Flower January/February 2019

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.”—Susan Sontag THEY SAY THAT TRAVEL BROADENS THE MIND. I have experienced this firsthand, as I’m sure many of you have. But in this busy life, I have found that, short of pulling up stakes and traveling to all the far-flung ports of call I dream of, reading about such locales is the next best thing. In a cold and sometimes dreary season, it’s life-giving and hope-building to pore over gorgeous images of exotic places with lush gardens, beautiful architecture and décor, and stylish soirées. That’s what we have here, starting with my number one bucket-list spot, Italy’s Lake Como and its startlingly beautiful villas and gardens (page 36). Also abroad is Gravetye Manor in Sussex, England (page 52), once a private…

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA LA Art Show January 23–27 laartshow.com VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA Virginia Flower & Garden Expo January 25–27 vafgs.org ATLANTA, GEORGIA The Cathedral Antiques Show January 23–27 cathedralantiques.org NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE The Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville February 1–3 antiquesandgardenshow.com PALM BEACH, FLORIDA Jewelry, Art & Antique Show February 14–19 palmbeachshow.com SEATTLE, WASHINGTON Northwest Flower & Garden Festival February 20–24 gardenshow.com HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT Connecticut Flower & Garden Show February 21–24 ctflowershow.com THOMASVILLE, GEORGIA Thomasville Antiques Show February 22–24 thomasvilleantiquesshow.com HOUSTON, TEXAS River Oaks Garden Club Azalea Trail March 1–3 riveroaksgc.org LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY The Blue Grass Trust Antiques & Garden Show March 1–3 bluegrasstrust.org Indicates Flower is attending or sponsoring the event. For more events, visit flowermag.com.…

NEW YORK CITY is full of some of the most remarkable buildings in the country. When I lived there, one of my favorite pastimes was walking around and taking in the diversity of architectural styles, from the town houses of the Upper East Side to the loft buildings in Soho. I would often stare longingly at a particular facade, wishing I could be invited in to see the interiors as well. My wish has been granted with Wendy Moonan’s book New York Splendor: The City’s Most Memorable Rooms, which gives readers an armchair tour of some of the most interesting spaces in the city—those of the present day and those of the past. Architect Robert A. M. Stern captures my sentiments in the foreword: “I often think of Manhattan apartments…

AT THE CONFLUENCE OF THE MEKONG AND Nam Khan rivers, tucked away in a mystical valley, sits the serene town of Luang Prabang, Laos. Much like the rivers themselves, it’s an exciting merger of cultures as well. The city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was once the capital of the Lan Xang kingdom, as well as an important settlement for French Indochina. The result is a fusion of Lao and French colonial history, beautifully preserved architecture, and a rich religious heritage. Laos is still somewhat of a hidden gem, having a sense of purity and authenticity that makes it feel less affected by tourism than its neighboring countries. This was the reason I added Luang Prabang—and the alluring new Rosewood hotel that recently opened just outside of town—to our Southeast…

Flower: You grew up in a tiny Alabama town—your father was a farmer and your mother, a teacher. What exposure did you have to the design world? Paige Sumblin Schnell: My mother subscribed to numerous shelter magazines. When she was done looking through them, she’d give them to me, and I’d read them cover to cover. I was fascinated by all the different colors and patterns, but I was absolutely obsessed with the floor plans that were offered in the back of every issue. I would trace them and add onto them or cut them out and move rooms around. I’d also comb through the pages and cut out photos of furniture, lamps, and other pieces that I loved. So instead of making paper dolls, you made paper houses. Exactly!…

MUSING ON THE delayed gratification of his profession, a landscape designer recently lamented to me, “Architecture and interiors look their best on day one. Landscape design, on the other hand, looks best 10, 20, 50 years after the project is finished.” Given this line of thinking, Hills & Dales, the 178-year-old estate in LaGrange, Georgia, is a garden in its prime. Conceived in 1841 by Sarah Ferrell, “The Terraces” as Sarah called it, was a series of six terraced formal boxwood gardens converted from her family’s existing cotton fields. The plans took six years to complete, and it remains one of the best examples of a formal 19th-century boxwood garden in the country. The bones of the design, including a lane of magnolias planted from seeds, a rare ginkgo tree…