Southern Home January - February 2017

WINTER IN THE SOUTH CAN BE summed up in one word—unpredictable. One day we are bundled up to brave a hard freeze, and the next we are shedding layers as temperatures rise. But no matter what the weather brings, one thing is certain—we all look to our homes as sources of comfort during these months. In some ways, we hibernate a bit as we spend more time indoors, so we want to create places of welcome, solace, and escape for friends and family to enjoy. In this issue, we feature a number of homes that offer all that and more. Take a trip to Virginia’s horse country, where designer Pamela Ryder adds European charm to her weekend retreat that was once a simple log cabin (page 29). See how Charlotte…

Southern Home (SH): Where do you find the inspiration for your work? Jan Showers (JS): My travels inspire me more than anything, especially when I go on buying trips to Paris. The French are very into the decorative arts. Their museums, shops, and flea markets all stimulate my senses. I am also influenced by the chic style of the ’60s and ’70s. I loved seeing Babe Paley’s houses in Vogue. I also loved Diane von Furstenberg’s New York apartment with its lacquered walls. SH: You’re known for your use of Murano glass. How did that come about? JS: I fell in love with glass when I was a little gIrl. My maternal grandmother had wonderful glass pieces, and she used them for serving Sunday lunch. Both she and my mother had amazing crystal.…

What do you get when you mix Southern sophistication with California cool? Nearly 9,000 square feet of laidback luxury right in the heart of Houston. “When the Palumbos first came to me in 2013, they knew exactly what they wanted their home to feel, look, and live like,” says interior designer Julie Dodson. “Kim is a New Orleans girl through and through, so she wanted to capture the culture, history, and French flair that are unique to the homes she grew up around. Carl is from Sacramento, so he was drawn to more casual interiors with a contemporary edge.” Despite their differing tastes, the couple firmly agreed that the house had to be family- and pet-friendly for their teenage sons, two dogs, and the constant parade of friends who come…

Discovering Emily and Jack Howell's new home on St. Andrews Bay in Panama City Beach, Florida, is as unexpected as it is utterly engaging. The thoughtfully designed and carefully crafted Italian-inspired villa offers a pleasant surprise amid its lush landscape. “We spent time in Sea Island, Georgia, and were captivated by the architecture of The Cloister hotel,” says Emily. With a desire to create something similar on their waterfront property, the couple worked with architect Eric Watson and interior designer Dee Simmons to realize their vision. Clearly rooted in classical traditions, the 5,800-square-foot house defers to the principles of Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, while the grand portico nods to London’s St. Paul’s Church at Covent Garden designed by Inigo Jones in 1631. True to form, the home reveals itself in stages,…

There’s little doubt that designer Pamela Ryder and husband Bradford are unabashedly in love with Atoca Run, their weekend place in Virginia’s horse country. “It’s a pretty unique spot,” Pamela says. “There are 600 acres on one side of the property and around 100 on the other, so we see lots of wildlife—foxes, herds of deer, and glorious birds.” In contrast to the vast estates that typically dominate the rolling landscape, the D.C. designer describes the 35-acre property of fields, gardens, and streams as “manageable and quite wonderful, especially on any given Saturday during fox-hunting season when 100 horses gallop through.” Acquiring their little slice of paradise happened quickly in 2005 when the Ryders were given a take-it-or-leave-it opportunity. “We bought it in two weeks, but it was a leap of…

It was out of a competitive spirit that Cielito Lindo, “A Piece of Heaven,” was born. At the time, wealthy Palm Beach residents competed with one another to possess the most palatial estate, to entertain the most distinguished guests, and to live the most gracious lives. In 1927, Jessie May Woolworth-Donohue, heiress to the five-and-dime-store fortune, and her husband, James P. Donohue of New York, hired well-known architect Marion Sims Wyeth to design their Mediterranean manse. The 45,000-square-foot winter home included vast surroundings that held orange groves, tennis courts, a tea pavilion, and extensive formal gardens. A tunnel beneath South Ocean Boulevard led the noble and rich safely to the beachfront pool and luxurious cabanas. A three-story tower, where actress Barbara Hutton once played with her young Donahue cousins as…