SOMETIMES IT TAKES OTHERS TO RECOGNIZE THE INHERENT TALENTS IN US that we don’t see ourselves. That was the case with designer Nancy Felton, who had a decade-long career in banking on the West Coast before an industry professional recognized her aptitude for design.
One day, she hired a contracting company to remodel her primary suite and expand her home’s square footage. The contractor offered her the add-on services of a professional designer, but she was young and didn’t have the budget. She instead decided to do the design herself. “Designing and layering texture is something I’ve always enjoyed, and I thought I could handle the job,” she says. The contractor was so impressed with the final result that he offered her a position as a designer for his clients. She worked for the Los Angeles-based contractor for three years, completing high-end residential and commercial projects and collaborating with the company’s other designers. “That’s how it all started,” Felton adds.
When Felton moved to Atlanta, she decided to formalize her design education, attending classes and earning an interior design degree from the Art Institute of Atlanta. Forming her own design firm, NF Design, has enabled her to work with both residential and commercial clients throughout the Metro Atlanta area. While she has designed salons, restaurants and office buildings, she primarily focuses on residential new construction and whole-home remodeling projects. “We offer all design services under one roof,” Felton says. “It’s a differentiator for us in the industry. All of our clients’ drawings and design details are handled in-house.”
NF Design receives rave reviews from clients for its customer service and attention to detail. One recent homeowner says: “Nancy and her team are world-class. Throughout the entire design, purchasing, installation and building process, NF Design was professional, creative, consultative and communicative. Nancy’s team of vendors (painters, carpenters, electrical, etc.) was amazing as well, and it made my life easier that she ‘had a guy’ for everything. I am so happy with my space. Nancy made it not only beautiful but easy, too!”
Clients also are thrilled by Felton’s ability to implement their visions. One homeowner says: “Nancy has been amazing. We have over 8,000 square feet in our home and needed some help being able to imagine some of the spaces to look less basic and more modern. Nancy did a great job. … Her creative eye is amazing; she’s very responsive and stays in constant communication and works well with the other contractors (and recommends many) to make sure the project aligns with her creative vision. We will continue to leverage Nancy’s expertise. Amazing experience from a family who has worked with four or five designers in the past!”
Felton recently implemented a homeowner’s vision for his newly constructed Beltline townhome, providing the modern, masculine edge he wanted and making it functional to fit his particular lifestyle. Since the builder’s finishes were predetermined, Felton focused on adding color and the clean style that the homeowner identified with when he found examples of her work on social media. “We brought in a white sectional and a modern, multilevel coffee table where he could gather his books and a glass of wine and unwind from the workday,” Felton says. “The big coffee table fits his lifestyle by serving as a central place to hold everything he needs. The creamy white color palette in the room provides a relaxing setting.”
While the light and bright main living room was perfect for the homeowner, he wanted another space where he did not have to worry about his guy friends spilling food and drinks on a white couch. Felton answered his request with a lounge room, dubbed “the hangout,” where she applied paneling to a feature wall and color-drenched the entire wall and trim in a dark navy. She placed a clean-lined modern sofa in the same dark color in front of the wall and hung eye-catching, colorful artwork over the furniture. The glass sliders that open onto the deck keep the space light-filled while the saturated color is forgiving of wine spills. “The combination of a dark color and leather coffee table creates a place to have fun and not worry about ruining the furnishings,” Felton says. The addition of a corner bar complements the existing outdoor kitchen just steps away and provides a complete space for entertaining.
Throughout the townhome, new lighting, color and texture via furnishings, paint and artwork create the respite the homeowner requested. “We added fun to the rooms, which I enjoy doing,” Felton says. In the home office, she blended the owner’s modern taste with vintage family photos. “He was afraid he was not going to be able to use the photos because they might work against the modern look,” she adds. “But we were able to blend them and keep his style.”
Felton was able to make a last-minute adjustment to the office when the homeowner requested a space for his girlfriend to work, too. Just as in the hangout room and living room, Felton intuitively adjusted the design to fit the owner’s lifestyle.
While the rooms are open and light thanks to plenty of full-length glass windows and sliding doors, the homeowner felt he would need drapery to impart the cozy feeling he wanted. Felton, however, was able to give him snug surroundings through the use of color and material selection while keeping the windows uncovered to maximize daylight. “We were able to let the views be the wow moment and still enable the rooms to feel comfortable and intimate,” Felton explains.
In another residential new construction project in Alpharetta, Felton worked with the family to create the kitchen of their dreams. Since she began working with them during the construction process, she was able to adjust the kitchen’s layout to flow with how they wanted to use the space. She specified the cabinet style and exactly where sliding drawers and cabinet doors would be located, as well as all of the builder finishes, such as customized flooring stain, lighting and colors. “They hired me to make all of the selections,” Felton says. “They gave me inspiration photos; they knew they wanted white but didn’t know what other color they wanted in the kitchen.”
Felton used rendering software to show the homeowners different examples of suggested color options. This imaging gave them the vision they needed to decide. Ultimately, the homeowners accepted Felton’s suggestion of combining three cabinetry colors—white upper cabinetry mixed with lower wood-grain cabinets and a blue base on the island. “We also added a large walk-in pantry with wooden cabinetry, so it was not a sea of white,” Felton adds. Zellige tile blends seamlessly with the countertop to give a rich look while remaining within budget parameters.
For every project, Felton starts with the homeowner’s inspiration photos as a basis for creating several versions of realistic renderings so they can envision the new space and make informed decisions. Homeowners say Felton is easy to work with. In the words of a local client: “I cannot say enough wonderful things about working with Nancy and her team. She took the few descriptions that I gave and turned them into the perfect living space, all while staying within our budget. She is reliable, responsive, personable and an absolute pleasure to work with.” *
Dana W. Todd is a professional writer specializing in interior design, real estate, luxury homebuilding, landscape design, architecture and fine art.
