Choice is the hinge on which one’s future swings. presented with an array of alluring choices in his youth, Michael Habachy made the one that, in turn, made him.
“Since I was a child, I’ve always had a passion for creating,” says Habachy, owner of the interior design firm and showroom Habachy Designs + Atelier. “I loved drawing and painting, making or building things, and helping my father in the shop.”
He knew he wanted to study design but in what field? Graphic design, fashion design, furniture design, photography and more all appealed to him.
“I had a hard time narrowing it down because I loved them all,” he says. “But eventually I found that interior design was the best of all worlds. It allows me to use both my love for the technical side of design, as well as the creative and conceptual side. I am one of those designers who likes to have a hand in all facets of the design process—from architectural drawings to industrial furniture design to the selection of materials, finishes and colors to curating art collections.”
When Habachy established his own design firm in 2005, he made it a foundation of his business to incorporate custom, one-of-a-kind pieces into clients’ spaces. He began his career designing a variety of projects, from nightclubs and restaurants to salons and spas. Later, the company branched out to include high-rise multifamily towers, as well as luxurious private residences, a harbinger of what was to come.
Today, Habachy boasts decades of experience creating luxurious interiors and custom furnishings, complementing five-star design with five-star service. His interiors have received multiple gold awards from the American Society of Interior Designers, as well as Best in Show. He has also been named Southeast Designer of the Year for contract design, and his work frequently has been featured in local, national and international magazines.
Habachy expanded his brand in 2019, opening a boutique showroom that caters to other interior designers but also welcomes the general public. Located in the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center, Habachy Designs + Atelier is the southeastern representative for more than 50 luxury brands and artists, some exclusive to the Atlanta market. It is also a locus for custom-made furnishings, built-ins and kitchens. Habachy currently employs a staff of 10, including two independent contractors.
“We work on both new custom homes from the ground up, as well as large renovations,” he says. “Our new construction projects tend to be in collaboration with well-known architects.” Though the firm is still open to commercial projects, of late residential work has held sway. “After the pandemic, our focus shifted more into the luxury residential world,” says Habachy, a native Atlantan who studied design at Georgia State University. “I still love hospitality design, since that is where I got my start, and I’m able to draw on this background to create some amazing spaces in our residential clients’ homes that have the durability and function of commercial projects.”
Habachy says that, increasingly, clients are requesting entertainment centers in their homes, so the company is designing not only bars, “speakeasy” lounges and mini nightclubs but also bowling alleys, basketball courts and racquetball courts in luxury residences.
The future design professional worked for a custom metal fabrication studio while he was a college student, learning how to design and build furniture. “It was there that I learned industrial design and how things were made, and it fostered a tremendous passion for product and furniture design,” Habachy says. “After I graduated, I was also fortunate to work with architects and designers like David Daniels and Stan Topol. This played a huge part in shaping my career in luxury residential design.”
Although his tastes and style have evolved over the years, more recently they have incorporated his deep and abiding appreciation for the artistry of nature, which has become an integral facet of what he does. Habachy prefers to work with all-natural materials whenever possible.
“Nature is our most important inspiration, both on a macro and micro level,” he says. “There are so many shapes, patterns and textures when you take the time to observe them. One can always discover unique and fascinating features. I am mesmerized by patterns found in rock formations, in the veins within leaves or surface texture of tree bark, in various types of wild mushrooms, and even in old, decomposing trees that have fallen. Observing even closer with the macro lens on my camera allows me to discover a whole new world of patterns and design.”
While Habachy’s vision has widened and deepened, his core philosophy of design remains the same. “Ultimately, I believe that design should make our lives easier, better and more beautiful in every way possible,” he says. “I’ve always felt that in order for a home to truly feel warm and inviting, it must reflect the owner’s personality, lifestyle and aesthetic. Just as you can tell a lot about someone by looking at the books on their shelves, you should be able to tell a lot about a family by seeing their art, furnishings and décor.”
To that end, Habachy Designs begins by asking its clients a battery of questions, listening intently to absorb the client’s vision and their dreams. “If it is a residence, we want to know how they live and how they will use each room in their house,” says Habachy. “We want a client’s home to feel layered and lived in, showcasing special pieces which look and feel as if they have been collected over the years. Even when it’s a new home and the client is starting all over from scratch, it is critical to add those special pieces throughout.”
If a client doesn’t possess an extensive or distinctive art collection, the firm will assist in sourcing the right pieces. The reason the company’s portfolio is so diverse is because it strives to ensure each project is a true reflection of the client.
Habachy is the sole proprietor of his firm but is quick to note that his wife, Jane, has been instrumental in the company’s success, helping behind the scenes as managing partner in addition to juggling a demanding career of her own.
Recently, Habachy launched his first rug collection at the High Point, North Carolina, market in concert with one of the top rug companies in the world, Jaipur. He titled it Gamil (“handsome or beautiful” in Arabic), inspired by his Egyptian heritage.
Son of a physician mother and oil executive father, both Egyptian immigrants, Habachy says he was born with creative genes, but he wanted to explore a different path than his parents, and they gave their blessing. Time has proven their wisdom.
And Habachy’s years grasping the basics in that metal fabrication studio proved the bedrock that has served him well. “I believe that my experience from my late teens through my early 20s working there was truly the foundation of who I am,” he says. “I learned as a young designer that we do not have to always rely on pieces which are mass-produced or found in a store. Instead, we can think outside the box and tailor-make unique pieces for each and every project.”
When an object is custom made, one can ensure that it is exactly what is desired, functionally as well as aesthetically, says Habachy.
“The finish, materials and the proportions are all made specifically for each unique space. In the metal fabrication studio, I loved to come up with an idea or design concept and then learn how it would be made by the blacksmiths and machinists in the shop,” he says. “To this day, I still love nothing more than going to a shop or studio and learning from the artisans or craftsmen producing the work, then pairing up their work with the perfect client and environment.”
It is why Habachy, an enthusiastic world traveler, constantly sources artisans not only for his own design projects but for his company’s interior designer clientele who shop at the showroom. In the process, it also affords international artisans the wider exposure they deserve.
“In my travels, I have made it my mission to develop great relationships with some of the most talented craftspeople and artisans, all with their own unique skill set,” he says. “To me, there is nothing more fulfilling than marrying our vision and custom designs with the unique craft produced by these incredibly talented makers and then placing the finished product in the perfect spot in our client’s home or project, pieces steeped in tradition that the clients will cherish for years, perhaps generations, to come.” *
Bill Thompson covers the arts, travel and design.
