Setting Trends Down South

The face of the South is changing. And the days of over-buttering your biscuits for a little publicity are starting to dwindle. Don't get me wrong. My Georgia family knows how to butter their biscuits, but it ain't for show. Lately, the more genuine South has been catching the eye of the nation. Is this a change in our makeup, or just a change in our PR? 

Top 15 Home Decor Trendsetters From the South

I was reminded last week about how much we Southerners value our reputation. Thanks to Pamela Berger and The Huffington Post, we're looking pretty good in her article, Top 15 Home Decor Trendsetters From the South. Check out these amazing artists doing their thing, and making a name for themselves. And check out Pamela's blog while you're at it: Sweet Peach Blog.

Belle Maison Art

Art is such a personal purchase, and it's one you will live with everyday. Sometimes I struggle with balancing different types of art in my house. I get excited about one medium, just to realize it might be dominating the other pieces. I currently have four illustrations of fish in my living room, and now I am drawn to these gorgeous prints by Belle Maison Art. 

Antique Crab Plate 1903

Vintage British Seaweed Series 1839

Antique Seashells 1800's

I've been looking for some office art and these pieces are just right. I especially love the crab print. The Rainbow Swimming Crab is a much sassier version of the Lowcountry Blue Crab I know and love. I can't imagine catching a mess of those little rainbows. It would certainly add some color to the next crab boil! I've also been on the hunt for a good oyster illustration… but that's obviously an entirely different obsession.

Fresh Paint

Take a look at these new paintings by the talented Bluffton artist, Murray Sease. While these lowcountry-inspired scenes could occur anywhere along the South Carolina coast, they carry my mind straight back to Bluffton. When I see these paintings I daydream about the MayFest on Calhoun Street and the creeks of the May river. If you're ever in the area, stop by the Society of Bluffton Artists to see more of her work. My favorite piece is still the old Colburn's Liquor Store.

Charleston in Bloom

I recently came across the very talented Charleston artist, Lulie Wallace. Y'all. These paintings are precious. Check out her work: here. If you don't see a piece here that you fancy, you can commission Lulie to create a custom piece for you using a photo. I love the idea of having my bridal bouquet painted and in my house!

Thief

A few weeks ago I saw this piece in The Bagel Shop downtown and it made me think of my mom. She loves bright colors!

Sarah Louise Excell is the Charleston artist who created this gorgeous piece. Her paintings are loaded with vibrant colors and are reasonably priced. I still don't know why it's called thief. What do you think was stolen... someone's heart?

Old Bluffton

Coburn's Liquor Store, circa 1939 is the oldest liquor store in the state of South Carolina. On the heels of the national repeal of prohibition moonshiners and folks from Hilton Head would come to Coburn's to buy liquor for the weekend. Janie Coburn said the red dot used to stand for hours of operation - sun up to sun down. J.F. and Janie Coburn kept a pistol under the counter because people would wake them up to buy a bottle of liquor and you never knew who would show up.  


Murray Sease of Shine on Art painted the quaint liquor store and when I saw it in the Society of Bluffton Artists  gallery I knew couldn't live without it. After my mom and I bought the painting, we went for a glass of champagne at Vineyard 55. Dad drove up on his new Harley and we talked about our dear friend Graham Bullock. Graham passed his motorcycle on to my dad and wrote of this liquor store in his old newspaper the Bluffton Eccentric. He reminds us to cherish the days we have with one another as well as the heirloom establishments we have in our town. Our part of the world is a rapidly changing one, sometimes we need to sit back with a glass of wine and appreciate our surroundings.