Motivated by mission to sell, Atlanta designer Lee Kleinhelter redesigned the Sovereign's model condo with a rustic edge made modern by its chic sophistication
Sovereign's skyline views offer a fresh perspective for Pieces owner Lee Kleinhelter and her growing family.
Pieces (www.piecesinc.com;404-869-2476), an Atlanta mecca for intriguing furniture and objects, offers a vintage, though newly painted and rewired, six-light pagoda-form chandelier, $1,750, with arms that resemble lengths of bamboo.
Cinderella could only wish for a stepmother like Lee Kleinhelter, who made her stepdaughter's bedroom fit for a princess.
An ode to '60s floral prints, Bradley Hughes Custom Scalloped chandelier adds a whimsical touch to any room. The hand-forged iron fixture comes in nine finishes, including antique gold (shown). It measures 24" wide and uses a trio of bulbs; prices start at $2,900. Custom sizes and finishes are also available. It's sold at Pieces; call 404-869-2476 or visit piecesinc.com.
Ahh! This durable woven pillow - stuffed with a plush goose-down blend - can spruce up a bed and cushion alfresco naps. Geometric green and tan 20" acrylic pillow $350; piecesinc.com
Being married to your contractor does have its perks. Lee Kleinhelter has seen the plus side two times over with the same handy man. When she and her husband, Kevin, decided to purchase and renovate a 1930s cottage in Atlanta, it was the couple's second project together since they married two years ago (in addition to the renovation he did for the opening of Pieces, Lee's home furnishings store, which kicked off their romance). "We're able to do more than normal, construction-wise, because Kevin can do so much on his own," she says. Lee is also pretty handy herself. Her shop is filled with unique "pieces" (with or without pedigree) that she transforms with as easy a fix as paint and upholstery or as extreme a measure as cutting a sofa in half to make a love seat or wiring an interesting object to make a lamp. In a sense, the reinvention of her new house mimicked Lee's approach to these types of furniture makeovers.
Interior decorator Lee Kleinhelter's shop, which takes a deep bow to all things Palm Springs, is arranged into living-room-like, color-coordinated vignettes. She has a knack for refurbishing vintage furniture (there are sleek chests and fan-backed chairs that she's accented with gray cushions) and then finding sophisticated accessories to fill out the space, like Herve Gambs candles, Hable Construction totes, and throw pillows in intricate ikats.
Another unexpectedly sassy home-furnishings dazzler in Buckhead is Pieces, where owner Lee Kleinhelter purveys a 1960s Palm Beach aesthetic.
So of course I had to fit in some more cardio- and when I say cardio, I mean lamp shopping. I "accidently" mistook the most inspiring furnishings shop in Atlanta, Pieces on Roswell Road, for my Midtown gym. The gorgeous and brilliant owner, Lee Kleinhelter, has impeccable taste and reinforced my hunch that orange is very much here to stay in the interior design world. There are so many shades of orange that it is nearly impossible to hate it. Lee was showing a lacquered tangerine armoire, which I loved, and a pair of red-orange mid-century tables, which I really loved. Um, I almost bought them and I don't even need knew tables.
Atlanta shop owner Lee Kleinhelter wakes up a plain white bedroom with strong punches of color. Not only does she regularly transform vintage furniture with bold paint and fabric at her Atlanta shop, Pieces, but also she's an expert at decorating her airy bungalow.
Delphi handmade ceramic greyhound sculpture, 30-by-15 inches, imported from Italy by Vellum New York, $535, at Pieces, 404.869.2476 or www.piecesinc.com
Some say sophistication is best maintained in the absence of frills. Storeowner Lee Kleinhelter rests comfortably in that camp. "A bit of patina gives a room more interest, "she says. But too much of anything is a little scary. It's all about editing."
Somewhere between serious antiques and austere modernism is Lee Kleinhelter's irreverent vintage style. The recycled and updated finds at her Weat Buckhead Store could have been ripped straight from the lobby of a hip boutique hotel. "I felt that there was not much available that was stylish, not massed produced, and affordable for people in Atlanta, especially young people who want a fresh look and don't want to hire a designer," says Kleinhelter, whose resume includes stints with designers Joye Hirsch, Barbara Westbrook, and Dan Carithers. Scouring markets accross the country for finds such as 1960s-era vintage bamboo chairs, mirrored cabinets, and iron chandeliers, Kleinhelter set out to unearth the pieces that she wanted to sell, giving them facelifts with coats of white, black, or bright yellow paint, or bold upholstery in shades of tangerine, turquoise, and lime. "So many of the styles from the fourties, fifties, and sixties are awesome and can go in traditional homes. It's just in how you mix it," Kleinhelter explains. "we offer things that are crisp and clean, but not so modern that people don't understand them." Who else is getting Kleinhelter's style vibe? None other than 1stdibs.com, one of the worlds largest online marketplaces for the decorative arts. But the attention doesn't mean Kleinhelter has plans for a larger space. "Every six months something great happens to us," she says. "But I don't plan on expanding into a huge space. I just want to keep finding amazing pieces and making it a better store."
My first impression - with its swaths of bright greens and pinks and profusion of Chippendale chairs – was pure Palm Beach. But a more interesting vision emerges. Former decorator Lee Kleinhelter’s vintage furniture (40’s through the 70’s) reflects an eye for form and function. Huge twig chandeliers ($1400) are the perfect rustic element for just about any décor. And the fantastic pillows by Ankasa and Hable Construction had me drooling.
Continue down Roswell and kick it up a notch to the contemporary at PIECES. Owner Lee Kleinhelter displays revamped vintage and quirky furniture that creates an overall fun and chic vibe.
Inspired by an innovative new website dedicated to quality affordable prints, we asked decorators Randy Ridless, Katie Lydon and Tom Scheerer to play curator: They shopped its wares, framed their bounty and arranged a wall vignette.
She may have worked for local design giants such as Dan Carithers, Barbara Westbrook and Joye Hirsch, but Lee Boren Kleinhelter’s chic boutique Pieces remains a must-visit in Buckhead as she effortlessly maintains a balance of youthful sophistication by injecting unique, fun finds (and color!) into traditional and vintage silhouettes, letting fellow Atlantans know it’s OK to do the same. And while you’re there, don’t forget to say hello to Kleinhelter’s silent partner: golden retriever Teddy. (404) 869-2476; piecesinc.com.
When Lee Boren met Kevin Kleinhelter a little over two years ago, he was her contractor. She had worked for Atlanta interior designer Dan Carithers for three years, and with her talented eye for giving vintage pieces a modern look had decided to open her own design store, appropriately named Pieces. Kevin swooped in to convert the former bridal boutique, ripping out a modeling stage, building custom bookshelves, and painting walls and floors. Lee recalls that he always saw her at her worst-"my pre-store, freaking out phase"-but about a year after the store's opening, they were engaged, planning a wedding-and, of course, remodeling Kevin's bachelor pad for life as newlyweds.
Southern belles have long loved this Atlanta area for its apres-lunch shopping. But recently the neighborhood has become more relaxed-and more star-studded(Halle Berry and Patrick Dempsey have been spotted)-thanks to an influx of designer stores, specialty shops and salons that rewrite the definition of Southern Style.
