Southern Home March/April 2022

Spring Colors Once the gray skies of winter begin to fade away, we often find ourselves longing for a change of scenery and the freshness of springtime. Adding a dose of color to your surroundings can feel invigorating while also inspiring you to try new things and step outside your design comfort zone. The designers and homeowners featured within this colorful issue have done just that. Whether your taste leans toward soft, muted hues or bright and vibrant palettes, there are endless choices and combinations to help you embrace the colors you love. Design firm Huff-Dewberry joins forces with architectural team Spitzmiller Norris to create a classic retreat on Amelia Island on page 55. Playful patterns and bright pops reflect the youthful owners of a New Orleans abode on page 65,…

1 CALLOWAY CONSOLE BY MADE GOODS; crafted of iron with an aged brass finish and a faux shagreen top; 60"L x 18"W x 31"H; to the trade; madegoods.com 2 HIDCOTE CONSOLE TABLE BY CURREY & COMPANY; a concrete demilune in a warm faux bois natural finish can be placed indoors or out; 49"W x 29"H x 18"D; $1,190; curreyandcompany.com 3 PIETRO BY LILLIAN AUGUST; crafted of rosewood to create an organic elegant look with three drawers for storage and gold hardware accents; 84"W x 18.25"D x 33"H; price upon request; lillianaugustfinefurniture.com 4 LISABET CONSOLE TABLE BY VANCOLLIER; inspired by bare tree branches. Hand-crafted steel with a hand-painted gold finish and marble top. Custom sizes and finishes available; 32"W x 16"D x 34"H; to the trade; vancollier.com 5 HOLLAND CONSOLE BY REGINA ANDREW; hand-crafted of…

Southern Home (SH): Tell us a bit about your background. Who first fostered your love of beauty? Ashley Whittaker (AW): I grew up in Florida; both of my grandmothers were very stylish with beautiful houses, and I think it was as much about a lifestyle as it was about decorating. My mother, too. They understood how to live in a house, use it well, how to entertain. A friend and I remarked recently that not everyone feels comfortable entertaining on a regular basis, whereas I’ll say something like, “Come over the Saturday after Thanksgiving; we’re making turkey terrifics, and please bring a leftover,” and suddenly it’s 30 people around the backyard fire pit with kids running wild. It’s just a way of life. I can set an elegant table and then…

Interior decorator Summer Thornton takes readers down the rabbit hole and into an exciting world of color and pattern in her very first book of interiors, Wonderland: Adventures in Decorating. Thornton believes in designing with the wildest abandon. Her world is one of nickel tubs, marble fireplaces, whimsical textiles, surprising patterns, and secret gardens. Often described as maximalist with a modern, fresh sensibility, Thornton manages to achieve highly polished, sophisticated interiors that indulge in a lighthearted, almost irreverent sense of whimsy. In her first book, her goal is to inspire readers to follow their creative impulses and make their own rules. Let yourself be transported with the dreamy, fantastical homes arranged by theme within this volume. “Fearless Romantic” features Thornton’s own gorgeous city house, while “Here Comes the Sun” gives a…

In The New Traditional, Barclay Butera presents new projects through 15 homes while telling the story of their style. “Good design to me is a combination of yours, mine, and ours,” says Butera. “I believe there should be history in a room, whether it be a piece of art, a vintage rug, or a family heirloom.” Butera also shares the power of living in a beautiful environment and the positive effect of surrounding yourself with the things you love. Classic design with a fresh twist is flawlessly integrated into traditional, transitional, and contemporary interiors alike, and the homes emphasize alluring architecture, luxurious furnishings, and intricate craftsmanship. Since 1994, Butera has been the creative force behind his prestigious design firm and showroom in Newport Beach, California. His success in Newport prompted him…

Although plants and flowers have been ever-present in art since ancient times, they rarely played starring roles, more often than not relegated to the background or treated as decorative flourishes. Their artistic status began to rise, however, in the medieval era, when interest in their medicinal properties grew, prompting the development of a type of book called “herbals,” whose copious illustrations of plants and flowers helped to instruct readers in their medicinal uses. While herbals may have elevated botanical illustrations to a more prominent position, it was not until the Renaissance that they finally became an art form of their own, one which combined science with beauty. Owing to sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Europeans’ burgeoning interest in the world around them, attention turned to nature, which was increasingly studied in a scientific…