Podcast, Ep. 279: Flower Showhouse: The Scullery with Melanie Millner

Melanie Millner, Founding Principle of The Design Atelier

We are continuing our special series highlighting the FLOWER magazine showhouse here in Atlanta. Ballard Designs is proud to be one of the sponsors of the house, and we are so excited to share all the gorgeous spaces with you. Each day this week we will interview a different designer from the showhouse to talk about the room they designed, their inspiration, trends throughout the space, and much more. Our guest today, Melanie Millner, discusses her work on the scullery in the showhouse. Melanie is an Atlanta-based designer with The Design Atelier known for her timeless style and use of colors. Her work has been featured in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyle, LUXE, and more.

If you’d like to visit the house in person you can purchase tickets here, and also follow along with the podcast series whether you can see it in person or not!

Melanie Millner's scullery feature in 2022's FLOWER Magazine showhouse

Melanie Millner’s Scullery feature in the FLOWER Magazine 2022 showhouse

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

What is a scullery and why did it speak to Melanie?
Why Melanie worked alongside the dining room team of the showhouse to coordinate designs.
Melanie chose plaster finishes for the scullery for a durable, unique, and ethereal look.
All of the lighting in the scullery is recessed to have a functional and practical workspace.
What appliances go into a scullery?
Why the small details can be the star of the show; especially in a kitchen space.
How was designing this space different from designing other clients’ kitchens?
What are some new things Melanie is seeing in kitchens?
What goes in the cabinets of a scullery?
Why do Taryn and Melanie like bridge faucets?
What other trends is Melanie seeing that she’s excited about?
Why organization can be such an important, albeit luxury, design element.
Indoor/outdoor rugs are a great way to soften a space in a kitchen while still being easy to clean.

Decorating Dilemma:

Greeting to THE Ladies!

As I recently messaged Taryn on her Schwartz Instagram, I’m on round two of listening to ALL of your podcasts 😁

I am in the middle of re-doing my entry and repurposing an unused space into a walk up bar. Lights, mirrors, drapes, rugs, art etc are all forthcoming… BUT I am stuck about what to do about my electric plate covers(!!) The switches and sockets are white and changing them to something else will cause my husband to use his “angry eyes.” It’s simply not in the budget. So… do I leave them white like the trim, switches and sockets? Paint the plates the wall color (but the sockets etc will remain white 😟). Are there other options that I’m not aware of (please say yes).

Thanks so much for lifting up my laundry, cleaning and driving time!! I created a long list of tips to guide me!

LOVE the trials and triumphs!
xo Nancy

Hi Nancy,

There are a lot of really cool switch plates out there if you’re willing to spend the money. A metal backplate would be a good place to start or you can find a colored one. I wouldn’t paint it since it doesn’t generally last. If you were to get wallpaper, you can have the installer cover that as well for an easy solution. Depending on how you design the bar, it could be a good idea to integrate the metal from the plate with hardware and accessories. I would say it depends on whether you want to be more subtle and integrate the switch plates or make a bold decision.

We appreciate your level of detail, Nancy! Let us know what you decide. And thank you for listening to all of our episodes; twice!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Please send in your questions so we can answer them on our next episode! And of course, subscribe to the podcast in Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. You can always check back here to see new episodes, but if you subscribe, it’ll automatically download to your phone.

Happy Decorating!

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