The American South, Part 2: The Architecture

During the fall of 2018, my husband and I started to feel the restlessness that may be familiar to other soon-to-be empty nesters.

On top of preparing to send our oldest son off to college, my mother-in-law had passed away unexpectedly, her loss leaving a huge hole in our hearts and day to day life. G and I spent many days that fall walking the city lakes of Minneapolis – discussing and dreaming about what we wanted the next five years to look like. During one of those walks, we stumbled on an open house on Lake of the Isles with amazing views. Being on the water and in the city? That felt like a dream come true for us. Within a few months we had purchased the house, interviewed architects and made the decision to move forward with a new build.

In those early architectural meetings, my inspiration boards were full of exteriors with modern, clean lines that leaned toward old-world European charm. I didn’t want a mid-century modern or mid-west traditional house which are so common in the Twin Cities area. By working with the amazing team at PKA, and using our hospitality experiences during our extensive travel as a harbinger, the design was shaping up in an exciting way. Then, three months into the process, our life plans took a turn.

Yes, we were still going to move . . . to the south. However, we knew we’d likely be returning to Minneapolis down the road, so rather than sell a home in the perfect location, we decided instead to press pause on the project. It was this time of pause that led to an evolution in my personal design aesthetic in a place I least expected – Mountain Brook, Alabama.

House hunting in and around Birmingham was an enlightening experience. There were so many exquisite and enduring homes in the area – completely different from the designs we were used to seeing at home. Eventually we chose a home in the Mountain Brook area where there were lots of architecturally charming choices. The one we ultimately chose was, to us, stunning thanks to the organic materials (cedar roof, reclaimed brick, Alabama marble), moments of design delight (oval windows, charming courtyards), and the beautifully landscaped outdoor space (all the pea gravel!).

Of course, upon setting up our new life in the south, we also had to settle into another routine: pandemic life. Like many of us, I developed new rituals during this time which included listening to design podcasts while taking long walks through our new neighborhood. I stumbled upon a podcast by Paloma Contreras called The Style Files and was blown away when I found out that so many of her guests were from Alabama and doing significant design work right here in Mountain Brook. Architects, Designers, and Artists such as James F Carter, Caroline Gidiere, James Laughlin, William McClure and Jeffrey Dungan did work and had their own homes in the area.  In fact, I often sat at the coffee shop across the street from Jeffrey Dugan’s charming office, not understanding at first the amazing work he and his team were creating.

We also heard everyone raving about the beauty of the 30A beaches in Florida, so we took a road trip and stayed in Alys Beach where I had a moment of déjà vu standing in front of a house that felt somehow familiar. Eventually I realized it was a home I went to on my Pinterest inspiration board time and time again because of the clean, modern lines and European vibe. The serendipity of that moment became a touchstone for me as I continued to contemplate what was next for G and I in the larger scheme of things.

Over the next 18 months, our conversations about what was next continued. We concluded that we would want and need a home in Minneapolis, so we started back up on the design work for Lake of the Isles. I threw myself into studying the architecture, design, art and antiques that surrounded me in the south, and how it might fit into my life in the future. I continued my walks, inspired daily by the architecture of the homes steeped in old world, traditional, timeless design that eventually weaved their way into my own aesthetic and future home. But before I dive into that, here are just a few of my favorites.

Our home in Mountain Brook, Alabama was designed by Carlisle Moore Architects, built by Davis Construction , interior finishes by Tasha B. Davis Interiors, and decorating by Regarding Design.