Defining Design Across The Southeast

Welcome back to Design In Focus, our editor-led digest of local design trends. This month, Homes Editor Jennifer Boles takes us across the Southeast. In a region with topographical diversity—from the Blue Ridge Mountains to coastal marshlands to the urban sprawl of Charlotte, Nashville, Birmingham, and Atlanta—there are two things that unite the Southeast: a love of college football and design. Whether traditional or modern, colorful or quietly neutral, a Southeastern home is a joy to behold. Read more about the region's latest trends below.

The Big Picture: Design In The Southeast

You may not be aware that the South is responsible for some of our country’s most renowned designers, past and present: Albert Hadley, Billy Baldwin, Ruby Ross Wood, Bunny Williams, Charlotte Moss, and Miles Redd. It’s not a stretch to say that design is ingrained in our Southern DNA. 

Although some traditions remain firmly entrenched in this region—in many primary homes across the Southeast, you will still find a proper dining room attired more formally than the rest of the house—there is enough variety here to suit every taste and setting. Along coastal South Carolina and Georgia, which are known for their captivating marshlands, houses tend to be furnished with the outdoors in mind. Natural materials, particularly wood, rattan, and seagrass, along with mellow neutral hues, are a preferred way of tying interiors to their Lowcountry settings. 

Mountain homes are immensely popular among Southerners, who prefer spending the sweltering summer months in areas less prone to humidity. While traditional mountain furnishings, such as rustic twig furniture and woodland patterned fabrics, remain favored by some, modern and even boldly contemporary design schemes are becoming more and more prevalent, both in the mountains and elsewhere, a reflection of the Southeast’s changing design landscape. 

In fact, design styles not previously seen in the Southeast are emerging, presumably a result of the influx of newcomers since the pandemic. Visit some of the more recently built houses in Nashville’s outlying communities, and you will likely find homes that look plucked from Southern California. 

Some of you might only know us for our love of antiques and floral fabrics, but the truth is that every flavor of design can be found in this region. 

The Home + Interiors: What People Want

Spaces and amenities geared towards entertaining. Built-in bars are becoming standard in many Southeastern homes, especially those lavished with stone, antiqued mirror, or stunning wallpaper. Secondary kitchens, whether located in sculleries or outdoors, are also highly desirable.  

Popular Furnishings + Accessories

Fabrics and wallcoverings are immensely popular in the Southeast, particularly those which are patterned. (Not surprising, floral chintzes have never fallen out of favor here.) Solid, neutral-hued textiles with beautiful sheens or textures, like boucles and silk velvets, are also stalwarts of elegant Southern interiors. Another decoration in-demand among Southeastern designers? Hand-painted Chinese-inspired wallcoverings, like the Gracie paper designer Beth Webb used in the Atlanta dining room featured here.

What's Hot In Materials Around The Southeast

Highly figured stone, whether marble or quartzite, is being used in abundance, most often in kitchens, baths and built-in bars and bar closets, which is another hot trend. Wood and rattan are also popular, with refined wood finishes leading the way. The dining room in this lakefront Georgia getaway by David Frazier, featured here, is a great example of that.

Wood craftsmanship is something Southerners tend to invest in, particularly robust millwork, wall paneling and custom cabinetry. Landscape design is also a major consideration given the region’s temperate climate, which allows for outdoor living in all but the hottest summer months.