ABOUT SERENBE // In 2015, Krista & Tami were selected by Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine to design the master bedroom en suite of their annual Serenbe designer showhouse. Their design work was ultimately selected to grace the cover of the December 2015 issue of the magazine.... [ see below for more information about the home and CLOTH & KIND's inspiration for their spaces. ]

The 2nd annual Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Serenbe designer showhouse was a lovely lowcountry style home designed by J.P. Curran of Curran & Co. Architects and built by Monte Hewett Homes, nestled in the trees with lake views in this creative community located just outside of Atlanta, GA.  Proceeds from the showhouse directly benefitted the Art Farm at Serenbe. In fact, the entire 40-acre Serenbe community, was designed with the arts in mind. The complex is deeply rooted in process, education and creating multiple platforms for creativity. Artists, practitioners, and researchers come to the Art Farm, and to Serenbe in general, to deepen their practice and broaden their creative connections. 

CLOTH & KIND'S INSPIRATION // For the design of the master bedroom en suite, we were compelled to create the space around a natural, textural & creamy palette with hints of moodiness brought in through the use of charcoal gray - one of our all time favorite hues.

Serendipitously enough, just as we were pondering the initial design of this magical, sun-drenched room, we stopped in to visit Laura Aviva of l'aviva home in NYC. She provided us with a sneak peek at her new Khovar collection of fabrics and wallcoverings and the fate of our room was sealed. We were enchanted not only by the earthy, hand-painted charcoal patterns, but by the story behind them.

The Khovar collection takes its lead from the tribal villages of Hazaribagh in northeastern India, where the walls of the villages’ mud homes are decorated with rambling, figurative murals. A canvas of dark charcoal earth is first laid down and left to dry, and then covered with a pale kaolin clay. Before the top layer dries, women in the villages brush away the lighter earth with a broken comb or fingers to create lyrical silhouettes. The mural-painting is part of a matrimonial ritual for the women which takes place every spring during the marriage season. Fleeting in nature, each year the murals are washed away with the heavy monsoon rains - and then once again started anew. Drawn to the exaggerated scale and the boldness of the Khovar designs, l'aviva home commissioned women in the villages to do three paintings for them (leaf, vine, flower) - which they translated into a remarkable collection of fabrics and wallpapers.

We were honored to debut l'aviva's Khovar collection - specifically the Vine pattern - in this project, along with the stunning collection of pieces we brought together from some of our favorite vendors and artists, including: Antique Drapery Rod Company, Archive Framing Studio, Bradley, Brook Perdigon Textiles, Clay McLaurin Studio, Dean Richardson Upholstery, Drapery Threads, Eliko Antique & Decorative Rugs, Fabricut, Fringe Market, Jason Thrasher, Jim Thompson, Lee Jofa, Matt Austin Studio, Oly Studio, Oneta Woodworks, PaperMills, Rinne Allen & Seema Krish. 

CHECK OUT MORE FROM THIS PROJECT ON INSTAGRAM

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS // Cover by Erica George Dines for Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles; All other photos by Sarah Dorio.