The Best Southern Decorating Tips of All Time

Try these Southern decorating lessons in your own home.

Mix the Old with the New

This might be the most prolific Southern design value of all time. Finding a way to perfectly balance your well-worn, loved antiques or family heirlooms with fresh, modern design and accents is the closest thing to Southern home heaven.

“Of course it would be the curated mix of new upholstered pieces, with time worn antiques—antiques that have been passed down from generations,” says Lisa Palmer of SummerHouse Interior Design, based in Mississippi. Possibly the addition of modern art and accessories to give it an interesting mix. Southerners love stories; Southerners have great stories; and antiques tell a story.”

Tammy Connor, a decorator based in Charleston and Birmingham, agrees: “Often our clients have collections, pieces of art, or furniture that have been inherited or have a special meaning to them. We try to incorporate these items into their interiors and this helps to create a space that is familiar, personal, and feels like home.”

Use antiques to anchor your room and then mix in modern touches with bold fabrics, mid-century lighting, and sculptural accessories.

Surround Yourself with Meaningful, Personal Touches

“I’m drawn to things that feel real and straightforward and honest; I don’t like a lot of fuss,” says Atlanta designer Anna Booth. “All the attributes I admire in people, I seek out in objects as well. We should surround ourselves with things that reflect our values.” (Fittingly, every piece of art featured in her home was made by a close friend, and sentimental collections of family heirlooms figure prominently.)

Treasured collections are an easy way to introduce your personality. “I recently displayed an old china collection in a client’s butler’s pantry cabinets, but you could even hang a collection on a wall in a beautiful grouping, says Amy Morris, who is also a designer in Atlanta. Sharing something sentimental in a more decorative way is also a wonderful way to enjoy it daily rather than bringing it out once a year.”

Create Flow Between Outdoors and Indoors

Don’t limit decorating to your interior rooms, notes Palmer. “The outdoor spaces are becoming almost as important as the interior rooms and although in my state we cannot live outdoor for many months of the year, we truly take advantage of it when we can,” she says. “Comfortable outdoor upholstered furnishings with large teak or concrete tables are what I am showing my clients. There is nothing quite like a dinner on the big front porch on an early Mississippi evening.”

It’s a sentiment that rings true for Connor too: “In every home, I try to connect the indoors to the outdoors. Living in Charleston with the water close by, and the rich history of the city it is important to me to incorporate natural elements into our interiors,” she notes. “We aim to merge the indoor and outdoor living spaces to connect the home to its natural environment. This connection gives the home a sense of place, which I think is critical for successful design.”

Don’t Be Afraid to Really Use Color

Embracing color is an easy way to treat a space to a character boost, notes Lindsey Coral Harper, who designer our 2017 Idea House in North Carolina. “I really like to use color as an accent, as it really ties things together and warms things up, giving a room a little more personality,” she says.

And while some may be timid about introducing color, Houston designer Lindsey Herod said it’s a move they won’t regret. “Some people are a little reluctant to take that step, but I think those bolder choices are the ones that have the most impact and make people the happiest in the long run.” –Lindsey Herod of Lindsey Herod Interiors, based in Houston.

New Orleans designer Grace Kaynor knows that full-on commitment to color is the only way to go: “It takes more than just a handful of pillows to make a really bold statement in a neutral space.”

Repurpose Antiques in New Ways

In one of our favorite Nashville home renovations, interior designer Rachel Halvorson suggested using an antique dresser as the vanity in the powder room (pictured above). The top was removed and replaced with a sink. Halvorson says some people can be nervous about tearing up their antiques to turn into a sink, but this way you are using and seeing it everyday.

Restoring or painting old fixtures and pendants is another way to add something new to your home without spending a lot of money.

Invest in One-of-a-Kind Focal Pieces

A good rule of thumb: Invest in one fine antique per room, as your budget allows.

“I’d rather have my client have a beautiful period chest or mirror and a pair of super good-looking club chairs than a fancy carpet to start with,” says Brannan Geary, a designer based in New Orleans.

“I think it’s good to incorporate one-of-a-kind pieces like a big chandelier, a classic chest, and easy end tables that you can always use anywhere in a home,” adds Herod.

Mix Textures, Patterns, and Design Styles

This means layering them on everything, whether walls, floors, furniture, or accents.

“Different materials—such as linen, velvet, mohair, and shearling—help give a neutral palette more interesting layers,” says Rachel Halvorson, who’s based in Nashville.

Kaynor agrees: “Sticking with one period, one color, or one style can come across as staid and serious.”

It’s All About the Details

The devil really is in the details when it comes to Southern home design, and different decorators take different tacks when it comes to investing in these stand-out moments. Morris, for instance, loves “detailed trim around doorways. It can be the subtlest detail that makes such a statement.”

New Orleans designer Shaun Smith loves to go all-out in homes’ hardest-working and hidden spaces. “If you just have a little pantry like my own that you want to feel special, show it some love with wallpaper or a great rich paint color,” he says. “People love to snoop in other people’s pantries. Why not make it beautiful?”

And Palmer recognizes the architectural elements that make a house feel extra special. “Large beautiful mouldings, tall ceilings and staircases, detailed paneled walls, and wood floors all add to the beauty of Southern homes,” she says.

Know When to Save and When to Splurge

When it comes to fixtures and finishes, go ahead and spend a little more. Morris says unlacquered brass is always a good idea. “Though this is currently a popular finish and showing up in a lot of designer Instagram feeds, it is an old finish and one I consider timeless,” she says. “If you are on a budget and tire easily of trendy finishes, I would use unlacquered brass on cabinet hardware, and it’s also pretty on plumbing as well.”

Wallpaper is another investment worth making. “We love encouraging our clients to use bold, bright wallpapers,” says Houston designer Meg Lonergan. We find that they make such a big impact on any space, big or small. Particularly if the clients are on a budget, wallpaper is a great way to make a big statement without breaking the bank.”

While working on their South Carolina cottage renovation, Photographer Josh Gibson and his interior designer wife, Michelle Prentice, were going to stick with drywall, “but we realized what a disconnect that much newness would be in this old cottage. Instead, we ‘sort of’ splurged on shiplap.”

Make a Statement With a Gallery Wall or By Displaying Collections

Don’t be afraid to shake things up. “I love mixing objects, not just framed paintings or photographs, on a gallery wall,” says Morris. “For example, I would group a sepia print with an intaglio, a bracket that you would usually see a vase on as art, and a mirror. It just makes for a more interesting composition.”

Or, stick to a theme. “Portraits of extended family, children, or just simply portraits of people you admire—I am constantly finding a new portrait to fall in love with, whether they are oil, charcoals, or photography,” says Smith. “Southerners are loving; and we love to love our people on our walls.”

Decorate with Memories

Whether you’re in a new build or living in your grandmother’s house, don’t rush the decorating process. “I think one of the core characteristics of a Southern home is that it feels collected and has evolved over time,” says Connor. “I love when a Southern home evokes a feeling of comfort, and history.”

“A lot of nostalgia comes along with being Southern and receiving things that are passed down,” Smith agrees. (In his own New Orleans ranch makeover, he included heirloom furniture passed down from his grandmother and patterns his mother used in his childhood home in Madison, Mississippi.)

Make Small Spaces Feel Bigger

When it comes to fostering a larger-than-life illusion, you can count on matchy-matchy wallpaper and draperies to do the trick, says Smith: “If you’re doing really graphic wallpaper in a smaller space, not breaking that line makes it feel a little larger.”

Sometimes, though, you just have to go wide, as Ron Farris of Farris Concepts did in this Nashville renovation: “This is not just an off-the-shelf door. It’s larger, which entices people to come in. How do you make a small entry hall feel bigger? Use a large door to get into it.”

Inject Life With Plants

Don’t discount the impact of flowers plopped in a vase or greenery foraged from the backyard, notes Smith: “This can be a fiddle leaf fig in the family room, sweeping palms in a garden room, or fresh flowers cut from the garden or even scooped up right from your local grocery store. The living greens create an automatic sense of southern welcome.

Charleston designer Buff Coles takes the same approach in her projects: “Use flowers and greenery. They can distract from a multitude of sins!”