One of the greatest joys in my career is being able to spread light beyond the lens. For me, this means supporting women, championing creative entrepreneurs and being an advocate for my clients. My growth as a creative entrepreneur is directly correlated with being vulnerable and sharing my love through my craft. This is the same love that I hope will bring light to your day, the same love that has propelled me into creating a strong community with the #TheNewSouthern. The New Southern is inclusive. This isn’t a special club that you are born into…everyone is welcome and everyone is loved. The New Southern is a design and lifestyle movement rooted in unity. Our common denominators are our creative compulsions, life pivots, thinking outside the box, pioneering new ways, being authentic, leading with deep love and creative prosperity that will inspire generations to come.

It is through our stories that we are able to connect and it is through love we are able to grow. So, when Paige and Smoot Hull of The Vintage Roundtop invited me alongside Shea McGee of Studio Mcgee to teach a creative Workshop, I, of course said yes to the opportunity to help empower and inspire others in living their best life. It was also great to do so alongside Shea who is authentic and such a strong female entrepreneur (A true light in the word). I was fresh off a New York client shoot and now headed to Round Top, Texas with my Stetson in hand.

As a leading interiors and architectural photographer and stylist, I’ve managed to step outside of the box and pioneer a new way of doing business in the industry. I have learned a new normal with discomfort. I push my own limits and challenge my own beliefs everyday. For every success I have had, I have also failed. Failure and fear are the same to me…they are both inevitable, they need to be used as tools, and they need to be embraced in order to make your dreams come true. I was able to share the tools which I have acquired from being in the corporate world, the gifts I learned through my experience with cancer, how I started my creative businesses, and my goal in creating a community VS. an audience on social media.

This was a humbling weekend filled with deep love. I was so honored and inspired by all that attended and grateful for all of those who traveled great lengths to hear Shea and I discuss our business insight. Thank you to both Paige and Smoot for being such gracious and loving hosts. To all of those who weren’t able to make the workshop, I want to tell you something…There isn’t a blueprint to success...it is as simple as embracing your fears, being willing to fail and continuing to put one foot in front of the other in the most authentic of ways. I am here to help guide you and encourage you with the light beyond my lens. Much love you you all today!! Xx

Alyssa Rosenheck The New Southern with Shea McGee of Studio McGee in Round Top, TX Creative Workshop with The Vintage Roundtop

For those that weren’t able to join us — here is a bit of what you missed! Here are my fun, easy tips on how to shoot:

One

The best camera is the one you have in your hand AND the best object to shoot is the one you are naturally drawn to.

Two

My favorite iPhone photo app: A Color Story

Three

Intuitive Shooting: Ask yourself these questions…. Your answers will connect you to the moment.

What is your Why? Ask yourself this everyday.
What are you Naturally Drawn to?
What story do you want to tell?

What happens when intention, inspiration, and a leap of faith all come together…. This brings you to a field in Round Top, Texas where Paige Hull once stood when she had a realization taking her from an extensive corporate background to pursue her creative compulsion towards design. This realization led her to create and design a home, now one of the most coveted spots in Round Top, where style names like Emily Henderson, Emily + Meritt, and Sea of Shoes have visited and applauded. Alongside her husband Smoot, Paige’s road took a strong pivot, and a return to the basics and simplicity, married with her passion for finding antique pieces that can tell a story and evoke an emotional response, attracted her to this Texas town famously known for vintage treasures.

Paige’s style is exquisitely laid-back—unfussy, relaxed, raw. A simplistic canvas sets the backdrop for her antique pieces, repurposed in a setting to give them a second or even third life. Her own jewel is The Vintage Round Top, a reno-farmhouse-venture-turned-modern-rental that beautifully fuses reclaimed building materials and found objects with modern, clean lines and an abundance of natural light. Beautifully white walls, restored wood beams, galvanized metal art, upcycled lighting, and vintage textiles intermix, as Paige weaves unfinished materials and one of a kind pieces throughout her design. This accompaniment catches our eye, as each vintage piece in the space seems to shine brighter placed among more modern pairings. A pioneer and strong female voice, Paige built The Vintage Round Top from the ground up, pursuing her mantra “live with intention” with grace and passion. Inspiring those both locally and nationally along her journey, she embodies the core of The New Southern, speaking on a platform that first started as a dream in a field.

Photo: ©Natalie Lacy Lange | The Vintage Round Top — Photo: ©Natalie Lacy Lange | The Vintage Round Top

We sat down with Paige to hear her thoughts on southern design, how she created her lifestyle brand, and her go-to places that spark inspiration.

Alyssa Rosenheck: Tell me about yourself.

Paige Hull: My husband, Smoot, and I thrive on creativity, hospitality, and design. We’ve been business partners since we married almost twenty years ago, and we’re parents to three wonderful children. Our previous careers as a model/talent agent and a night club/restaurant owner helped shape the “Modern Vintage” style we created in 2011 with our vacation home rental, located in Round Top, Texas. The home we call The Vintage Round Top, quickly grew into a lifestyle brand and has expanded with a second attached home and event space. Our antiques business, home goods collection, and hotel amenity line allow us to express our individuality, as well as collaborate with artisans and other imaginative people we admire. It’s the embodiment of our desire to live creatively, sustainably, and charitably.

Photo: ©Haylei Smith | The Vintage Round Top

Photo: ©TessaNeustadt for Emily Henderson | The Vintage Round Top

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

PH: Our style is Southern at its core with a modern spirit. We take pieces we find locally and abroad, allowing them to shine against a backdrop of white walls to cultivate a feeling of airiness and light. It yields a warmth, balanced with an overall clean sensibility. The vintage pieces we use all have character and patina, each with a story to tell.

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

PH: Southern design is being embraced with open arms. It has evolved into an uncluttered aesthetic that has room for personal interpretation. In our case, it’s grounded in a clean color palette that appeals to both men and women, representing a compromise between masculine lines and softer accessories with natural elements. People are allowing themselves to design for the life they live and to be comfortable in their own homes, while at the same time loving the look and vibe of their space.

© Alyssa Rosenheck's The New Southern Designer Spotlight with Paige Hull, The Vintage Round Top of Round Top, TX

AR: What are your favorite hometown design boutiques?

PH: In Houston: Renovate and Kuhl-Linscomb. In Round Top: The Compound, Marburger Farm, and Ex-Cess. In Austin: UnCommon Objects, Wildflower, and Mockingbird Domestics.

AR: Favorite shade of white and black paint color?

PH: “Pip” by Martha Stewart is my favorite shade of white, but you’ll have to color match since it’s discontinued. “Lincoln Cottage” by Valspar is my black shade of choice.

AR: What’s your life motto?

PH: “Live With Intention.” When we began our Modern Vintage journey we were having lunch in Round Top at Royer’s, and the owner, Bud, said the difference between the people that just talk about what they want to do and the people that act on it are people that “live with intention.” We took that advice to heart and have never looked back.

AR: The place you go to get inspired?

PH: France has our heart and Round Top has our soul. We go to France to wander the flea markets and find treasures to renew our vision. We go to Round Top to put it all together, to give it purpose, and to execute the ideas we dreamt up over croissants and coffee.

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

PH: Trial and error. Don’t be afraid of mistakes. We love finding funky old pieces and turning them into something new, while mixing them with modern finishes. Turning cow feed sifters into sconces and putting brass counters in the boho kitchen embodies our Modern Vintage style. It’s old, it’s new, it’s unexpected.

Photo: ©TessaNeustadt for Emily Henderson with  Lauren Williams Art | The Vintage Round Top — Photo: ©TessaNeustadt for Emily Henderson with Lauren Williams Art | The Vintage Round Top

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

PH: Smoot used to be a restaurant owner/nightclub promoter and I was the vice president of a modeling agency. We met working on a fashion show together and became friends. Fifteen years later, sparks flew when we ran into one another at an event. Since then (almost twenty years later), we have three children, two thriving businesses, and an appreciation that we get to do what we love together.

AR: What’s your dream project/client?

PH: Our dream project would be to design a boutique hotel. We love to travel and could not think of a more exciting and amazing project than designing the lobby, guest rooms, bathrooms and outdoor spaces for a hotel. We love focusing on the details, the often-overlooked elements that complete a room and putting our spin on it.

AR: The greatest color combination that ever existed?

PH: Black, brown, and white.