Traditional Home

Use of the phrase “design trend” provokes spirited conversations in our office. While it is a helpful and casual catchphrase, the team at Traditional Home tries to eschew it. Rather than chase fleeting notions, we aim for timelessness and fresh approaches to the classics as core investments in a home’s design. At the same time, design is constantly moving. Palettes shift in temperature, furniture profiles change shape, and new generations deem an element chic rather than dated. My mother often said she had already done a design “trend” once in her life and thought she was doing well to have replaced it. “I suppose it’s cool again now?” she’d remark, with a wry smile. This issue has some lovely movements that pull from history with freshness and longevity. For starters: the checked…

ANTIQUITY REBIRTH Cara George never knew her great-aunt Otea Pollera, who lived in Almese, Italy. But tales of her relative made George, a Pittsburgh designer and artist, feel like she did. George pays homage to her great-aunt with Otea, a textile and wallpaper company that blends heritage and ancestry with the aesthetic sensibilities of folk art, vintage kitsch, and maximalism. oteatextiles.com Honey Collins + O. HENRY HOUSE The Honey House capsule collection is a creative partnership as sweet as its name. Boston designer Honey Collins sprinkles the charm of her Georgia roots on the upholstered furniture of O. Henry House. Each piece, such as the “Buckhead” seat with rotated top cushion, features a feminine detail. Scallops, skirts, and cheerful fabrics infuse designs to delight. ohenryhouseltd.com/honey-house Tracy Glover Come springtime, a steady rain shower is the…

Palm Beach, Florida, recalls nostalgia—mod frocks in iconic pink-and-green Lilly Pulitzer prints and Slim Aarons photographs that depict luxury convertibles and their drivers in front of pools and beaches. But memories of Palm Beach retro are passing the style baton to Palm Beach now. Its dwellers—a blend of snowbirds and a growing group of year-round residents—are committed to a new era of high style and command that it lasts longer than high season. The palette’s bright values of pink, green, and aqua are joined by daring hues, such as sunny yellow or sophisticated storm blue, that color palm fronds on wallpapers and fabrics. Furniture also delivers on the aesthetic, notably with bamboo and rattan frames playfully shaped with frills, scallops, and flowy skirts. Palm Beach style is anything but shy. Try…

Connie Vernich “Music, entertaining, football, and whiskey—that is Nashville,” says designer Connie Vernich. They guided the design for her clients’ double-sided whiskey bar and lounging space. Indoors, cozy leather chairs offer pool views by day and a clubby mood by night. Nature-focused materials, including sassafras paneling, Tennessee limestone, and leathered granite countertops, clad the covered porch. Lauren Bradshaw Winning in two categories, designer Lauren Bradshaw delivered on her clients’ goal: Make a new house feel as old as possible. “We worked to find a stone that felt like it could be in the English Cotswolds versus anything too perfect or new feeling,” Bradshaw says of the exterior, which includes a shake-style composite roof. “The wood and copper accents will patina over time and look old too.” Inside, the primary bath’s focal point is…

Designers have a knack for mixing rather than matching to imbue rooms with character and inject a bit of a surprise—say, for example, hanging a contemporary light fixture in an otherwise traditional space. Minneapolis interior designer Kelly Caruso can mix traditional and modern styles with the best of them, but she also sets a few boundaries. “One of my design philosophies is that, whenever possible, you ensure that the interior design matches the exterior architectural elements so that the space feels connected and cohesive,” Caruso says. It was natural, then, that Caruso’s inspiration for a kitchen she was designing in a historical neighborhood in the heart of the city came from the exterior. Although the Tudor-style townhouse was new, it exuded charm with its brick exterior, slate roof, and copper downspouts. The…

Stephanie Nass doesn’t wait for the calendar to tell her it’s time to celebrate. The New York City chef, owner and founder of tabletop retailer Chefanie, and now author sees every new day as reason to tap into her inner creativity for an original take on dining. At her new apartment in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, she put her passion into action for a springtime dinner. Its simple purpose? Being with people—no special occasion required. “To me, the dining table is the most important place in the house,” Stephanie says. “It’s where you gather with loved ones for nourishment, dialogue, and enjoyment. It should be appointed with the utmost attention to draw people to it.” In her book, Swing By! Entertaining Recipes and the New Art of Gathering (Rizzoli, 2024), Stephanie notes…