Inspiration in the Studio

We are so excited to introduce the 2018 Southern Living Christmas Cookbook – complete with a feature page styled by Southern Studio Interior Design!   It is a treasure full of recipes, gorgeous images, and inspired tips for the holiday season and other special occasions throughout the year.

As a member of the Southern Living Designer Network, Southern Studio enjoys invaluable relationships with trailblazers, trendsetters, and icons in the design industry.

The Southern Living Christmas Cookbook benefits local chapters of the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC®).  Over its 25 years of its support, Dillard’s has donated more than $14.1 million dollars to RMHC® and Southern Studio is so proud to participate this year.  It was such fun to style a beautiful Sunday Brunch and showcase our clients’ stunning breakfast room! (Have we mentioned we have the BEST clients?)

We hope you check out the cookbook for recipes, entertaining and decorating tips as you head in to the Holiday Season!

Southern Studio threw open our doors again last week for the latest event in the Southern Studio at Sunset series. We welcomed Amy Flurry, author of Recipe for Press, to lead a discussion on the importance of optimizing media opportunities to bring our brand of beauty, design and joy to a wider audience.  It was truly a night of collaboration, creativity and communication for the local design community.

While sipping blackberry sparkling cocktails, we connected with friends new and old, and were so grateful to all for bringing such energy and inspiration to our studio!

Many thanks to Mill Collective for generously sponsoring copies of Recipe for Press for everyone; to Ashley Cox, editor of Home Design & Décor Magazine for joining us; and to all our design friends – we hope you left as recharged and inspired as we did!

And of course, a special thanks to Amy Flurry for reminding us “It is all about making connections.”

From community events to small gatherings of clients and new and old friends in the trade, we are excited to open up our studio with the event series we launched this year, named Southern Studio at Sunset.

Last week, we were thrilled to host our second event of the series alongside the Cary Women’s Giving Network. This giving group brings women together to learn about the local community’s needs, inviting nonprofits to speak at meetings and apply through a competitive grants process. We were honored to be selected as hosts for their annual Grants Award Presentation, inviting both members and representatives from the winning organizations to our studio for an evening of celebration and community.

Four awards were granted:

$3000 to CASA for quality, affordable rental housing for low income families and individuals

$3,000 to the Fill Your Bucket List Foundation for wishes for Cary residents

$5,000 to the Green Chair Project for providing “Sweeter Dreams” beds for kids in Cary

$3,000 to the Hope Center at Pullen for preventing homelessness with young people aging out of foster care

We applaud this group of Cary women for their involvement in supporting our local community, and we look forward to more Southern Studio at Sunset events coming up this year! Stay tuned to see what event we have planned next…and see below for photos from the event!

Happy to attend Western Wake Women’s Club event for Meg’s Smile Foundation – one of the fundraisers we loved supporting this past year!

Cheers to 2018!  It’s going to be an incredible year and we cannot wait to share our design adventures.  There are some pretty fabulous projects in the works and we’re working hard to bring them to life.

Before we completely say goodbye to 2017, we wanted to take a moment to notice the charities and fundraisers we had the honor of supporting this year. At the end of the day, this business is about relationships and community. We believe that it is our responsibility to do our part to make our little corner of the world a better place.

We are so thankful for our clients who trust us with their most personal spaces and our team of vendors who support us in so many ways. Long ago we made the decision to support our clients’ charitable efforts. The generosity of our clients is impressive and it’s our mission to support their efforts. We are humbled and honored when we are asked to participate. From large, national organizations to smaller ones right in our backyard, we loved giving back.

Boys & Girls Club of Wake County | It’s amazing what a talented group of designers can do!  We were honored to participate in the DJF Builders Designer Showhouse to benefit the Boys and Girls Club.

The Green Chair Project | Repurposing and reupholstering for charity is a win-win at the Green Chair auction!

Old Baldy Foundation | So enjoyed hosting an Oyster Roast this fall with our friends from Bald Head Island and supporting Old Baldy.

The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center | Amazing things are happening at Duke and this is a charity near and dear to our hearts.

Western Wake Women’s Club | A diverse group of selfless women who understand the importance of community.

Artspace Inspiration Fund | An annual event supporting the arts!

Town of Cary Gifting Tree Project | We hope this is just the first of many opportunities to do amazing things in Downtown Cary.

As we set team intentions and goals for 2018, giving back to our community remains a priority. We are thrilled to use our new studio as a setting for community outreach and events, and we look forward to both deepening and creating new relationships with our neighbors doing incredible work to lend a hand or touch a heart.

Exciting changes are happening at Southern Studio! At the beginning of the fall season, we moved to our new downtown Cary studio, a 4,200 square foot restored home built in 1951. We’re settling into our white brick nest on West Park Street, thrilled that we’re steps away from the heart of downtown. The home’s transformation now includes offices, a design studio, a showroom, client gathering spaces, and of course, a front porch complete with rocking chairs.

Last month, we hosted an Open House to celebrate our move and toast to our team’s hard work, our new neighborhood, and the opportunity to host community events right in our backyard.

We invite you to take a peek into our Open House!

Photo Credit: Be Bold Photography