Traditional Home Fall 2023

During a recent trip to the first Nashville Design Awards, I had the good fortune to catch up with many industry colleagues I hadn’t seen in person in quite some time. Among them were two friends I always look forward to seeing because I know I will leave uplifted, smarter, and still ruminating on our conversation—be it about design, our businesses, or even the weighty task of writing an editor’s letter. This time, I had all in the same conversation. Our topic: Taste. What, we pondered, defines a standard of good taste today in a world with instant access to an unending feed around the clock? More specifically, I was asked, how do you think consumers discover and learn about classic good taste in this click-n-scroll, dis-and-repeat interface? My…

SUPPLY MEETS DEMAND You could say that Supply Showroom owners Callie Jenschke, Kim West, and Kristin Gish are fashion-forward with a keen sense of fabric. The trio proudly shares the Austin textile and wallpaper emporium that touts the chicest of boutique vendors. supplyshowroom.com Hellman-Chang Elegance meets edgy at luxury furnituremaker Hellman-Chang. When owners and creatives Daniel Hellman and Eric Chang launched their 17-piece collection, it was no surprise that they did so with the sleekest of American influences. Consider the “Una” table with a modernized fluted base. Driven by the pair’s self-taught expertise and eye for design, the new pieces feature craftsmanship that packs plenty of punch into the refined forms. hellman-chang.com Stone Forest Since 1989, Stone Forest has let nature have its moment. Driven by materials rather than makers,…

The sky is often the director of what’s going on in design. Right now, it’s exchanging hours of blue that’s brightened by the sunlight for an expanse of darkness that is lightened by the glow of the moon and stars. Black and midnight blue are always classic, and the latest batch from the world of design does not disappoint with its impact. Like a little black dress that awaits the addition of shine and glamour from jewelry, black furniture lends a foundation for a host of stylish accessories and embellishments, too. Mirror, smoky glass, and accents of gold enhance pieces that enchant with exaggerated elegance. In other cases, marble swirls striking shades together, and modern fabrics cover traditional silhouettes with fresh drama. Whether you are comforted by tonal environments filled…

Nighttime is when Marlo Thomas’ professional pursuits unfold. It’s when That Girl, the 1960s sitcom that made her famous, aired. It’s when she dazzled on stages during live performances from Broadway to London, the latter for a production of Barefoot in the Park. And it’s when she was awarded the entertainment world’s biggest accolades at Emmy, Grammy, and Golden Globe ceremonies. But it’s during the daytime hours when events that are dear to the Hollywood icon’s heart transpire. In the New York penthouse where she’s lived for decades with her husband, famed talk show host Phil Donahue, Marlo hosts intimate gatherings for friends and family and fundraisers for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, which her late father, Danny Thomas, founded. For one luncheon, Marlo used her dining room as the…

Arianne Bellizaire In the hands of Baton Rouge-based Arianne Bellizaire, glamorous and sleek furniture flirts with deep, moody palettes to achieve an urban elegance that entices. Applying an eye for edited lines, Arianne’s modernized designs lean on sculpture, highlighting classic paneling and reeded walls, as well as dazzling lighting. As a media personality and principal of a full-service design firm, Arianne Bellizaire Interiors, she finds newness in the unknown. It’s a carefully curated venture she knows and we love. ariannebellizaire.com Meghan Blum Meghan Blum’s interiors are flavored with all sorts of decorative looks. But her recipe for a successful kitchen—classic bones with touches of glamour—emphasizes the need for attention to what’s often labeled the heart of the home. The Des Moines-based talent enrobes her kitchens in white marble and antiqued…

“THE KITCHEN IS FUNCTIONAL BUT ON THE PRETTY END.”—designer Laura McCroskey By day, Ryan Pias wheels and deals as part of his job in medical device sales. On nights and weekends, he’s Chef Pias, rolling out dough with his mattarello and hosting groups for pasta-making classes. His passion for cooking, especially Italian dishes he remembers his grandmother making, guided Ryan and his wife, Kate, in a renovation of their 1937 Kansas City, Missouri, home. “I wanted a very functional kitchen, but we also wanted it to be really pretty,” Ryan says. Interior designer Laura McCroskey proved to be the couple’s secret ingredient to achieve that dual flavor. “It was like a meeting of the minds,” says McCroskey, who shares a love for cooking and an appreciation for the couple’s…