Chai Style Home: Designer Home Awash in Color with Tee Time
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Chai Style Home: Designer Home Awash in Color with Tee Time

Getting an “old house feel” included hues of blue and green and a spiky Tartan plaid.

By Marcia Caller Jaffe April 1, 2026, 10:32 am Edit

After 37 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now with the AJT, , Jaffe’s focus is lifestyle, art, dining, fashion, and community events with emphasis on Jewish movers and shakers.

  • Sally and Erik, both attorneys by training, pose with Scout, their seven-year-old English cream golden retriever in their living room. The home was completely renovated in 2022 // Photos by Howard Mendel  
    Sally and Erik, both attorneys by training, pose with Scout, their seven-year-old English cream golden retriever in their living room. The home was completely renovated in 2022 // Photos by Howard Mendel  
  • Nectar & Nest Interiors founder and principal designer, Kattia Easterly, went for the drama in the primary bedroom, using cream and black with bold wallpaper. The green velvet upholstered bed is a nature-loving contrast.     
    Nectar & Nest Interiors founder and principal designer, Kattia Easterly, went for the drama in the primary bedroom, using cream and black with bold wallpaper. The green velvet upholstered bed is a nature-loving contrast.     
  • Erik, a corporate lawyer specializing in mergers and acquisitions, perfects his swing in his above-garage Ace Indoor Golf Simulator. 
    Erik, a corporate lawyer specializing in mergers and acquisitions, perfects his swing in his above-garage Ace Indoor Golf Simulator. 
  • The Belenky dining room has bright green grass cloth wallpaper by Thibaut. The painting is by Amy Dixon.  
    The Belenky dining room has bright green grass cloth wallpaper by Thibaut. The painting is by Amy Dixon.  
  • A New Orleans native, Sally makes a spicy jambalaya, among other Louisiana favorites. The counters are quartz with (above) coated aluminum pendants with antique brass finish by Carrier and Company.  
    A New Orleans native, Sally makes a spicy jambalaya, among other Louisiana favorites. The counters are quartz with (above) coated aluminum pendants with antique brass finish by Carrier and Company.  
  • Daughter, Maggie, in graduate school at Boston University, selected a blue palette and hanging chair. She claimed some glamour with custom velvet upholstery. The two abstract paintings flanking her bed are by DeAnn Hebert.
    Daughter, Maggie, in graduate school at Boston University, selected a blue palette and hanging chair. She claimed some glamour with custom velvet upholstery. The two abstract paintings flanking her bed are by DeAnn Hebert.
  • Daughter, Miller, a student at Tulane University, chose blush pink with Laura Park custom drapes and decorative pillows. Her room reflects her interests, including Taylor Swift, tennis, and Legos. 
    Daughter, Miller, a student at Tulane University, chose blush pink with Laura Park custom drapes and decorative pillows. Her room reflects her interests, including Taylor Swift, tennis, and Legos. 
  • Sally and Kattia believe in making small spaces work hard by using bold wallpaper in the guest powder rooms.
    Sally and Kattia believe in making small spaces work hard by using bold wallpaper in the guest powder rooms.

Tastemaker design team Kattia Easterly and Sally Belenky, both with Nectar & Nest Interiors, didn’t shy away from a high-performing, floor-to-ceiling makeover resulting in unapologetic pattern mixing. Equal parts charm and inspiration, the fun twist is that it’s Belenky’s own home with husband, Erik, an attorney with King and Spalding.

Sally explained, “Our mission was to get an ‘old house feel’ in a contemporary environment … homey, ready for entertaining, but not formal.”

Nectar & Nest Interiors founder and principal designer, Kattia Easterly, went for the drama in the primary bedroom, using cream and black with bold wallpaper. The green velvet upholstered bed is a nature-loving contrast.

Kattia, the principal designer and founder of the firm, added, “We went for a healthy mix of textures like a Tartan plaid rug in the study where we wanted a clean aesthetic centered around the antique desk that had belonged to Sally’s grandfather and to refresh the existing antiques. Sally was open to patterns, prints, wallpaper, color … thus the intense emerald green in the dining room. I’d call the design style ‘transitional.’”

A curated oasis, yes … but take a home tour and leave room for Erik’s mancave disguised as a golf course.

The Belenky dining room has bright green grass cloth wallpaper by Thibaut. The painting is by Amy Dixon.

Marcia: How did this design process take place?
Sally: The house was originally built in 1991. EverCraft LLC (Kattia as a partner) purchased the house in 2021 and renovated down to the studs, extending the back by six feet. Kattia worked with architect Jorge Alain Herrera (Herrera Studio) on the design and made all selections for lighting, tile, flooring, hardware, cabinetry, and paint colors. It took a year to complete the 6,000-square-foot project, including the finished basement and golf room over the garage.

Marcia: Your color palette leans …
Kattia: Definitely blues and greens. We kept some walls white but brought in color and texture in an intentional way. The dining room has bright green grass cloth wallpaper by Thibaut. We also wallpapered both powder rooms and the primary bedroom. We painted Erik’s office, including the trim and bookcases Hale Navy (Benjamin Moore), and his golf room is color drenched in Mouse’s Back (Farrow and Ball), which is a beautiful mocha.

A New Orleans native, Sally makes a spicy jambalaya, among other Louisiana favorites. The counters are quartz with (above) coated aluminum pendants with antique brass finish by Carrier and Company.

Marcia: What are your favorite pieces of art?
Sally: Amy Dixon’s painting in the dining room. Then Ben Cook’s landscape and portrait of our dog, Scout, a seven-year-old English cream golden retriever. Winston Wiant is an Athens artist – we love her painting of Augusta National – very bright and whimsical.

Marcia: Kattia, you are also a contractor?
Kattia: Initially, the house had tremendous bones and the perfect layout to create open space for empty nesters while also having extra bedrooms upstairs. We reimagined the entire house to make it optimal for single-story living with the open-air floor plan.

Daughter, Maggie, in graduate school at Boston University, selected a blue palette and hanging chair. She claimed some glamour with custom velvet upholstery. The two abstract paintings flanking her bed are by DeAnn Hebert.

Marcia: What are some kitchen touches?
Kattia: The lighting is from Visual Comfort – coated aluminum pendants with antique brass finish by Carrier and Company. Quartz counters are cleanable and all-purpose but look beautiful, especially on the oversized island.
Sally: Since I’m from New Orleans, I cook Louisiana favorites like gumbo. I like trying different recipes – anything by Ina Garten. Erik’s favorites are roast chicken and meatloaf. He is great about manning the grill outside. Miller is the baker in the family, and Maggie loves to cook, too. We love having a separate scullery for the pantry space, coffee station, and extra ovens and refrigerator drawers. It definitely helps keep the main kitchen much neater.

Marcia: What was the vision for the two guest powder rooms?
Kattia: We believe in making small spaces work hard – like using wallpaper. The more formal powder room features a fun peacock print, and the casual bath near the pool has a blue and green geometric pattern, both by Thibaut.

Daughter, Miller, a student at Tulane University, chose blush pink with Laura Park custom drapes and decorative pillows. Her room reflects her interests, including Taylor Swift, tennis, and Legos.

Marcia: What’s happening in the primary bedroom?
Sally: We recovered our existing sofa, then worked in the black and cream color palette. The damask print black and cream wallpaper (Lee Jofa) was bold initially, but I got used to it. The brass Ralph Lauren lamps are from Visual Comfort. The bedding is Peacock Alley. We decided to have the bed upholstered in green velvet to add a pop of color. The burlwood nightstands are by Made Goods.

Marcia: Describe the girls’ rooms.
Sally: For Miller, we incorporated blush pink with Laura Park custom drapes and decorative pillows and Matouk bedding. Her room reflects her interests: Taylor Swift, tennis, and Legos, along with memorabilia and photos of her friends. Older daughter, Maggie, selected her blue color palette and hanging chair. Some of her decor reflects her semester in Copenhagen. We wanted to give her a little glamour with custom velvet upholstery. The two abstract paintings flanking her bed are by DeAnn Hebert.

Sally and Kattia believe in making small spaces work hard by using bold wallpaper in the guest powder rooms.

Marcia You are a graduate of Emory Law School. What inspired you to join a design firm?
Sally: I practiced law for eight years before staying home with the kids. Kattia and I became close friends while working on this house. When she decided to start her own design business, I jumped at the chance. She is the creative force, and I work on marketing, business development, and as the initial point of client contact. I love meeting people and helping out with invoicing, errands, or accompanying Kattia to ADAC or the Mart. I have a pretty good eye and bring in the client’s perspective.

Erik, a corporate lawyer specializing in mergers and acquisitions, perfects his swing in his above-garage Ace Indoor Golf Simulator.

Marcia: So why Nectar & Nest?
Kattia: The name really comes from my desire to make the home – a “nest” – a space you love living in. I think of “nectar” as nourishing, – where you go to recharge.

Marcia: How does your penchant for hitting the links play out?
Erik: My golf room features a simulator by Ace Indoor Golf and custom red leather barrel chairs. I can be at Pebble Beach without stepping out the front door. Sally’s jambalaya from scratch and playing a round at St. Andrews sounds like a good time to me.

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