I'm thrilled to share a beautiful project I recently shot and styled in D.C. alongside my fabulous friend and designer Christina Cole of Austin, Texas, who pumped new life into this light-filled space which, by the way, was dubbed the "Hottest Bachelor Pad in DC" by Curbed not long before.
Everything about this home feels thoughtful and collected—as if each piece were carefully selected to tell its own story. The "Collected" New Southern movement is a practice of meticulous layering and the use of unique pieces from far-away travels, which creates a feeling of comfort and warmth, as well as a sense of liberation from traditional design notions. The people who gravitate towards this style of design present items from travels and a life well lived.... they are wanderers and gypsy souls that are defying the rules when it comes to design. These individuals are not afraid to mix genres while bringing it back to the roots of mixing old traditional with their new found worldly finds. Christiana embodies this approach and you can sense her travels and life abroad through her approach to each room.
When I began styling, I wanted to take full advantage of the floor-to-ceiling shelving in the living room without stuffing them full of precious knick knacks as your grandmother might do. Instead, it took 8 (yes, 8!) trips to Goodwill in search of used books, which lining up the binding inward to create an unexpected layer to the room. Using my go-to practices for arranging a coffee table, I anchored the vignette with fuzzy greenery and payed homage to my ultimate inspiration, Richard Avedon, with a large-scale coffee table book. A special thank you to Salt and Sundry for letting us pull some pretty fabulous finds to help accessorize this beautiful space, who is another incredible New Southern moment HERE.