Southern-Style Interior Design
The essentials for southern-style interior design serve as the foundation of Dwelling Place Interiors’ designs.
Southern Style 101
Rochelle believes southern-style interior design starts with 10 essentials. Discover the essentials she incorporates into her interior designs.
1 - A Welcoming Entryway
Southern homes say, “Come on in!” No matter what the size, an exterior and interior of a Southern home begs people to enter.
2 - Smart Use of Color
Whether brights or neutrals, a Southern designer knows how to use color in the most charming of ways. Strategic, dynamic, spot-on color that entices the senses.
3 - Comfy Seating
“Sit a spell” must accompany an inviting place to sit! Seating arrangements are cozy, pillows are scrumptious, and sofas lure you to stay just a little bit longer.
4 - A Sense of History
Southerners have a story or two to tell. A Southern home is filled with the artifacts of a life well lived. Walking into a Southern home is walking into the history of a family; the space displays the personality of its owners.
5 - Appropriate
Southerners knows their manners, what is appropriate when. A Southern home’s design is appropriate. The mix of pattern, color, architecture, lighting, and furnishings fits the style and mood of the home.
6 - Charming
A Southern home has a certain je ne sais quoi—that enticing feeling the surroundings and homeowners give, making you want to talk more, eat more, linger more.
7 - Hospitality
A Southern home is ready to provide its occupants a respite from the world. Whether it’s overnight guests, hosting the family for Christmas, feeding the football team, or a backyard barbecue, the Southern home is built and furnished to extend love to others.
8 - Layers
A Southern home can be filled with bold patterns or soft solids, but either will be enhanced by a layering of texture, history, and character. An antique chest, a new piece of driftwood, a monogram or two all combine to provide interesting layers in a classic style.
9 - Well Proportioned
A Southern home is well thought out. The function of a Southern life is contemplated before the building process begins. The elegant form of a Southern home happens when you pay attention to every detail. Both form and function combine to create the perfect backdrop for a life well lived.
10 - Balanced
A well designed Southern home knows when to be serious and when to laugh. Yes, there is a formal dining room, but it doubles as the homework table and holds pizza boxes as well as Grandmother’s china. The library is exquisite, but it also is a great place for family game night. Any good Southerner loves a beautiful environment and appreciates the finer things. But they also know the finest of things aren’t things.
Showcasing the Vision with a Design Map
The Latin definition of “map” is a sheet of the world. And, a design map is a sheet of your world.
Interior Designer Rochelle Grass delivers a Design Map to showcase the vision for an interior design project. Each space she designs has a design map with a collection of items and ideas that represent the finished space.
Design Maps often help clients who aren’t sure which direction to go navigate uncharted territory toward their goals.
The beauty of Rochelle’s design maps is that you will have a clear direction of where your home is headed, and you’ll have the confidence to know the destination is going to be well worth the journey.
Explore the recent destinations Rochelle has created for her clients by viewing her latest Design Maps.
Modern Farmhouse
Type of Home: Country house
Space: Living Room
Client Vision: Inviting room for guests right off the foyer
Project Highlights: Lots of texture, pattern mix, and a cool palette make this room inviting and interesting.
Rochelle's Favorite Part of this Design: I love the coziness of this space. Nothing is too precious for the grandkids, but the room still feels elevated. Of course, you can’t go wrong with soothing blues!
Cozy Sun Room
Type of Home: Traditional
Space: Sun Room
Client Vision: A relaxing space to take a nap, play games or have additional seating for Thanksgiving dinners.
Project Highlights: This design was part of a first floor renovation project. We enclosed the sunporch to add additional living space on the main level.
Rochelle’s Favorite Part of this Project: Those gingham chairs! And the perfect round cocktail table for eating, card playing or feet propping!
Playful Laundry Room
Type of Home: Transitional
Space: Laundry Room
Client Vision: A place they want to go into to get the laundry done!
Project Highlights: This was a super fun project for an energetic couple. The clients love dogs and boating. I added a few nautical accents and made sure the dog had all he needed to enjoy the space too!
Rochelle's Favorite Part of this Project: Red! We used one of my favorite Thibaut wallpapers in a fire engine red that gives this room tons of energy!
Southern Style Portfolio
Dwelling Place Interiors loves to showcase spaces from past projects for inspiration. Each space shown, while unique to the client, encapsulates the essence of Southern-Style Design.
To see more of Rochelle’s work, visit her Portfolio Page. Or visit the Dwelling Place Interiors Instagram page to see what she has been working on recently.
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Southern Style?
Get Rochelle's top tips for designing a home to reflect you. Learn what she knows from years of creating personalized interiors for tasteful clients.