An elegant Atlanta loft that demonstrates how to make the most of a small space

Function is at the heart of all good design; if we don't pay attention to how we're actually going to use and live in a space, we certainly won't feel comfortable in the finished product. Nowhere is this more important than in small spaces, and interior designer Sally Wilkinson’s studio in Atlanta, Georgia, is an excellent illustration. The loft, which is part of a 1990s industrial building, has a wide variety of functions to support. Sally had to make it work as not just a studio space for herself and her husband to live in when they are in the city, but also a day-to-day office for her team of two out there and a showroom where clients can view both Sally’s bespoke furniture designs and her collection of antiques for sale.

American-born Sally made the move to London during the pandemic (having felt restless and in need of a change), but started her own interior design business with clients both in London and Atlanta. Now, her work is mostly split equally between the two cities and so frequent trips out to Atlanta are needed but, as Sally admits, “I quickly learnt after about three trips over there that designing out of a suitcase just was not feasible for the long term.” Enter the loft space, which “when we bought it, was really just awful,” laughs Sally. “There were odd half walls everywhere that were put up to define separate spaces, like the bedroom, living area and the kitchen and I came in and said ‘take all of them out’. In my head from the beginning, I knew that I would use furniture to create a definition of space within one large blank canvas,” she continues.

She has done precisely that, and the pieces of furniture in question are multifunctional beyond the usual definition of the word. “The difference,” she explains, “is that in my home in London there are a lot more things that are there for the way they look. I don't have to think as hard about how they function, whereas here, I wanted each piece to really serve a purpose”. For instance, two day beds denote the ‘living room’ space within the loft, and serve as comfortable seating when Sally and her husband want to relax at the end of the day or when she has clients in the studio. More than that, they can be pushed together to form a double bed for Sally and her husband, and they are also pieces which Sally has designed and showcases to clients.

The studio is a workhorse in many senses, playing the role of home, office and showroom in equal measure. The dining table, a beautiful 19th-century French drop leaf table – and one of the few pieces within the loft which isn't, and never will be, for sale – is used for meetings, meals but mostly “ is usually covered with fabric samples” when Sally is working there. With that in mind, quick and easy solutions to clearing out the space were key, so Sally brought in console tables, “which have shelves in them and that's our fabric library, but I wanted it to have closed doors because when I'm eating dinner, I don't necessarily want to be staring at my fabric library.”

“I wanted to design it with a liveability in mind that a straightforward office or studio may not have,” explains Sally. For example, she notes, “the kitchen is really utilitarian and understated, but it also could work as a kitchen for someone living there eventually.” Currently, in a slightly Carrie Bradshaw move, the oven has been known to house samples, simply because Sally and her husband are often too tired or too busy to cook when they’re in town. It’s a point of difference to most houses, where the kitchen is the key focal point and in fact, it was quite the opposite for Sally, who “did not want it to overtake the space”. She designed it herself, inspired by an image of a potting shed with a similar style of sink, and had her longtime collaborator and joiner make it for her. “I really liked the idea of having a long shelf run across it so that I could display artwork, which is the one thing I collect. I use that ledge as sort of like an ever-evolving gallery,” she details, with art chopping and changing as she finds different homes for the pieces she sources from markets and auctions, mostly in London.

“It's an ever-changing space,” Sally muses, “which is really the point of it. Everyone's style evolves and changes, and I wanted the space to be able to do that with me. I'm young, my business is young and I didn't want to commit too strongly to anything that I may not love in the future. All of these decisions were made modestly so that the furniture and art and antiques can be the show pieces, and then the loft itself serves as a beautiful background. If I find a killer piece, I know I have room for it.”

Sally Wilkinson Design: sallywilkinson.com