Southern Living September 2019

EARLIER THIS YEAR, we decided to host a gathering of some of the remarkable women you’ll read about in this issue (“The New Southern Tastemakers,” page 45). They came from all over the South—New Orleans, Houston, Atlanta, and even Taylor, Mississippi—and they shared an entrepreneurial spirit as well as a knack for Instagram and a taste for fashion. The idea was to hear their stories, their challenges, and their efforts to make our region a better, prettier place. As the only guy in the room, I did my best to shut up and listen. We sat around a conference table, and one by one they talked about what it’s like to start a new business in the modern South, even as many of them were juggling the responsibilities of mother-hood. Ann…

THE READERS’ CHOICE! We’re searching for the South’s best—CHOSEN BY YOU—for a feature that will run in SPRING 2020. Small Towns • Cities • Restaurants • Barbecue Joints • Hotels • Bars Shops • Catfish Joints • Neighborhoods • Scenic Drives • And More! GO TO SOUTHERNLIVING.COM/SOUTHSBESTVOTE VOTE NOW AND ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A $2,500 GRAND PRIZE OR ONE OF THREE SECOND PRIZES OF $500. Simply hover your phone’s camera over the smart code to start your voting. Click here to start your voting. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Southern Living South’s Best Survey 2020 Giveaway is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia age 18 or older at time of entry. To enter…

GOING DOWN THE Pinterest rabbit hole often leads to the best discoveries. Nikki Colquitt would agree. That’s how she stumbled upon interior designers Allison Smith and Anne Scott Shelley of Maison Studios. Colquitt reached out about a rug they had pinned, only to find that they were based in the 30A area, where she and her husband, Britton, had just bought a spec house in need of a softer look for themselves and their four children. That rug inquiry led to a design partnership. Colquitt turned to the decorators with a specific request: Bring the outside in. “My favorite colors are blue-green tones and the shades of old wicker and worn rugs—mostly hues you’d see outdoors here,” she says. Although the neighborhood’s tree-lined streets and the Panhandle’s beaches provided a lot…

ALWAYS A CLASSIC, the topiary’s proper form hails from iconic gardens, and it provides order among rambling plantings. But an evergreen topiary like this ball-form spruce is also a hard worker, going strong through fall and winter. Pair it with ‘Orange Marmalade’ firecracker flower, and it will feel at home on the porch during the changing seasons. Firecracker flower (also called crossandra) is an MVP from late August through early fall as its colorful bloom spikes continue to shine even when most other summer flowers are dying off. If your area gets a final heat wave, firecracker flower will take it in stride as long as you keep it watered.…

LESSONS IN SOUTHERN DECORATING 1 PICK THE RIGHT SIZE Scale matters. Most sofas look best with four pillows (a pair of square 22-inch pillows and a set of 20-inch ones). If that feels too big or small for your couch, size each set down or up by 2 inches. 2 PEEK INSIDE Avoid foam stuffing (it costs less but loses its shape quickly). Purchase down or down-alternative inserts that have a more natural (and squishier) feel. 3 CHOOSE REMOVABLE Always buy pillows with covers so they can be taken off for laundering with ease. Bonus: If you select the same dimensions for your next set, you can reuse the inserts. 4 MIX AND MATCH Pillows should coordinate with one another but contrast with your sofa fabric. Our no-fail advice? Stick to one palette for all four, and match…

RECENTLY, A READER asked me a question I thought would interest many of you. “We need a tree to shade one of our windows, but the planting area outside is only about 15 by 15 feet. What would you suggest?” I replied, “‘Sango-Kaku’ Japanese maple, ‘Emperor I’ Japanese maple, or ‘Bloodgood’ Japanese maple.” Notice that all three are selections of the same species, Acer palmatum. Why am I so smitten with Japanese maples? Let me count the ways. First, unlike most trees, they grow rather slowly and stay compact, hardly ever needing pruning or outgrowing their space. Second, they are beautiful in every season, boasting red, orange, yellow, bright green, purple, pink, variegated (two or more colors on the same leaf), reticulated (prominent leaf veins), or dissected (finely cut) foliage. Third, some…