Innehållsförteckning för October 2021 från Southern Lady

Highlighted by a subtle gold band, the glossy tortoiseshell edge of Haviland’s Marco Polo dinner plate paves the way for tablescapes aflutter with seasonal élan. Artful blossoms and birds in flight grace a salad plate that reiterates the natural brilliance of flowers arranged nearby—from orange tea roses to yellow alstroemeria. Colored water glasses etched with a floral motif harmonize with beige-and-green linens. Incorporate two-tone flatware and beaded napkins rings to lend a hint of sparkle. An exquisite hand-blocked tablecloth creates the backdrop for a presentation that is at once classic and current. Atop the mottled inspiration plate, a white porcelain dish showcases stylized plumage. Muted plaid napkins, sculptural brass rings, and tinted accessories lend understated panache, while silver goblets reflect the centerpiece of ruby-red ranunculus, crimson dahlias, and golden acacia…

Tucked off the main road in a sleepy corner of southeast Virginia, St. Luke’s appears unassuming at first glance, a small redbrick structure that peeks through a grove of graceful trees. Inside, it’s spare and silent, with dark beams along the plaster walls and sunlight filtered through slender panels of stained glass. You would never guess that three centuries ago, this serene space was swept up in the turbulence of America’s early days, riding out the fall of British rule, then reshaped by the ideals that still define our country. “What’s always struck me, and what we talk about a lot, is the development of religious freedom and the way that the religious landscape changed here over the years,” says Rachel Popp, education coordinator for St. Luke’s. “I think it’s…

FESTIVE FALL It is a joke in my family that I didn’t inherit the holiday decorating gene. My mom has a grand time decking her house from top to bottom for all possible occasions—Valentine’s Day to the Fourth of July to Thanksgiving—whereas Christmas is the only time of year I really get into it. But after perusing our collection of simple fall ideas on page 75, I think it’s time to step it up and bring a touch of October to my own home, like the mini pumpkins perched on antique spools or the variegated leaves pressed inside a gilt frame. With so many natural treasures just outside the front door, what could be easier? What I did inherit is my mom’s affinity for setting a beautiful table. I love old…

Ariene Bethea launched her career in human resources hoping to help people love their work, yet it was the work space that caught her eye. After revamping her office as well as her boss’s, she traded the somber surroundings of the corporate world for the playful prints and spirited hues that reign supreme at her popular design studio. “If people are looking for color and pattern, they usually come my way,” says Ariene, whose Dressing Rooms Interiors Studio in Charlotte features handpicked finds from refurbished furniture to vintage tabletop accessories. Stylish vignettes highlight her rotating collection of international textiles, worn leather pieces, and a medley of brass and chrome accoutrements. Many of her featured products are African, Asian, or Indonesian, a distinctive aesthetic that she shared with her late mother,…

As lush landscapes fade to golden brown, make the most of the muted backdrop for a setting that allows the season’s signature jewel tones to shine. A silver trumpet vase creates an eye-catching juxtaposition amid pastoral surrounds, while its slender silhouette accentuates the billows of blooms that spill forth. Start by adding floral foam to the vessel, and then layer greenery like pepperberry, ensuring that pieces trail down the vase for a wispy look. Incorporate purple hydrangea clusters, and fill in with ruby chrysanthemums, hypericum, and waxflower. Use leftover blossoms to craft miniature arrangements around the centerpiece.…

GENIAL OUTLOOK Southern hospitality knows no bounds, especially in the months to come. Offer guests a gracious reception with a cheery presentation lining the walkway. Complete the look at your front door with a basketful of Baby Boos tied with a burnt-orange ribbon. Extend the greetings to a stone hearth outfitted with a plethora of pumpkins, lanterns, and plush throws. NATURAL NUANCE Devise a one-of-a-kind design with an assortment of gourds in hues tailored to your home’s exterior. An array of creams and green-tinged squash highlight the ivy-covered brick, while deep-shaded specimens tie in the scene’s darker accents and subdued tones. Further the organic feel with an asymmetrical arrangement of plump and flat-bottom varieties cascading down a stairway amid lush potted ivy plants. GRAND ENTRY A multicolored profusion of pumpkins…

From mysterious poisonings to preserving meat, salt’s multifarious role at the table throughout history has been squired by an evolving, oftentimes dainty, receptacle called a saltcellar—until the vessel’s popularity was diminished by an anticaking agent and a girl in a yellow dress with an umbrella. Now a collector’s item, saltcellars have seen a resurgence in a post-pandemic focus on dining well at home. Elegant antique varieties and their diminutive silver serving spoons are dressing up tabletops across the South, accommodating a recent fixation on salt flakes, which won’t pass through the holes of a traditional shaker. They are also now employed for new tasks like holding sugar substitute, hot sauce, nuts, flowers, and whatever your imagination conjures. “These things can’t be tied up in a glass cabinet just to be…

Buttermilk Corn Muffins with Molasses Butter MAKES 12 2 cups plain fine yellow cornmeal1 cup all-purpose flour1 tablespoon baking powder2¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided1¾ cups whole buttermilk6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted2 large eggs2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves4 tablespoons molasses, divided½ cup salted butter, softened 1. Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and 2 teaspoons salt. Make a well in center of cornmeal mixture. 3. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, thyme, and 2 tablespoons molasses. Add buttermilk mixture to cornmeal mixture, stirring just until combined. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. 4. Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 15 minutes.…

Our enduring love affair with succulents takes the spotlight with these jaunty arrangements that play up October’s prismatic allure. Using hot glue, affix frilly chartreuse moss atop mini white pumpkins to create a decorative bed for your favorite rosette-shaped Echeveria. For seasonal color, embellish with flowering orange and white kalanchoe and then gracefully drape string of pearls sprigs to soften the effect. Group the gourds tabletop on a rustic tray, or put one at each place setting to bring heartfelt smiles.…

EASYGOING CHARM Beloved blue-and-white décor is a welcome addition year-round, thanks to its ability to blend seamlessly into established palettes with an air of timeless appeal. Rustic neutrals set the scene with a taupe linen tablecloth, checkered runner, and coordinating tea towels finished with oversize ruffles that soften the look. Handmade in Italy, white china swathed in an artful blue floral print imbues a subtle feminine flourish, contrasting with mottled brown chargers. Ginger jars bearing traditional designs incorporate deeper notes of the hue duo while playing host to stunning dinner plate dahlias mixed with sunflowers, mums, hellebores, purple stock, seeded eucalyptus, and Japanese maple clippings. CORDIAL DETAILS A console table nearby continues the festive presentation with a bittersweet wreath hung upon an antique mirror and scavenged accents scattered at its…

COVER Styling by Sidney Bragiel. Photography by John O’Hagan. See Rural Repast. MIX & MATCH: WARMTH & WONDER Pages 35–36: Haviland Marco Polo dinner plate, Mottahedeh Magnolia & Birds salad/dessert plate, and Mikasa Trapunto D’Oro 5-piece place setting; Replacements, Ltd. Olive Lotus napkin; Land of Belle. Vintage Etched Goblet in green; Williams Sonoma. Crystal Bauble napkin ring in green; Bodrum Linens. Page 37: Haviland Marco Polo dinner plate, Ralph Lauren Carolyn dessert/pie plate, and International Silver Prelude-Plain (Sterling Hollowware) water goblet; Replacements, Ltd. Espresso Linen napkin; McGee & Co. Flow napkin ring in brass and Prism flatware in charcoal and gold; Burke Decor. Estelle Colored Wine Stemless glass in amber smoke; Estelle Colored Glass. Padishah tablecloth; Land of Belle. SEASONAL SETTINGS: GRACIOUSLY GATHERED Pages 41–46: Giulietta Blue dinner plate; pasta/cereal…