Amelia Handegan

Book excerpt: This book will appeal to interior design lovers who bought Suzanne Kasler and The Welcoming House, it is an appealing approach to creating fresh interiors rooted in warmth and comfort. Leading Southern interior designer Amelia Handegan is known for her sophisticated eclectic interiors and for her restoration of nationally recognized historic houses. Like the legendary Albert Hadley, Handegan fearlessly embraces a mix of Old World elements, such as antiques, wall murals, luxurious fabrics and passementerie, and stenciled floors, with modern furnishings and well-chosen cultural objects, such as vibrant hand-woven textiles and carved deities. Several artfully designed homes are profiled, including a colorful beach cottage on Folly Island, South Carolina, a rustic cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains, an apartment in a 1920s neoclassical revivalist style in Charleston, South Carolina, and Rose Hill, a refurbished eighteenth-century Virginian plantation house. These rooms illustrate her painterly sensibility, quiet drama, and artisanal touches. Beautifully photographed, this book is a must-have for interior design and historic architecture enthusiasts.