HGTV Designer Michel Boyd Has an Eye for Luxury

Though the look suggests velvet, this stylish reading nook couch between Boyd's living room and dining room is actually upholstered in more easy-care ultra suede. With such strategic choices, says Boyd, "you can have a luxe look," without sacrificing practicality.

When he's not entertaining for groups of up to 300 people, Michel Boyd keeps his dining room spare and neat. But when staging dinner parties, "I like to set a table," says Boyd. "I like to junk up the table," with accessories and other elements, "you're creating a moment," says Boyd.

The same gold and black color scheme continues from Boyd's living room to his dining room and kitchen. Editing is key in Boyd's view. "The best designers are great editors," he notes, "It's not always easy to practice restraint."

Boyd has created a gallery wall above the cabinets in his kitchen using gold frames to continue a metallic theme that defines the living, dining and kitchen in the ground floor level of his home.

Though they look like gorgeous decorative accessories, these gold and geode elements are actually boxes that Boyd uses to keep unsightly items out of view. Boxes and trays, that convert any surface into a table, are two of his favorite design elements to use throughout his home.

A designer's home is a showroom, a laboratory and idea generator when it comes to finishes, trim and fixtures. Designer Michel Boyd calls his style "curated luxe living," and puts his focus on making sure each object in his home is both useful and beautiful. Keeping glasses, plates and other everyday items in the same style and color family is just one way to bring a designer vision to your home design scheme.

No space is wasted including this landing in designer Boyd's home. Boyd creates a memorable, striking vignette by placing a series of sculptural items including a striking fur ottoman and a distinctive light fixture in close proximity. The result is a tableaux worthy of a contemporary art gallery.

Plenty of built-in cabinets keep clutter and work out of the way but within easy reach in Boyd's terrace level home office.

When organized, a shelf in a home office is a thing of beauty, with reference books easy to find. Boyd suggests adding a curtain rod and heavy curtain mounted outside bookshelves to hide away visual clutter when it's not needed and create a neater, more organized space.

The terrace level of Boyd's home features a home office where he can work on designs and bring clients for meetings.

A detail of designer Michel Boyd's home office featuring large drawers filled with fabric samples.

Designer Michel Boyd's home office features file drawers filled with samples and swatches organized by color and style for easy reference.

"I treat my guests just like me," says Boyd of how he stages his luxurious but comfortable guest room, asking himself, "if I was in the room, what would I need?" Absolutely essential: "fluffy towels and great sheets." And he has some advice so you are always ready to receive visitors. "Whenever someone leaves, I strip everything so I'm ready for the next person."

Soft, luxurious textures lend comfort to this guest room. Appealing to the senses is an important part of a guest room says Boyd, who makes sure his favorite candles and shower gel are on hand. "The W has a fragrance, why shouldn't you?"

Nothing says luxury like a variety of pillows in different textures on a guest bed. A handy bench at the foot of the bed on which to pile the pillows when your visitors are sleeping is a thoughtful touch (and keeps the pillows from winding up on the floor).

An orderly closet with shoes arranged by color helps keep admitted clotheshorse Michel Boyd organized. "When you have a lot of things, it's important to have systems," says Boyd, "and for me, color works."

Jewel tones and a luxurious space with plenty of texture and visual interest makes designer Michel Boyd's master bedroom a real sanctuary.

Gorgeous purple, blue and mauve jewel tones add richness to this master bedroom.

"This is where I come to lounge and hang out and decompress from the day" says designer Michel Boyd of Smith Boyd Interiors, of the luxurious master bedroom in his Atlanta home.

A dark ceiling, antique mirrors and a textured, frescoed wall create a feeling of enclosure and warmth in this master bedroom.

Designer Boyd took the unusual tack of placing a large, sculptural bathtub in his master bedroom, but the effect is striking and only adds to the sense of comfort and luxury in this space.