hanes and builder Ben Lassbeck. The location, a former meat distribution warehouse, was transformed into a classic seafood restaurant that serves sustainable cuisine baked in a wood-burning oven. The restaurant, located in Midtown West at Howell Mill and 8th, includes 16-inch-deep windows made of steel, oak ceilings, steel shelving, and decorative textiles that soften the decor. The new design opened up the restaurant to bring in an abundance of natural light and an unobstructed view of its surrounding landscape. The Optimist was declared Best New Restaurant of 2012 by Esquire. Adjacent to The Optimist is the Oyster Bar, the more informal companion establishment that features an outdoor patio.

About Place Maker Design

Outstanding for its multiple restaurant architecture and design projects across Georgia, Place Maker Design is one of the city’s most preferred professionals for this market sector. Since its founding in 2004, Place Maker Design has worked with large and medium enterprises to complete projects that embody the firm’s philosophy: good design will always come first. The company makes sure that projects—regardless of size or value—enjoy a high quality of service and expectations. The firm is led by principal architects, Tim Vaccaro and Kevin Maher. Together, they have delivered retail, residential, and other commercial spaces to the region’s growing markets. As restaurant architects, the firm’s designs have not only changed Atlanta’s hospitality sector, they have created award-winning landmarks that will be remembered for generations. The firm’s work for a new city center in Alpharetta, for instance, won the 2018 Development of Excellence award from the Atlanta Regional Commission. This project houses eateries, shops, and other establishments that offer locally-celebrated dining and shopping experiences.

Featured Projects

In Georgia, the company has completed multiple projects for the restaurant sector. Like its work in Alpharetta and other cities in the region, these dining spaces have become a part of the city’s unique local experience. The Bazati Hall, for instance, was designed to provide a haven for locals to enjoy good food and good company. Additionally, the firm also worked with Tin Lizzy’s Cantina to design five locations across the region. These restaurants feature architectures that exude a “modern, casual, and energetic” atmosphere—the restaurant’s signature vibe and the main reason why it has become a constant in the local dining experience.

About Seiber Design

Founded by Ed Seiber in 1995, Seiber Design is a studio of architects and interior designers. Its primary market comes from the private sector and other commissions for individual project owners. The firm was selected for its long list of popular restaurant projects completed in Atlanta. Backed with a solid foundation in architecture, Ed Seiber began his solo practice in designing high-volume and upscale dining. In 1996, Stacey Kirby joined the firm and became a partner by 2005. The firm works on designs tailored for restaurants, stores, businesses, and residences. Seiber Design’s motto is “everything matters.” Every detail of the design is deliberately selected, then carefully fitted into place. The firm’s Atlanta-based project, Proof and Provision, received the 2013 Bronze Design Excellence Award in the Restaurant Category from the Georgia Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. For its work on Ray’s on the River, the firm received the 2008 Gold Award in Design Excellence.

Featured Projects

As a project that earned the Silver Design Excellence Award from the Georgia Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), Eugene, is one of the firm’s most notable restaurant designs. With an area that covers 3,400 square feet, the building is a high-end and contemporary restaurant in The Aramore Condominiums near Atlanta’s Peachtree Battle Shopping Center. The design exudes a cozy and elegant ambiance due to its warm colors, deep textures, and sophisticated lighting. Another award-winning project, Ray’s on the River, occupies an 11k-foot structure right at the edge of Atlanta’s Chattahoochee River. The building was originally a seafood restaurant. After undergoing a full interior and exterior renovation, the building now features a classic supper club atmosphere, characterized by modern details and striking, decorative focal pieces. At the client’s request, the firm made sure that the design honors the river and put it at its center stage, an element meant to enhance the patron’s dining experience.

About Smith Hanes Studio

Smith Hanes Studio collaborated on The Optimist, Esquire’s Best New Restaurant of 2012 and one of the most popular dining spots in town. This Atlanta-based firm favors projects involving spaces where people live their lives and entertain themselves. Working on everything from restaurants and cafes to houses and art galleries, the firm aims to make a difference in the way its clients’ experience their lives. Smith Hanes Studio seeks out clients who excel in their own fields and who value the process of creation — entrepreneurs, chefs, business owners. His gallery design for legendary art dealer Fay Gold reveals the precision common in his designs, coupled with an elegant yet comfortable aesthetic. In particular, Smith Hanes is praised for his involvement in Atlanta’s restaurant community, and his work has been featured in Luxe and Bon Appetit. Two of his collaborations, The Optimist and Watershed, are community classics.

Featured Projects

Le Fat was modeled after a fusion of Parisian bistro and pre-WWII Hanoi — a particularly hopeful and stylistic time for French Indochina. The cuisine served by chef Guy Wong is known for its evocative aromas, and the combination of culture and quaint Parisian style makes this a truly unique restaurant within Atlanta. The setting is peppered with classic millwork elements, a Zinc bar, and fruitwood tambour columns. The lighting is a testament to the resourceful and conscientious nature of the design, with entirely handmade or found lamps, all belonging to the era that inspired the decor, illuminating the charming interior. Completing the French bistro aesthetic is a mirrored bar reflecting the hand-painted decorations on the walls. Another of the firm’s collaborative designs is Watershed on Peachtree, which Zagat has mentioned in 23 articles, such as “The 12 Best Brunches in Atlanta,” “Best Fried Chicken in Atlanta,” “Where to Eat Brunch,” and “This Week’s Best Food Deals and Events in Atlanta.” Zagat gave Watershed a 4.2 for its cuisine and a 4.3 for its decor, described the ambiance as “refined yet hip,” and singled out the “trendy bar as helping to fuel a romantic, cool vibe.”

About Square Feet Studio

Square Feet Studio is not only known for its award-winning restaurant designs in Atlanta, but also for the thoughtful nature of its projects. The firm goes out of its way to honor the city’s history and celebrate the Southern spirit through timeless and culturally relevant projects. Led by founding principals John Bencich, Vivian Bencich, and partner Blake Burton, the firm offers architecture, planning, and design services to a diverse market. The firm prioritizes environmentally sustainable resources in all matters of design, in order to minimize environmental impact while maximizing long-term quality and function. Many of its works have been featured in Zagat, Retail Design Blog, Hospitality Design, Curbed Atlanta, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Vogue, Imbibe, and many more. Although the firm excels in a number of project types, some of its most high-end and highly-acclaimed designs exist in restaurant settings, with projects found across the city.

“I have always been fascinated with making things and knew I wanted to be an architect since I was in high school. Upon completion of my degrees at Georgia Tech and working in the profession for 9 years, my wife and I launched Square Feet Studio so we could have a practice in which architecture, planning and interior design were inseparable. That was not the status quo at the time. The disciplines were siloed and firms specialized or has separate “studios” doing planning or interior design. We thought that was unnatural. In the 17 years we’ve been practicing together, we’ve found that our integrate approach allows us to have more honest conversations with our clients because we are discussing their needs in terms of how people respond to complete experiences rather that in the unnatural buckets created by the profession. We can talk about the traffic patterns, the parti and the window treatments in the same conversation. ” – John Bencich

Featured Projects

Staplehouse started as an underground supper club founded by Ryan and Jen Hidinger. Located in a historic brick building, the space was once a general store. After it was renovated, the building became an open-kitchen restaurant with a cozy outdoor space, walls coated in ivy, and a brand-new dining patio with a prep kitchen built in the shadows of a large oak tree. A private dining area with scenic views sits above the main level, and a side room houses The Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting local, struggling restaurants. The design for Staplehouse was the grand prize winner of the 2016 Contract Magazine Inspirations Award and was the winner of the 2016 City of Atlanta Urban Design Commission Award of Excellence. Another Square Feet Studio project, White Oak Kitchen, won the 2012 Atlanta Downtown Design Excellence Award and the 2013 Award of Merit from the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), Georgia’s Best of the Best in Hospitality Design. Inspired by the client’s appreciation for high-quality whiskey, the restaurant is decorated with barrels, steel straps, and oak slats. Charred wood panels warmed by dim lighting add a layer of sophistication. To elevate the patron’s dining experience, the building showcases a stunning view of the Atlanta skyline.

About LG Squared

LG Squared offers purposeful innovation, holistic design, and masterful building services in its hometown of Atlanta and throughout the country. The firm focuses on residential architecture, consulting, and building but also offers interior design and HVAC design services. Run by the husband-and-wife pair of Jodi Laumer-Giddens and Chris Laumer-Giddens, the company’s projects are driven by the principle that creativity extends beyond the technical and visual. The firm takes pride in integrated solutions that are honest, durable, and inspiring, with collaboration being their key to designing and building homes. The firm’s projects have appeared in publications like Remodeling Magazine, Atlanta Home Improvement, gb&d magazine, Architect Magazine, Inhabitat, and Know Atlanta.

Featured Projects

Collaborating with The Imery Group, LG Squared designed the house that won the 2013 Earthcraft House Project of the Year Award and the NAHB Project of the Year Award for Single-Family Volume. One of LG Squared’s notable projects is their design for the house that won the EarthCraft Project of the Year award in 2013 and the NAHB Project of the Year Award for Single-Family Volume. The house, constructed by The Imergy Group and located in Serenbe — an environmentally sustainable community in Chattahoochee Hills, GA — received an EarthCraft Platinum certification, as well as certifications for Energy Star Version 3.0, WaterSense and EPA Indoor airPLUS. It was also named a DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Housing Innovation Award Winner for 2014 in the Custom Category. The purpose of the design was to show that an energy-efficient home was capable of reflecting a sophisticated architectural style without requiring its occupants to compromise.

About Urban Purpose Design

Chosen mainly for its seasoned team of architects, designers, and builders, Urban Purpose Design serves the Atlanta area. The firm is led by its founders, Principals David Hauser and Micaela Roberts Quinton. With ten years of experience in the industry, David originally studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he graduated from his architecture program with honors. He gained experience in high-end residential projects from the design stage to the final aspects of the building process while working for Whole House Studios. Michaela, Design Principal of Urban Design, holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Valdosta State University with a minor in design and was student chapter president of ASID. During her studies, she won the Design Student of the Year Award and went on to gain experience in commercial architecture.

Featured Projects

Urban Purpose Design has a reputation for adding modern flare to neighborhoods with more traditional styles. The company primarily serves the greater Atlanta area, but one of its boldest and most recent designs is the 416 E. Bolton Street residence in Savannah, completed in 2016 and sold for $760k. A strikingly modern touch to a historic neighborhood, the house, with its three-story rectangular and glass exterior, juts several feet higher than its neighbors, and its simplistic entrance, free of front porch spaces or patio rails, creates an energy flow with the remainder of the street and sidewalk that the other, older houses lack. The Urban Purpose Design team has worked on such wide-ranging projects as Dutch Island renovation, Intown Alternate Modern, outdoor hybrid living spaces, Atlanta Beltline Contemporary, a micro-cottage in Alabama, and historic renovations honoring local style.

About Glazer

Glazer Design & Construction began doing design-build in 1995. Over the years the firm built a name for custom-designed homes and its commitment to building projects that aim to go green. Glazer is a certified EarthCraft Home Builder whose projects have been featured dozens of times in publications like the Atlanta Business Chronicle, The Jewish Times, and Atlanta Home Improvement. Randy Glazer, owner and president of the firm, has a degree in design-build and is a member of the NAHB and the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association. Francois Lodde, Lead Project Manager, oversees the entire design-build process, complete with a high level of attention to customer service in every project. The firm is committed to universal design, offering services in designing and building handicap-accessible houses.

Featured Projects

Glazer’s numerous renovation and design projects are featured online. Some of the company’s build-design residential homes include a Brookhaven residence at 5531 Clinchfield Trail. With 3,200 square feet and features like an exercise room, solarium, 9-foot-tall ceilings, a wet bar, a whirlpool bath, and outdoor fire pit, the house is valued at $550k. Another Brookhaven property, 1158 Dorby Park Drive, features a modern, brick façade that gives way to five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a family room, a luxurious screen porch, and a large garage with thoughtful spaces designed for extra storage. It also features a library, a banquet-sized dining area, and a gourmet kitchen that boasts copper farm sinks, an island with quartz countertops, and a full butler’s pantry.

About Terracotta Design Build Co.

Terracotta Design Build is singled out for its artistic and accomplished female leaders and for its excellence in interior design. Started in 2005, Terracotta is run by Principals Ili Hidalgo-Nilsson and Luly Bestard-Melarti, long-time friends since architecture school and seasoned designers. The majority of team members who make up Terracotta Design Build are women. Terracotta was featured in multiple magazines and received two awards for outstanding interior design projects from ASID at the 2017 Design Excellence Awards. Principal architect, interior designer and founding partner Ili Hidalgo-Nilsson has degrees from Northwestern University, Georgia Tech, and Ecole D’Architecture and is registered with the NCARB, NCIDQ, and ASID. She is also a member of the Georgia chapter of the Contractors Association, the Decatur Business Association, and the National Association of Women Business Owners. Principal architect and co-founder Luly Bestard-Melarti studied at Georgia State University, Georgia Tech, and Ecole D’Architecture and is a registered architect in New Jersey and Georgia, as well as a member of AIA and the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce.

Featured Projects

Terracotta produces thoughtful designs for tasteful homes. The firm’s website is sprinkled with colorful photographs of works in progress, where projects range from deep renovation, brand-new designs, and tiny and artistic touches that make already finished rooms spring to life or relax into deep seas of calm. One of Terracotta’s projects, the Atlanta Townhome with Timeless Appeal, was featured on HGTV: Big City Digs, where it was declared the editors’ choice for the 2017 HGTV Faces of Design Award in the Big City Digs category. HGTV.com describes the home as a brick-façade townhouse with handsome columns and crisp black shutters, all features that give the home sophisticated curb appeal. Terracotta achieved a feeling of openness and spaciousness with this project by inserting “small punches of color and pattern” onto a primarily white canvas.

About Mosaic

Mosaic was selected to be included on this list because of its strong presence in the Atlanta area, with services in 60 neighborhoods within and around Atlanta, as well as for the company’s numerous recognitions. The firm has received several awards in a variety of categories within the design-build industry, including the 2016 NARI Atlanta Contractor of the Year award in three categories. Co-founders William Fadul and Rick Goldstein hold multiple credentials in green building and remodeling. The company is affiliated with the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, Southface, Dunwoody, SSPC, and Leadership Sandy Springs.

Featured Projects

The Barn, a pool house created in 2015, adds hospitality and rustic charm to an Atlanta home. A type of home in and of itself, The Barn comes with upper and lower decks and interior sunrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking tree-filled views. It has extensive space for storage and recreation areas, a kitchen and bar area, a modern bathroom with rustic flare, and an entire spare bedroom. Outdoor extensions, patio spaces, and pool houses may well be Mosaic’s forte, with several more residential build-design projects completed in and around Atlanta. In Brookhaven, Mosaic designed and created an outdoor retreat area connected to a family’s home that is worth $150k and includes an upper deck, a swimming pool, a landing, an outdoor kitchen and fireplace with modern amenities, and a flagstone patio with deck chairs.