Southern Living Southern Living Farmhouse Living 2021

CONTAINER OF THE MONTH SEASON’S GREETINGS Make a memorable first impression by adorning your entry with a live wreath packed with beautiful flowers, fresh foliage, and vibrant autumn colors. Start by buying a form and liner that you can use every season. (We like the Large 24" Living Wreath Form with Jute Liner, $26; kinsmangarden.com.) At the end of winter, replant with spring annuals. 1 PUT IT TOGETHER To assemble, place the jute liner (plastic side up) in the wreath form. Fill partially with potting soil, leaving room for adding plants. Cover with the second jute piece, and clip wire frame into place. Snip holes in the liner for plants. 2 ADD A HANDPICKED BOUNTY Incorporate flowering kale, ‘Prostrate’ rosemary, ‘Miz America’ mustard, Delta Premium ‘Persian Medley’ pansies, yellow and orange violas, and mums. 3 MAKE IT…

Crisp air, changing leaves, and football games start the buzz around Franklin: “We’ve got to get out to Gentry’s.” Fall has finally arrived. I made my first trip to the 400-acre farm when I was in first grade. I remember swinging on a tire that hung from the massive oak tree beside the old barn, and now I watch my daughters (Emmaline, 4, and Joey Kate, 1) play in that exact spot. The property has been in the Gentry family since 1848, but nearly 30 years ago, they opened their gates to the community, offering summer day camps; educational programs for school groups; and a fall harvest celebration with pick-your-own pumpkins, hayrides, corn mazes, and friendly farm animals—like Elvis the goat. Maybe it’s the simple act of disconnecting and getting my hands dirty,…

As Michelle and Nick Spiva’s three boys left home and headed off to college, the Nashville couple knew they needed to start rethinking their space. And so the planning began. They took notes on everything they loved or regretted about the house they were currently in, like the wastefully expansive living room. “It took up about a third of the downstairs, and we only went in it maybe twice a year,” Michelle explains. They also wanted a screened porch. “I couldn’t add one at our old house, but screened porches have an easy and casual comfort that’s hard to replicate inside,” she says. After a few years, the list stacked up. “It wound up being about 10 typed pages of notes,” Michelle says. When the time became right to build…

My idea of heaven on earth used to be the famous Paris flea markets, but then I went to Texas—Round Top, Texas, to be precise. And while the French markets are spectacular, they are also far, far away. Not only did I return jet-lagged, but my treasures had to cross an ocean to get home. As I’ve traveled the Southern circuit of antiques, furniture, and gift shows—from Nashville and Atlanta to High Point, North Carolina—I’ve heard some whispers about what my Texas design friends have said for years: Round Top should not be missed. Nine times out of ten, “Round Top” has been the response to questions like these: “Where did you get that perfectly worn-in but not-too-rustic farm table? How about your pine armoire with the bamboo detailing? And your kitchen…

Equal parts quintessential Southern and modern-day millennial, this home (complete with a white picket fence) is one property that perfectly reflects its owner. Julia Berolzheimer may have 1.3 million Instagram followers (@juliaberolzheimer) and counting, but she considers herself more traditional than trendy. In fact, her lifestyle blog and budding fashion empire, Gal Meets Glam, is built upon her knack for reinventing classics with a contemporary spin—whether that’s a floral-print dress topped with a cardigan or the laid-back sophistication of her Lowcountry cottage in the city’s Old Village District. The custom-renovated home is one way that she and her husband, Thomas, really are living the modern dream. Running their own company afforded them the flexibility to pick up and move to South Carolina from San Francisco practically on a whim. Northern California…

TRANSFORM YOUR PICKUP TRUCK Give guests a few comfortable seating options. Turn your pickup into a cozy flatbed by piling on twin air mattresses, thrifty mismatched linens, and a few large pillows. Add a blanket for when the temperature starts to dip. Create other lounge areas by setting up lawn chairs, spreading out blankets, or putting hay bales to work. SET UP THE BIG SCREEN Creating a movie screen is as simple as fastening a canvas tarp to a large, flat surface, such as the side of a house or barn. The trick is pulling all four corners taut to eliminate any wrinkles in the fabric. 1 PREDRILL HOLES Measure the distance between the grommets in each corner of the tarp, and then drill holes into the flat surface at those distances. Screw in both…