Connoisseur Lounge at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival

Atlanta is also abuzz about this week's Atlanta Food & Wine Festival which will take place May 19 through 22. A first for Atlanta, the festival will celebrate the best in Southern food and food culture. But, it won't all be about BBQ and fried chicken, although, of course, both Southern foods will be well-represented. There will be tasting tents where such delicacies as Low Country and Cajun foods, Tabasco, and Bourbon can all be sampled. (Yes, we do consider those things to be delicacies!) There will also be plenty of tasting seminars and cooking demonstrations with some of the area's top chefs.

But, if design is more your thing, then you really should check out the festival's Connoisseur Lounge where some of the event's reserve tastings and demonstrations will be held. The hostess of the Lounge, author Danielle Rollins, has been responsible for the design and build out of the Lounge. With the assistance of designer Mallory Mathison Glenn, Danielle and Mallory have created a space that embraces Southern hospitality and graciousness. Inspired by both Lyford Cay and Round Hill, Danielle and Mallory wanted the lounge to look like a loft inhabited by a Coca-Cola heiress. (Think of her, the heiress, as a modern day Scarlett O'Hara who lives in a modern space but decorates it with her family silver and antiques.) The color palette of the space is lively, while the fabrics (all of which are by Schumacher) are very Palm Beach chic. Contemporary art, including pieces by artist Carolyn Carr, will punctuate the walls of the lounge. And the showstopper will likely be the tented bar topped by a striped awning.

You can see some of the fabrics, colors, and artwork that will be used below. I will be showing images of the lounge once it's completely finished, but I urge you to visit the Lounge and the rest of the Festival in person. For more information, visit the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival website. If you can't make it, you can follow Danielle's updates on Facebook and Twitter.






Photo at top by Sara Hanna