Southern Home Home Style 2019

Janie Marsden-Willis has had a lifelong affinity for things that have a history. She was raised working alongside her mother at Jane Marsden Antiques & Interiors, a cornerstone of the Atlanta design and furnishings market for three decades. So it comes as no surprise that Janie’s home has a story to tell, too. Built on bustling Peachtree Street in town, the house has been moved, turned into an apartment building, and was finally abandoned for a time before Janie and her husband, Mike, bought it in the late 1990s. The home’s exterior footprint was all that remained when the family began breathing new life into their beloved abode. When all was said and done, it became the ideal showcase for a lifetime of covetable finds Janie acquired on her travels. With…

Mark and Sissy Simmons had a grand French Regency house in Nashville’s tony Belle Meade neighborhood where they raised four children. But once the children had grown and moved away, the time seemed right to feather another nest—perhaps something a little less formal that would still welcome their vast collections of antiques. So the couple decided to sell their house and build their dream home. They found a small rental cottage to serve as temporary space and made a few accommodations to fit their needs. But due to a fire, the Simmonses suddenly had no place to live—and their new house was in the earliest stages of construction. A crackerjack realtor friend quickly found a house that had real possibilities. It was cool and modern but needed some updates and a…

When an executive and his wife returned to Birmingham, Alabama, after living in New York City for many years, they were pleasantly surprised to find their former house on the market. With so many fond memories of family life in the spacious one-level, Regency-style home, the couple decided to purchase it again. However, they did want to make some changes inside to fit their new, more relaxed phase of life. So the homeowners called on the talents of designer Sandra Lynn, known for her comfortably elegant style, who had worked with them on a previous home. Although the property, on a wooded hillside in a Mountain Brook neighborhood, is close to the city, it also offers a sense of escape from the hustle of daily life. The homeowners and designer worked…

The genteel aura of Kentucky’s beloved Bluegrass Country seems to distinguish everything about Donna and Bill Shively’s Dixiana Farm. This is especially true in their elegant, four-year-old columned house that feels as if it has been there forever. Appearing in the distance like the setting of a Southern novel, the home is flanked by blowsy gardens and thick groves of century-old maple, oak, and walnut trees on more than 660 acres of rolling pastures, delineated by white-rail fences. Within this epicenter of the thoroughbred horse world that has produced legends like Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Man o’ War, Bill purchased Dixiana Farm in 2004. Founded in 1877, Dixiana became one of the top thoroughbred farms of its time. During its glory days of ownership by the automotive industry’s Fisher family, the…

When Jason and Kate Price of Birmingham, Alabama, approached Tom Adams and Adam Gerndt of Adams Gerndt Design Group about building a new lake retreat, they brought the best gift a client can offer—a waterfront lot with spectacular views all around. Located in the Emerald Shores community of Lake Martin, the property is situated on a peninsula. Additionally, the lot is mostly flat, allowing the architects to organize a fairly conventional structure centered on a main house with wings extending off of it, rather than a stacked arrangement perched on a steep slope as is common with many lake houses. “We wanted to maximize the opportunities of the amazing lot, as well as use authentic materials that reflect the location,” says Gerndt. Built of Alabama stone, the house sits comfortably…

If you ask a design expert for advice on the most worthy investment related to furnishing your house, the answer is often something like this: “Buy the best you can afford.” The response from Dallas designer Cathy Kincaid is similar, but her reason has nothing to do with investment value or resale projections. For her, it’s all about quality and timelessness. Her affinity for reusing and repurposing is evident throughout her portfolio, as well as in her home in the Preston Hollow area. The property belonged to an old friend, so Kincaid already had a firm foundation on which to build the design plan. At first the client was looking for “a little nip and tuck” to update the home, but as the work progressed and hidden potential was uncovered, the…