FLOWER NOV•DEC 2023
HOUSE l GARDEN l LIFESTYLE
Holiday
HOMECOMING
PHOTO BY MARY CRAVEN DAWKINS
NOVEMBER•DECEMBER 2023
Contents FEATURES
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Coming Home
Nashville event planner and gourmet Southern cook Libby Page and her husband, landscape architect legend Ben Page, return to family roots at Brookside, their retreat deep in the middle-Tennessee countryside.
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Comfort and Joy
In her Birmingham, Alabama, home, designer Danielle Balanis weaves some favorite Christmas traditions together with her bold decor for a timeless, festive holiday.
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A Historic Holiday
As designer in residence at Colonial Williamsburg, Heather Chadduck layers her distinguished quarters with natural, fresh finery for the season.
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What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
Cassie LaMere and Andrew Knieberg answered the perennial question with the most festive of plans, inviting an intimate circle of loved ones to join them for their wedding celebration in Dallas.
PHOTO BY MARY CRAVEN DAWKINS
ON THE COVER: An arrangement
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of peonies, amaryllis and pine sits before a backdrop of a Regency Views mural inside the Williamsburg home designed by Heather Chadduck. Photographed by David Hillegas
“Just living isn’t enough,” said the butterfly. “One must also have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” –HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN f l o w e r m a g .c o m
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Contents DEPARTMENTS
SCENE
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We’ve got our eyes on ...
The latest in tabletop designs, a return to traditional style, beautiful hand-knotted rugs, and more.
IN BLOOM
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Decorating
Lush greens paired with organic and found elements keep a Mountain Brook, Alabama, home feeling fresh and festive all season long.
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For Harlem Renaissance poet Anne Spencer, her outdoor designs and her inspirational writing evolved hand in hand.
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IN EVERY ISSUE Watering Can What’s Online? Sources At the Table
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Celebrations
Lee Jofa, the acclaimed fabric and furnishings company, debuts a collection that commemorates its storied history with curated and reimagined archival textiles, carpets, furniture, and accessories.
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Market: Pretty and Plush
Luxurious to the touch, velvet takes your holiday style to the next level.
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Shopping: Silver Linings
A visit to the North Carolina showroom of Replacements reveals more than just the beauty of the table settings and collections showcased—it connects us to the past, the present, and each other.
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November•December 2023
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PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) BY DAVID HILLEGAS; BY KATHRYN MCCRARY; COURTESY OF REPLACEMENTS
Women in the Garden
PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) BY DAVID HILLEGAS; BY KATHRYN MCCRARY; COURTESY OF REPLACEMENTS
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I’VE BEEN THINKING A LOT ABOUT TIME LATELY. And it’s not
just because I’m older and have less of it left than I used to. It’s more about timelessness—things that endure. Things that evoke a sense of appreciation, that arrest us in the here and now and give us a glimpse of what was and will be again. No season brings me to this liminal place like the holidays. I think of Thanksgivings at my greatgrandmother’s house where we got to eat in the dining room. And I remember her scenic wallpaper—the first I had ever seen. To my 9-year-old eyes, that wallpaper seemed magical and far away. Even today, when I see the same exotic pattern, I’m transported back to childhood. Timeless. Thanksgiving season at Libby and Ben Page’s Giles County farm, Brookside, feels just as magical, replete with gorgeous Mark O’Bryan flowers. On our visit, Ben regaled us with stories of Little Dry Creek’s ebbs and flows throughout the centuries, and we made new memories while sampling Libby’s “Julia Reed Cheese Dreams” and riding in the Gator to see the cows. Timeless. At Christmas, I have visions of sweets (not sugar plums) from stockings—including the traditional orange in the toe— dancing in my head. The orange was a holdover from the Depression in this country when families couldn’t afford for-real presents, as well as from England in the 18th and 19th centuries when oranges came all the way from China, India, and Burma, making them rare and precious—plus they possessed the added benefit of fending off scurvy. As a child, I always just thought Santa put the orange in there because he didn’t want us to have too much candy. One year, when I groused about how much room the orange took up in the stocking and what was so special about a stupid old orange
anyway, my mother schooled me on the origins of the tradition. I have loved the memory of my stocking oranges ever since and continued the tradition with my own children. Timeless. Birmingham interior designer Danielle Balanis reaches into her bag of traditional tricks every holiday season to replicate a memory from long ago. She decks her dining room chandelier with an exuberant bow in the style she recalls from childhood visits to a flamboyant neighbor’s Christmas celebration. Timeless. For me, New Year’s Eve hoopla has always felt a bit like forced gaiety—and the countdown ‘til the midnight kiss seems like a setup for many people to feel alone, not unlike Valentine’s Day. However, I may have my opinion changed by event designer/magician Cassie LaMere’s own New Year’s Eve wedding in Dallas. Overflowing with personal touches, glamorous classic flourishes, and a true reverence for friends, family, and well, just love, the gaiety was anything but forced. It certainly debunked the old adage, “The cobbler’s children have no shoes.” After making magnificent merriment for clients through the years, Cassie had the joy of plying her trade for her own special event. And yes, it was timeless. I hope you are all transported as you linger in these pages and have your own memorable, timeless occasions this holiday season. Love and SDG,
Margot Shaw EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
CORRECTION: On page 81 of our September/October issue, the fabric on the walls is Hollyhock by Lee Jofa.
Please send your comments, triumphs, challenges & questions to: wateringcan@flowermag.com OR: Letters to the Editor Flower magazine I P.O. Box 530645 I Birmingham, AL 35253 Get the Flower email newsletter! Sign up at flowermag.com/news
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November•December 2023
PORTRAIT BY BECKY LUIGART-STAYNER
Watering can
A Note from the Editor
PORTRAIT BY BECKY LUIGART-STAYNER
PHOTO COURTESY OF ENCHANTED HOME
PHOTO COURTESY OF ENCHANTED HOME
What We’ve Got Our Eyes On
Seasonal Complements ACCOMPANY YOUR HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS WITH THE LATEST IN TABLETOP DESIGN AND INTERIOR STYLE By Julie Gillis
Scene
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ina Yaraghi of the Enchanted Home has introduced a second collection of dinnerware in collaboration with design and style guru Carolyne Roehm. The duo based the “Tulip” collection on a mutual love of the flower, as well as a shared fondness for a blue-and-white palette. The beautiful porcelain pieces are available in a scalloped dinner plate, a salad plate with pierced border, and an octagonal appetizer/bread plate. “I can see these being used year-round,” says Tina. She explains that the blue-and-white combination serves as a neutral base that goes with almost any color. “I think I even see my Thanksgiving table being set with these!” she says. enchantedhome.com f l o w e r m a g .c o m
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Scene WHAT WE’VE GOT OUR EYES ON ...
Past to Present
Christie Ward and Staver Gray, principals of the NYC-based design firm Ward + Gray, have launched a debut rug collection. The line consists of seven rug styles, all hand-knotted in India or Pakistan. To create three of the styles—Winter, Autumn, and Dune—Christie and Staver conceived a technique that incorporates sisal and wool to mimic the look of embroidered silk. The four other styles—Blue Moon, Terracotta by the Sea, Bergamot, and Forsythia—feature a vintage, distressed finish that is created by hand. These rugs also have an irregularity to make them feel time-worn and authentic. According to Christie and Staver, “It’s a process that we spent years perfecting.” wardandgray.com
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November•December 2023
PHOTOS COURTESY OF NEW RAVENNA
Beauty Beneath
PHOTOS (FAR LEFT) COURTESY OF LILLIAN AUGUST; (RIGHT) COURTESY OF WARD + GRAY
Lillian August has returned to her passion—designing textiles. The launch of her New Traditional Collection pays tribute to her granddaughter, Eliza Weiss, while also recognizing a return to traditional design by Grandmillennials. In addition, Lillian was inspired by the celebration of 30 years and three generations for the company. The collection, in collaboration with Tempo fabrics and the Romer family, includes floral designs in shades of blue and green for both indoor and outdoor decorating. lillianaugust.com
Artistic Inspirations
long before we connected about a collaboration,” says Jennifer Gracie, co-owner of Gracie. “To see their mosaic interpretations of our designs is thrilling.” Adds New Ravenna creative director Cean Irminger, “Our brands have many similarities: We work and innovate in ancient artistic traditions, employ artists with decades of experience, and elevate home furnishings and coverings to an art form. This is a match made in artistic heaven.” newravenna.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF NEW RAVENNA
PHOTOS (FAR LEFT) COURTESY OF LILLIAN AUGUST; (RIGHT) COURTESY OF WARD + GRAY
New Ravenna, America’s premier designer and manufacturer of mosaics, has released a collection in collaboration with Gracie, the well-known hand-painted wallpaper company. Five Gracie designs were chosen to be made into glass mosaics, each representing international historic themes. Inspirations came from Roman and Chinese antiquity and the late Japanese Edo period, as well as French art deco. “We admired the work of New Ravenna
f l o w e r m a g .c o m
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