Blackberry Farm

Don't miss the wonderful story and photos in this month's Town & County highlighting one of our favorite places, Blackberry Farm. 

Blackberry Farm is a 4,200-acre luxury country inn located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. In 1976, Kreis and Sandy Beall were enthralled with the charm of the property and made the original house, built in the 1930s, their family home. They wanted to create a tradition of Southern hospitality, gourment cuisine and memorable experiences for family, friends, and guests. Kreis Beall’s son, Sam currently runs Blackberry Farm, while Kreis continues Blackberry Farm’s high country style in her own designs which have been featured in many magazines including Southern Accents, Bon Appetit, and Town & Country.  She recently designed the Master bedroom in the Cashier’s Show House, along with our own Mary Prillaman Holland.  The food at Blackberry Farm is phenominal due to their three chefs: Josh Feathers – Corporate Chef, Joseph Lenn – Executive Chef, and Maggie Davidson – Pastry Chef. You can learn more about Blackberry Farm on their website, http://www.blackberryfarm.com.

High Point, NC

Charleston White

Charleston is a place like no other in the South. Continuing our celebration of the color white through January, we thought these images were worth sharing. Each image below sets a historic tone only Charleston can sing.

And, we could not resist again sharing a few interesting facts about the color white.
- A white flag is the universal symbol for truce.
- The word "white" comes from the Indo-European root kweit meaning "to shine".
- The ancient Greeks wore white to bed to ensure pleasant dreams.
- It's considered good luck to be married in a white garment.
- "White lightning" is slang for moonshine, a homebrewed alcohol.

Hugh Acheson

Hugh Acheson is the Chef and Partner of Five and Ten and The National in Athens, as well as Empire State South here in Atlanta. Hugh is a five-time James Beard nominee for Best Chef Southeast and was named Best Chef by Food & Wine. He was born and raised in Ottawa, Canada and began cooking at a very young age. He started working in restaurants at age 15, and decided to make it his career.

Hugh’s cooking incorporates flavors of the South along with a European flare. His new cookbook is called A New Turn In The South: Southern Flavors Reinvented For Your Kitchen, and offers great recipes for seasonal vegetables, soups, salads, fish and meats, as well as libations. Hugh will be signing his new cookbook in our showroom next Thursday January 19th starting at 11:30. Please join us!

Christ Church, Oxford

Does this remind you of a Harry Potter scene perhaps? This is actually an interior view of Christ Church, which is part of one of the largest colleges in England, the University of Oxford. Christ Church was established in 1546 - when Queen Elizabeth I ruled. The Great Hall was inspiration to the set directors of Harry Potter movies. In addition, Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland was based on many situations and buildings in Oxford and at Christ Church.

Driving on the left?

Ever wondered why the British drive on the left side of the road?

Well, during the Middle Ages, everyone kept to the left in case they came across an unfriendly stranger on the right, and needed to draw their sword easily. Keeping to the left became official in 1300 A.D. and continued until the late 1700s, when the US and France used wagons carring farm products pulled by several pairs of horses. The driver had to sit on the left rear horse in order to keep his right arm free to lash the horses, and to make sure he could see to stay clear of other wagon wheels passing. The first known keep-right law was enacted in Pennsylvania in 1792.

In England, however, they didn't use horse drawn wagons with a driver riding one of the horses. The driver sat on the right side of a seat mounted on the wagon, so the whip wouldn't get caught in the load behind him when he lashed the horses. Keeping left became English law in 1756,with the enactment of an ordinance governing traffic on the London Bridge.

Oxford Castle

Happy Halloween! In honor of Halloween today, here is a scary fact for you . . .

Oxford Castle is a very large and slightly damaged Norman medieval castle located in Oxfordshire, England. This castle was used as a place of incarceration from 1071 until the closure of HM Prison in 1996. The buildings have been preserved and are now open to the public. It is thought to be one of Britain’s most haunted buildings, and therefore frightening events, including Ghost Fest during the month of October, are offered.

High Point, North Carolina

Ever wonder why you hear so many people in the interior design / furniture world speaking of traveling to High Point, NC . . . . . well, here is a little history behind why.

High Point, North Carolina, often called the “Furniture Capital of the World” is located in the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina. High Point’s first furniture factory began in 1889 and in 1905 the High Point Furniture Exposition Company was created. Today, the High Point Market is the largest home furnishings industry trade show in the world and measures over 11 million square feet in about 180 buildings. As of 2010, approximately 115,000 people reside in High Point. When the market is held, close to an additional 100,000 buyers and exhibitors from around the world arrive and visit the city. Amazing!

Blackberry Farm

Sometimes you just pinch yourself to be so lucky to work with certain people. That is how we feel about the folks at Blackberry Farm. We are honored to have our furniture throughout the guest rooms of Blackberry Farm. If you don't know the history behind this magical place, go to Blackberryfarm.com to learn more. Today Kreis & Sandy Beall's son, Sam continues the beautiful vision his parents started over 30 years ago. Thank you Blackberry for allowing us to be part of such a special place and thank you Beall + Thomas Photography for these beautiful pictures!

Serenbe

Need a break from the hustle and bustle of the big city? Serenbe is just minutes away from downtown Atlanta and offers a weekend get away for anyone interested in fantastic wine, great food, and a beautiful surrounding. Check out House Beautiful's spread on the people who made Serenbe happen.

Peachtree Hills Garden

Neighborhood gardens are catching on everywhere. What amazing sights to see around town - old vacant lots turned into a colorful garden full or flowers and vegetables. And the great thing is most gardens donate their surplus to local food banks. We looked around last week and found one in our own backyard. We asked Kathleen Moriarty who runs the Peachtree Hills Community Garden a few questions.

1. When was the garden started? 2008
2. How did the idea originate? A couple of Peachtree Hills residents were looking for a place to grow veggies and working with Park Pride approached the City for permission to use the land at the park. Park Pride is a non-profit that works with, and advocates for, city parks. They have a community garden program. The Atlanta Community Food Bank also helped get the garden started through their community garden program.
3. Who volunteers? Volunteers are pretty much just the gardeners and their families.
4. How many members/volunteers do you have? We have 24 gardeners, plus a waiting list
5. Has the economy affected the amount of members? I don't know the answer to that. I think most gardeners participate for the "fun", because they love gardening and for quality fresh veggies. Saving money is a bonus.
6. How do you decide what foods and flowers to plant? Both seasonal and favorites. Each gardener plants whatever they want in their plot.
7. What kinds of foods and flowers do you have right now? Summer veggies - tomatoes, beans, peppers, squash, okra, eggplant, cucumbers, melons. Sunflowers, zinnias, marigolds, cosmos, bee balm, and herbs.
8. Do you plant from seeds or small plants? Both. Park Pride rules require that all gardens be organic or "natural" - no chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
9. Who do you feed or where do you sell? Each gardener owns the harvests from their garden plot. Under the City and Park Pride rules, nothing can be sold.
10. Do you have an overstock of food that you give to a charity? We have a Plant a Row for the Hungry program through The Atlanta Community Food Bank. Two plots are dedicated to the Plant a Row program and gardeners also contribute from their plots. We deliver to the Buckhead Christian Ministry (BCM) once or twice a week depending upon the amount of veggies available. The veggies are put out in their lobby where their clients who come for food, rental or other assistance can help themselves. (Last year we delivered directly to the Food Bank - 160 lbs.) We've made three deliveries to the BCM so far this year for a total of 68 lbs.