Innholdsfortegnelse for May - June 2017 i Southern Lady

Some of Marie Flanigan’s earliest memories are of regular trips to the local art gallery with her father in the small town where she grew up. “Those experiences were incredibly special and solidified my love for all forms of visual expression,” says the Houston transplant, who fondly remembers her roots. With an eye toward architecture as a way to exercise her creative instincts, Marie launched her career at a small architecture and design firm. There, she quickly recognized a connection between interiors and structural framework that would later shape her design aesthetic. “Architecture and interior design are very intimately connected, so my approach to any project is informed and influenced by a home’s composition,” she says. “Memorable interiors do not rely on furnishings, décor, or drapery; they are created through…

As you walk through an open gate and along a pathway that opens into a charming wooded wonderland, your gaze turns within moments from the branches stretching toward blue skies above to the curious white blossoms nearby that look like magnified snowflakes. The sight is enchanting; this is hydrangea heaven. Aldridge Gardens founder Eddie Aldridge discovered the Snowflake hydrangea in an Alabama forest while with his father in 1969. He patented the variety and helped bring it to prominence, not for personal gain—he took no royalties—but rather to share its beauty with the world. The signature flower of the gardens, the Snowflake is first on the must-see list and is followed by delights galore. Thirty acres of woodland make up this scenic property in the heart of Hoover, part of…

BEAUTY BLOSSOMS Gardening season crescendoes in these first sweet days of summer, with colorful flowers and banks of greenery lush beneath the Southern sun. Celebrate with a plant-swap party on a fine afternoon, welcoming green-thumbed guests who arrive with cuttings from their gardens to trade along with anecdotes and tidbits of horticultural wisdom. A breezy outdoor canopy sets a laidback tone, fluttering over a medley of jaunty wagons, wheelbarrows, vintage bicycles, and other pieces that overflow with artfully potted treasures. Dainty buds and petals dance across an eclectic assortment of china, perched on weathered tables in preparation for a simple feast. At day's end, send everyone off with pretty packets of heirloom seeds to nurture for next year’s fête. FRESH-PICKED FARE Serve an array of sweet and savory morsels that…

Coming off the tricentennial celebration of its 1716 origins, Natchez, Mississippi, holds tight to its centuries of diverse history, resulting in a lively city scene heavily influenced by the colorful legacies of the past. The town’s heritage has flowed seamlessly into the present day, carried by the current of the Mississippi—the lifeblood of Natchez for the last 300 years. Fittingly, a stroll along the scenic downtown riverfront is the perfect way to begin a visit to the city. As Mississippi’s earliest settlement, Natchez has enjoyed cultural influences that range from Native American and African-American to European, and the blending of architectural inspirations has led to a distinctive array of storied structures that still welcome guests today. Charming antebellum homes abound—you’ll be awed by sites like Stanton Hall, a palatial 1857…

To purchase items featured in our articles, please refer to the information below. If an item is not listed, it is privately owned and not available for purchase. To contact the manufacturers and retail stores referenced below, see DIRECTORY OF COMPANIES. MIX & MATCH: AU NATUREL PAGES 21-22: Casual Possibilities: Pacifica Dinner Plate in Gray; Rosanna. Morning Glory Charger Plate, Salad/Dessert Plate, and Napkin Ring in Pink; MacKenzie-Childs. Juliska Hugo Stemless Red Wine Glass, Juliska Le Panier Bright Satin 5-Piece Place Setting, Bodrum Riviera Napkin in Vanilla; Bromberg’s. Elegant Options: Pacifica Dinner Plate in Gray and Bird Plates, Jet Setter Double Old Fashioned Glass, and Matte Gold 5-Piece Place Setting; Rosanna. Lulu Napkin; Saro. Bambeco Root Wood Charger; Bromberg’s. SEASONAL SETTINGS: BENEATH THE ROSES PAGES 23-27: Gien Pont Aux Choux…

When Heather Wiese-Alexander was around 7 years old, she accidentally let a tree frog into her Texas home. “As Mom yelled for Dad to remove it from the house, I stood entranced by that glossy green and red creature gripping my mother’s mustard-gold velvet burnout wallpaper,” she says. As founder of Bell’Invito Stationers, Heather draws from favorite memories like that colorful tree frog as inspiration for playful, modern designs engraved in the gift tags, social notes, and recipe cards that form the cornerstone of her collections. Inspired to fill a void for fine-quality printing after discovering 19th-century printing presses used by her husband’s grandfather, a newspaper publisher, Heather launched Bell’Invito in 2004. Drawing from her fashion background, she coined the term “couture stationery” to describe her work. “The process is…

That old saying about stopping to smell the roses takes on new meaning this beautiful time of year! Summer is a delight for the senses that beckons us to slow down and rediscover the sweet, sentimental pleasures that make every day feel like a brand-new blessing. Our friend and talented designer Cindy Barganier knows just what I’m talking about—this gorgeous rose-filled garden, part of a southern Alabama home she shared with us, must surely have been created with easy, breezy summer days in mind. Don’t those old-fashioned wicker rockers make you want to sink in and bask in the delightful scent of the blossoms, or invite a friend over for an impromptu nibble and sip? What a perfect spot to daydream the afternoon away and let the splendor of the…

When garden designer Troy Rhone began plans for this vibrant expanse, he gave equal weight to its function and its beauty. “The design process was a very detailed one,” he says. “We spent time thinking through how the homeowner would use each space and really take advantage of his love of gardening, while not creating unwanted maintenance with the parts of gardening he didn’t enjoy.” The team approached the project in a way that reflects the interior design of the home, as well as its exterior architecture. “Doing this creates a uniformity that allows the inside and the outside to feel identical,” Troy explains. They decided to produce a series of “garden rooms” that flow together but also exist as distinctive segments with their own identities—much like the process of…

April Lee Motley of Charleston, South Carolina, has firsthand experience with the old saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” In 2009, her son was born with unusually sensitive skin. She tried every remedy on the market to soothe the little fellow’s condition, but when her pediatrician wanted to prescribe steroids, she drew the line. In desperation, April turned to her pharmacist for help, and he suggested she learn to make soap from scratch. With the help of online videos, she taught herself the craft and created products that eased her son’s irritation. It wasn’t long until her personal triumph turned into a budding business that she christened Old Whaling Company (OWC). April began by selling her wares at “any small market that would take us.” When she landed her…

From that first weekend jaunt to the shore to the last evening shelling peas on the porch, summertime has its own heartbeat in the South. To bring a hint of the season to a neutral living area, Caterina Meadows of Pate-Meadows Designs fashioned pillows in fine silks by Beacon Hill Design—each a nod to summer in print or hue. Charming decorative frills lend a fanciful touch. For the raw-silk pillow in surf blue, Caterina made coordinating rosettes, then stuffed them with cotton balls and attached them to each corner. The green cushions, meanwhile, evoke an air of the garden with their lettuce-leaf trim of cream dupioni silk, achieved by layering eight pieces of cloth cut on the bias to prevent fraying. An inner lining lends support to the soft fabric,…

Designers are known for working magic, but Will Huff had a Houdini-level task ahead of him when he was commissioned to reconfigure and redecorate this Florida vacation cottage. His dual challenge: Open up the cramped, awkward kitchen and dining area, and carve out three comfortable bedrooms and baths without expanding the home's footprint. Will and his team gutted the entire structure, revamping the floor plan with an emphasis on seamless flow and multifunctional rooms. The strong visual connections required Will to balance decorative elements that might otherwise compete. “If we used a bold pattern in one space, we used a bold color in another so that you don’t see too much of either from wherever you stand,” he explains. The result is a fresh take on classic Southern style, with…

PORCHSIDE PARADISE Set against summer’s brilliant backdrop, a vibrant array of reds and a spectrum of verdant hues transport guests to a tropical state of mind. Layer a solid green tablecloth with one covered in a motif that depicts the lavish flora of a warm-weather oasis, and continue the scheme on dinner plates bearing illustrations of palm tree leaves. Classic red-and-white gingham linens pop with a contrasting pattern; dragonfly napkin rings provide a bit of pizzazz. Incorporate orchids and mangoes into bright bouquets, allowing the fruit to tumble onto the table for a relaxed top note. FLAVORFUL FARE Indulge in a menu of seasonal Southern favorites, updated with the bold flavors of the tropics. Blackened grouper partners with a fresh pineapple relish atop a bed of rice seasoned with coconut…

Raised on a family farm outside Bowdon, Georgia, Robyn Stone learned from an early age that some of the finest meals come from freshly grown ingredients, transformed into old-fashioned delights. Drawn to heirloom recipes from seven generations of Southern cooks in her family, Robyn found herself reimagining these classics to create lighter, more streamlined versions better suited to modern lifestyles. She began a blog to record her growing collection of recipes and the memories behind them, but, once discovered, the site quickly became more than a personal database, attracting a following of others inspired by this novel take on Southern cooking. Now, Robyn is bringing the best of her blog to its namesake cookbook, Add a Pinch, filled with more than 100 innovative dishes grounded in beloved Southern flavors and…

It was a case of civic pride that led friends Sam Davidson, Stephen Moseley, and Rob Williams to launch Batch, a Nashville-based venture that offers “handcrafted, handpicked happiness” in the form of thoughtfully themed gift boxes. The seed for their thriving business was planted in 2013 when Sam was looking for items from his hometown to send as a gift. He was disappointed to find only a handful of local products that fit the bill, so he came up with the idea for a monthly service that would ship a selection of Music City goodies to subscribers every month. Each shipment contains a medley of handpicked goods from the area, beautifully packaged in a wooden crate amid a nest of crinkled-paper confetti. Since then, the enterprise has grown at an…