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20 • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011
OVER THE MOUNTAIN
JOU RNAL
your guide to antiques at the gardens 2011 4An Overall Look Once again Antiques at the Gardens will bring great dealers and so much more, page 22
4Meet Charlotte Moss The featured speaker of the Red Diamond Lecture series dishes about decorating, page 23
4Big on
Books Meet one of this year’s dealers, who specializes in rare, out-ofprint books, page 24
Family Ties
Birmingham Botanical Gardens Antiques at The Gardens Committee Member Shares the Stories of Her Home’s Many Family Heirlooms. BY LAURA MCALISTER JOURNAL EDITOR
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hether it’s the antiques passed down from generations or the family portraits that hang on the walls, Nonie Brown’s Mountain Brook home is a nod to both her family’s past and present. Nonie, a member of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Antiques at The Gardens Committee, said the many family heirlooms in her Dell Road home have largely driven the decor of the house. That, along with the help of her mother, Mallie Ireland, and friend and decorator Scott Johnson, has made Nonie’s home one that’s perfect for formal entertaining as well as the everyday activities of the family of five. The Brown family purchased the house nearly 25 years ago, but according to Nonie, its history in her family dates back It’s really been further than that. a happy home. “My dad actually lived here with his mother during the war,” Nonie said, It’s been such referring to World War II. “He lived here a great house. when he was 16. It’s had many owners in Now we’re between.” empty nesters, There may have been many owners and and it’s fantastic. years in between her father’s time in the – Nonie Brown house and Nonie’s family purchasing it, but she was still able to find some pieces fro m her family’s past there. When Nonie and her husband moved into the house, they found two old mirrors that belonged to Nonie’s grandmother stored in the attic. The mirrors were restored and now hang in the living room. The focal point in this room, though, is an old painting that belonged to Nonie’s aunt, Doris Schuler. The large painting of a distinguished 18th Century Englishman dominates one wall of the living room. “We did the whole room around him,” Nonie said. “The painting used to sit in my aunt’s home in London. Here we like to call him ‘the Duke on Dell.’” The painting sets a formal, traditional tone in the room. The colors in the painting are subtle and earthy, aside from
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Clockwise from top: The painting from Nonie’s aunt and the sofa from her grandmother set the tone for the living room. The library offers stunning views, and the center bookcase is actually just a cover for the television. Nonie stands by a painting of her mother, Mallie Ireland, in the dinJournal photos by Emil Wald ing room.