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Text by Tiffany Adams Photography by John O'Hagan Growing up in her mother’s Leeds, Alabama, antiques shop, Maison de France, was an inspiring experience for Mallory Smith. “My whole life I knew I wanted to be an interior designer. I think it’s in my blood,” she says. Days spent in the shop not only influenced her career path, but also her style,...

  1 DOVE ORNAMENTS BY FIG & DOVE; Sculptural and lightweight, the acrylic dove ornament is designed and hand-painted by Louisiana artist Brad Bourgoyne. Different sizes available; figanddove.com 2 RYN MILLER BOTANICAL; Hand-pressed botanicals deliver a one of a kind work of art; rynmillerbotanicals.com 3 CATALINA FOOTED BOWL, MATTE WHITE, GOLD FEET BY ABIGAILS; Handmade in Italy, this ceramic footed bowl makes...

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: Tiffany Adams Photos: Rett Peek After living in it for close to two decades, a central Arkansas couple still loved their home’s charm, neighborhood, and floor plan. However, they were ready for a few style updates. “It was just a different look 20 years ago,” says designer Kevin Walsh of Little Rock’s Bear Hill Interiors, who worked to refresh the house...

Text: Jennifer Boles Few furniture types are as chameleon-like as the folding floor screen. Hinged, upright panels that are typically made of wood, paper, or fabric, folding screens are believed to have originated in ancient China, where their heavy, carved, wooden frames rendered them stationary room decorations. The furniture form was later introduced to Japan, where craftsmen refined the design of...

Text: Leslie May As a designer I like each of the spaces I create to have at least one element that evokes a “Wow! That’s so cool” response. Something surprising, a new twist on a classic, and upholstering the unexpected always achieves that goal. Covering a wall or ceiling with fabric adds a texture and softness that wallpaper or paint can...

Text: Karen Carroll Southern Home (SH): What was your path to becoming a designer? Scot Meacham Wood (SMW): I was with Ralph Lauren in Northern California for about 15 years, in a division called Creative Services. We designed all the home collection installations, windows, and mannequins, and that opened me up to a world I loved. We’d take four walls and...

Whether your holiday season is filled with lavish parties, intimate gatherings or festive nights around the fire for two, there’s no better time to arrange your surroundings in ways that bring you extra joy. Homes in the South may not see many snow-covered Christmas mornings, but that doesn’t stop its homeowners from hauling out beloved collections and heirloom decorations...

Text: Lydia Somerville Photography: Jeff Herr When clients approached design firm Huff-Dewberry to decorate a new home for them, it was as if their careers had come full circle. The designers had worked for decades with the late Dan Carithers, another design luminary, who these same clients had used for decades. When Carithers retired, the clients made the natural progression to...

After spending much of 2020 at home, people are seeking ways to refresh their spaces for the new year.  Farah Merhi (@farahjmerhi), American Signature Furniture’s Designer Looks Style Expert and founder of Inspire Me! Home Décor, offers these tips based on 2021’s hottest home décor trends.  1. Go monochromatic Soft, warm tones are in, but keep it all in the same...