The New Southern | Designer Spotlight: Sara Ruffin Costello

Trading in New York for New Orleans — Sara Ruffin Costello, designer, writer and Domino’s former creative director, has allowed the South to teach her just when to work and when to play. She always finds time to stop and smell the jasmine alongside her photographer husband, three children, nine chickens and cat. She has designed a capsule collection of dresses, jewelry and homewares while also styling bohemian spaces in her current city, her old one and Los Angeles, too. Inspired by New Orleans, its heat and good comfort. Her career is built on the foundation of putting things together with the sole purpose to please.

A serious lover of books and following her own advice, Sara willingly and confidently looks past the rules. A little bit traditional and a little bit eclectic. Her curious design is dictated by harmony, pleasure and interest. She gives rooms a soul by highlighting more than just a mix of old and new. Weaving an appealing modern tone no matter how historic or classic the space — she gets provocative with it without losing sight of what is revered in old, Southern taste. Light and dark, curvy and straight, progressive and traditional. If she wouldn’t be comfortable living there, it doesn’t work. Helping to shift Southern design from unapproachable to take your shoes off at the door and come as you are — Sara embodies The New Southern through and through.

Photo: ©Paul Costello

With a distinct design style which reflects her interesting story — I felt compelled to ask more about Sara’s authentic approach.

Alyssa Rosenheck: Tell us about yourself….

Sara Ruffin Costello: I’m a designer and a writer which seems to keeps both sides of my brain occupied! I was the Creative Director at a magazine called Domino awhile back. After the magazine closed my husband photographer, Paul Costello, and I saw an opportunity to switch to Plan B. So we, and our three children, headed South from New York to New Orleans. That transition has very much defined how I now see the world. We’ve been here for about seven years. We are still as busy as we were, but definitely stop to smell the jasmine.

Photo: ©Paul Costello

Photo: ©Paul Costello

Photo: ©Paul Costello

AR: How are you modernizing / updating southern style when you design? 

SRC: Southern style can be vastly different depending on the region, but in a broad sense southern style means knowing how to live — how to kick back in your living room or lie down for a snooze on the porch sofa. Where to keep the booze, the bitters and the wine glasses. No matter the budget, you find these commonalities in every neighborhood around here. Southerners just seem to know when to work and when to play and its reflected in their homes.

AR: What innovative trends are you seeing with Southern design across the country? 

SRC: Technology is affecting how we live in a big way, so integrated systems are in demand. At the other end of that spectrum, people want to maximize time spent outdoors, that means interesting pergolas, covered porches, covered dining areas, fire pits.

AR: What are your favorite hometown design boutiques?

SRC: Sunday Shop, Karla Katz, Ann Koerner, Freda, Pilot and Powell, Saint Claude Social Club

SRC Home + Fashion line. Photo: ©Paul Costello

SRC Home + Fashion line. Photo: ©Paul Costello

SRC Home + Fashion line. Photo: ©Paul Costello

AR: Favorite shade of white and black paint color? 

SRC: For exterior: Benjamin Moore Crisp Linen. For interior: white - Donal Kauffman, DKC-100; black - Benjamin Moore Black Jack, 2133-20

AR: What’s your life motto?

SRC: I should get one one of those!  I am a curious person so that takes me on an adventurous path. Everyday I read a bit from the Stoics — That reminds me how to be. And finally — Levity,  I try to remember to lighten up when we run into problems at the studio...This ain’t life threatening stuff!

Photo: ©Paul Costello

Photo: ©Paul Costello

Photo: ©Paul Costello

AR: The one shade that changes everything? Tell us what mood it evokes and when/how you’ve used it.

SRC: I really like this dark olive color — Benjamin Moore CW-85 Randolph Gray. I’ve used it in my bedroom, in a clients stairwell, and in an entire church renovation. It makes small spaces richer, and giant spaces more comforting. It reminds me of martini olives, flak jackets and wool pea coats

AR: The place you go to get inspired?

SRC: The movies! My son is a budding filmmaker, we are constantly at the theater. I basically watch for the sets!  Travel is critical too. We just went to London and hit spots including the John Soane museum which directly influenced my work when I came back home.

Photo: ©Paul Costello

Photo: ©Paul Costello

Photo: ©Paul Costello

AR: The key to making a house a home? What does a home need more of and less of? 

SRC: Books! But spotting them in homes is getting to be as rare as seeing an old school telephone. Truthfully, making a house a home is more about attitude than anything else. I have friends with disastrous decor situations but their houses are amongst my favorite to hang out in! So who knows?! I will say, we had potential clients with disastrous home decor situations asking if we could send them ideas and they could do the job themselves….in response, we created a “DIY decorating business” where we do a site visit and send you shopping/paint, furniture plan ideas. It’s been really fun and people who couldn’t afford the whole soup to nuts hiring a decorator experience are getting my skills for a fraction of the price!! Go to sararuffincostello.com for more info.

AR: Life advice you’ve gotten that made all the difference? 

SRC: Do your hardest work two hours after you wake up. 

Photo: ©Paul Costello

AR: Design advice you’ve gotten that made all the difference? 

SRC: When it comes to decorating, I follow my own advice: Would I want this? Does it interest me? Could I live here? Is it comfortable? If the answer is no, then I haven’t done a good enough job. When it comes to styling a room, place objects as if you are composing elements for a painting. Is it pleasing? Is there harmony? Is there interest?

Photo: ©Nicole LaMotte for One Kings Lane

AR: What’s your favorite housewarming gift?

SRC: Tequila and fresh lemons.

AR: Tell us something we probably don’t know.

SRC: I love babies!

AR: Design book you’ll always have on your shelf? 

SRC: Oberto Gili’s books, Diana Vreeland and Vogue books.

AR: What’s your dream project/client?

SRC: My dream client is happening now! We just wrapped. Her house is totally her. It was a beautiful collaboration. She makes quick decisions, trusts me, but is also vocal.

AR: What’s currently on your nightstand?

SRC: Stacks and stacks of books.

Photo: ©Paul Costello

Photo: ©Paul Costello

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The New Southern | Artist Spotlight: Renée Bouchon

There is something about females who toss out all of the rules and choose to pursue something which gives their lives more substance that stirs my soul. Renée Bouchon is one of these women — having found her passion through art and learning to thrive off of it. An artist with a beautiful eye for the imperfect, impressive abstract portfolio, and a true understanding of what it takes to make that pivot from what is expected to what speaks to your soul. Continuing to live out her truth, Renée is a living testament to The New Southern’s idea that we should cultivate our own paths to make each day better than the last. As someone who has gone from corporate to creative myself, I am thrilled to champion her as a part of this movement.   

With every brushstroke Renee is tending to a dream which sparked a fire within her at an early age in New Orleans. Her work is authentic and full of life, as she powerfully mixes bold hues, soft pastels and neutral tones, alongside her signature charcoal lines. Evoking a sense of freedom, exploration, and adventure. Known for a movement of color and depth of personality in every piece. She speaks a powerful message to other creative entrepreneurs that are looking for the inspiration to one day get there: “The time is now!”.

Photo: © CatMax Photography

We loved sitting down with this creative Atlantan whose art has quickly gained national exposure among a network of acclaimed interior designers and respected galleries. Knowing not just her style but her story, too, she’s an artistic tastemaker that we are honored to raise our glass to in this new year.

Alyssa Rosenheck: Tell me about yourself.

Renée Bouchon: Oh boy, where do I begin! I was born and raised in New Orleans before moving to Charlotte for high school. I then found myself at the University of Georgia majoring in advertising through their journalism school and finally landed in Atlanta post-graduation (where I have been ever since). Throughout it all, I painted. Always. It was my stress-reliever during my years in the fast-paced ad world, and the thing I looked forward to come home to. I would set up shop in my big bathroom—yes, bathroom—because I had a roommate and I didn't want to take over any of the common space. It wasn’t until about 6 years ago that a college acquaintance commissioned me to do a painting for her, and her hubby’s GORGEOUS new Savannah home. I’d say it was right about then, that things took off...and they have only skyrocketed. After 10 years in some of the top advertising firms in Atlanta, I arrived at a crossroad...keep straddling the line between ad exec and artist, or take the leap. Risk it all and walk away from a great paying job and stability to follow what my heart was screaming at me to do. Well, I followed my heart and I have not looked back. Not once. I loved my years in advertising, but I truly believe they were setting me up to follow my dream, market myself in the right way, and catapult me to a full-time artist. It’s been an unbelievable ride, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds. So many exciting things are on the horizon!

AR: How are you modernizing / updating Southern style with your art?

RB: I break the rules...all the time. I mix mediums that are traditionally not paired together to create mixed media compositions that tell a story. I don’t like art that’s perfect. I want it to have flaws and beautiful imperfections. It’s hard to find a piece of mine that does not have charcoal line work. It’s raw and usually the favorite part of any piece. 

AR: What innovative trends are you seeing with Southern style across the country?

RB: Moody, sultry interiors.

AR: What are your favorite hometown design boutiques?

RB: Scott’s Antique Market takes the cake!

AR: Favorite shade of white and black paint color?

RB: “Pitch Black” by Farrow & Ball and “Great White” by Farrow & Ball.

AR: What’s your life motto?

RB: GO. FOR. IT! I’ve always said, you get one shot at this thing called life. ONE! Just do it. Don’t look like back 5,10, 50 years and say, “I wish I would have followed my heart, taken that trip, left the job, etc.” The time is now. For real, folks!

AR: The one shade that changes everything? Tell us what mood it evokes and when/how you’ve used it. 

RB: Black! There is something about including black in artwork that brings all of the other colors out more. It’s the perfect juxtaposition to a colorful piece and adds interest and sophistication.

AR: The place you go to get inspired?

RB: New York City. Oh boy, does this city get me going. I typically make a trip there every other month. I can’t not visit when I get the itch. The people, the culture, the art, the food, the grit, the music...you name it. This city evokes so many ideas and has me racing back to my studio to put my brush to the canvas. Last time I visited, I spent hours at the Museum of Modern Art. I can honestly say, it’s my ultimate happy place.

AR: The key to making a house a home?

RB: Make it a reflection of what makes you come alive! That painting that you bought from the 80-year-old man selling original art on a bridge in Paris, the pillow you made from vintage fabric you found at an NYC flea market. Less fluff and more meaning! Make it eclectic and interesting.

AR: Life advice you’ve gotten that made all the difference both personally and professionally?  

RB: Don’t get hung up on the small stuff. It’s so easy to forget the big picture.  

AR: Who are some of your favorite artists/makers? What do you love about their work?  

RB: Wayne Pate. I love his simple yet detailed works and his color selection. Ashley Longshore is another favorite—I adore her carefree approach to life...her art is pretty killer too.

Artist: Renee Bouchon, Photo: © CatMax Photography

Design: Erin Gates Elements of Style

AR: What’s your favorite housewarming gift?

RB: A Jo Malone candle.

AR: What’s your dream project/client? 

RB: Collaborating with Kelly Wearstler or Suzanne Kasler.

AR: What’s currently on your nightstand?  

RB: Six issues of Architectural Digest.

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The New Southern | Shop Spotlight: Rodney Simmons, Owner of REVIVAL

What was once an old, run-down brick building, now a lush, Tennessean dreamland. On Chattanooga’s Warehouse Row, creative energy flurries—echoed in the hearts of designers like Rodney Simmons. The city’s renaissance reflects the essence of The New Southern— where reinterpreting, reinventing, and reimagining flourish.

Rodney envisioned REVIVAL as a place where opposites abound. “I approach design – whether food, music, interiors, or garden – as a series of ‘calls and responses.’ For every matte, something shiny. For every grand, something humble. For every loud, something quiet,” he says. Like the rolling Smoky Mountain hills that encompass this Chattanoogan boutique, there’s no lines to be followed; there’s curves and flexibility, allowing opposites to shine.

Showcasing a hybrid of styles, Rodney allures budding artists and artisans, and we can’t help but be captivated by his embracement of differences. A testament to The New Southern, his brick-and-mortar is a safe haven for creatives to design with an open mind, beckoning those who walk in its doors to look for the beauty in the unexpected. Rodney is the Traditional New Southern, weaving a sense of heritage and sophistication throughout his space, while honoring the past to give meaning to the present.

We chatted with Rodney to uncover how REVIVAL speaks to The New Southern and his thoughts for female entrepreneurs as Southern style shifts in landscape.

Alyssa Rosenheck: Tell me about REVIVAL. 

Rodney Simmons: REVIVAL is a modern, Southern purveyor of antiquities, home furnishings, lighting, curious objects, and luxury gifts. Created by myself and Billy Woodall in 2002, this Tennessee-emporium has become a must-shop resource for homeowners and design professionals alike. I spent almost a decade in the New York men’s fashion world creating showroom and retail store environments. After my tenure as Menswear Director of Presentation at Ralph Lauren, I returned to my native South while carrying that design passion as a seed for REVIVAL’s creation. Billy brought his early career’s extensive financial and construction knowledge to REVIVAL, helping the retail business to blossom and grow to include online sales and a separate interior design firm, Revival Interiors.

AR: REVIVAL is filled with visual inspiration from room to room. How has the shop contributed to the modernization or updated Southern style?

RS: REVIVAL is known for crashing unexpected periods, materials, forms and ideas - free of restraints, rules, and establishment expectations. There are no rules.

AR: What innovative trends are you seeing with Southern style across the country?

RS: The best interior designers and merchants (serving as sort of Southern style ambassadors across the U.S.) are indeed freed of expectations and restraints in the new century. With print magazines, non-stop social media, showhouses, trade showrooms, and amazing design shops, Southern style is fueled more by opportunity and creativity than perceived formulas and tradition.

AR: How have you mastered all the growth with the shop?

RS: An amazing core of designers, decorators, and support staff continues to propel REVIVAL’s growth – which includes the retail store, an open-to-the-public Annex warehouse, a highly-stylized interior design studio, and an online website, revivalhome.com. I (the creative) and Billy (the business) lead the pack - opposites do attract.

AR: Is there structure or are there any tips to share when you grow rapidly?

RS: Having a plan, buying the best, hiring the most talented – these are ideas key to a successful business that will survive rapid growth. However, knowing that those ideas are primarily a “map” (and allowing yourself and the business to remain flexible) is of paramount importance.

AR: What advice do you have for female entrepreneurs?

RS: Female design entrepreneurs have such an amazing opportunity in the 21st century. What advice does REVIVAL have for upcoming female entrepreneurs?

Be focused
Be true
Be kind
Be good
Be forthright
Be fun

AR: What’s your life motto?

RS: Borrowed (re: stolen) from my sweet friend Kreis Beall (owner and Creative Director of Tennessee luxury resort Blackberry Farm):  

Good, Better, Best
Never let it rest
Until the Good is Better
and the Better is Best

I daily borrow her mantra — always striving for wonderful customer service, beautiful product, and experiential retail.

AR: The place you go to get inspired?

RS: I get inspired in many places, but a few favorites especially fuel my spirit: Le Sirenuse hotel clinging to the Amalfi Coast, the Musee Rodin in Paris, New Orleans on a jasmine-laced night, and the clipped-and-sheared gardens (or the pool) of our home perched atop Missionary Ridge.

AR: How do you continue to differentiate yourself in the marketplace? 

RS: REVIVAL competes daily with contemporary online shopping, a buy-it-for-less-do-it-yourself mentality, and overnight immediacy. A carefully edited inventory, the beautiful environment, and purposeful customer service allow REVIVAL’s experiential retail to beckon the chicest of clients. Truly, it is “Lights, Cameras, Action”!

AR: Design advice that you’ve received that made all the difference?

RS: A treasured friend, Bobby McAlpine, encouraged me early as a merchant and designer to acknowledge my own innate style and approach. This lauded master stipulated that, like athletic or musical abilities, I’d need to perpetually exercise, train, use, critique, cross-train, and expose my own design eye or it would be of little value. I’ve never forgotten his quick-but-amazing lesson.

AR: What’s the best piece of design advice you could provide for creative entrepreneurs starting out? 

RS: Have fun or go home.

AR: Who are some of your favorite artists/makers? 

RS: Bobby McAlpine (and his band of creatives led by Ray Booth and Susan Ferrier) is a long-time favorite architect, designer, poet, and wicked tongue.    

Addie Chapin is an adored local Tennessee artist working in mixed media (think paint, brown paper bags, and linen canvas) that at once conjures ancient scrolls, vintage game boards, and a forgiven future. I am thrilled to include her brilliant works among REVIVAL’s treasures.

AR: What’s your advice for mixing old with new? 

RS: Mixing of ancient and modern isn’t proprietorial, and is indeed more a manner of design thinking. It’s the tension between opposites (much like between my partner Billy and myself) that creates the most interest and energy.

Billy Woodall (left) and Rodney Simmons (right), co-founded REVIVAL in 2002. 

AR: My momma always said… 

RS: HA! My REVIVAL design colleague, Cynthia Mitchell, and I were just recalling Southern childhood colloquialisms, including “You never know where Jesus is….” 

What could be more Southern (especially a Samaritan story for a preacher’s son like myself) than to thread a little church into our design work? 

For me, my Momma’s directive isn’t only about aiding the needy. Indeed, I think my Momma sort of knows that holiness and glory can be found in the most unexpected places. We just need to look with open eyes and hearts.

For me, that’s the New Southern.

AR: What’s your favorite house-warming gift?

RS: French fragrances are a lush go-to house-warming gift – especially a hand-made candle found at REVIVAL.

Among my favorites? Cire Trudon’s Abd el Kadr (Morrocan mint tea), Diptyque’s Baies Noir and
Mad et Len’s Spirituelle.

AR: Design book that you will always have on your shelf?

RS: There are a lot of outstanding design books, but my all-time favorite tome is John Saladino’s Villa — this favorite architect-designer’s chronicle of his 1920s Santa Barbara property transformed into the most timeless of estates.

AR: What’s currently on your nightstand?

RS: An Eye for Beauty, the fabulous new design must-read by interior designer Beth Webb (who just happens to be a Lookout Mountain, Tennessee native).

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The New Southern | Artist Spotlight: Logan Ledford

The New Southern is not only capturing the current creative economy making its way across the United States, but it’s also giving a voice to the strong female pioneers that are defining the shifting landscape. One of which is Logan Ledford, a talented abstract artist whose work is a shining example of the inspiring females from coast to coast who are blazing their own trail.

It’s not surprising that an artist born and raised in Louisiana would use a lot of vibrant hues. “New Orleans lives in color, it’s flowing from every corner,” says Ledford of the way she takes inspiration from her surroundings. Her work is bold, graphic, minimal, and textural, an approach to abstract design that’s characterizing of the new Southern style movement.

Unlike any others, her canvases are commonly arranged in a grid formation, bright and brilliantly painted. Her work has caught my eye, as well as the eyes of a number of clients and galleries. You can find her pieces at the New Orleans Museum of Art, VanGuard Gallery, the Aquarium Gallery, The Print Shop, Katie Koch Home, BMAC Interiors, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and the Lilac Gallery in New York City.

Photo: Leah Pipes Meltzer

Here, I sat down with the up-and-coming artist to get her take on what it means to be a rising artist in the South.

Alyssa Rosenheck: What trends are you seeing with Southern style across the country?

Logan Ledford: People are including art within their everyday style and interiors; it’s not just for the walls anymore. I’m seeing artwork being turned into fabric, a hand-painted chair, a sculpture that doubles as a light fixture, drink trays, and a beaded clutch. Art, and the way artists are producing their art, is changing in a big way, and you see that coming to light in today’s contemporary interiors.

AR: What are some of your favorite hometown design boutiques?

LL: Hands down Katie Koch Home on Magazine Street. She knows how to mix traditional, mid-century modern, and contemporary like a pro. She has some of the most interesting interior furnishings, art, and objects in the city. She also was the first person in the city to show my work, which was very exciting.

AR: Even though you don’t use a lot of it in your work, every artist has their favorite shade of white and black paint. What’s yours?

LL: Benjamin Moore Base White Advanced High Gloss and Benjamin Moore Onyx Advanced High Gloss.

AR: What motto do you live by?

LL: Don’t get your panties in a bunch.

AR: What’s the one shade that changes everything?

LL: Fluorescent red, but it’s not as “red” as it sounds. It’s more of an orangey pink—exciting, bright, and unexpected. It pairs well with hunter green, light blue, silver, and portrait pink.

Two For One Flesh ©Logan Ledford

AR: What’s a piece of advice you’ve received that changed everything?

LL: Remember, not everything is perfect or will fall into place just the way you want it to. Be patient with yourself and others, and learn to let things go.

AR: What about in design?

LL: Edit and seek out critiques of your work. And I love what Coco Chanel said, “before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.”

Annunciate Your Words Please © Logan Ledford

AR: Who are some of your favorite fellow artists and makers?

LL: Oh gosh, there’s so many and I’m constantly changing favorites. Right now I love Phillip Low, Ray Geary, and Mark Lovejoy because they’re using color in exciting and unexpected ways.

AR: Fill in the blank, “my momma always said…”

LL: It’s all going to be OK.

AR: What’s one of your career goals or dream project/client?

LL: I’d love to create a painting for Iris Apfel; she is just heaven.

Photo: Leah Pipes Meltzer

Photo: Leah Pipes Meltzer

AR: What’s a new spin on an old Southern tradition?

LL: In the South, no home is complete without a lovely little bar sporting a variety of sips and vintage cocktail glasses. For a twist on the tradition, I like to include a little art on the bar. I’ve seen artists who are painting on liquor/champagne /wine bottles and then adding it to the bar. It creates a great pop amongst the other bottles and barware.

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