This Atlanta Designer Does Not Shy Away from 1970s-Inspired Decor

But in 2018, Kristin Kong is less about water beds and more into regal hues.

By Kathleen RendaPublished: Mar 5, 2018

Maura McEvoy

In her newly built home outside Atlanta, designer Kristin Kong channels the best of 1970s style, from earthy hues and layered geometrics to trippy patterns and around-the-world finds. The resulting rooms feel right-on — and refreshingly right now.

Meet the Designer

Maura McEvoy

Kristin Kong in the dining room.

Entry Table

Maura McEvoy

To create “a sense of arrival,” Kong set a Bliss Studio console against a Zoffany wallpaper in the entry.

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Dining Room

Maura McEvoy

For the dining room, the backs of vintage chairs from Scott Antique Market were upholstered in a velvet ikat purchased in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. Chandelier, Arteriors. Rug, Surya. The custom wallcovering is based on a print from Leftbank Art. Trim paint, Sherwin-Williams Black Fox.

Living Room

Maura McEvoy

The conversation area includes CR Laine sofas, Pierre Paulin chairs, and a Surya rug; vinyl wallcoverings, like this one by Len-Tex, are one of Kong’s “go-to materials for durability.”

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Living Room Chairs

Maura McEvoy

Kong hid a door to the basement behind millwork painted in Sherwin-Williams Black Fox in the living room of her home near Atlanta. The eye-fooling trick “makes the room look less choppy,” she says. Some of Kong’s favorite collectibles — geodes, petrified wood, African jewelry — are displayed on the built-in shelves.

Lounge Chair

Maura McEvoy

A Le Corbusier lounge chair and a West Elm console furnish a corner of the living room.

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Master Bedroom

Maura McEvoy

Kong layered shades of purple in the master bedroom, from the custom headboard’s Robert Allen velvet to the curtains’ Duralee satin to the Weitzner wallcovering. Window frames in Sherwin-Williams Plum Brown.