
Although still in her early 30s, Atlanta interior designer Allison Hennessy has already made her mark in a crowded field, first working with boldface names such as Phoebe Howard and Meg Braff, and then opening her eponymous company in 2010. She’s also been included on both Traditional Home’s and Southern Living’s lists of up-and-coming designers. Hennessy describes her style as tailored, edited, and classic wrapped in a modern sensibility.
“I don’t like a lot of frills or for anything to be too heavy or ornate,” she says. “Instead I focus on the materials and textures to bring interest to a room.” In that vein, the designer uses a lot of hand-painted and block-printed fabrics, sea grass, sisal, rattan, rich linen velvets, brass, and painted light fixtures.
When Hennessy took us shopping, she not only gave us the ins-and-outs of Atlanta’s Scott Antique Market (find her guide here), but shared fantastic tips for decorating with antiques and showed us how she could use pieces in her designs.
The Pick: Hennessy liked the brass base and pulls on this $60 pair of lamps. “At that bargain price, I could have them painted to suit the space if need be,” she says. The Placement: She kept this dining room casual with a painted table and cheerful upholstered chairs but added sophisticated accents such as the lamps and mirror.
“I don’t like a lot of frills or for anything to be too heavy or ornate. I focus on the materials and textures to bring interest to a room.” — Allison Hennessy
The Pick: Hennessy often mixes reproduction and vintage pieces of blue-and-white export china. She takes note of the color saturation, choosing finishes with a hand-painted quality. The Placement: Patterns and textures pair beautifully in this living room, with reds and neutrals accented by blues and punctuated by fretwork armchairs and a midcentury painting.
By Alice Welsh Doyle | Photography by Debroah Whitlaw Llewellyn | Produced by Ellen S. Padgett
In addition to showing how she approaches decorating with antiques, Hennessy gave us the ultimate guide to Picking at Scott Antique Market in Atlanta.
More Interior Designers to Know
- Classically Chic: Young Huh’s Design Style
- California Dreaming: Schuyler Samperton
- A Place to Call Home: James T. Farmer