In Lathem Gordon's Atlanta Home, Framed Art Inspired by Her Grandmother Covers Every Wall

The home showcases a mix of framed photos, thrifted paintings, and new works.

"Can I say ‘I love old sh*t?’" asks designer Lathem Gordon. Expletives aside, it wouldn't be an exaggeration. The 1940s Decatur, Georgia, home she shares with her husband and daughters is layered with the brief history of the modern South and her own family memories. "My grandmother loved to travel and was a bit of a furniture hoarder, an artist and lover of art," the designer says. She taught Gordon at a very young age to pick up art anywhere and everywhere, and she has. Her home now mirrors all of that collecting and features art that's both curated and created by the ones she loves.

Gordon, a founder and principal at GordonDunning in Atlanta, worked very hard to make sure everything in the house has a story. "There are parts of you that are rooted in things that you’ll always love, and other parts that discover new things every day," she says. "I wanted both reflected here."

Although Gordon was tied to sentimentality, she also needed to get creative around the spatial constraints of living in an urban environment. She used vintage dressers as bedside tables to compensate for the lack of closet space and added canopies to the ceiling of the daughters’ shared room to make the space feel taller. And, of course, she brought art up all the walls, around door frames, and even into the bathroom—as if the spirit of her grandmother is always around her.

Three ways Gordon showcased art all over the walls of her house

The dining chairs were an estate sale score, while the china cabinet was Lathem Gordon's grandmother's­—­ brightened with antique mirror and glass shelves. Chandelier: Circa Lighting. Large abstract art: John Ishmael.

A self-proclaimed bedding snob, Gordon layered her bed with linens from Matouk and Pottery Barn and a custom "boom pow" pillow, as she calls the bolster, in Jasper fabric. Paint: Van Courtland Blue, Benjamin Moore. Lamp: Circa Lighting. Curtain fabric: Schumacher.

Gordon's daughters wanted canopy beds after reading several books featuring them. "Santa" brought these four-poster beds from Target, and Gordon added the canopy tops and Thibaut drapery. Lamp: antique, with an Edgar-Reeves shade. Blue pillows: Coco & Wolf. Bedding: Matouk. Dresser: Woodbridge Furniture.

Gordon set black-and-white family photographs in a variety of gilt frames. "I really wanted this to feel like a wallpaper treatment, clean and intentional," she says. Shower curtain fabric: Schumacher

"This was the first thing I planned on ripping out," she says. "Now it's one of my favorite rooms." Retro pink tile and Bella Pink paint by Sherwin-Williams work as a backdrop for a colorful mix of personal artwork. Abstract: Ashley Hizer. Large portrait: Leslie Weaver. Small blonde portrait: Sarah Kiser. Peruvian textile.

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