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24/04/2024

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
I'm starting two new book projects, Southern Houses in the Country and Southern Houses on the Shore, and am scouting for dwellings in inland and coastal (including lake, river, marsh, and ocean) locations that reflect Southern sensibilities including our architectural language and the beauty of our diverse natural settings. This house by Bobby McAlpine, perched on the edge of Alabama's Lake Martin, is a perfect example, with its large windows, deep eaves, and natural building materials, and the way in which it adapts to and reflects its surroundings. It is rustic, chic, and so relaxing to be in. I got to spend a day there photographing it for Art of the House ( ), a book I co-authored with Bobby and Susan Ferrier a decade ago. If you don't have that one in your library, check it out! It's an exceptionally creative exploration of the theory of design. I look forward to any houses you wish to bring to my attention. The best way to submit is by email to [email protected]. And feel free to reach out with questions. Thank you!

21/04/2024

It's --the gorgeous and exhilarating regatta in Charleston's harbor. Friends of mine are crewing on Justin Walling's 34-foot sail boat, a lipstick-red J27 christened Madame. When I showed up to lend a hand (just kidding--I know nothing about sailing), I had no idea that I had dressed to match the boat. I was just sad that I had left my red lipstick at home. You never know what you'll need at sea. The Madame sailed competitively in several races and I was proud to have done my little bit by holding a rope dockside and posing for the camera.

30/03/2024

While in Noto, I became obsessed with the Ducezio Palace--the magnificence of its curvaceous portico, the beauty of its stonework, and the faded glory of the honey-colored tufa stone and rosy stucco. Oh, Italy! Oh, Sicily! You will always delight my senses and warm my soul.

29/03/2024

For our next stop in Sicily, we traveled two hours and thirteen centuries in history to the fascinating town of Noto, which was razed by an earthquake in 1693 and rebuilt over a period of two decades in the grand Sicilian baroque style. The main street stretches ten blocks long and is lined by grand edifices with curved facades, broken pediments, and rounded loggias all carved from golden tufa stone. In January, it is nearly empty of tourists and largely populated by ghosts of an opulent past. Little can compare with the architectural integrity and preservation of this once grand city and the "other-timely" experience walking its streets provides.

27/03/2024

is a 4th century AD Roman palace just a two hour drive from , famous for the largest collection of intact Roman mosaics in the world. The villa was buried in mud for centuries, thus preserving the amazing mosaics in vibrant color and detail. In addition to being outstanding works of art, the compositions capture many aspects of Roman life, both real and fanciful, in fascinating detail. These include women athletes in scanty attire, popularly known as The Bikini Girls, Romans capturing wildlife in North African and loading them onto ships to return to Sicily, and an imaginary chariot race with children drawn by larger-than-life birds. An incredible journey through time.

25/03/2024

When we finally arrived in , we drove straight to the in , an extraordinary site filled with some of the finest remains of temples in --the expansion of Greek culture outside of the mainland. The temples there vie with the grandest in Greece and in some cases, exceed them in--especially the monumental temple to Zeus, which lies in ruins, only portions of its columns and massive capitals scattered on the ground. As the sun sank toward to the horizon, the golden light cast a sublime glow on the ancient stones...and the spiral-horned goats that are indigenous to the island.

19/03/2024

The biggest surprise of our trip was "36 minutes in Milan." When our flight from Paris was delayed, we missed our connection to Palermo and ended up with three hours in the city (with little more than a half-hour for site-seeing). Fortunately, we have a friend there with whom we enjoyed a delightful lunch and stashed our luggage before hoofing it to il Duomo de Milano, a medieval masterpiece that seems oddly named, as there is no dome in sight. Twilight approached, illuminated by the facade of a nearby building encased in colored light and the warm glow of the glorious nineteenth century shopping arcade, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. A short, but sweet visit to Milan that made us yearn for more.

17/03/2024

Climbing mountains is a lot of work. Thrilling, yes! Rewarding, yes! But there's something to be said for flying over them, too. Here, the Alps are viewed from a very high-flying bird's eye perspective as I flew from Paris to Milan, anticipating just a brief layover on my way to Palermo. The gods of architecture had another plan in mind .... Travel is always filled with the unexpected--the good, the bad, the ugly, and sometimes the most wondrous things you didn't expect to encounter.

16/03/2024

Even though I didn't have time to enter the Louvre on this trip to Paris (not even the Sully wing!), I enjoyed all the architecture on display from the original historic edifices to modernist interventions including a mirrored cube hovering like a three-dimensional mirage before the north entrance and I. M. Pei's ethereal pyramid within the courtyard.

14/03/2024

A walk through Paris is full of discoveries, like Rue du Mail, a winding street lined with showrooms of the world's finest textile makers--Pierre Frey, Jim Thompson, Romo, Kravet, Silva, to name just a few. I was on my way to Le Palais Royal when I saw the narrow street festooned with giant lampshades in designs matching those featured in gorgeous window displays. Window-shopping in Paris can be almost as exciting as stepping inside its august museums.

07/03/2024

Don't forget libraries when you plan your visits abroad. I love visiting temples to the text, which often get overlooked. La Biblioteque Nationale in Paris is an architectural gem. And if you can't resist shopping, a gorgeous 19th-century shopping mall, La Gallerie Vivienne, is just across the street.

06/03/2024

La Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris was my first stop during a day-long feeding frenzy on art, architecture, street-scenes, and people-watching (not to mention culinary delights) in January. If the quality of the art inside weren't so great, it could easily be eclipsed by Frank Gehry's extraordinary building, which is exhilarating to experience both inside and out. However, the Marc Rothko retrospective shone with equal beauty and genius and was transporting in its emotional depth.

12/02/2024

My friend Architect, Norman Askins and I were once talking about Southern Hospitality and he told me his mother always had flowers in the house, but never bought one from a store. All gathered from her yard – – – or the neighbors. I just discovered that branches from the gorgeous tulip trees now flowering in Charleston make a beauteous display. So head out with your clippers and have some fun. Even entertaining impresarios Quinn Peepet and Michael Harold of Classical Shindig fame were impressed by my floral foraging.

11/02/2024

Just hosted a farewell luncheon in Charleston for Michael Harold and Quinn Peeper, who were in town to deliver a talk and play a few pieces on the piano at the Charleston Library Society. Among my very favorite people, Quinn and Michael are the authors of the new book Classical Shindig-an inspiration to anyone who enjoys entertaining. I was happy to skip up the street to Charlestowne landing and collect beautiful, newly fallen camellias from beneath the old shrubs there. It’s so nice to decorate the table with flowers from someone else’s garden! My own rarely produces anything but twigs and mushrooms.

29/01/2024

Don’t miss Hosting with the Most: Classical Shindig, a lecture and musical performance at the Charleston library society this Thursday, February 8, at 6 PM. Hosts extraordinaire and extraordinary pianists Michael Harold and Quinn Peeper will celebrate the publication of their new book Classical Shindig with a talk and performance of piano for four hands played on the library society’s exquisite Steinway. I have long been a fan of Quinn’s and Michael’s taste, and have featured them in several books. I’m excited that they are bringing their zest for life and talents to the Charleston audience. Don’t miss what promises to be a fun and inspiring evening.

18/01/2024

I loved the images of liberated women kissing their lovers and performing athletics in teeny-tiny gym uniforms at the 300 AD Villa Romana in Sicily, accompanied by the expected images of men killing animals and each other. Each to his or her own. romana

17/01/2024

We just spent four sublime hours wandering among the ancient stones of the Valley of the Temples in agrigento, Sicily. Being among these 25+ century-old Greek temples made us forget the eight hour delay involved in getting there from Paris. The memory will last for a lifetime.

16/01/2024

36 hours in Paris for my birthday! Magnifique!

22/10/2023

Fireplaces are great additions to porches, which, depending on the climate, can become year-round places to enjoy a meal or relax in the sitting area. A monumental slab of stone serves as the mantel of this Brobdingnagian fireplace set against a rugged stonewall on a screened porch equipped with glazed windows for protection from the elements. The porch is set into one of two wings of this Highlands, NC, home designed by renowned Southern architect, Norman Davenport Askins. The design of the facade is inspired by Homewood, the 1901 house created by British architect Sir Edward Lutyens. Interior designer Jackye Lanham designed the interior of the home.

Norman Askins Architect, P.E.

19/10/2023

A tabby fireplace anchors the soaring living room of a home designed by architect Bobby McAlpine and interior designer Susan Ferrier. I photographed this room while working on our book, Art of the House (Rizzoli). The rustic material of the fire surround is a perfect complement to the warm knotty pine of the walls and window frame of this house overlooking Lake Martin in Alabama. The unrefined natural materials echo the colors and textures of the surrounding landscape.

Ferrier McALPINE Susan Ferrier

16/10/2023

Renowned Architect Norman Askins designed the Highlands, NC, home of Stephanie and Edgar Reeves, former proprietors of Edgar Reeves Lighting. Like the house, this kitchen fireplace was inspired by the work of turn-of-the-19th century English architect, Sir Edward Lutyens. I love the way the fireplace combines the rusticity of stone with the graphic geometry of the design. Much of the home is inspired by Lutyens' 1901 design for Homewood, the English country home of his mother-in-law.

Askins Askins
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13/10/2023

It's autumn and there is nothing more inviting than cozying up to the fire for a cup of tea, a glass of wine, or a tête-a-tête. I love this rustic stone fireplace designed by Norman Askins, Architect in a house inspired by the mountainside castles of the Dordogne in south-western France.

Norman Askins Architect, P.E.

20/06/2023

The porch of Bluefields, an 1825 farmhouse that has been passed down through my cousin Ashley Goza's family for generations, is in the style of a "rain porch", so-called because its deep roof reaches out beyond the floor, supported by free-standing columns. This makes it the perfect place, rain or shine, to enjoy a Sunday supper graced by family china and silver. The screened back porch serves as an outdoor living room, with the help of bouncy metal chairs with comfy cushions and a porch swing.weinberg .weinberg .weinberg

17/06/2023

It's hard to believe that this porch--so quintessentially old-fashioned Southern--is actually part of a new cottage on a barrier island near Savannah, GA. It goes to show you how timeless Southern style is and how perfectly you can recreate it if you take the trouble to drive around old Southern towns and take note of the details of its architecture. Notice the retro-style wooden screen door (which makes a satisfying SLAP when you close it) and the shutters around the front door that reach all the way up to the top of the transom. For that matter, notice the transom! O f course, no Southern porch is complete without a porch swing, rocking chairs, and a tangle of fragrant jasmine climbing the posts. And we all appreciate the gentle breeze of a ceiling fan or two, not only to cool our skin but to blow away mosquitos. The only thing missing is a hound dog. Ice tea or mint julep anyone?

14/06/2023

When architect David Creech designed a home for himself and his wife Meribeth, he tapped into West Indian style, with a porch communicating to the interior through a series of mahogany French doors. The porch culminates is a small outdoor dining room with slatted prop shutters that shield it from the bright coastal light of Old Village, Mount Pleasant, a historic enclave across the Cooper River from downtown Charleston, SC. I always suggest that my guests visit the Old Village, which has roots preceding the Revolutionary War and offers a charming contrast to the architecture downtown. I love this porch so much that I featured it in my book, Southern Hospitality at Home.

David Creech

11/06/2023

Designed by Atlanta's master architect, Norman Davenport Askins, this house in Buckhead resembles a country French house that grew over a period of two centuries. In a nod to France's Roman past, the back porch takes the form of a loggia. Pay special attention to its ceiling, which is decorated with inverted terracotta tiles. Both the ceiling tiles and all the roof tiles were manufactured by Georgia's Ludawici Roof Tile company in a range of historically accurate colors and forms.

09/06/2023

When I was researching my book, Southern Hospitality at Home, I had the pleasure of visiting Athens, GA, caterer par excellence Lee Epting, founder of Epting Events. Lee epitomizes both Southern hospitality and Southern eccentricity. As you will see, spending time on the back porch of his historic cottage was a revealing experience as well as a great lesson in Southern hospitality back-porch style!

Epting Events

31/05/2023

Charleston, South Carolina, is home to two churches with round silhouettes--Circular Congregational, founded in 1681, and Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, established in 1910. Circular Church occupies a building completed in 1892, constructed with bricks from the previous circular hall that burned in 1981. The original church meeting house gave Meeting Street its name. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church's current building opened in 1952, featuring a soaring domed sanctuary with a painted ceiling and stained glass windows. The churches and temples in Charleston offer a wide array of worship atmospheres--something made evident during the recent Spirited Brunch event, during which fifteen places of worship opened their doors and offered refreshments to those who came to visit. I'm inspired to make a more in-depth experience by visiting many of these holy places, whether for services that reveal just as varied a style as these buildings, or quiet contemplation.

Circular Congregational Church, Charleston
Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

29/05/2023

It's Memorial Day and summer has officially begun. This has me in mind of porches--the perfect margin of shade between house and sun-bright yard. The ideal destination for enjoying morning coffee or evening supper with loved ones and friends (and poodles). Stay tuned for a passel of porch images coming your way! Take off your hat, take a seat in a rocking chair, get some sippin' bourbon or tea, and stay a while!
Tim Cuppett Architects

28/05/2023

Charleston, South Carolina's Grace Church Cathedral was built in the Gothic style in the mid-nineteenth century. It has survived Civil War-time shelling, earthquakes, major hurricanes, and multiple fires. During the recent Spirited Brunch event, the sanctuary and adjacent courtyard were open to the public, with classic Southern snacks and drinks such as home-made pimento cheese sandwiches and iced tea served in the courtyard. The church was also the site of an art installation created for the Foundation for Spirituality and the Arts (fsa.art) by artist-in-residence, installation artist Karen Brummond (karenbrummund.com).

Foundation for Spirituality and the Arts

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Feathers Aflutter

Pink Ostrich feathers flutter at the wrist of bride-to-be, interior designer Alexandra Howard, at her "Un-bridal Shower" at The Wentworth Mansion in Charleston, SC.

Why can't every day be Easter?

Sparkling pink bubbles, served so stylishly by Charlestonian Barbara Brant-Williams, shouldn't be quaffed only on Easter, should they? Don't you think QUAFF would make a great New York Times Wordle? Barbara Brant-Williams #easter #pinkchampagne #WordleApp #NewYorkTimes #YourGroomingGuru #barbarabrantwilliams

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