When we first started this project, honestly, the house was bit of a hodgepodge from previous renovations over the years,” says interior designer Sally Wilkinson of the Atlanta home she was hired to reimagine several years ago by a recently retired couple searching for a fresh start. Built in the late 1990s, “it was a mix of too many styles without a clear identity. It needed cohesion and more of an old soul.” The designer, who relocated to London from Atlanta several years ago (but still keeps a studio in the latter), was more than suited to the task. In fact, the project could very well serve as a tutorial on how to take a well-built house with good bones to the next level by imbuing it with a strong sense of engagement and character, artfully knitted together with hints of a British accent and a lighthearted, all-American spirit.

The clients brought next to nothing from their previous home. While freeing for Wilkinson as a designer, the idea of starting completely from scratch proved slightly daunting as well. “I was very focused on having the interiors feel effortlessly curated, like they evolved over time and weren’t brought in all at once on a truck!” she says. Because of the house’s sprawling size—at nearly 8,000 square feet, it contains six bedrooms and seven-and-a-half baths—”it was important to create unique environments in each space that would draw you in, whether for a couple or a crowd,” recalls Wilkinson.

Wilkinson and her clients opted to keep the floor plan more or less intact while also rethinking how the rooms might be used. “We spent a lot of time upfront creating a narrative for how they wanted the house to feel and collaborated on the best possible use of space,” the designer explains, noting the conversion of a pantry into a tucked-away workspace for the wife and a small sitting room into an English “snug.” The existing kitchen and bathrooms were gutted; Wilkinson also stripped the original pine floors, added stone in the entry and back of the house, and installed beadboard in the smaller hallways. “It helped add an impression of history and character that the house really needed,” she notes.

As her clients lean minimal in their design preferences, Wilkinson sought to balance a pared-back sensibility with a collected and diverse point of view. “Fortunately, we all share a love for interiors influenced by a mix of cultures and an appreciation for unique style,” she explains. The home clearly celebrates that ethos: The sitting room shows off a 19^th-century French sideboard with well-aged blue paint; there’s a vintage Scandinavian armchair in the living room, a weathered green American primitive chair for the entry, and an English antique hanging étagère in the kitchen. With a judicious hand, Wilkinson introduced Indian block prints, charming florals, jaunty stripes, and textured fabrics such as corduroy and linen for balance.

In the family room, she leaned on cozy textures, wrapping the walls in a golden tobacco-hued grasscloth and furnishing it with pieces upholstered in linen, leather, and a touch of velvet. In contrast, the living room embraces a lighter attitude, especially after the addition of floor-to-ceiling windows and doors made from white-painted iron, which formed an instant conversation with the gardens beyond. The resulting room has a distinctly summer-house mindset, with a careful-yet-casual orchestration of varied furniture styles, finishes, and quirky accent pieces that feel organically acquired over time.

The final layer of decorative accents, including handmade pottery and art from varying periods and in different media, as well as an eclectic mix of light fixtures, was also key to a lived-in look. Each piece has its own distinct personality while also giving a nod to its neighbors, fitting in like an old friend who knows what you like but can still keep you on your toes. The same can be said of the project as a whole: “The couple is incredibly warm and welcoming, hosting friends, family and neighbors with ease and generosity,” Wilkinson explains. “They very much embrace an open-door policy, and I think the house became an embodiment of that!”