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The first Christmas in a new home is always a cause for celebration. From finding the perfect spot for the tree to outfitting the banister with garland, every festive addition feels fresh and exciting. After 12 years in their previous house, a Virginia couple and interior designer Pamela Harvey were able to create a fun perspective on their Christmas traditions...

Text: Margaret Zainey Roux Photos: Dustin Peck Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Blair Hogan has a very keen eye. So, when the wife and mother of three set her sights on a dated house in need of major rehab, those who know her best knew better than to question her vision. “The house had a 1970s vibe,...

It was the poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., who perhaps most eloquently described the pleasure associated with a silver punch bowl: “This ancient silver bowl of mine—it tells of good old times, of joyous days, and jolly nights, and merry Christmas chimes.” Indeed, few types of silver are as symbolic of conviviality as the punch bowl, not least because of the festive beverage for which...

Text: Karen Carroll Photos: Images courtesy of Robert Brown Interior Design Southern Home (SH): What did you want to be when you grew up? Robert Brown (RB): Well, for a minute there, I wanted to be a professional tennis player. When I realized that probably wasn’t going to work out, I went to the University of Georgia and majored in journalism, thinking...

Text: Tiffany Adams Photos: Gordon Beall Rolling hills and wildflower-dotted meadows are part of the idyllic allure of the Virginia countryside. For this young family, a piece of property on the outskirts of Charlottesville had both and more. “They purchased this land years ago and decided the time was right to build on it,” interior designer Melanie Elston says. Along with...

Text: Tiffany Adams Photography: Stacy Zarin Goldberg The lure of the Blue Ridge Mountains had long beckoned when the now owners of this Loudoun County, Virginia, property found their forever home. “We came here from the Washington, D.C., suburbs in the early fall after searching for much smaller homes in the area,” says the husband. As the pair made their way...

Text: Jeanne de Lathouder Photos: Rebecca Lehde of Inspiro 8 Studios A spectacular modern outlier perched along the shores of South Carolina’s coveted Lake Keowee, this breathtaking property wows the beholder at first glance with its majestic views. Located in an exclusive enclave called The Landing at Keowee Springs—a posh community amid The Cliffs—the undeveloped lot surprisingly did not reveal the...

Text: Alice Welsh Doyle Photography: Anice Hoachlander A renovation in a historic neighborhood in Chevy Chase, Maryland, could embrace the moniker of “a tale of two houses.” The rather unusual façade speaks to the circa 1790s original being tinkered with over the years, while the back of the home is all about convenience and modern family living at its best. Renovated &...

At one such house, floral designer Sybil Sylvester has been embellishing its low-key beauty with festive holiday greenery and flowers for a dozen years. The house was once owned by the wife’s uncle and then passed through other owners until the couple brought it back into the family and installed the antiques and artwork that suggest an uninterrupted residency....

Southern Home: We think of Versailles when we think of parterre gardens.  Is that where they originated? John Mills: It is a common notion that the Parterre originated in the gardens of Versailles. However, parterre gardens were created in the 15th century, and were initially known as “knot gardens.” Versailles, along with its gardens, was built in the mid-16th century. It was...