Georgia Design Winter 2025: 2025 Georgia Design Awards

INTERIORS—SITTING ROOM/KEEPING ROOM

BRONZE—Lesley Steinberg Interiors

GLOBAL CHIC

This sitting room in a Northern California home was designed as a cozy, collected retreat for family gatherings. A soft rug and deep comfy sectional sofa anchor the space. A vintage Moroccan table injects an eclectic and global feel, while a playful swing chair invites relaxation. Above the sectional, framed works of nomadic art from the Meena indigenous tribe from India celebrate handcrafted traditions and storytelling through textiles.

Surrounding the fireplace, the designer incorporated the family's own collection of vintage brass candlesticks, decorative plates, and Asian art.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALANNA HALE

CELEBRATING THE SEASON

Perhaps no month on the calendar is more deeply entwined with design than December. For many people, design is a primary vehicle for expressing the festive spirit, regardless of how or what they celebrate. And despite the colder weather and shorter days, there's no denying the cheer of the holiday season.

So, it's only fitting that the winter issue of Georgia Design pays tribute to the many ways design enriches our lives. In these pages, we recognize the recipients of the Georgia Design Awards, which are sponsored by this magazine each year. The exceptional architects, builders, and interior designers we celebrate are, indeed, big winners. But truth be told, every project entered in the competition was outstanding. There were a lot of close scores, and our judges repeatedly mentioned how difficult it was to select just three winners from each category.

We tweaked the awards a bit this year, dividing some of our categories into "contemporary" and "traditional" design, and we had lots of entries in both genres. In fact, we had more submissions this year than ever before. Design in our state is thriving.

We're also presenting our first Lifetime Achievement Award in conjunction with the Georgia Design Awards. The recipient is Suzanne Kasler, an Atlanta-based interior designer who has authored four bestselling books and been featured in virtually every major shelter magazine there is. Suzanne's collections for Hickory House, La Cornue, Lee Jofa, Mirror Home, Visual Comfort, and Ballard Designs are found in homes from coast to coast. We're honored to include a profile of this celebrated and influential designer in our pages and to claim her as one of Georgia's own.

Everyone enjoys a renovation story, and we include one in this issue about a Lake Sinclair home that received a much-needed makeover from Macon interior designer Lesley Myrick. And in our Design Q&A, we explore antique shopping with Charlie Whitney of Thomasville, a town known for its annual antiques show (coming in February) that draws vendors and collectors from around the country.

After venturing across the pond in our last travel story, writer Lisa Mowry stays closer to home in this issue with a piece abour Charleston, South Carolina, a perennial favorite destination among our readers. And what better time to visit this quintessential Southern city than during the holidays?

So, however you choose to celebrate the season, may your home be merry and bright. Here's to a design-filled 2026!

FRAN WORRALL
Editor In Chief
fworrall@atlantamagazine.com