Janie is just back from a trip from Charleston, S.C., where she was invited to participate in Southern Style Now 2018, a multi-day festival celebrating Southern design. The festival included keynote speakers, panel discussions, cocktail and dinner parties, exhibitions, and a Showhouse sponsored by Traditional Home. As one of the many fabulous events, Janie spoke on a panel about her love of fabrics and emerging fabric industry trends with five other leading design professionals

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Read below the Southern Style Now team’s interview with Janie:

Q: What does “Southern Style Now” mean to you?

Southern Style Now reflects the unique perspective that our premier designers, architects, artists, and craftsmen have in reinterpreting the influences of our Southern heritage in novel and inventive ways. It’s a look, a feeling, a vibe, and a sensibility of something fresh and old, timeless, and of this very moment.

Q: Can you see a thread of Southern influence into the work of certain designers? If so, how does it display itself?

Gathering is a word that comes to mind when I think of Southerners, and making our interiors work for that goal is a thread through much of Southern design. We gather people, hence our porches are wide and deep for rocking chairs and conversation. Because we love to gather family and friends, entertaining in our homes is a way of life. We prioritize creating interior spaces that are comfortable and always presentable for “company”. We gather our possessions in such a way that our interiors often present as curated collections, gathered carefully over time.

Q: Finally, do you have a favorite Southern Style Now (Festival or Showhouse) anecdote that you can share with us?

Julia Reed’s keynote speech last year in Savannah had me apologizing to those around me for my raucous laughter. She is a walking testament to our quirky Southern perspective and how we love to laugh at ourselves most of all.