A Charleston Christmas

Many of my favorite photos were taken from Southern Accents, which ceased publication in 2009. I found the following pictures while looking through my clippings file for holiday inspiration. I love adding greenery and berries to mercury glass containers or antique bottles, which Becky Davis of Becky Davis Botanicals has done in the Charleston, South Carolina home depicted below. If you would like to see more of her work, my September 27th blog post "A Touch of Green" highlights her recent feature in Garden and Gun (October/November 2012). The Christmas decorations in the following photos complement the historic house and collections of interior decorator Jackye Lanham. The space she has created is both elegant and welcoming - the perfect Southern home. Enjoy! 

The home's spaces are united by a "soothing greige palette."

" 'I kept the colors very cool and neutral because I wanted to create a backdrop to showcase collections and furniture," says homeowner and decorator, Jackye Lanham.  

Charleston, South Carolina pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham 

and her husband Bill.

Photographed by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem" by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.

"The curtains emphasize the first floor's 10-foot ceilings. The ticking stripe and split-bamboo rug make the elegant architecture, antique chandelier, and American Regency water-gilt mirror feel more casual."

Charleston, South Carolina pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham 

and her husband Bill.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem" by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.

"The small roll-top desk was purchased in Charleston and displays pairs of coin silver mugs and bowls and leather books."

Charleston, South Carolina pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham 

and her husband Bill.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem"  by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.

"An antique mahogany table makes an intimate dining spot in front of the fireplace. Set with creamware and antique ironstone plates, the table is surrounded by chairs slipcovered in a brown-gray toile. The built-in cupboards are original to the house."

Charleson, South Carlina pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham 

and her husband Bill.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem" by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.

Charleston, South Carolina pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham 

and her husband Bill.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem" by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.

"[Jackye] Lanham has collected large antique glass bottles for years."

Charleston, South Carolina pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham 

and her husband Bill.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem" by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.

"The kitchen is painted a rich seal gray with honed Negro Marquina marble countertops, which makes the white ironstone stand out."

Charleston, South Carolina pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham 

and her husband Bill.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem" by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.

"The Lanhams added a small curved wall and gate to create privacy for the main entrance and garden; the front door is raised off the ground because it was originally designed for customers to enter the cooper's shop from their horse-drawn carriages."

The house "was built in 1778 as the shop and home of a cooper (barrel maker)." 

South Carolina, Charleston pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham 

and her husband Bill.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem" by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.

"Paintings from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries lend an august air to the stair hall."

Charleston, South Carolina pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham 

and her husband Bill.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem" by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.

" 'What the guest room lacks in a big bed, it has in big curtains,' says [Jackye] Lanham, referring to the intricate blue-and-brown toile on the windows."

Charleston, South Carolina pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham 

and her husband Bill.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem" by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.

Guest room.

Charleston, South Carolina pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham 

and her husband Bill.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem" by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.

"Even the pigeon on this lamp in the guest bedroom wears his holiday finery; he is flanked by European salt-glazed pitchers."

Charleston, South Carolina pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham 

and her husband Bill.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem" by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.

"A graceful iron canopy bed lends romance to the master bedroom, and white embroidered bed curtains and pale-blue bed linens lighten the small room."

Charleston, South Carolina pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham 

and her husband Bill.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem" by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.

"Two armoires (at right) divide the dressing room from the master bath."

Charleston, South Carolina pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham 

and her husband Bill.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem" by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.

"An early 19th-century English dresser displays personal mementos, including a picture of [Jackye] Lanham's mother and straw deer she found in China." 

Charleston, South Carolina pied-a-terre of Atlanta, Georgia decorator Jackye Lanham

and her husband Bill.

Photography by Tria Giovan.

"Charleston Gem" by Jill Kirchner Simpson.

Southern Accents.