Southern Lady March - April Southern Style

It has been a long-running joke in my family that the girls are born with an automatic love of purple. From my mother and her mother to my aunt and her daughters right down to me—we have all adored the hue from childhood on. Even when I called my aunt to tell her I was engaged, she followed her best wishes with, “You know you can just tweak the purple depending on your wedding date—lavender for spring, aubergine for fall!” So I had to laugh when I fell head over heels for the room on our cover, a graciously refreshing North Carolina living room designed by Traci Zeller and splashed with shades of lilac (page 61). Once again, my favorite color shows off its broad appeal and versatility as a sweeter…

Colored in crisp whites and grays with notes of unexpected vibrancy throughout, this Texas family residence was designed to reflect the dynamic characters that dwell within it. “The client has a very quiet and refined aesthetic, which is sometimes at odds with having four rambunctious kiddos,” explains designer Laura Umansky. “Our goal was to create a beautiful, tailored sanctuary for the homeowner while using performance pieces that easily hold up to a family of six.” To ready the structure for Laura’s vision, the team began by painting the entire house in the refreshing neutral palette and refinishing all its floors with the help of Houston-based Schenck & Company. From there, Laura’s distinctive “classically current” design philosophy took root. Striving for luxurious livability and grand yet grounded spaces, Laura employed a polished contemporary…

“The study is pretty enough to exist by the front door, yet it functions beautifully as an office.”—MERIDY KING Situated on an expansive plot of verdant beauty, enhanced by a creek rambling through, this converted ranch-style home feels as bright and fresh as the sunshine that floods its lush surroundings. The current owners, who came from a large 1920s Tudor house that had a heavier character, were attracted to the open, airy spaces of this structure. “Our goal was to produce a beautiful, up-to-date, light-infused home,” says designer Meridy King. Originally constructed in the early 1950s, the house was renovated in the ’90s by previous owners who enlisted the help of acclaimed residential designer William T. Baker. Once Meridy and the new owners began their work on the abode, they were tasked…

Rinna Stalcup has always enjoyed the scenic drive from Mobile, Alabama, to the Grand Hotel in Point Clear. Nestled among majestic 100-year-old live oaks along the southeastern tip of Mobile Bay, the historic resort has been a favorite family getaway for years. “When you drove onto the grounds of the hotel, there was a space called the Grove,” she recalls. “I told my husband, ‘If they ever build here, this is where we want to be.’” No sooner had the Stalcups finished renovating their longtime Mobile home than the opportunity arose to build their dream home at the Grand. Rinna dove right into designing the abode she had envisioned. She put her renovation experience to use, replicating wallpapers, paints, and burnished gold fixtures she’d chosen for the Mobile house. When she could…

For some homeowners, new construction can feel daunting—so many blank spaces, such boundless possibility. Not so for Daphne and Alistair Harding-Smith. By the time the last nail had been hammered into their custom-built Birmingham abode, Daphne had zeroed in on the look she wanted: a warm, approachable take on transitional style, with sturdy surfaces that would suit the couple’s busy lives and three children. Although few of their previous furnishings made the move to the new house, the Harding-Smiths kept their wooden dining table, reviving it with a gray stain and repurposing it for the breakfast area. The hue touched off the color scheme of soft grays, creams, and beiges that flows throughout the home and casts an air of respite and calm. Tactile fabrics, natural weaves such as sisal and…

Designer Rachel Cannon Lewis developed the kind of relationship with these Louisiana homeowners that every designer dreams of having with their clients. Tasked with adding beauty and comfort to a new construction for the family of four, Rachel orchestrated an updated take on traditional style that’s functional enough for active children, yet elegant and serene enough for two hardworking parents. “They have two sons—one in middle school, one in elementary school—so we were thoughtful about how to furnish each space for functionality and livability,” Rachel says. “They are focused on quality family time, so all of our choices were based around creating a true family home.” Rachel focused on providing a backdrop for that treasured togetherness, starting with colorful textiles that would stand up to wear and tear. “Originally, the homeowners thought…