Southern Living Southern Living Porch Style 2023

GARDENING 101 Made for the SHADE Beat the heat with containers of leafy green plants that are able to thrive in the low sunlight of a covered porch 1 HANG A TRIO OF HEAT-TOLERANT SUMMER ARRANGEMENTS Brighten a blank patio wall with a vertical garden. First, drill drainage holes in the bottoms of containers. Make three additional holes in the front of each, and then use tin snips to cut out triangular openings that are large enough to fit one plant. Fill containers with soil and plants. Left: shrimp plant, ‘Aqua Marine’ pilea, variegated pteris fern, selaginella, sword fern, arrowhead vine Middle: asparagus fern, ‘Triostar’ stromanthe, ‘Neon’ pothos Right: ‘Neon’ pothos, arrowhead vine, selaginella 2 STICK WITH A MIX OF GREEN PLANTS You may beat the summer heat beneath a porch roof, but it’s hard to find colorful flowers…

I grew up in the storied city of Natchez, Mississippi. The oldest town on the Mississippi River, Natchez may not be as rowdy as New Orleans or as famed for historic architecture as Charleston, South Carolina, but when it comes to good times in grand houses, this place can hold its own. Around here, many of us could mix perfectly proportioned sweet tea and differentiate between Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns by middle school. The best examples of both hospitality and history can be found on the spacious porches throughout town. My childhood home, an 1837 Federal town house facing Main Street, boasted one so wide that I learned to skate on it. Downtown Natchez is composed of well-preserved 19th-century buildings—Federal, Greek Revival, Victorian—most with large porches (or “galleries” in the…

BEAU CLOWNEY TALKS about architectural form, scale, and vernacular with an intuitive ease, the way the rest of us might chat about the weather. The Charleston-based architect is a sucker for a structure’s arc of history—the what, when, and why of a place—and how, with thoughtful edits, he can help new owners continue the narrative into a well-designed future. Such is the lore surrounding this cottage near the southern tip of Sullivan’s Island. It was built in the early to middle part of the 19th century and is believed to have been inhabited by soldiers and officers. “That’s what the island old-timers say,” Clowney says. “And legend is legend.” The town itself is dotted with tributes to poet Edgar Allen Poe, who lived here for a year and a half: There’s…

THE MONIKER “HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTEST” has been bestowed upon Southerners with a knack for creating memorable events, and Mary Hollis Huddleston is a prime example. As the founder of the lifestyle site Mrs. Southern Social (mrssouthernsocial.com) and the elevated event-rental company Please Be Seated, the Nashville native (pictured at right) knows a thing or two about throwing a festive and stress-free party, thanks to her tasteful eye. Her secret for breezy entertaining is making it accessible, affordable, and—most importantly—enjoyable. “Don’t obsess over perfection; just have fun,” Huddleston says. “The hosts set the tone, so if they aren’t having a good time, no one will.” Here, she serves up her foolproof recipe for a porch party with all the flair and none of the jitters. Showstopping heirlooms and order-ahead favorites…

Shrimpboats, kayaking outfitters, and lively bars and restaurants line the commercial side of Shem Creek, a lure to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina’s Old Village Historic District. But north of the Shem Creek bridge, the waterway winds through quiet neighborhoods where children roam on bikes and go crabbing off backyard docks. “My husband dreamed of being on the water, and we fell in love with this lot. We’re drawn to older areas where kids can run around,” says owner Maggie Bullwinkel. She and husband George, a Charleston native, had two young children when they began renovating this 3,200-square-foot house that was built in the 1970s. Their third child was 9 months old when they moved in. Maggie refers to her then-infant sidekick as “my design assistant.” While the Bullwinkels had renovated and…

I wanted to go inside only to sleep,” says homeowner Hampton Stephens of her vision for lakeside living. Growing up, she spent summers bunking at a cabin on the banks of this tucked-away spot outside Birmingham. But after she started a family, Stephens began scoping out an area nearby to call their own. Up went a temporary tent next door to her parents’ place, but down it came when she hiked to a hillside across the water and was instantly sold on the view. An architect by training, she envisioned a rustic retreat that emphasized spending much time outdoors. She collaborated with friend and architect Bruce Lanier (of Birmingham-based ArchitectureWorks) to design a pair of minimalist modern cabins: a main house (with a kitchen and living area on the top…