Veranda July/August 2017

Summer is about enjoying the season’s beauty and bounty amid rich forests, windswept beaches, and wide-open fields. If Veranda must be known for just one thing, I hope it’s our commitment to timeless and enduring design. And if there’s something that never goes out of style, it’s gardening and pretty gardens, both of which have been a part of the magazine’s DNA since its inception 30 years ago. This issue takes that focus and passion for the great outdoors a step further with a special section devoted to all things related to land. It seems especially appropriate for this time of year, when we’re enjoying summer’s beauty and bounty amid rich forests, windswept beaches, and wide-open fields. Artists, of course, have always been inspired by natural landscapes, and today, all sorts of…

TATA HARPER’S FAVORITE THINGS 1. BURBERRY RIVETED LEATHER DOUBLE WRAP BELT “I’m loving belts worn on top of jackets.” burberry.com. 2. HERMÈS BRIDES FLEURIES SILK TWILL SCARF “A musthave accessory.” hermes.com. 3. LILACS “The lush bushes outside our house make the whole place smell amazing.” 4. NATHALIE LETE STONEWARE “Each hand-painted plate is so unique, beautiful, and colorful.” anthropologie.com. 5. GUCCI JORDAAN LEATHER LOAFERS “A travel essential— super-comfortable, but they still look smart.” gucci.com. 6. GIVENCHY ANTIGONA MINI-DUFFEL “It may look small, but it fits a million things.” barneys.com. 7. BULGARI B.ZERO1 RING “This simple piece works for everyday but is elegant enough for evening events.” bulgari.com. 8. TATA HARPER HYDRATING FLORAL ESSENCE “I use this toner every morning. I love how it slides onto the skin.” tataharperskincare.com. 9. ABCDNA VELVET THROWS “I keep these cozy blankets all over…

its heyday may have been the ballgown- and-big-hair 1980s, when designers like Mario Buatta lined rooms entirely in plump cabbage roses. But floral chintz’s roots trace to colonial India, and its appeal has spanned centuries, making it a perennial choice for cultivated, genteel rooms that will look as good 30 years from now as they do today. (Some of those Buatta rooms have passed the test of time with flying colors.) Despite its use in formal spaces, floral chintzes have a charm that leavens acres of gilt. And designers from Sister Parish to Mark Hampton knew that the pattern turns walls and curtains into hanging gardens that bloom all year long, and sofas and armchairs into tufted beds of roses. Lean in and take a deep breath: Blossoms are back again. The…

Watkins’s Signature Style CLASSIC FRENCH LINES Montgolfière chair, to the trade; cotefrance.com. QUIET PRINTS Plaisirs D Indochine cotton, to the trade; brunschwig.com. WROUGHT IRON Tournai table, $10,900; authentic provence.com. she had a knack for calibrated rooms that split the difference between sumptuousness and simplicity to land on a gorgeous middle ground: sophisticated, romantic spaces trimmed in judicious frills that never wavered into the saccharine. In our 30thanniversary year, we’re celebrating the decorators who have made a lasting impression on Veranda, and the work of the late Houston designer Babs Watkins takes pride of place. Watkins was a nuanced practitioner with a keen sense for color. One influential project in Galveston was cloaked nearly entirely in shades of aqua. In another French-inflected Houston house, the walls ranged from subtle pewter shades to powdery blues and creamy…

The house, near a creek in Dallas, is filled with the kind of quirks you don’t normally find in modern homes: a fire-station pole that runs from the third floor to the second; a slide hidden behind a staircase. The whimsy reaches sophisticated, adult heights in a bar that evokes the romance of North Africa. Tucked behind the library, the space is where designer David Easton indulged in an exotic flight of fancy. In our 30th-anniversary year, we’re revisiting memorable rooms and scouring the market for goods that capture their spirit. Easton’s bar is a riot of pattern—painted ceilings and colorful tiles, carved and inlaid furniture, arabesque-shaped doorways. Holding it all together are a warm palette, sumptuous fabrics, and the measured self-assurance of a true genius. INTERIOR: PETER VITALE; 2, 3,…

at the height of the sultry Georgia summer, the front hedge of Keith Robinson’s historic plantation explodes into a breathtaking wall composed of the verdant leaves and snowy blooms of Hydrangea paniculata, creating a bucolic backdrop for an intimate afternoon fete he hosts for friends in honor of the blackberry harvest. “In July and August, this area of the garden is truly spectacular,” says the event designer, describing his favorite grassy spot for savoring the splendor of the summer season. “Oftentimes, something a bit simple and quiet can actually speak volumes.” Careful not to outshine the brilliance of the flora, Robinson leans toward fresh but muted tones for the casually elegant table. Taking cues from the surrounding palette, he swathed the round table in a charming Provençal print and layered on milky…