FLOWER SEPT•OCT 2025
HOUSE l GARDEN l LIFESTYLE
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CON TEN TS September • October 2025
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Finding Home
A search for their ideal house took New York designers Michael Devine and Thomas Burak farther afield than originally planned, but in Virginia, they found an idyllic place to land.
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A Saffron Soirée
Entertaining guru Jane Scott Hodges of Leontine Linens combines elements of India with Big Easy style for a festive, alfresco dinner.
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Old-world Soul
A Houston remodel brings Mediterranean character and ageless artifacts together in a contemporary, livable home with heart.
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Tending Nature
Anthony Bellomo thrives on cultivating community, whether home at Clove Brook Farm or in his shop, Orangerie Garden + Home, in Millbrook, New York. ON THE COVERS Subscriber Cover:
A corner of Thomas Burak and Michael Devine’s living room is a study in floral references with a 19th-century still-life painting, antique French chair upholstered in citron damask, and a towering arrangement of dried hydrangeas from their garden.
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In Thomas Burak and Michael Devine’s living room, cosmos cut from the garden lighten the formality of blue-and-white porcelain, altar candlesticks, and an 18th-century embroidered textile. Both photographed by Erik Kvalsvik
“Just living isn’t enough,” said the butterfly. “One must also have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” —HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN 14 F L O W E R S e p t e m b e r • O c t o b e r 2 0 2 5
PHOTO BY ANNIE SCHLECHTER
Newsstand Cover:
C ON TE N T S
Departments
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From the Field
Discover furniture and accessories in earthy greens, explore new pieces hitting the market, and peruse the latest design books on the shelves.
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John’s Almanac
John Coykendall, master gardener for Blackberry Farm, shares gardening wisdom he’s gathered through years of hands-in-the-dirt experience.
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Decorating
Regardless of their age or origin, dried and pressed flowers, also known as herbaria, are lasting reflections of our natural world.
Entertaining
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To celebrate the launch of A Screaming Blast, her new book from Rizzoli, event planner and interior designer Rebecca Gardner dishes on her theatrical party style.
At their home in Birmingham, Alabama, FLOWER Editor-in-Chief Margot Shaw and husband Gates welcome designers near and far to a picture-perfect garden party.
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Design
Lifestyle editor Alice Doyle entrusts interior designer Danielle Balanis to help her check off the long wish list she’d accumulated after years of living in her historic Mediterranean Revival house in Birmingham.
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I N EVERY IS SUE Watering Can 18 What’s Online? 90 Sources 138 Floral Moment 140
PHOTOS BY: (TOP) COURTESY OF HOUSES & PARTIES, (BOTTOM) DAVID HILLEGAS
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curreyandcompany.com Lighting | Furniture | Accessories | Residential | Contract
WATER I NG CA N A Note from the Editor
“I’ll light the fire You place the flowers in the vase That you bought today Staring at the fire… Such a cozy room The windows are illuminated By the evening sunshine through them Fiery gems for you, only for you” FROM “OUR HOUSE” BY GRAHAM NASH
a textile designer and interior designer respectively, who were both drawn to the 70-year-old, timeworn structure they filled with European antiques and collections; visit the Orangerie Garden + Home emporium in Millbrook, New York, conceived and kept by landscape architect Anthony Bellomo; soak for a spell in the glamorous gloaming of a dinner party at Jane Scott Hodges’s New Orleans home; ramble through the chic and inviting interior of a Dallas house deftly designed by Kara Childress; and lean into learning about the time-honored world of herbaria. Much as I wish for you to relish these moments in the magazine, I also kind of hope you’ll find yourself drawn to look in windows from the road at twilight… Love and SDG,
Margot Shaw EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Please send your comments, triumphs, challenges & questions to: wateringcan@flowermag.com OR Letters to the Editor I FLOWER Magazine I P.O. Box 530645 I Birmingham, AL 35253 Get the FLOWER email newsletter! Sign up at flowermag.com/news
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PHOTO BY DAVID HILLEGAS
I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE. One of my guilty pleasures is looking into windows of houses while riding or walking somewhere at dusk, just when inhabitants have returned home for the evening and lights have been lit—that in-between time, the gentle transition from day to night, work to rest. No, I’m not a voyeur, and I’m not casing the joints. I just love to imagine—maybe write a scene in my head (based on what little visual information the passing glimpse affords). I like to think of what music might be playing, what those folks are having for dinner, what flowers might be gracing the front hall console, what life is like in that home. Though I wouldn’t wish for any house and garden other than my own, I suppose my fascination with other places and people explains in part my desire to capture and share stories of beautiful houses and gardens and the talented individuals involved in making the magic. Here in these pages, you’ll have the chance to not only glimpse but gaze into the gorgeous personal places and lives of some very talented tastemakers, artisans, gardeners, and designers. You’ll tour the Virginia home of Michael Devine and Thomas Burak,
The Susan Ferrier Collection
BAKERFURNITURE.COM
Discover furniture and accessories in earthy greens, explore new pieces hitting the market, and peruse the latest design books on the shelves. PRODUCED AND STYLED BY AMANDA SMITH FOWLER PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID HILLEGAS
“Autumn has always been my favorite time of year. I love the crispness in the air and how the oranges, golds, and muted greens take center stage just as the garden is starting to slow down at our home in Virginia. It’s a palette I naturally gravitate toward in my design work.” —BARRY DIXON
FROM TH E FI ELD | I N TH E M A R K E T
“Green is a universally loved color; it’s vibrant and fresh, neither feminine or masculine, nor young or old.” —MARK D. SIKES
PREVIOUS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Hayes Leather Tray ($280) and Seville Horn Bowl ($80) from Regina Andrew, reginaandrew.com • Pan Atlas fabric in Moss Ombre (to the trade) by Barry Dixon for Vervain, fabricut.com • Francis 3-inch Flower Knobs ($90 each) from Art & Forge, artandforge.com • Alhambra Curly Pine Canapé Plate ($60 each) from Mottahedeh, mottahedeh.com • THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: Privet Bench ($5,753) by Mark D. Sikes for Chaddock Furniture Workroom, chaddock.com • Thedford Swivel Chair (to the trade) from Wesley Hall, wesleyhall.com • Starburst Chest ($4,770) from Modern History, modernhistoryhome.com • Abalone on Cork wallcovering in Jadetone (to the trade) by Barry Dixon for Vervain, fabricut.com • Little Greene sample pots in Absolute Flat Emulsion finish available in all colors (sample pot $8.50 each), littlegreene.us Soleil Metal Plate ($310) from Regina Andrew, reginaandrew.com; • Chicchi Lamp in Amber (to the trade) from Wildwood, wildwoodhome.com • Rustic Gold 36-inch Starburst Mirror ($750) from the Bevolo Collection, bevolo.com 24 F L O W E R S e p t e m b e r • O c t o b e r 2 0 2 5
jonathancharles.com