Liz Caroll and Charlotte Lucas grew up in design school — spending hours scouring antique shops, fabric stores, furniture showrooms and flea markets alongside their interior designer of a mother. Today they’ve learned how to use their lessons on mastering color and pattern as an integral tool in their shared passion turned profession. With two successful interior design businesses of their own, the duo desired another creative outlet and so they launched House of Harris, whose title pays tribute to their maiden name — collaborating to create a line of high-end textiles and wallpaper which reflect their combined style. Design certainly runs deep for these two North Carolina sisters (whose younger sister also happens to be in the industry).

Inherently Liz and Charlotte, House of Harris screams all-things The New Southern — modern, carefree and honoring its roots. The vibrant, punchy colors of the prints channel a flair for travel and eclectic taste. Visually hypnotising and cheerful with lighthearted, modernized florals and a less stuffy, more easygoing vibe. The sisters’ patterns can add an element of whimsical delight to any home. One that is ideal for entertaining enthusiasts and fellow interior designers, alike.

Recently named House Beautiful’s 2017 Next Wave Designer, Charlotte has a bold and daring design personality that is perfectly complemented by that of Liz, whose style is grounded in tranquil, soothing colors and natural textures that reflect her seaside Carolina home. Nationally, these sisters are gaining attention for their entertaining style, recently published in Vogue, Veranda, and Domino.

We applaud the two for paving the way for classic prints to be embraced with a modern, Southern twist — inspiring other creatives to bridge their past and their present.

Alyssa Rosenheck: Tell me about yourself.

Liz Carroll + Charlotte Lucas: We are sister designers from North Carolina, Liz Harris Carroll of Liz Carroll Interiors in Wilmington and Charlotte Harris Lucas of Charlotte Lucas Interior Design in Charlotte. Using our combined decades of experience building two successful interior design businesses, we have recently joined forces to launch House of Harris, a new fabric and wallpaper line.

House of Harris features whimsical patterns and vibrant colors with a decidedly modern flair. Inspired by the cities and streets we lived and grew up on, the first collection pays homage to our North Carolina roots.

These designs also reflect our eclectic styles and love for travel, taking inspiration from recent trips to France and Palm Beach. House of Harris’ first collection showcases a variety of unique and colorful patterns with interest in high quality, live-able and durable materials designed in-house and manufactured in the USA.

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

LC + CL: We identify our Southern style being represented by designs that withstand the test of time using subtle textures, punchy colors, and modern scale.

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

LC + CL: Southern designers and homeowners alike are bringing new life to Southern traditions of entertaining in tablescape design. Our generation is designing and entertaining with our grandmother’s heart and our own modern eyes. Linens for dinner and cocktail parties have been revitalized with impactful color and design, china patterns and silver are being mixed and matched, and it is all so lovely and lively!

AR: What are your favorite hometown design boutiques?

LC + CL: In Wilmington, we love Protocol and Paysage. In Charlotte, our go-to’s are Darnell, Mrs. Howards, and every antique store.

Alyssa Rosenheck's The New Southern Designer Spotlight with Liz Harris Caroll and Charlotte Harris Lucas, House of Harris of Wilmington, NC

Photo: ©House of Harris, Personal Collection

AR: Favorite shade of white and black paint color?

LC + CL: “Simply White” by Benjamin Moore and “Pitch Black” by Farrow and Ball.

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

LC + CL: Making a house a home is achieved by surrounding yourself with belongings that hold memories—they are yours, your great grandmother’s, or a stranger’s. Homes need less overhead lighting and more entertaining spaces.

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

LC + CL: The best business advice we would offer is to be 100% proud of your product, as well as being patient in the developing stage—that’s crucial. Leverage your skills to optimize your success. Realizing your strengths helps you in the fundamental stages to learn where you need help from outside sources, partners, or team members.

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

LC + CL: Vintage furniture can take on a completely new life upholstered in a bold pattern or fun color. Look at the lines of the furniture as the attractive feature and ignore all the rest.

AR: Your momma always said…

LC + CL: Measure twice, make once.

AR: What’s your favorite housewarming gift?

LC + CL: A Bonnie + Bud Box! Local to Charlotte, the Bonnie + Bud boxes are filled with personalized specialties and can be shipped anywhere in a beautiful presentation.

AR: What’s your dream project/client?

LC + CL: We would adore to do a luxury yacht! The industry renovated outdoor fabrics so that every space can be both beautiful and functional.

Amanda McClements is the product of two “free-spirited, food-loving parents from North Carolina,” she says, and that upbringing “inspired my passion for hospitality and eclectic style.” After writing about travel and food for ten years, she started “dreaming up a place that brought together beautiful goods—a place that would inspire people to entertain and create beautiful spaces.”

In 2012, a space opened up in Washington, D.C.’s Union Market, an eclectic food market in an area of the city whose rise and development has been greatly chronicled. McClements jumped on the chance, and within two years of opening up Salt & Sundry, she was opening a second location near D.C.’s Logan Circle. Now, in addition to that, she owns two outposts of Little Leaf, a plant and paper shop.

McClements thinks of her style as “Southern bohemian,” a laidback and relaxed aesthetic that’s a bit unexpected, she says. Her influences come from music, art, and the beauty of diverse cultures, a mindset that could be the definition of the New Southern. Southern style is no longer reserved for the South, and in the case of McClements, her global perspective “comes through in the goods we stock, like vintage textiles from South America and mud cloth pillows from West Africa.”

Here, get to know the creative force behind D.C.’s beloved brand, and a born-and-raised Southerner whose entrepreneurial mind is helping shape the next generation of creatives.

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

Amanda McClements: Southern hospitality is legendary, but I’ve loved seeing a move toward more comfortable and casual entertaining. Formality has given way to a more relaxed approach that’s a lot easier to pull off. So while you might still pull out your grandma’s china for a dinner party, you’re mixing it up with modern, laid-back touches to dial the vibe down a bit.

AR: How have you mastered the growth of your brand?

AM: Mastered is a strong word: it’s more like manage. I have an incredible team (about 40 strong now!) and I find few things more rewarding than watching them become empowered and learn to lead. I know I can’t do it alone, so supporting and nurturing the team around me has been key to managing our growth

Alyssa Rosenheck's The New Southern Shop Spotlight with Amanda McClements, Owner of Salt & Sundry and Little Leaf, Washington DC North Carolina

AR: What advice do you have for female entrepreneurs?

AM: Remember that your experience won't necessarily look like anyone else's. When I got started, I looked to others to tell me how to do things “right”…this is what running a business is like, this is how you manage people, this is how you manage finances. But I've learned that while other people's lessons can certainly inform you, your path will be your own, and you actually have a choice in how you do it.

AR: The place you go to get inspired?

AM: A new city. I love that moment when wheels touch down on the runway of a place I’ve never been. I get a surge of excitement and anticipation

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

AM: My father is a carpenter in Durham, North Carolina, and we sell his beautiful farm tables made from reclaimed and locally milled wood. Like a good carpenter’s daughter, I’m smitten with the stories of the old wood and I love imagining the people who walked on the boards, what they wore and cooked, and how they lived. A few other Southern makers I’m a huge fan of are Honeycomb Studio in Atlanta, Settle’s sweet ceramics and Son of a Sailor’s modern jewelry, both in Austin, and Big Spoon’s addictive nut butters out of Durham.

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

AM: Just do it! I love a layered look where older pieces get a fresh feel from their contemporary neighbors. The uniting thread just needs to be that you love them.

AR: What’s you go-to housewarming gift?

AM: Salt has been a symbolic gift throughout history, bringing luck, health, and flavor. I love to pair one of our artisan sea salts—like Bull’s Bay from Charleston or JQ Dickinson from West Virginia—with a handmade salt cellar.

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

AM: One of the houses I lived in growing up had an outhouse.

AR: What’s the greatest color combination that ever existed?

AM: Black + white. I know they’re not exactly colors, but still. It doesn’t get more crisp and modern than black and white.

AR: What does “The New Southern” mean to you?

AM: There are a lot of misconceptions about the South, and to me, The New Southern means shining a light on a culture that’s diverse, modern, and savvy.