For most people, me included, the idea of covering your living space in all-out-old-school-southern-charm is a little terrifying. In fact, a lot of us just avoid it all together. But these incredibly soulful and modern (and incredibly awesome and perfect) ideas just might change your mind. We're offering up three tips to infusing your abode with the liveliest of regional decor including a mix of traditional and contemporary that results in the modern stylish look that the South is famous for!
1. Bring Homegrown Style to the Table.
PHOTO: COLONIAL HOUSE OF FLOWERS, POTTERY BARN BREAD BOWL, ANNA SHACKLEFORD PHOTOGRAPHY
It is important to me here at Colonial House of Flowers in Atlanta to create dramatic arrangements with a sincere sense of time and place. Seasons and authenticity are deeply celebratory to me. I found my niche in clients who value deeply local aesthetics like fresh collected flowers, berries, branches, vines and fruit. I like to use Southern pears, pomegranate, pine cone lilies, honey suckle, camellia, olive branches, gardenia and jasmine and whatever I can find around. The hyperlocal approach to floral design is easy to replicate whether you are in Thomasville, Georgia with an abundance of ginger, birds of paradise and golden raintree blooms or Portland, Oregon where evergreen boughs and cool-weather blooms like dahlia and peonies add rich texture to arrangements.
This homegrown approach reminds me of my grandmother and of living southern, whether it's a grand event or a neighborhood dinner.
PHOTO: TAYLOR KINZEL GALLERY, ROSWELL, GEORGIA
2. Showcase Your Hometown Pride with Affordable Local Art.
It's clear that local art offers an honest sense of place to a home's interiors, and if you love supporting Southern artists the Taylor Kinzel Gallery located just outside of Atlanta in Historic Roswell, Georgia is a great place for that!
"Right Place, Right Time" (above) is a piece I found while browsing. I have have fallen in love with it and am fascinated with the other work of Carol Christie.
According to her blog, Christie's painting "Sorbet Floral" has been selected by Pottery Barn to be included in their Fall 2016 online art collection.
It's always nice to have something richly personal and local on the wall.
PHOTO: COLONIAL HOUSE OF FLOWERS, TRISTAN NEEDHAM DESIGN, THE HAPPY BLOOM
3. Choose a Bold Decoration for the Front Door.
Decorating a door in a big way is giving a house personality. I often recommend living wreaths. Growing up, my favorite interiors and gardens were often behind well decorated doors with pretty hand made wreaths. Plus, tutorials for creative ways to save time and money using fresh flowers and plant are easy to find. It doesn't have to expensive or daunting. For instance, in a collaboration with Pottery Barn, Creating An Inviting Fall Front Door (photo above) we show how to incorporate succulents using images from The Happy Bloom.
One of my all time favorites? A Fabulous Front Door For Fall (above) on the Pottery Barn blog which shows off a fresh flower wreath.
PHOTO: KELLI BOYD
Make sure you have plenty of plants and flowers for front door decorating. The more the better!
PHOTO: BRYAN TARNOWSKI, GARDEN & GUN
4. Light Up Your Lanterns.
There's no doubt that there is something special about flickering light. Inside in the hearth and with candles and outside with the soft, warm glow of lanterns. Lanterns add a ton of curb appeal at the porch or entry. For many years, Park Hill Collection of Arkansas has been our source for our lanterns. They age perfectly over time and are like jewelry to your house, or event setting. Lanterns can be placed on porch railing for a classic look, or hung overhead for a whimsical touch.