#southernchat: The Southern Home.

I have always had a passion for interiors, architecture and designers with a clearly defined signature style. I believe in the South we have a simplicity in home design. Yet, in the simplicity there is a rich and thoughtful detail that helps give nod to the care and craft that went into each selection. I love the craftsmanship of a wooden door and the inclusion of a farmhouse sink.

This week’s #southernchat is focused on the Southern Home and all the goodness and richness that goes into our Southern style. I am so thrilled to have a special guest, M.K. Quinlan, Senior Style Editor at Garden & Gun Magazine. When I asked her if there was an approach she’d like to take to the Southern Home concept, her answer was so much more thoughtful than I could ever have hoped…

“Lately I’ve gotten stuck on this idea of “slow-style.” It’s a play on the slow-food movement, a way of considering your personal style – whether in your home or your wardrobe—in a manner that is authentic to the person you are and the place where you’re from. There’s no science to it, but I think combining heirloom pieces with new purchases that have meaning to you is a good place to start.

My least favorite thing in the world is walking into a home that has been “designed”—each piece of furniture new, fabrics perfectly color-coordinated, family photos stuffed in drawers. It doesn’t tell me anything about the people who live there. This is the danger of hiring an interior designer and not including your personal tastes and opinions in the design process.

In the South, I think we’re able to rise above this more than most because of the value we place in our personal history, and because the home is about so much more than “looking pretty” to us. It’s about entertaining and letting people into your life.”

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I have never thought of the Southern Home in such a way, but it truly describes the Southern way and my own personal approach to decorating. I have been collecting and curating pieces for as long as I can remember to slowly build my home into the unique interior it is today. The story behind each piece is truly inspiring, when you step into someone’s home, being able to learn the history behind an item is even further rooted in our art of storytelling. And, if you know me well by now {or if we’re friends on Pinterest …} you know my own personal Southern home style is most certainly barn chic.

I know you’ll enjoy chatting with M.K. as much as I have on this topic, so be sure to join us Monday 4/15/13 at 9:00 PM EDT for this week’s #southernchat! Also, be sure to follow along with M.K. on Twitter at @GGBelleDecor and on the Garden & Gun Style Blog – Belle Decor – that she pens.