Innholdsfortegnelse for Southern Style Guide 2024 i Southern Living

EXPERT ADVICE THE BIG PICTURE What’s the secret to nailing a showstopping gallery wall? Framebridge creative director Tessa Wolf shares her tips BE CONSISTENT While randomness might be the feel you’re going for, it also has the potential to make your walls look messy. Instead, include at least one similarity among the framed pieces you hang. “White mats work very well for this,” Wolf says. “The arrangement will seem calmer if there’s a visual through line.” MIND THE GAPS When hanging a group of photos together, there’s a sweet spot for making sure everything flows. Wolf recommends leaving 2 to 3 inches of space between each frame on all sides. If there is any more, things might look disjointed; any less and the wall may feel too crowded. MIX AND…

Create Tension with Opposites Decorators are pros at finding pairings of furniture and accessories that give a room a layered feel. Such is the case with the entryway of Florida designer Ellen Kavanaugh. She wanted her house to feel warm and traditional but still modern, so she found an ornate, formal antique mirror and placed it above a casual wicker bench for the ultimate high-low mix. Focus on the Finish The secret to making a dark hue feel playful? A high-gloss finish, which summons light rather than smothering it. The look is formal but practical. “It’s so durable for cleaning off fingerprints,” says designer Allison Allen. “You can just walk up the stairs and wipe the walls down, which is nice.” She opted for a dramatic shade, Benjamin Moore’s…

HIGHLIGHT OLD-HOME CHARACTER Odd angles, low ceilings, and quirky nooks are just a few of the challenging but appealing hallmarks of Southern homes with roots that run deep. But old can be enchanting, so rather than hiding signs of age, designers are playing up funky features through wallpaper. “We wanted to embrace the charm of the rooflines in this 1935 home,” says Richmond, Virginia, designer Lizzie Cox. “Wrapping the wallpaper along all angles instantly added whimsy.” At left, the vertical stripes of Schumacher’s Fern Tree make the bathing nook seem taller. SPEAK WITH AN ACCENT Although pattern can dominate a room, that’s not always the case. In this Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, kitchen, Charleston-based Cortney Bishop used wallpaper as more of an accessory to highlight the room’s checkered marble…

When Whitney McGregor and her husband, Tommy, went house hunting in the historic North Main area of Greenville, South Carolina, they discovered they didn’t have a lot of decisions to make: They needed to move quickly, and only three properties were available. “So we just picked our favorite,” says McGregor. They loved the cottage’s coziness and traditional style; the large yard, side screened porch, and recently added back deck made the home feel larger than its actual 1,400 square feet. The previous owners had decorated it in a staid style, but McGregor, an artist turned self-taught designer, saw an opportunity to create a polished and vibrant home without getting into major renovations. The 1940s-era house became a laboratory for McGregor’s design experiments, which routinely called on her background in painting…

They say going through a renovation can test a relationship’s resilience, but when Chelsey and Kyle Heslop set out to revamp a Birmingham home for their family, they actually found kumbaya quickly. “You don’t often have a couple who agree right off the bat on a favorite color,” says Janie Jones, who was hired along with her partner, Elizabeth Miles, to redo the interiors. “And if you do have a consensus, it’s not usually purple.” The Heslops had their reasons—for Chelsey the shade has been a beloved hue since childhood; for Kyle it is a tribute to his alma mater, Kansas State University. But luckily, while the two may have played favorites, they weren’t averse to the rest of the rainbow. “We wanted people to come into our home and…

Treasure the Details Why not invite some whimsy into a room that’s so often considered formal and stuffy? Designer Ellen Kavanaugh scoured eBay for antique chairs that she painted chalk white for “a cheap and cheerful dining-chair solution.” New pink striped fabric for the seats feels just right in this Florida home. But the real star of the space might be the silver candelabra from their wedding. “I use that even if we’re just having a casual dinner,” she says. Don’t Be Afraid To Update Antiques This dining room feels old-world, thanks to Dallas designer Noel Pittman’s embrace of antiques. For starters, she anchored the room with a vintage table with a rough finish. “I really liked it because I didn’t want to put something in there that felt…

Don’t Overlook Any Space Even the tiniest warrens in a home deserve some love—including a dash of raspberry pink. In this case, it comes from wallpaper. “It’s so transformative,” says artist Dana Gibson. “People don’t use it enough.” She slipped Fatima, a hot pink paper, into her vanity to make the small bay look gift wrapped. If it gets messy, she can shut the doors. Give Classics a Refresh Inspired by design legend Bunny Mellon’s signature painted wood floors, decorator Sarah Bartholomew perked up this kitchen pantry cabinetry (painted Sherwin-Williams’ Emerald Designer Edition Snowbound, SW 7004) with a blue-and-white geometric pattern underfoot. She says butcher-block countertops add a “casual warmth,” which is further complemented by brass accents on the cabinet hardware. Stock the Bar Atlanta designer Allison Allen made…