Southern Lady

OH, HAPPY SPRING! A vaseful of flowers holds more possibilities than petals, augmenting lavish tablescapes and understated vignettes, conveying sympathy and elation, eliciting a fleeting glance or lingering awe of nature’s prolific treasures. Working on the Southern Lady staff has only bolstered my love of flowers, and our March/April issues, with their plethora of springtime posies, make me swoon time and again. The cover of this year’s entertaining issue takes the cake with its masterpiece of Dutch daffodils and other blooms spilling from Royal Delft vases, fashioned by Director of Lifestyle Brands Melissa Sturdivant Smith. Turn to page 59 to see more marvelous daffodil varieties styled to perfection in a tribute to the season’s grandeur. Former Southern Lady editor Lisa Frederick takes us to Half-Mile Farm inn (page 71), which boasts coziness and…

Southern Lady FAVORITES Visit southernladymagazine.com to read this issue’s online stories and to find more of the content you love. Our favorite March/April web features: Shop to See in the Bluegrass State A go-to source for hand–block print linens and stylish home goods, lifestyle brand Pomegranate celebrates its first retail store, located in Lexington, Kentucky. Happy Birthday, Flannery O’Connor Literary great Flannery O’Connor would have been 100 years old this March. Join the festivities in Milledgeville, Georgia, and visit the writer’s home turned museum. Dishing with Alabama Chef Kelsey Barnard Clark In her Southern Get-Togethers cookbook, this Top Chef winner shares expert party-planning tips and crowd-pleasing fare. Enjoy a taste of the book, including the recipe for Kelsey’s New Orleans Beignets. Delectable Tea Sandwiches Bite-size morsels are ideal for spring gatherings. Browse our assortment of petite sandwiches, spanning fruit-filled favorites…

All too often, cherished china, crystal, and other tabletop heirlooms are tucked away in a cupboard, admired yet unused until a special occasion comes along. For Margaret Dillard and Jen Burch, this practice just wasn’t cutting it. They yearned for pieces that suited both fanciful dinner parties and everyday living, prompting their online venture, Half Past Seven. “We have a shared design aesthetic with [an eye for] layering, chinoiserie, and mixing new and old, and we believe your home should tell a story,” Jen says. “So, we thought it was about time that we start to pursue things that we love and hatched this idea with that in mind.” Half Past Seven emerged in 2022, kindled by Jen and Margaret’s shared desire for sturdy tableware and décor that could withstand day-to-day…

Daydreams of whiling away the hours on a breezy veranda fill my mind with every jaunt through Charleston’s storied neighborhoods. Perched on the exquisitely restored piazza of 86 Cannon, wineglass in hand, the experience surpasses my imagination, thanks to hoteliers Lori and Marion Hawkins, who live just next door. “We always aimed to create a space where people feel transported, not just by the beauty of the house but also by being in Charleston. It’s incredibly rewarding to see people fall in love with this house and the city the way we have,” says Lori, whose longtime desire to open a boutique hotel prompted them to purchase the iconic Charleston single house a decade ago. Working closely with preservation architects, local artisans, and acclaimed designer Betsy Berry, the couple has meticulously transformed…

Fostering a spirit of welcome makes a house feel like home, whether you’re hosting extravagant parties or porch sitting with loved ones. In a gorgeous new book, Victoria Editor Melissa Lester bestows expert advice for creating a place of peace and congeniality, an art influenced in part by her deep Southern roots. “Having resided in Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Alabama, I take great inspiration from ways of life observed in the South,” says Melissa. “My mother, grandmothers, and aunts informed so many of my ideas about creating a gracious home. Other women—teachers, ladies from church, the mothers of children I babysat—influenced me though their gifts of hospitality, creativity, and encouragement.” Penned in the tone of one dear friend to another, Gracious Home: Cultivating a Spirit of Welcome (86 Press, 2025) is…

“SPRING BLOOMS ADD A PEP IN OUR STEP AS THEY BURST FORTH WITH AMAZING COLORS AFTER A RESTFUL WINTER.” Taking a moment to celebrate and welcome the joyous colors of spring, I found my muse for this setup that I can enjoy all season long. The mix of soft pastels and bold, bright hues creates a fun sense of balance that’s playful and elegant, perfectly suiting my theme of bows, baskets, and blooms. Fresh grapefruit becomes a delightful presentation at each place setting when fashioned into a basket shape. I trimmed off the top of each fruit before setting it in a small, fanciful bowl. The “handle” is a chenille stem wrapped in hot pink ribbon. The wire easily slides into the flesh of the grapefruit. When serving guests for a luncheon,…