Artist Profile: Rod Pittam

Last weekend I went on the Druid Hills Tour of Homes - Only on Oakdale. It was a beautiful weekend and my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves (he gets major brownie points when he goes with me on a house tour, plus he was the photographer).

When I first learned about the tour a couple of months ago, the illustration on the flyer struck me (see below). I was captivated by the drawing of the house - and you know how much I love house drawings.



With a quick Google search I found the artist's website - Rod Pittam. The website gives a nice feel for Rod's work and also has a bio page. A few days ago, I called Rod to tell him how much admire his work and ask him a few questions.

He paints in watercolors and oils and also draws renderings in pen and ink. I love this oil painting of Charleston:


Rendering of a Decatur house


Watercolor of Litchfield Beach in South Carolina


It was exciting to see the range of Rod Pittam's work. His website shows that well. I love the detail, scale and the way Rod captures the essence of the houses - he gives the houses soul. For the the past 14 years, Rod has drawn the houses that are on the Druid Hills Tour of Homes. This is the gift that each homeowner receives when the house is on tour. As you can imagine, everyone wants to be on the tour.

I asked Rod what his process is when he draws an illustration of a house. He told me that he likes to visit the house and might make some sketches onsite, but then draws the house from several photographs. I have looked at a lot of house drawings and Rod Pittam's renderings are something special. The houses just come alive to me.

Here is a house that is on Oakdale, but was not on the tour this year. Rod's rendering is below it. I love this house!





The first three houses on the tour were my favorites - here are their Rod Pittam renderings and photos that we took. All on Oakdale in Druid Hills - worth a drive through if you have time.













When I spoke to Rod on the phone earlier this week, he told me about his blog -
An Artist's Inspired Mind. There is some great information on his blog, check it out!

Have a great weekend!

All images are used with Rod Pittam's permission.

Afternoon Activity

Here's what I did this afternoon -



Flowers for the side altars for my church (Cathedral of Christ the King) for a Cardinal's Mass tomorrow.

In honor of Historic Garden Week in Virginia

I share these photos of Kenmore, in Fredericksburg. A good friend recently visited there and was kind enough to take these photos.

Kenmore was built by George Washington's sister Betty Washington Lewis her husband Fielding Lewis in 1775-76, on a 1300 acre plantation.



For more information on Historic Garden Week in Virginia - click here.

Before and After

Remember when I found a great deal at Scott's? Well here are the photos of the before and after of this caned tubchair.

Before...



And after!







close up -




What a transformation. This chair and down pillow with coordinating welt can be yours! To inquire please email me at hdraperyoung@gmail.com.

Southern Accents Series - Inspiration from Lisa Newsom and Walter Mitchell

Image from Spring 1982 Southern Accents

In 1976,the year before Southern Accents was published, there were two main concerns for publisher Walter Mitchell. The first was financial(to convince the board to pay for the magazine) and the second was the format and quality of the magazine.

Funding a magazine by an already existing publishing house is different than a start up magazine. With a start up, you have to go raise the seed money from investors (and that often means begging). With an already existing publishing house, you have to convince the board of directors that your magazine is worth publishing - but this is not always an easy task. Only one in ten magazines succeed - so what sets one apart from another? In the case of Southern Accents, Mitchell had to convince the board that this magazine had something different, something special that would set it apart. He had to show why WRC Smith Publishing should take the risk on a new Southern magazine. Mitchell managed to persuade them to let him "experiment with the idea."


Living room from Tudor House, Spring 1982




The first step was testing the market place to see if there was an audience for a Southern interiors magazine. They put together a direct-mail test (four-color, six-page brochure, cover letter, and questionaire) and purchased a mailing list of fifteen hundred "connoisseurs." The test mailing received a poor response - Mitchell says "we put the idea on the back burner." What happened then? Was there an audience?

Enter Lisa Newsom in the Spring of 1977. Newsom was an Atlanta housewife and "socialite." She called Walter Mitchell because she had seen the brochure in an antique shop and wanted to know where she could get a copy of the magazine. Mitchell told her the idea had been shelved because of a poor response to the direct mail test. Lisa told Mitchell that he had mailed to the wrong audience and that she could come up with names of cultured people who would buy the magazine. She put together a list of 3000 names for Mitchell. This second direct-mail test was the same material as the first except the price of a year's subscription was dropped to $10 from $12. There was very positive response from this list and in July 1977 Mitchell was then able to convince the board to give him sixty thousand dollars to try an issue!


Dining room of the Tudor pictured above.

Truly, there would have been no Southern Accents without Lisa Newsom or Walter Mitchell. Lisa pushed for the second direct mail test and with those positive results Walter was able to persuade the board to give the magazine a try. The first issue of Southern Accents acknowledged Lisa's influence:

"And Lisa Newsom. Particularly Lisa, without whose efforts there would be no Southern Accents. Lisa was the spark, the gadfly who kept the project going when the more timid of us shrank back from the tremendous task. She demanded, insisted, begged and pleaded for the magazine. And here it is, thanks to Lisa."

This is the same Lisa Newsom who after leaving Southern Accents founded and then edited Veranda magazine for 20 years and whose daughter founded the company Wisteria. Clearly, Lisa had and has tremendous vision and ability in the shelter magazine arena.

Recently, it was announced here that she will be stepping aside as editor in chief of Veranda magazine. She will remain at Hearst as an editor at large and oversee Veranda related books.

Next in the Southern Accents Series - How they got the premier issue ready to go in three months!

All information and quotes obtained from an interview with Walter Mitchell, Sallie Smith and Helen C. Griffith, and also from Starting a New Magazine, Two Case Studies, by Martha Faye Melton.

Photography by Max Eckert

Roberta Roller Rabbit Home collection

A few years ago a friend gave my daughter and me these coverups from Roberta Roller Rabbit for our birthdays. Now this fun clothing company has rolled out a home line so you don't have to wait until summer to enjoy these beautiful fabrics.

A few highlights -
napkins, placemats and tablecloths









pillows -












Quilts -


And more....

The prices are fantastic!

Have a great weekend!

A Beautiful Atlanta House...Please come inside!

A few weeks ago Jane Douglas co-hosted an event at this beautiful home. As she described the fabulous kitchen to me, she mentioned that the architect on the renovation was Brad Heppner, who was our architect when we built our house in 2007. The delightful owner agreed that we could come and take photos of the kitchen for a post on Brad Heppner kitchens. So, we were surprised and glad to see the post on the exterior of the house yesterday at Things That Inspire. Please come with us as we take a peak inside this truly fantastic kitchen.



The house was totally renovated in 2007-08. The charming owner told me yesterday that every room was touched in the renovation. The kitchen is of course completely new and the use of space is brilliant. The first thing that struck me when I walked in was the color. It's a warm beigey-gray called revere pewter (Benjamin Moore). It looks great with the honed carrera marble counter tops. The inset cabinets have elegant hardware that also complements the color.



There are two islands, both topped with honed marble, but each has a different base. One base matches the cabinetry, the other is meant to look like furniture.





This kitchen works hard and looks beautiful. Look at all of the counter space where a cook can work. The stove is impressive and well placed in its environment. There is a sink under the casement windows and another on the island next to the stove. This is a family kitchen that can handle many people working at once.



But what makes this kitchen soar above most is the attention to detail in the cabinetry and the surprise baking kitchen placed behind the main kitchen. There are two refrigerators in the main kitchen with this classic bookcase in the middle.


Two refrigerators on either side of the bookcase with elliptical arch



Another great feature of this kitchen that Brad Heppner likes to use in his kitchen design is drawers below the counter tops with few cabinets down low.



I have this in my own kitchen and it works beautifully. The drawers hold so much and the items inside are easy to access. Below are two photos of my Brad Heppner kitchen.





You can also see the prevalence of drawers in this Brad Heppner kitchen below, that was featured in the Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles kitchen contest.

Photo courtesy of Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles blog, Bradley Heppner architect, Amy Morris Interior Design


Our absolutely favorite part of this amazing space is the baking kitchen. It is located to the left of the stove through this doorway...



It has its own sink, two ovens, a movable marble island and stunning shelves! A kitchen within a kitchen.

The baking kitchen -





Are you swooning yet? If not, this butler's pantry between the kitchen and dining room will do the trick.











Third photo below is the Butler's pantry that Brad Heppner designed for the award winning kitchen featured in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles.



A few details from the outside of the house.
The garage


View from the breakfast room door




A HUGE thank you to the fabulous homeowner who so graciously welcomed us and shared her home!


Unless specified otherwise, photos by Whitehaven