Southern Charmer

By Haskell Harris | August 14, 2009 | Design

It used to be a given that if you wanted to make it big in the world of interior design, you had to establish a practice in New York. In other words, if you were a southern interior designer, you might as well pack it up and move to Manhattan if you wanted anybody to remember your work (Southerners like Bunny Williams and Charlotte Moss ended up there). But the old school rules are changing, thanks to interior designers like Suzanne Kasler, the widely published Atlanta style arbiter who’s stayed put in Georgia, and now has luxury furniture, fabric, floor coverings, wallpaper, and lighting collections that bear her name. And she hasn’t stopped there. This October, she debuts her first book, Inspired Interiors, a lush photographic tour of her favorite projects. A sneak peak follows below. (All images courtesy of © Suzanne Kasler: Inspired Interiors, Rizzoli New York, 2009.)

Even if you don’t know the first thing about decorating, it’s hard not to get inspired by the wide range of looks in the book, from rustic cabins to city houses to laid-back beach cottages. There is literally something for everyone. 

Though the 224-page volume won’t hit stores until the fall, it is available for pre-order here. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a story on Suzanne Kasler's favorite room in our October/November issue.

More than Coffee-Table Books

By Haskell Harris | December 29, 2008 | Design

I stumbled on these recently and I'm totally smitten. I had no idea that a series of books covering the architecture of the Old South had ever been published, much less that they were written and photographed in such a compelling way. From the quirky mansions of Natchez, Mississippi, to the majestic colonial plantations of Louisiana, the range of styles that have evolved in this little pocket of the country are fascinating.

Excerpt:

"Buildings are three-dimensional history books that reflect the comings and goings, successes and failures of real people. Virginia was the oldest, most populous, and richest colony in the South, with early architecture of unsurpassed elegance and variety. Maryland, thanks to an early start and the successful cultivation of tobacco, produced colonial architecture second only to Virginia and South Carolina, the rich rice colony. Virginia, Maryland, and South Carolina flourished until about 1820, when they suffered relative declines in population, prosperity, and cultural vigor as people abandoned the old, exhausted, and overcrowded lands of the upper and coastal South and flooded to the fertile Southwest.

Three other colonies developed somewhat separately. North Carolina, with treacherous coasts, poor harbors, and shallow rivers, was slow to prosper and remained isolated. Georgia, the last and poorest of the English colonies in America, struggled from insecurity and near collapse till the 1760s and, like North Carolina, remained sparsely settled, poor, and underdeveloped until after the Revolution. Louisiana, the former colony of France, continued to be dominated by French culture, French language and French law long after it was sold to the United States in 1803..."

p. 8, The Architecture of the Old South: Louisiana

Even the interior pages are art worthy. I love how each one shows the history of the region through archival photos and documents, including antique drawings and blueprints. It's like walking into another era. See image below from the Louisiana book:

One other cool thing about the books: They are published by the BeeHive Press in Savannah, Georgia, a wonderful company that produces tons of other earthy, beautiful volumes about the South and beyond.