Amelia Handegan

An appealing approach to creating fresh interiors rooted in warmth and comfort. Leading Southern interior designer Amelia Handegan is known for her sophisticated eclectic interiors and for her restoration of nationally recognized historic houses. Like the legendary Albert Hadley, Handegan fearlessly embraces a mix of Old World elements, such as antiques, wall murals, luxurious fabrics and passementerie, and stenciled floors, with modern furnishings and well-chosen cultural objects, such as vibrant hand-woven textiles and carved dieties.Several artfully designed homes are profiled, including a colorful beach cottage on Folly Island, South Carolina, a rustic cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains, an apartment in a 1920s neoclassical revivalist style in Charleston, South Carolina, and Rose Hill, a refurbished eighteenth-century Virginian plantation house. These rooms illustrate her painterly sensibility, quiet drama, and artisanal touches. Beautifully photographed, this book is a must-have for interior design and historic architecture enthusiasts.

For nearly thirty years, Amelia Handegan has run her Charleston-based interior design firm. Her work has appeared in such publications as Architectural Digest, Veranda, House Beautiful, and British House &Garden. She has been included in House Beautiful's 100 Best Designers in America list and the Robb Report's Guide to the World's Top 40 Interior Designers.

Ingrid Abramovitch is a lifestyle journalist, senior writer, and editor at Elle Decor. Photographer Pieter Estersohn's work appears frequently in Architectural Digest and Elle Decor. He is the author of Kentucky: Historic Houses and Horse Farms of Bluegrass Country.