rocking blocking.

MMR Interiors // New Orleans

color-blocking, or the combination of two or more hues, is more than a fashion trend. a staple in the design world since the mid twentieth century, color-blocking is a go-to for many interior designers. such schemes add interest, contrast, and fun. bright, punchy fields of solid color read as a touch of modernism and combine well with traditional furniture or finishes to create spaces that are both eclectic and sophisticated.


here are some examples from around the South:

Mary Evelyn Mckee // Birmingham

O'brien & Muse // Richmond

O'brien & Muse // Richmond

Suzanne Kasler // Atlanta

illegal art.

Dropping a Han-Dynasty Urn
1995

Ai Weiwei has been dubbed "China's Andy Warhol." and until recently, his solo exhibits had been limited to New York. next stop, Knoxville, Tennessee. until august 7 visitors to the Knoxville Museum of Art will have the opportunity to experience Ai Weiwei: Dropping the Urn (Ceramic Works, 5000 BCE – 2010 CE). 

Untitled
2006
A mound of hand-crafted replicas of sunflower seeds made from porcelain, weighing exactly one ton

the buzz surrounding Weiwei escalated this spring with his unjustified imprisonment by the Chinese government. gun shy from political uprisings in the Arab world, China's political leaders targeted Weiwei and hundreds of other 'critics of the governments' and arrested them on rather unjustifiable charges. released june 22, Weiwei still remains under the controlling eye of his national government.

Colored Vases
2006
Vases from the Neolithic age (5000–3000 BCE) and industrial paint

the artist has a particular gift of breathing new life into the ancient art of China. offending some and inspiring others, Weiwei fuses history and progressive art with the likes of 7000 year old urns splashed with bright shades of industrial paint and commercial logos. 

Ghost Gu
2006

plan a visit here.    

smart shopping.

remember that visit to Savannah earlier this summer? well, while there, i discovered the joys of shopSCAD...Savannah College of Art and Design's ah-mazing retail outpost. 

providing students and grads with a platform to sell their custom, often handmade, works, shopSCAD boasts genius on many levels. it lends financial support to the college and its students as well as advertising the genius of the school and those who attend it. 

store entrance

the gift store slash art gallery slash furniture boutique also promotes pushing the boundaries of typical southern designs. local customers are exposed to works that hint at vernacular culture while simultaneously incorporating global, modern influences. 

handmade pottery

paintings by Monica Cook

a must-see if visiting this fantastic city...or check out their online store at http://shopscadonline.com. ps their website is, of course, beyond spectacular. 

gone mobile.

now you can take the convo on the go! porchchat meet smartphone, smartphone meet porchchat. pass on the news and check back often.

sweet tea grows in brooklyn.

today's post takes us out of the South and way up to the eclectic, creative, and yes, hipster hangout  of Williamsburg. despite the overwhelming heat, i spent yesterday afternoon perusing the joys of the sunday Brooklyn flea. with gourmet food stands, top-notch vintage finds, and stellar local art, this market ranks up there with the best. the setting doesnt hurt, either... it's situated riverside with Manhattan's skyline as a backdrop and outdoor concert space next door.


while lapping the food stands and trying to choose a lunch spot amidst all the awesome eats, i felt surprisingly at home. it seems southern fare has made the cool list in this trendy neighborhood. biscuits, and bbq, and gravy, oh my!

there were 4 stands with gourmet sweet tea,  2 spots to pick up fried chicken, and a country music hangout with downhome cocktails and bud heavy ( no PBR served here!).

while the influence of southern cuisine has undoubtedly fostered the dissipation of regional culture throughout the US, it's often amiss. but in Williamsburg, they got it right. the friendliness and hospitality was right on point...and that's what spreading southern culture should be about: conversation, community, and an easy sunday afternoon.

contribution : meredith loves alex

Upon my first trip to the New Orleans this summer, I fell in love for a second time – with the work of Alex Beard.  Beard is a master of whimsy, whose abstract work brings the very delights of nature into homes and galleries all over the world with the most effervescent stroke of hand and acutely-selective vision.   If I were to ever meet Mr. Beard, I would undoubtedly question how he developed such a fanatical style now coined “abstract naturalism,” that allows him to paint all that is ethereal and glorious in a creature the peacock allowing the bird to be shown to the world with a boastful display of colorful feathers and never a display of an imperfection or less-than-perfect poise.

Peacock by Alex Beard

The best part about Mr. Beard is -- just like his paintings – the unexpected elements.  His childhood may have involved rendezvous with Warhol and Sunday strolls along Madison Avenue with his editor mother, but the place he and his Louisiana-bred bride call home is the Big Easy.  In fact, in comparison of the two cities he has been known to proclaim  that the people of New Orleans live a much richer life with a lot less money. 

Octopus by Alex Beard

I first found Mr. Beard’s studio around the corner from my Soho apartment a few years ago and was thrilled to so serendipitously stumble upon his recently relocated studio and gallery in the French Quarter on Royal St.  His latest masterpiece immediately caught my eye, latched on tight and sucked me in – oh the lovely irony that it was in fact an octopus who got a hold of me.

Find your own hidden treasure here.                -Meredith Carter

project update: lambent ways.

"lambent ways" from p. potter

remember Pat Potter from the 'homegrown design'article in the inaugural issue? well she has sent some amazing photos of the project, now completed, titled "lambent ways." commissioned as a memorial for the first united Methodist church in Anniston, Alabama, Potter's work was inspired by ritual and energies.

she, and contributor Jason Burgess, combine materials from pliable plexiglass to wire mesh, all methodically lit to create overwhelming visual stimulation. although "lambent ways" is suspended from the ceiling, the mixture of textures in shadow lend tactile sensations. 

"lambent ways" from p. potter

now installed, the memories of those past swirl around the high walls and ceilings of the church site. Potter plans an official unveiling this fall. stay tuned for more details...

throwback pillows.

so my aunt told my mother who told me about B. Viz, and now i want to tell yall. after all, the mission here  is to foster conversation about evolving southern design...

pillows made from vintage Indian wedding gowns, antique suzanis, retro silk/velvet ikats

well Louisiana native Rebecca Vizard does just that. artist slash designer slash textile expert and seamstress, her brand B. Viz revolves around handmade, one-of-a-kind pillows crafted from antique textiles. sourcing fabric from around the world, Vizard combines the modern practice of re-use with a traditional love of decorative objects. the result is simultaneously elegant and cool. 

B. Viz's pillows at work. from here.

repurposing textiles that range from decadent 17th century brocades to vibrant 20th century suzanis, Vizard's streamlined pillows offer stylistic diversity. they have become a staple of high design in New Orleans and beyond, with nods from publications such as architectural digest and southern accents. 


browse all B/ Viz has to offer here. 

of black and white.

recently, a collection of images in the halls of the corcoran college of art and design grabbed my attention, as it did most other passers-by. the uniformly 5x7 black and whites are nailed to the expansive white walls in a single line.  it's simple modesty draws you in, but the provoking concept makes you stay.

in his photographs, student Mark Haley's "The New South" combines words, place, and memory to capture the often dueling relationship of history and modernity. 

on the work's name card is a quote from William Faulkner's Intruder in the Dust:"For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two o'clock on that July afternoon in 1863..."

this 1940s novel inspires respect and racial equality, provoking the viewer the see a spirit of possibility even Haley's most wearisome image. check it out at 500 17th street nw, washington, dc, 20006. 

contribution : katherine shell ponders the porch

My grandmother Mimi’s porch is the first one I can remember.  She and my grandfather had it encased in glass so that he could sit out there and cane chairs during the last years of his life.  By the time I sat on that porch, it had been many years since GrandBob had smoked his pipe and caned chairs, watching traffic trickle by on Elm Street in Newnan, Georgia.

Mimi's Porch

My grandmother kept children’s books, dolls, and toys on her porch, mostly for the children she tutored until she was 84 or so, but also for me, my older sister, and my cousins.  Most of the toys had been passed down from grandchild to grandchild, and my cousin’s daughters still play with some of the toys I used to know so well.  My grandmother’s porch was where I learned the capitals of all the states from the older children she tutored and where the magical aloe plant lived that would soothe the burns from hot pans and scrapes from the monkey bars in her backyard.  It was also where I ran if I had a kitten I couldn’t convince my mother to adopt or if I needed a plant for my bare post-college apartment.  Somehow, everything I needed I could find on that porch.

Venus, in Lexington, Va

When I was much, much older, the porches of our college and post-college houses served as places for kegs, parties, get-togethers, girls’ pictures, grill-outs, late night conversations, and summer dinner parties.  Our houses weren’t much to speak of, but we had some fantastic porches.  The first house I lived in during college, 'Venus', had a porch smaller than the bathroom, and we would crowd 8 or 10 people there, spilling wine and just chatting, until even the most laid-back person started to get nervous about a cave-in.  With no air-conditioning, sitting on the porch was leaps and bounds preferable to being indoors.  

    Now, in DC, our porch is a gathering place for secrets and sharing, as well as catching up and relaxing.  During warm months, we pull our dining room chairs there and eat dinners, glass of wine in hand. During the upcoming months, I’ll spend more time on my porch than I do in my bedroom or living room.  Our porch is where we have lengthy conversations about life, and love, and tragedy, and a few fluffier conversations as well.

Hammock on the Porch at Sea Island

    The porch on my dream house would mirror the most relaxing porch I know:  that on the beach house of my best friend from college.  The porch runs the length of the house, with tall, tall ceilings, sprinkled with fans and rocking chairs, screened in to prevent bugs, and overlooking the bay off Sea Island.  (The hammock to the side also makes for a pretty spectacular napping location).  To me, this porch is the culmination of functionality and Southern design:  warm, inviting, timeless, chic in its stark white walls and simple in its wooden floors, with plenty of places for visitors to sit and enjoy the view.  - katherine shell