the GUEST room:
COURTNEY & RANDY TILINSKI
COURTNEY & RANDY TILINSKI
We welcome our fabulous, Atlanta friends Courtney and Randy Tilinski – other- wise known as “Mr. and Mrs. Bungalow” – to the GUEST ROOM this season. Courtney and Randy founded their renowned home store BUNGALOW CLASSIC in 2000 bringing a truly fresh approach to the interiors industry. The airy space in the Howell Mill district in Midtown Atlanta is a must-see design destination filled with a diverse mix of antiques, furniture made with reclaimed materials, upholstery, lighting and other intriguing objects. With an ever-changing collection, BUNGALOW CLASSIC keeps a timeless sensibility that appeals to a sophisticated aesthetic. And to add to the stylish array, Courtney and Randy recently put their design talents to work with a signature BUNGALOW CLASSIC furniture line for HIGHLAND HOUSE. When they aren’t welcoming guests into their store or creating anew, they’re off to the airport in an attempt to satisfy their design wanderlust. Fueled by their current obsession with espresso and their lifelong love of Rock-and-Roll, Courtney and Randy invite us us along for a wonderful ride...
What inspires you?
COURTNEY:
Fortunately a lot of things! Great classic movies, beautiful landscaping (anything by Russell Page), Fashion (currently coveting anything from Johanna Ortiz available at MODA OPERANDI). And there are so many amazing series on television now…VICTORIA, VERSAILLES and THE CROWN. And of course travel…always wish we could do more.
RANDY:
The emotional feeling of design. It can be how a beautiful photo or artwork makes me feel or how a room or space feels. I love so many things. From surfboards to sneakers to interiors to music. I can go from modern to classic in a heartbeat. I think the other thing that really inspires me about design and life in general is being transported to another time and place. I love going to a historic space like Versailles or Villa Rothschild or Villa Kerylos, and listening to the audio guide and realizing that I am walking down the same halls that Napoleon, Louis XIV, or Marie Antionette once walked and lived in.
I am also very inspired by craftsmen. Without them none of the beautiful product that is being imagined by designers would ever take form. I walk through the factory in amazement everytime of what is still being made in our country and how talented our craftsmen are.
Tell us about YOUR favorite guest room…
COURTNEY:
A guest room with a canopy bed and I am good to go! My all time favorite would be at Hubert de Givenchy’s Chateau du Jonchet in Romilly-sur-Aigre. It has not one but two canopy beds – just heavenly!
RANDY:
This is one I have never stayed in, but Christian Liaigre’s “Fisherman Shack” in St Barths. To me it is perfection. It sits right on the ocean in a little cove. The design is so beautiful and so restrained. I could easily imagine walking up to a little espresso and a pain au chocolat followed by an ocean swim. The interior is the perfect mix of refined and primitive. Hopefully he will read this and make my dream come true. I am a very good house guest Mr Liaigre, you will never know I was there…
Tell us about your most recent favorite find…
COURTNEY:
Bread & Butterfly in Inman Park – this charming bistro needs to be closer to us!
RANDY:
Villa Kerylos in the South of France. I would have never imagined loving a house with so many mosaics. It is an amazing Villa and I love that someone was bold enough to create such a place. I highly recommend it, it is hard to put into words how fantastic it is.
What is one thing about you that would surprise people?
COURTNEY:
I absolutely love music and going to concerts. Many years ago we flew to London and saw Oasis, the next day flew to Milan, drove to Verona and saw Richard Ashcroft and Coldplay in one of the oldest arenas in the world. It was a magical evening! I would love to rival that experience sooner than later… might I add – there were no private planes or first class for this adventure!
RANDY:
Before interiors I worked for my good friends in the music industry. I worked for the musical group the Black Crowes. I had so much fun being part of a new Southern Music movement in the late 80’s early 90’s…that would go on to change the music industry. It was an incredible experience going from booking clubs where 30 people would show up, to seeing a band that would the next year play in huge sold out arenas. Opening award shows, hanging out with and playing with Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and a list of others.
What is your definition of TIMELESS STYLE?
COURTNEY:
Simple things:
Crisp white shirts – Ann Mashburn always has a great selection.
Camel cashmere sweater (or anything camel for that matter).
Chanel flats.
Chunky gold link bracelets from Vaubel.
Chambray denim shirts or pants – LOVE these!
A touch of rattan to a room.
Floral fabric like Pyne Hollyhock in Grisaille from Schumacher.
Beautiful china – my current fave is Gien pattern: Pont Aux Choux.
RANDY:
Cary Grant’s character in Alfred Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief”. So classic. The clothes were great, the style and his house. He even managed to make a plaid swimsuit look good. Doesn’t hurt that it was in the South of France. Plus with the nickname the “Cat”, could it get any better?
To me timeless style is classic and looks as fresh 30 years from the day it was created. I love the stories of the clients of Renzo Mongiardino, and how they have left the rooms he created so many years ago as they were and have not changed them.
Hotel Du Cap in Antibes France would pretty much define timeless style. It looks fresh today, but you are uncertain if it was just redone or if it was done 50 years ago.
