Thousands of new products are introduced at High Point Market, North Carolina’s twice-a-year furniture show, and after three days spent jetting between appointments, I came away with a camera loaded with photos of new designs. In recent years the market has seen a flood of colorful, lacquered bistro tables and bar carts, but what especially stood out to me this year was the work designers are doing with natural wood. The five pieces below—made of poplar, walnut, hickory, teak, and maple—all showcase the innate beauty of wood in surprisingly fresh and versatile ways.

Decorating my front door in October has always been a conundrum for me. Wreaths covered in fall leaves and berries will carry you through Thanksgiving, but they aren’t exciting for a trick-or-treating crowd. I wanted to find something that would work for Halloween and transition into November. On a recent drive home it hit me: Spanish moss. In the daylight the strands are a beautiful and iconic Southern sight. But at night the moss becomes downright creepy, casting shadows in every direction.

Times are always changing, but if there’s one thing that still holds true in the South it’s that clothes make the man. Texas crooner Lyle Lovett has had his shirts custom tailored by Houston-based Hamilton for years (read our story on Hamilton from the April/May 2012 issue here). This week he’s stepping into the style spotlight with the launch of his own limited edition collection, a line of twenty-three dress shirts that feature subtle western detailing— curbed yokes and matching pocket flaps, three-button barrel cuffs and a slightly slimmer fit—all signatures from Lovett’s custom orders.

Say the words “brass bed” to anyone over the age of thirty and they’ll start singing the lyrics to Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay.” That includes Pat Hudgins. “It was 1974 and I was a beat up road hippie looking to settle down and get a job. That song had made brass beds the rage for the last several years, so a buddy and I started refinishing antique brass beds and selling them.”