Southern Home

At the heart of the French aesthetic is an appreciation of simple beauty, and the wares found at French General perfectly illustrate this principle. It’s easy to see why owner Kaari Meng says she collects many of the items she sells. The shop is a ra

Throughout the ages, fine linens have been cherished and valued as much as silver and fine porcelain. To gently run your fingertips over the soft sheen of antique linen fabric is to personally touch the past. To get the trademark luxuriously soft fee

When Nancy and Mark Peeples built their cozy cottage, they designed it with the mountains in mind. “My husband loves the West, the mountains, and hunting,” Nancy says. “So we were trying to have some sort of comfortable, elegant version of that.” The

When asked to describe the style of her home, the owner responds, “Country French.” And when asked her personal style, she shares, “It’s casual and comfortable.” The intermingling of these two styles has resulted in an inviting home with French influ

The first inkling of any French influence greets you at the front door. Purchased in New Orleans, the door is covered with decorative ironwork evoking its French heritage. The detailed ironwork is also used for the stair railings and balcony in the f

Point Clear, Alabama, boasts the unique reputation of being a place that promotes laid-back living—but with a certain panache. Common among its residents is a sense of a graciousness that has developed from a long-held appreciation for life’s finer o

Patience leads to perfection—at least that was the case for Susan and Dowd Ritter. After making the decision to downsize, they opted to build their new residence in a gated community. Knowing this would be their forever home, the couple called on des

At this point in their relationship, interior designer Jane Hoke and her client Dorothy Fletcher speak in a shorthand of sorts. After all, the women have worked on four houses together—two in Birmingham and two in North Carolina—and have developed an

My husband one day drew the floor plan [of our house] on a napkin at a restaurant and said that this would be a perfect family home for us and our three children,” interior designer Julie Ponze says of her elegant yet relaxed New Orleans home. “After