Annie's Bedroom: Teenage Dream

As you know, I spent the better part of my summer visiting family in the South. One of the wonderful places I visited was Jackson, MS, where I lived during high school and also where my aunts, uncles and cousins still live. One of my cousins is a gorgeous young lady (both inside and out) who is a sophomore in high school. She has one of the best teen girl bedrooms ever and so she was sweet enough to let me come in a share it with all of you!

Annie's mom consulted with a designer, Charlotte McCart of the Custom House in Ridgeland, MS, to design her bedroom. Charlotte is one talented lady who not only creates a concept but also custom builds furniture, creates paintings and draperies as well as bedding! 

What I LOVE about Annie's bedroom are the fun colors as well as the ease at which everything is put together. My girls (whom are much younger) could spend HOURS in this room and often do! So let's check it out!

View of room from door. Bright colors abound! 

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Creative Types: Rachel Doriss, Textile Designer

As this summer was getting into full swing, we were invited to visit with the recently named Design Director of Pollack, Rachel Doriss, in Pollack's Varick Street design studio in New York. Through her extensive knowledge, passion for the industry and her belief in the materials driving the development process, Rachel embodied why Pollack fabrics are so unique in the market. We knew at once that we had to share her enthusiasm here among our stable of Creative Types.

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Favorite Places & Spaces: Nashville's Union Station

Last week I had the ultimate privilege of joining two fellow Southern ladies on a week-long trip to Nashville, TN. I absolutely LOVE Nashville. When I was in college, I spent my summer between my junior and senior year working with musicians in Nashville; it was one of the most memorable and best summers of my life. 

Nashville gets on the map because of its affiliation with country music and while there is no shortage of musical locations to be found in Nashville, some of the best parts of Nashville have nothing to do with the music business at all: Vanderbuilt and Belmont Universities, the Hermitage (the former plantation home of Andrew Jackson), the downtown historic district, the Parthenon (the only full-size replica of the Parthenon in Greece in the world), beautiful churches and cathedrals as well as Union Station.

It was quite by accident that I found myself in Union Station this past week. We had booked hotel reservations at a less-than-desirable hotel and upon further research we found the historic Union Station Hotel. It's heavy-stone Richardsonian-Romanesque facade was the clincher. 

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Favorite Places & Spaces: St. Martin/Sint Maarten

St. Martin is an island of dual personalities thanks to a 1648 division of land between the Dutch and the French. The northern part of the island is the French side (St. Martin) and, along with several neighboring islets, makes up the Collectivity of St. Martin. The southern portion of the island (Sint Maarten) belongs to the Netherlands. My first experience with the island was in the late 1990s when some friends and I decided to put our sailing skills to the test and chartered a boat to sail the local seas. A few years later I returned for my wedding which cemented the island in my heart as as one of my favorite places.

The colorful and elaborately carved gazebo serves as the centerpiece of this open air theatre space in Marigot.

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Favorite Places & Spaces: Southern Churches

There is something so comforting about being in a Southern town on a Sunday morning and seeing everyone dressed in their Sunday best and the only place anyone can be found is at church. Growing up in a small, Southern town, I looked forward to Sundays as a time to reconnect and restart as well as a time to reflect on what was going on in my life. I knew the smiling faces and the powerful message I was going to hear would do just that and upon seeing these strong, magestic structures opening up their doors and swallowing impecably dressed women, men and children, my whole body relaxed.

These structures still have that same effect on me. As I was home this summer for an extended period of visitation with my family and friends, I found myself recalling a time when Sunday was special and while sitting in my hometown church, Trinity Episcopal Church, I was reflective. This church has held so many of my special times in its sacred walls: my weekly gathering place as a child-teen, my brother's baptisms, many a wedding of family and friends, my own wedding, my daughter's baptism and my mother's funeral. 

But there is also something so special about Trinity and many other churches found in the South, they are magestic and beautifully built. They were built when the church was the heart of town life and symbol of the wealth and power of the parrish. These buildings were designed and constructed by the best of their time and many a millionairre made sure the interiors were outfitted with elegant organs, lavish woodworking, exquisit alters and stained glass windows. The integrity of these buildings still stands today.

Here are some of my favorite from my hometown and surrounding areas.

Trinity Episcopal Church in Natchez, MS

 Trinity Episcopal Church is the oldest church building in Natchez, and the oldest existing Episcopal church building in Mississippi.

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