Innholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2025 i Southern Home

Hello summer! As the warmth of spring ushers in the beauty of summer, this issue celebrates the seamless blending of interior design and nature. With longer days and blooming gardens, there’s no better time to refresh your living spaces—both inside and out. In this issue, we visit a “forever home” in Columbus, Georgia, designed by Will Huff of Huff-Dewberry that beautifully blends into an established neighborhood. David Lewis of Neumann Lewis Buchanan Architects teamed up with designer Tracy Morris on a Maryland Shore home that allows the homeowners to rekindle their childhood memories in a home that perfectly suits the family. On the Savannah River in Augusta, Brittany Cason Johnston was charged with creating a welcoming retreat that seamlessly blends with the natural surroundings while taking advantage of the stunning…

Phoebe Howard is an expert at creating homes that reflect the elegance and appeal of oceanfront living. In her newest book, The Waterfront House: Living with Style on the Coast, Howard presents a stunning collection of homes that every coastal enthusiast will love. With every project, Howard has an underlying goal to seamlessly connect interior and outdoor spaces beautifully and to encourage alfresco entertaining. Howard loves a soothing color scheme of pale blues and greens set off by the neutrals inspired by shells and the sand that surrounds them. “I’m going to share with you all I’ve learned about combining the practical with the pretty when designing on the water—and in ways that hide the former while accentuating the latter. Because here’s the thing we can’t ignore: Houses on the…

Despite years of searching, a couple who dreamed of building a new family home never found the right lot. However, as patience is a virtue, theirs finally paid off when a spectacular four-acre property with 735 feet of water frontage land became available. The minute they saw it, they knew it was perfect. Located in Columbus, Georgia, a midsize Southern city with a charismatic Riverwalk area, the site lies just north of downtown on Lake Oliver, a picturesque body of water merging with the Chattahoochee River. Along with the charming restaurants and shopping, quaint biking and walking paths along the river as well as kayaking and rafting adventures await residents and visitors amidst the bustle of the city district. The homeowners’ new 8,000-square-foot dwelling nestles into a neighborhood developed in…

LEWIS GINTER BOTANICAL GARDEN Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, located in Richmond, Virginia, is a stunning 50-acre public garden renowned for its diverse plant collections and beautiful landscapes. Established in 1984, the garden features themed areas such as the Rose Garden, the Children’s Garden, Asian Valley, and Cherry Tree Walk. The jewel of the garden is an 11,000-square-foot classical domed Conservatory, which houses exotic and unusual plants from around the world as well as a seasonal butterfly exhibit. The Conservatory is the only one of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic. The garden offers visitors a tranquil escape with its lush greenery, serene ponds, and winding paths. In the spring, a rose garden features more than 1,000 varieties of roses, creating a spectacular display of color and fragrance. Throughout the year, the…

In her latest book, Living with Flowers, legendary hostess and style icon Aerin Lauder shares ideas for how to bring joy and beauty into your life with flowers. Whether used in home decor, entertaining, or a simple bouquet picked from the garden, flowers are transformative. “Flowers touch so many senses: Their remarkable colors and shadings, intoxicating fragrance, fanciful shapes, and delicate, ornate textures all seem designed to delight us. They are simply beautiful for beauty’s sake,” says Lauder. With creative ideas for designing arrangements—from embracing the simple elegance of a neutral palette or incorporating a whimsical mix of color to enhancing your holiday decor with seasonal blooms—Lauder generously shares her favorite tips and secrets. Lauder also takes readers through her homes, showing how she brings the garden indoors. Elegant floral…

We call it faux country,” says Sheri Rhodes with a laugh when describing her and husband John’s home in Great Falls, Virginia. “It’s close to everything and is basically a suburb of D.C., but most importantly, the four-season experience drew us back after years in other locations, including Texas and Asia.” The Rhodeses found a rare five-acre property ideal for their plan to revel in rural pursuits, including gardening and beekeeping, but also to simply experience an indoor/outdoor lifestyle where native wildlife appear on regular basis. Great attention was paid to the siting of the home by architect Patrick Cooke of Thomson & Cooke Architects and Joseph Richardson of Richardson & Associates Landscape Architecture. “The siting was facilitated by a knoll on the property, which provided an intrinsic setting, and…

The long, straight drive up to the home is full of anticipation. The gradual rise of the land greets the home, which stands surrounded by towering pine trees and oak trees strewn with Spanish moss. Just beyond is the slow but steady lull of the Savannah River. The balmy breeze is just enough to keep the Georgia humidity moving, even on the hottest summer day. It’s a setting that both homeowners dreamed of for years. “We’ve always said that living on water would be so peaceful,” says the wife. So when a for-sale listing crossed their home search that boasted a spacious five-acre lot on the banks of the Savannah River, which loops around the northeast side of Augusta, Georgia, the couple knew they had to see it. Though the…

In Houston, where we began our now three-decades-old practice, the weather is both a blessing and a curse. In the height of summer, when the majority of the country is relishing their time out-of-doors, we are miserably hot. In all other seasons, even the depths of winter, we practically live in parks and gardens. That is why, when we approach any new project, the landscape is of equal importance to the building we intend to create. Gardens are rooms for living, never space to be squandered or overlooked. Years ago, we began to design a structure that would become the first of many… a true architectural folly, influenced by the very best of eighteenth-century European garden design. We pulled elements from campaign tents of old, with their lavishly decorated fabric…

Among the most high-profile features of a coastal landscape, palm trees have become synonymous with a relaxed tropical vibe, so much so that their decorative facsimiles have become equally prominent within many beach and resort interiors. Long ago, however, the palm tree played a far different role, symbolizing instead more serious matters. To the ancient Egyptians, the palm tree represented eternal life, inspiring the construction of stone replicas that were placed among the pyramids. For early Christians, it was the palm frond that became an important part of Christian iconography, representing Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem and establishing a Palm Sunday tradition. It was not until the first half of the eighteenth century, when the flamboyant rococo and chinoiserie styles dominated European design and art, that the palm tree motif assumed…

While many millennials gravitate toward a minimalistic design style and a neutral palette, Molly and Brian McNeese had their hearts set on a traditional home decorated with blues and greens. “We are two old souls who prefer a traditional style,” says Brian. Adds Molly, “We wanted something classic that would never go out of style. We looked for a designer who respected our love of tradition but would push us to add some modern detailing.” They found that designer in Michelle Doughtie of Schilling & Co., which included Katelyn Reaves on the design team. “Blue and green are Molly’s favorite colors. Since they have two girls, we introduced pops of blush pink and scallop detailing to give a feminine edge. I started with a lovely Schumacher wallpaper in the dining…

Design enthusiast Faith Jansen’s well-trained eye has become a bit of a secret weapon for sourcing finds. When it comes to her home, she likes to mix traditional with contemporary, high-end with lower price points, and cherished furnishings with found objects. “I like the look of mixing pieces, especially antiques with contemporary art, and in our house, you can’t always tell the high from the low,” she says. After living in Atlanta for more than three decades, she and her husband, Jerry, made the decision to move back to her hometown of Birmingham to be near their two sons and daughters-in-law along with their soon-to-be seven grandchildren. Having built what they thought would be their forever home in Georgia, they opted to downsize in the process and were fortunate to…

Chattanooga is a vibrant city that offers an open invitation to explore. Affectionately nicknamed the Scenic City for its natural beauty set amidst the Appalachian Mountains and Tennessee River, Chattanooga offers a plethora of outdoor activities, a booming arts scene, fine dining, and an award-winning aquarium. For nature lovers, Chattanooga is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. The surrounding mountains provide opportunities for hiking, rock climbing, and mountain biking. While the Tennessee River offers a host of water activities, the city is also home to the famous Ruby Falls, the tallest underground waterfall in the United States located inside Lookout Mountain, and the Tennessee Aquarium, a favorite destination for families. Nature lovers can enjoy the many parks and the beautiful Tennessee Riverwalk, a 13-mile path that stretches along the river. Chattanooga’s…