Southern USA is a scenic location with vast oak trees and weeping willows. While it is mysteriously beautiful, it is wreaked with a tragic and dark past. This is where plantation homes originated, a style quite similar to the British Colonial design. “Plantation homes” and “colonial” are words much frowned upon as terms to describe such design aesthetics. While one cannot do away with its dark history, the Southern interior design still continues to inspire homeowners.
This article aims to shed light on why Southern interior design is still an inspiration, albeit carries a sad story. Furthermore, alongside its features are some tips that will help you create a living that is designed in Southern interior design style.
What is Southern Interior Design?
At the heart of Southern interior design lies an emphasis on comfort, charm, and a blend of traditional and contemporary elements.
Southern interior design was developed to answer the living conditions in the colonized areas during the 17th century. The French, Dutch and British colonizers designed homes that could handle the heat of the tropics. Using locally sourced materials, they were able to create a distinct style amalgamating local themes and European design elements.
The Southern interior design emerged in the United States during the Antebellum era. Architecturally speaking, it drew many design elements from French, Greek Revival, and Spanish architecture. While this design style is encompassing, practically based on location. But generally speaking, these homes follow a general design trend common to the Southern interior style.
Southern homes prioritize spaces where friends and family can gather, relax, and entertain. From living rooms adorned with cozy seats and neutral tones to bedrooms that invite a sense of calm, southern style is all about creating welcoming interior spaces.
The interior layout often follows a symmetrical style, similar to the Greek interior design. It is also common to find entry hallways and parlor rooms. Furniture is often ornate and distinct. Generally speaking, the Southern interior design style uses dark furniture to ground the design, white walls, and accents to make it airy and light simultaneously.
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Traditional Southern Style vs. Modern Twists
While traditional Southern homes emphasize antique furniture, vintage decor, and timeless appeal, modern Southern style isn’t afraid to infuse sleek, minimalist elements. Interior designers from Atlanta to North Carolina are curating spaces that seamlessly blend rustic elements with contemporary sophistication. Don’t want to compromise on the southern charm? Incorporate coastal elements like low country bouquets and architectural details to keep the spirit alive.
Features of the Southern Interior Design
Homes in the southern part of the United States are adapted to beat the summer heat, which can sometimes be extreme. Many of these homes have porticos and porches that help circulate the air in and out of the home.
Colors
Typically, the modern Southern decorating home’s exterior is white-washed stucco or made of bricks. The most common color for the interiors is blue with deep ocean hues or light sky blue tones. Silver is a complementary color, particularly for accent pieces like vases, pots and bowls. Other colors used in the Souther home interior design palette include
- Emerald green
- Forest green
- Mauve
- Deep rose
- Dark velvet
- Chinese red
- Mustard yellow
- Buttercup yellow
Entrance Hall
Southern-style homes cannot do without entrance halls. This is a feature that’s almost present, especially in plantation-style houses. Wrought in history, this is an important feature as this is the receiving area for guests and shows off wealth and grandeur. Moreso, architecturally, entrance halls help in the natural ventilation of the Southern home design as it helps spread out hot air so it won’t go up to the home’s second level.
Staircase
The staircase is in the entrance hall. This leads to the home’s second floor, where the living quarters are often located. You could almost always see the staircase upon entering the entrance hall to provide drama to the Southern home design. In the traditional style decor sense, people often use the staircase as a platform to announce something important to the guests, a focal point of design during parties and events, or during weddings. This is where the father would help guide the bride down the staircase for that elegant bridal procession.
Doors
The main doors are often French doors, which means it is a double main door entrance. The size and design allow air and light to pass through in and out as well as from room to room. There are also tall pocket doors with panels. It’s purposes were for cross ventilation and as secret passageways,
Fireplace
One unique feature of these modern southern interior design homes is that almost every room has a fireplace.
Parlor
The parlor is another important Southern decorating style. Often situated near the entrance door and serves as a place to receive guests privately. Larger homes have two; the drawing room is the bigger room. This is the more formal room of the two, and this is the place where formal entertaining occurred as well as where men enjoy their cigars, cognac, and port after formal dining back in the day.
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The smaller room is wholly for family members and women after formal dining, where they enjoy their tea and gossip. This is also the room where you’d receive day-time visitors.
Fabric
Fabrics often used for upholstery in the Souther decor is rich and ornate. Damask and velvet are the most common materials. During summers, people cover their furniture with white cotton or canvas to prevent dirt and sweat from sticking. Meanwhile, people ditch the heavy rugs and replaced them with sisal material during summer. They replace heavy draperies hung during the colder seasons with silk sheers in the more humid weather.
Furniture
18th-century American furniture design is often used in modern Southern interior design, with mahogany as the most common material used in cabinetry and furniture. Chippendale furniture style is very much used in this design, and so is the Empire style.
Hepplewhite style is also extensively used as Southern home decor. This design is characterized by straight legs with slender curves. Chairs carved in this style often have shield-shaped backs adorned with intricate lacquer inlays.
Queen Anne furniture is also one of the Southern decors. Its distinguishing look consists of the cabriole leg that has an upper convex curve and goes to curve concavely. This is often paired with winged-back chairs and dining chairs upholstered in rich velvet material.
Southern interior design furniture also includes the Rice Bed or the four-poster bed without a canopy. This kind of home decor is suitable for the hot, humid weather of the South. The headboard is low and often removable. The mattress height is high off the ground. This kind of bed is often made of mahogany or cherry.
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Plantation shutters
Wooden shutters are often used to shield homeowners from the prying eyes of neighbors. Such shutters are also functional- they offer better cross-air ventilation.
Flooring
Hardwood is predominantly used. To create depth, wool rugs cover these floors. You can often find Italian marble flooring at the entrance doors that stretch all the way up to the staircase. On the other hand, dining rooms would have wooden inlay patterns or some kind of parquetry. Oak and pinewood are the common materials used for flooring.
Southern Interior Design Tips
Southern homes are not just about the Greek columns or the best-kept hardwood. It’s a design that’s rooted in tradition and history. Here are tips that can help you create a Southern-style home.
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- If you want to add a staircase to your design, make sure that the railing is baluster-type or with wrought iron railings
- Add crystal chandeliers to the entrance and dining halls. If these crystal chandeliers are not your cup of tea, choose the wrought iron style as found in Louisiana.
- If you want to add a parlor room to your layout, ensure it is near the door. Add a piano to the room. Make sure that the size should be appropriate to the size of the room. Parlor rooms should not be without a settee.
What Southern Living Style Elements to Add to Your Rooms
- Card tables should also be placed in the parlor rooms as playing cards are often the pastime activity in the south. These card tables should have solid leaf top motifs.
- Look for Louis XV-inspired furniture, particularly those with fret-worked legs.
- Add chinoiserie wood panels with intricate latticework that can be used as your dividers.
- Add a table with intricate inlay.
- Use silk damask for curtains. Make sure you are using carved cornices with gold inlay if you’re aiming for the luxurious plantation-style home.
- Add some antique glass bowls as your accents.
- Adorn your accent wall with oversized wall art.
- Add a day bed to your parlor room instead of the settee. Make sure that the upholstery is made of velvet material.
- Add a vintage typewriter as your accent piece. Place this on a table and balance it with a wall mirror with a gilded frame.
- Accessorize with ceiling fans and balance this with paintings on the walls and bust figures as accents.
- If you want to follow the traditional route, paint your walls white, but the modern Southern interior design style can use pastel colors for the room.
- Mix dark wood furniture with tropical motifs such as sunflowers and fruits.
When Decorating Your Southern Interior Design Living Room
As a rule of thumb, there should be a least two. Add some needlepoint footstools, but ensure that these are a few inches off the ground. Afternoon and after-dinner tea is often served in parlors so make sure that you also have a set in your parlor room. Additionally, your tea set must have a place to be placed. That being said, you need a sideboard for this.
Architectural Highlights of Southern Homes
From the stately homes of Tennessee to the coastal retreats of Carolina, southern architecture is as diverse as it is stunning. Architectural details like wrap-around porches, high ceilings, and expansive floor plans emphasize the southern aesthetic of grandeur and hospitality.
Trending Elements in Southern Design
As with any design style, southern interior design also evolves. Current trends lean towards a blend of rustic charm with sleek, modern elements. For instance, an antique table might be paired with a sleek, modern chair, or a rustic rug might lie beneath minimalist furniture.
To End
Southern interior design is a timeless design that adheres to classic design sentiments.
Southern design isn’t just about rustic or vintage; it’s also about luxury. Think of airy bedrooms, refined living rooms, and spaces filled with leather, greenery, and sophisticated touches. This style offers homeowners a chance to transform their space into a luxurious haven.
