Gone, but not forgotten

If you are like me, you mourn Southern Accents as an innocent, undeserved victim of the economic meltdown of the past few years.  I'm still having a hard time accepting the fact that somewhere, in some office, men and women in suits made the decision to pull the plug on what was one of the most consistently elegant, inspiring, and dream-worthy shelter magazines. I would have gladly paid twice the subscription rate, if given the choice, to keep the magazine going.  A recent New York Times article asked readers to name their most missed magazine, and Southern Accents showed up many times in the comment section.

We may not be seeing new issues of SA in our mailboxes or newsstands any longer, but there's no reason we can't still celebrate this special magazine online.  And so welcome to this blog, which I have titled Ode to Southern Accents. An ode is a poem that you sing, or a poem written in a lyrical style, to honor a person or subject.  While there won't be poetry on this site, or any singing, I want to honor the memory of Southern Accents with this blog.  I want to revisit the homes and gardens and designers and architects that we all loved.  I want to share the photos of my favorite houses and my favorite rooms.  I hope you will enjoy the trip with me.

Capturing Cashiers, September, 2009

I have saved 45 issues of Southern Accents. At one time I had more, but never expecting that they would ever stop publishing, I threw some of them out, which I now regret. (Isn't that the emotion that hoarders are trying to avoid?  But I digress).  In honor of the birth of this blog, here is a stunning layout from the September, 2009 issue, Capturing Cashiers.

Inspired by a nearby historic inn, architectural designer Tim Greene and decorator Jane Hawkins Hoke design a retreat that celebrates mountain views and inviting spaces.

I'm not into recounting all the details of the text, if there are interesting tidbits I'll add them.  I just love the photos.  The house is in North Carolina.