Coley Home Spotlight: Cathy Rhodes Interiors

Meet Cathy Rhodes of Cathy Rhodes Interiors! Cathy is a fabulous designer who was recently featured in the Atlanta Home For The Holiday’s Show house. We loved hearing about her design process and the small details she uses to make her spaces spectacular. Read on to learn how Cathy styled her Coley Home pieces! 

Tell us about yourselves & how you got to where you are today!

I started my design firm in 2001 and have been designing elegant homes in the southeast ever since.  With an MBA from Vanderbilt and 9 years in corporate finance I decided to turn my weekend hobby into a career.

You recently selected The Claremont Bed - Monarch, the Dakota Dining Chair and The Shiitake Ottomans in your space in the Atlanta Home for the Holidays Show House. Walk us through the design process!

My inspiration for this guest bedroom was my two grown daughters who now live in NYC.  Thinking about redesigning my daughter’s childhood bedrooms into more sophisticated guest bedrooms that they look forward to coming home to stay in.  I wanted to create a tranquil oasis for my daughters and other guests.. Lavender is such a calm color and is wonderful for a guest room because its somewhat unexpected.  I selected the Galbraith and Paul Fern pattern first and worked with Liz Galbraith to custom color the fabric in the perfect shades of lilac and lavender.  And then we found two other Galbraith and Paul fabrics that we could add in touches of soft greens and blues.

Selecting a beautiful bed was next.  The scalloped Claremont Bed was perfect because the scallop detail added the feminine touch I was looking for.  Upholstering it in Holland Sherry’s velvet mohair gave it the coziness I envisioned. 

The Dakota Dining Chair works beautifully as a desk chair.  And the Shiitake Ottomans are just fun and can go anywhere in a room.  I have used them in many clients’ homes and just love them.  They are fun at the foot of this bed but can also be pulled into a dressing room or a dressing table or used as an ottoman with your favorite reading chair.

What is your favorite thing about designing for a  show house? How is it different from designing for clients?

Show houses are an opportunity to truly display your creativity without any restrictions.  It's the chance to do something a little daring and unique.

What is your starting point when designing a bedroom? 

For a bedroom I always start with a beautiful fabric that can set the tone for the room.  

What is a small detail you always include in bedrooms you design? 

I always include a pretty long pillow on the bed in addition to the shams.

What are your go-to places for bed linens? 

Gramercy Home is my favorite.  They carry many beautiful bedding lines including Matouk and Sferra and they are so easy to work with.

Where do you splurge vs. save in the bedroom?

I usually splurge on the drapery and the decorative bedding because it has the biggest impact on a bedroom.  If we need to save then I like to save on the sheets by buying simple white sheets to go with the pretty decorative duvet and shams. 

What is your favorite space in your home? 

My favorite space in my home is my dressing hall because its my pretty little retreat from the rest of the house and I love starting my day there.

What is a design trend you hope stays forever?

Lucite!  I love lucite pieces because they add a modern touch when you need it to a traditional space and its the ideal material when you need something that is not too heavy and will not take away from other things in the room. Just like the lucite etagere in this guest bedroom.

What is your favorite coffee table book?

The Decorated Home by Meg Braff.  The photos are beautiful and the way she wrote about each project feels like you are sitting in her living room have a casual conversation about design.  She’s a great college friend of mine so I love seeing how her personality shines through in her book.

Thank you, Cathy!