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Do you find yourself looking for a bigger-than-life experience to have in Atlanta whether you have a date or house guests for the weekend? Then look no further than our own downtown backyard as the Atlanta Botanical Garden showcases the Imaginary Worlds: Plants Larger than Life from May through October. It’s 19 monumental mosaiculture —the horticultural art of creating giant topiary-like sculptures using thousands and thousands of living plants to carpet the steel forms. It’s the creative genius of International Mosaiculture of Montreal, Montreal, Canada and so worth seeing if you’ve been to the Garden a dozen times or have never been before.

Wonder the entire Garden to see the sculptures ranging up to 25 feet tall and 20 feet wide including a grazing unicorn, a friendly ogre (kids can walk through his giant head), a pair of gigantic cobras, a group of enchanting rabbits, a couple of flighty butterflies, and a pair of dancing fish. But the largest and most impressive piece is the 25-foot-tall goddess emerging from the ground, stuffed with 40,000 annuals at the Cascades Gardens.

The Garden is located at 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE and open April through October from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (until 10 p.m. on Thursday because they have Cocktails in the Garden from May – September with a monthly themed garden-inspired cocktail) and November through March from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $18.95 adults, $12.95 children 3 – 12, and free to children under three and Garden members. Details: atlantabotanicalgarden.org or phone 404.876.5859.

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Plants were selected to give this friendly ogre a beard and hair while children can walk through his giant head. He gives new meaning to a hole in one's head.

The day I visited the Atlanta Botanical Garden staff members were putting the finishing touches on its pair of cobras whose tails circle its base.

The day I visited the Atlanta Botanical Garden staff members were putting the finishing touches on its pair of cobras whose tails circle its base.

A grazing unicorn greets guest before they venture onto the suspended walkway to view the goddess.

A grazing unicorn greets guest before they venture onto the suspended canopy walkway to view the goddess.

Earth Goddess, the largest sculpture towers at 25 feet tall and is assembled from 23 sections, each weighting 2,500 pounds for a total weight of nearly 29 tons. No one asks this goddess how her butt looks in her jeans!

Earth Goddess, the largest sculpture towers at 25 feet tall and is assembled from 23 sections, each weighting 2,500 pounds for a total weight of nearly 29 tons. No one asks this goddess how her butt looks in her jeans!

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I love beautiful, functional, creatively designed kitchens. Kitchens are typically the heart of the house and of course where the party ends up. So I was anxious to see the Karpaty Cabinets-designed kitchen at the Decorators’ Show House & Gardens this year. The husband and wife team Natalia and Oleg Makarova showcase their work in the heart of this very large home with a kitchen that feels warm and luxuriously comfortable with its sleek cabinets that hide integrated appliances and drawers that pull out like a roll of silk for lots of storage. Two various materials were used on two large parallel counter tops: Amazon Pearl Quartz and pewter. Natalia complemented the cabinets and drawers with Rocky Mountain Hardware products that were cleaner and simpler that the heavier western looking hardware that they have a reputation for producing.

Karpaty Cabinets

Featured kitchen in the 2013 Decorators' Show House designed by Karpaty Cabinets. Dual counter tops feature different by complementary surfaces: quartz (left) and pewter (right). What's in the two doors in background? Two integrated Sub-Zero refrigerators and through them a nicely designed butler's pantry.

But what tops off the kitchen like the perfect cherry on an ice cream Sunday is the Lee Broom crystal bulbs that are suspended from the ceiling in a whimsical but symmetrical patterns above the counter tops. The beautiful crystal bulbs look like pieces of Baccarat crystal hanging from the ceiling. The Lee Broom web site describes the bulbs as a contemporary take on a traditional general store [look] with a surrealist twist.

Lee Broom Bulbs in Decorators' Show House

Close up of Lee Broom Crystal Bulb Shop bulbs in the kitchen designed by Karpaty Cabinets in the 2013 Decorators' Show House.

Lee Broom premiered this series of new products with its Crystal Bulb Shop at the 2012 London Design Festival but is showcasing it now at Spazio Pontaccio – The Design Boutique in Milan. So since most of us won’t be making it over to Milan to see these new products just pop into the Decorators’ Show House & Gardens and see these breathtaking crystal products in the Karpaty Cabinets-designed kitchen before it’s too late. The last day of the 2013 Decorators’ Show House & Gardens is Sunday, May 12, so don’t delay. Learn more about Karpaty Cabinets by going to www.karpatycabinets.com.

Karpaty Cabinets kitchen from another angle shows the stove's hoods and built-in glass cabinets to showcase china collections and collectibles.

Karpaty Cabinets kitchen from another angle shows the stove's hood and built-in glass cabinets showcasing china collections and collectibles.

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Hang it Up!

In this year’s Decorators’ Show House designers show us creative ways to hang collectibles, vintage collections, wallpaper, and everyday items in unique style.

Bryan Alan Kirkland, Bryan Alan Kirkland Designs, tackled the grand staircase by showcasing the homeowner as a modern collector and display a collection of electric guitars against an abstract orange and white wall.

Bryan Alan Kirkland, Michael Grant Jones and Lesia Denise King of Bryan Alan Kirkland Designs tackled the grand staircase by showcasing the homeowner as a modern collector and display a collection of electric guitars against an abstract orange and white wall.

Clay Snider, Clay Snider Interiors, LLC, took his inspiration from a vintage and map collection. The room also included an array of clear jars filled with colorful candies. Amusingly enough with napkins next to them.

Clay Snider, Clay Snider Interiors, LLC, took his inspiration from a vintage globes and map collection. The room also includes an array of clear jars filled with colorful candies. Amusingly enough with napkins next to them cause every kid uses a napkin when they eat candy.

Jillian Pritchard Cooke,  president of DES-SYN and Founder of Wellness Within Walls  and Katie Kitchens, director of design of DES-SYN will introduce you to a beautiful room using sustainable products. The bathroom off the Pied-A-Terre features removable wallpaper. So if and when you're tired of it and ready to change you just easily peel it away.

Jillian Pritchard Cooke, president of DES-SYN and Founder of Wellness Within Walls and Katie Kitchens, director of design of DES-SYN will introduce you to a beautiful room using sustainable products. The bathroom off the Pied-A-Terre features removable wallpaper. So if and when you're tired of it and ready to change it's super easy to peel away.

Do you like coffee, espresso and cappucinno? I'm mean REALLY like it? If so, you'll be inspired by Janice Dietz with Ritu Bansal's espresso room incorporates coffee bean dispensers and a glass art collection.

Do you love coffee, espresso and cappucino? I'm mean REALLY love it? If so, you'll be inspired by Janice Dietz with Ritu Bansal of The Consulting House's espresso room. It incorporates coffee bean dispensers and a glass art collection on the wall.

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Atlanta Symphony Decorators' Show House & Gardens

The 2013 Atlanta Symphony Decorators' Show House & Gardens on Old Plantation Road in Buckhead features more than 30 design spaces.

It’s that time of year again. Spring has sprung, azaleas are in full bloom and some of the area’s finest  interior decorators have come together to show off their talents while supporting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and its education and community engagement program. They’ve done it in grand style with the 2013 Decorators’ Show House & Garden. This year’s William T. Baker-designed chateau opened Saturday, April 20 and runs through Sunday, May 12.

On Thursday area media and bloggers like me were able to tour the William T. Baker-designed home called Tuffeau. I think if the Downton Abbey family had to downsize in the 21st century they might be perfectly content in this over 15,000-sq.-feet chateau with over 30 decorated spaces including a grand staircase and living room, a large kitchen with all the modern conveniences, a butler’s pantry, media room, wine room, espresso room, cigar room and pied-a-terre, to name just a few.

It’s so hard to give all the decorator their due for their talent and time but this week I’ll featured a few of my favorites as well as decorating that catch my eye that you might find of interest. But I’d recommend that you go buy a ticket, tour this breathtaking home in the heart of Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood while supporting a great local cause.

Decorators’ Show House & Gardens

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Decorators’ Show House and Gardens, 3495 Old Plantation Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30327, April 20 – May 12, 2013. Beneficiary: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and its Education and Community Engagement Programs

Tickets can be purchased online at www.decoratorsshowhouse.org. $20 – Tickets purchased before April 20 and $25 – Tickets purchased at the door or online after April 20.

Hours of Operation

Tuesday – Wednesday 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (last entry); Thursday 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. (last entry); Friday – Saturday 10 a.m. – - 3:30 p.m. (last entry); Sunday 12 p.m. – 4: 30 p.m. (last entry); Closed Monday.

Decorators' Show House Living Room

The living room or as this chateau would call it the grand salon was designed by Patricia McLean, Patricia McLean Interiors, is one of the largest rooms in the house. McLean manages this large space by breaking it down into various seating arrangements and creates a luxurious room by mixing silk and velvet, French accessories and personal touches.

This antique French gilded barometer in the grand salon designed by Patricia McLean, Patricia McLean Interior, is a beautiful piece that reminds us that pieces like this would have been practical and beautiful. The carved details as well as it's  blue border make this a striking accent in the salon.

This antique French gilded barometer in the grand salon designed by Patricia McLean, Patricia McLean Interior, is a complementary accent piece that reminds us that adornments like this were originally functional as well as beautiful. The carved details and the blue border make this a breathtaking French barometer.

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With a Southern Twist is all about good living in today's South. A true Southerner, the author's passions include food, home design, travel, restaurants, shopping, and entertaining. It is a fun blog about one of her most beloved regions of the country, shared through personal experiences.