Houzz Tour: 2 Designers Live and Work in This Atlanta Apartment
One loves clean lines; the other goes for an organic look. But the roommates find chic common ground (and great deals)
Interior designers Tavia Forbes and Monet Masters not only work together, but they are roommates too. Since they work out of their apartment in midtown Atlanta, you might think they would tire of each other or their space, but they don’t. “We have our common area and our separate spheres,” Masters says. And with their professional eyes and shopping skills, they have created a space that’s hard to leave.
As renters, the women judiciously invested in the important things, replacing the existing blinds with drapes and rods from Ikea. They hung the drapes all the way at the ceiling to emphasize its height and painted the rods black. An olive tree balances out the height of the sculpture on the other side of the windows.
“The console is a focal point,” Forbes says. And it keeps them well-organized and neat, providing storage space for media equipment, fabrics and accessories they keep on hand for clients.
See more modern media cabinets
“The console is a focal point,” Forbes says. And it keeps them well-organized and neat, providing storage space for media equipment, fabrics and accessories they keep on hand for clients.
See more modern media cabinets
Kitchen. The women find that they wind up working at their kitchen island a lot, as it gives them plenty of room to spread out. The kitchen was already beautifully appointed with dark brown wood cabinets. To make it their own, they added a beautiful Oriental runner to the floor and popped wooden baskets over the existing pendant lights to add texture. Vases atop the refrigerator bring in color and interesting silhouettes and create a little still life, something they like to do when arranging accessories.
“When it comes to kitchen counter accessories, we keep it realistic with items like a cookbook stand and a tray to organize the cooking utensils and herbs and spices that we use every day,” Masters says.
“When it comes to kitchen counter accessories, we keep it realistic with items like a cookbook stand and a tray to organize the cooking utensils and herbs and spices that we use every day,” Masters says.
Art is another way renters can make a kitchen their own. Beautiful paintings were a score from Scott Antique Markets in Atlanta.
“Items that are more transparent, like these vases, don’t take up as much space visually,” Forbes says.
“Items that are more transparent, like these vases, don’t take up as much space visually,” Forbes says.
Masters’ room. The business partners hang out together in their living room and kitchen but retire to their separate bedrooms for private time. “We have a lot of fun together, and we’ll wind up texting each other and sending funny videos when we’re in our rooms,” Masters says. Once you get to know them through their bedroom styles, go back and look at the living room again because it’s fun to see how their design styles work separately and mixed together.
As for Masters’ room, it shows off the clean-lined furniture and rich textiles she prefers. The first item she bought for her room was this bed, which has modern lines and a big dollop of black. She got a deal good on it from an NFL player off Craigslist. A friend who worked at the Jonathan Adler store called her up when the store was having a big moving sale, and she scored the expensive nightstands for $50. The bases they came with had angled legs, so she had another friend make more rectilinear bases for her.
Forbes and Masters scored six of these $900 faux fur throws at a cash-and-carry sale at AmericasMart for $75 each.
As for Masters’ room, it shows off the clean-lined furniture and rich textiles she prefers. The first item she bought for her room was this bed, which has modern lines and a big dollop of black. She got a deal good on it from an NFL player off Craigslist. A friend who worked at the Jonathan Adler store called her up when the store was having a big moving sale, and she scored the expensive nightstands for $50. The bases they came with had angled legs, so she had another friend make more rectilinear bases for her.
Forbes and Masters scored six of these $900 faux fur throws at a cash-and-carry sale at AmericasMart for $75 each.
Among Masters’ favorite things are these bold 26-inch pillows in a Jim Thompson fabric. A client had ordered them through another designer and decided they did not fit her scheme, so she gave them to Masters. The crafty designer then had little emerald green tassels added to them for some unexpected pizazz.
The artwork in the living room inspired her choices for the artwork in her bedroom. “They resembled the style of those photographs but are more true to the tribal style I like,” she says. “They add more color to my room but are still very dark and bold.”
She won a gift card to Lamps Plus at an interior design conference and used it to buy the glass lamps. “They are classic and can easily transition into different style rooms,” she says.
Nightstands: Jonathan Adler; browse black-and-white pillows
The artwork in the living room inspired her choices for the artwork in her bedroom. “They resembled the style of those photographs but are more true to the tribal style I like,” she says. “They add more color to my room but are still very dark and bold.”
She won a gift card to Lamps Plus at an interior design conference and used it to buy the glass lamps. “They are classic and can easily transition into different style rooms,” she says.
Nightstands: Jonathan Adler; browse black-and-white pillows
Both women also wind up working in their rooms when the mood strikes. “We usually advise our clients not to do this,” Forbes says. “But because we understand atmosphere and design as it relates to psychology, it can actually be relaxing for us. It helps that we are passionate about our work.”
The desk chair was a free acquisition. While Masters was interning at Currey & Co., new furniture the firm was deciding whether to carry arrived and this piece did not make the cut, so a mentor gave it to her. “The floral pillow is silk and adds a little shimmer,” she says. “It’s not too shiny, it has a great mix of colors, I love orange, and I love the lumbar shape.” The baskets were a bargain in Accent Decor’s sale section — they were marked down to $3 each.
The desk chair was a free acquisition. While Masters was interning at Currey & Co., new furniture the firm was deciding whether to carry arrived and this piece did not make the cut, so a mentor gave it to her. “The floral pillow is silk and adds a little shimmer,” she says. “It’s not too shiny, it has a great mix of colors, I love orange, and I love the lumbar shape.” The baskets were a bargain in Accent Decor’s sale section — they were marked down to $3 each.
Forbes’ room. This designer’s tastes run more organic than the clean modern lines of her business partner’s. I suspect this yin-and-yang balance between them is why their collaborations are so powerful. One of Forbes’ favorite things is to visit the beach on a chilly off-season day, and that feeling inspired the look of her room. “I love anything that comes from the earth or grows on a tree,” she says. She collects branches, shells, rocks, geodes and other natural objects.
A focal point is the rope piece over her bed. The rope from Accent Decor was another great deal. It originally retailed for $200, but because it had been a display piece, the company let her have it for $20. She built a wood armature, mounted it to the studs in the wall and looped the rope around it.
Her unusual bed came from Ikea. “No one ever notices this bed there,” she says. “It’s very inexpensive, and I love the light unfinished wood.” The gold nesting tables that she uses as a nightstand, left, were a gift from a mentor who wasn’t using them.
A focal point is the rope piece over her bed. The rope from Accent Decor was another great deal. It originally retailed for $200, but because it had been a display piece, the company let her have it for $20. She built a wood armature, mounted it to the studs in the wall and looped the rope around it.
Her unusual bed came from Ikea. “No one ever notices this bed there,” she says. “It’s very inexpensive, and I love the light unfinished wood.” The gold nesting tables that she uses as a nightstand, left, were a gift from a mentor who wasn’t using them.
The bargains continue with Forbes’ bedroom desk, which was another AmericasMart cash-and-carry sale score. Originally it was over $500, but she paid $130. The desk chair was on sale for half off at West Elm. “The Ikea faux sheepskin adds extra cushion and texture,” she says. The lamp was a test product from Regina Andrews. “It was a weird orange-rose gold, so Monet convinced me to spray-paint it black,” Forbes says.
The pendant light, shown in the previous photo, is one of her favorite things in her room. “When I turn it on at night, it casts shadows that have this ripple effect that makes me feel like I’m underwater,” she says. This was another cash-and-carry sale score — she paid just $40 for it.
Pointe Blanche desk, Sterling; chair and throw pillows: West Elm
The pendant light, shown in the previous photo, is one of her favorite things in her room. “When I turn it on at night, it casts shadows that have this ripple effect that makes me feel like I’m underwater,” she says. This was another cash-and-carry sale score — she paid just $40 for it.
Pointe Blanche desk, Sterling; chair and throw pillows: West Elm
The bench was a gift from a client who didn’t want it anymore. More Ikea drapes soften the room, and a favorite branch adds an organic touch to the windowsill.
Tips for renters. Forbes and Masters offer the following takeaways for renters who would like to improve their space.
Bench: Made Goods
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Tips for renters. Forbes and Masters offer the following takeaways for renters who would like to improve their space.
- Get rid of bad blinds and invest in better window treatments. Be sure to store the blinds carefully so that you can hang them back up when you move.
- Stay organized. If you don’t have the ideal built-ins, plan where everything will go when furniture shopping. Good examples are their TV console and their kitchen tray that corrals everyday items.
- Hang art you love and create continuity with it from room to room.
- Always have fresh flowers.
- Bring in richness with a wide range of textiles — the duo used tribal prints, leather, sisal, faux fur, rope, unfinished wood and more. Items like throw pillows, blankets and faux sheepskins can layer in extra softness.
Bench: Made Goods
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: Designers Tavia Forbes and Monet Masters of Forbes + Masters
Location: Atlanta
Size: 1,064 square feet (99 square meters); two bedrooms, two bathrooms
Style. Although the designers often complete spaces in tight time frames for clients, they let the look of their apartment evolve over time.
Good karma. As you read on, you’ll glean that Forbes and Masters attract beautiful things and helpful friends into their sphere. And you will desperately want them to take you shopping. Case in point: The expensive statue they had ordered for a client arrived broken near the base, so the seller offered to ship another and told them they could keep or toss the broken one. A friend of theirs put Humpty back together again in a matter of hours, and now he stands up to the high ceiling in their living room.
And that chair in the corner? Forbes spied it next to a dumpster, but she was in a hurry, so she quickly asked Masters to retrieve it. “I called her and said, ‘You’ll know it when you see it.’ We looked it up, and it retails for something like $3,000,” Forbes says. And while they originally thought of repainting and reupholstering it, it fit in as is. The pair of leather chairs was a cash-and-carry bargain at the end of a big furniture show at AmericasMart in Atlanta.
The room is marked by a deep mix of textures, including the leather chairs, the sisal rug and the inlaid stool they use as a side table. They bring in the global textiles they love via items like throw pillows. Piles of colorful books and beautiful photography created by their friend Mambu Bayou layer in artful touches.
Statue: Phillips Collection; sofa: Room & Board; coffee table: Ballard Designs; throw pillows: West Elm