Glamour is not exclusive.  It isn’t reserved only for red carpets and stately homes.  It does not have to be expensive or only found amongst the glossy pages of a magazine. Actually, glamour is that certain quality that makes things seem appealing. It casts a spell and you are enchanted. Somewhere in its incantation is the hint of times past, the catalyst of inspiration, and the magic of attractiveness.

Melanie Turner’s dining room as featured on the cover of Veranda.

Glamour pulls you in with such ease that you relax into the escape it brings. Such are the rooms and homes designed by Melanie Turner. Melanie Turner Interiors was established in 2009 as a full-service, high end interior design firm that does both residential and commercial projects. Each room she creates has that combination of ease and exotic that can be so alluring. Perhaps, most importantly, every space is fresh and doesn’t seem stuck in a past decade or designed for a certain demographic.

Mrs. Turner’s firm has been featured in numerous magazines, including Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, Elle Decor, Traditional Home and House Beautiful. Her work has even been on the cover of Veranda. One of her latest projects is her own home. In 2013 Melanie Turner and her husband, award-winning custom home builder Stan Benecki, purchased Atlanta’s Calhoun Estate. The 12,000 square-foot “Pink Castle,” one of the most iconic homes in Buckhead, was built in 1923 by Andrew Calhoun and Mary Guy Trigg and designed by Philip Trammell Shutze, one of America’s finest classical architects. Shutze is also the builder of Atlanta’s famed Swan House. Once completed, the Italian Renaissance Country Mansion held seven bedrooms in its three-stories, complete with terrazzo floors, perfect proportions, formal gardens and a clay tennis court.

Mrs. Turner obviously has a deep reverence for history. Having always wanted “an inheritable house…something that would last forever,” Melanie Turner does not take for granted the legendary property that she now calls home. She lovingly embarked on the journey to restore the home to its former grandeur. Despite being known for her classic and fresh white kitchens, Mrs. Turner kept the integrity of the manse’s kitchen, “freshening it, but not tearing it out like most people do.”

“Sometimes I am still moved to tears when I walk through the house. I feel so lucky to be able to preserve it. I don’t look at this as my house; I look at myself as a caretaker for the next generation. It feels like I’m saving something.”

True glamour has this sense of history to it. It unfolds slowly, inviting you in and allowing you to escape into its spell. Mrs. Melanie Turner has mastered this art, and she is bringing her knowledge to this year’s Art & Antiques Show on Friday, December 2nd at 10:00 a.m.  Please join us for a glimpse at the glamour. Lecture tickets are $30 and include show admission. Please visit womensboardwch.com to reserve your tickets.

Courtesy of Art & Antiques Show Blog, The Women’s Board Benefiting Wolfson Children’s Hospital