Southern Studio Interior Design

Today I was pleasantly surprised to open my e-mail and find the latest edition of the Southern Living House Plans e-newsletter. Can a month really pass that quickly? Once again, Southern Studio is honored to be featured in the “Expert Advice” column!

This month’s article, Top Ten Design Trends, was quite fun and challenging to research.  Earlier this year I was preparing to speak at the Southern Living Custom Builder Program annual conference and decided to complete a 10 for ‘10 list…the ten best design trends in housing for 2010. My personal list would be more like a Top 100, but I’ll save that for another day. It was important to me that I highlight the most functional and creative features that every homeowner should consider when building or remodeling their homes.

Feel free to comment and add to the list!

Working with the Southern Living Custom Builder Program over the past few years has been an incredible honor.  I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the finest builders in the country. I was recently asked to contribute a series of articles for the Southern Living House Plans monthly E-Newsletter and for the Expert Advice column on the website. Expert is a humbling word, so I’ve been working hard to live up to the title. Click here to read the full article (you’ll find the article in the column on the right).

The first article focuses on the selection process when undergoing a new construction project. There are so many decisions that need to be made when building a custom home, so I tried to simplify the process into five organized steps. Soon we’ll be starting a webinar series to complement the articles, so we can reach interested clients near and far.  If you’re interested, please send me an e-mail so we make sure to send you a schedule.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m passionate about homes….building efficient (and beautiful) spaces that work for individual families. But, I also realize that a beautiful home can never buy true happiness. No matter where we live, it’s important that we create a place for family gatherings and family harmony.  Both of these are values that I continually find in the pages of Southern Living!  I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute.

One of my favorite days is when a project is complete and we get to take photos!  I have great admiration for professional photography. It’s a true art.

Last week, I spent a gorgeous day working on the coast with Steve Coad of Simply Photos Photography. This particular home is a beautiful coastal retreat located in the Devaun Park community in Calabash, North Carolina. I absolutely love the architecture and of course, the interior design.  We spent months working with the homeowner to design the interior spaces. My job is pure pleasure when I work with clients who love the creative process and value design…the perfect combination for beautiful results.

Here is Steve hard at work setting up the perfect shot….

And again, trying to achieve great composition in the bath. The lighting and staging required for just one shot is crazy!

This home was built by Whitney Blair, the top-notch builder on the Carolina coast! I’ll be sure to share the “real” photos after Steve works his magic…..I promise they’ll be much better than my photos on this post.

Day 7: Happy Homes

We have heard enough about the dismal housing market in the past few years and now we’re seeing optimism that the market is starting to recover. The recent downturn has changed how we think about our homes….more remodeling, multi-functional rooms, and efficiently using our space. In High Point last week, Gale Steves, former editor of Home Magazine, gave a thought-provoking presentation on designing homes for the way we really live (sounds simple enough).

Since I spend a tremendous amount of time working on new construction and remodeling projects, this is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. The “bigger is better” McMansions are a thing of the past and are being replaced with functional and efficient spaces. Notice I said nothing about compromising beauty or comfort; they’ll never go out of style.

I thought I’d share a few interesting facts from Gale’s presentation:

• Did you know that the average master bathroom has tripled in size over the last 15 years?
• Did you know that the average home has five televisions? For the record, my house is average.
• Did you know that the average woman has 50 pairs of shoes? I’m not saying a word about my closet.

It’s the perfect time for the release of Gale’s new book, Right-Sizing Your Home. The book actually goes on sale tomorrow, but we were fortunate to get an early release! It is filled with practical advice on how to maximize space and re-think the way we use our homes.

It was an absolute pleasure to meet Gale (I’ll save us all from the not-so-flattering photo of me with Gale). Each page I turn in her book has me thinking “outside the box” in new and creative ways.

Thank you, Gale, for being today’s inspiration from High Point! From my happy home to yours….good night.