On the Cover: Deep South Design

“In the South, I think we understand that culture, art, architecture, and ideas spring from local insight––from small conversations and agreements. Culture is always local first,” said architect Roy Decker of Duvall Decker in Jackson, when interviewed about the work of his firm and others in Louisiana and Mississippi being presented at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale in Venice, Italy.

When we look back decades from now, or from across the globe, what designs will be remembered as defining this particular place, at this particular time? With so many aesthetic and innovative design developments in our region, from architecture to fashion, it was impossible to choose just one. That’s why we included four images on this month’s cover, each capturing designs that are simultaneously beautiful, practical, and very much of the South. Foremost is “GATORhouse,” a camp on False River by emerymcclure architecture in Lafayette, designed to withstand heat and floods, yet still striking to the eye—the image is currently on display in the exhibition A South Forty at the Venice Architecture Biennale.

Below is a dress by Baton Rouge designer Grace Chetta of Greta Garments, who was inspired by quarantine to create flowy dresses that transition seamlessly (and comfortably) from the couch to long-awaited social outings. Next is a tried-and-true double shotgun, since we can’t embrace the new without acknowledging the old. And then there’s Hotel Saint Vincent in New Orleans’ Garden District, an 1800s Italianate orphanage upgraded with a layer of sixties and seventies Art Deco opulence.

We hope the designs in this issue might inspire you to innovate something beautiful, something useful, something distinctly Southern––distinctly yours.