Departures Magazine |Sean Anderson
Striking the Perfect Balance Between Classic Southern Taste and a Contemporary Look
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ALTHOUGH MISSISSIPPI-BORN and Memphis-based, the self-taught interior designer Sean Anderson has made a name for himself by tweaking the notions of old-fashioned Southern design. “What’s so tricky when working with clients from the South is that they are so used to tried-and-true traditions,” he explains. “I was born and raised here, so I understand that. Breaking that mold and reinventing new ways to envision that same vision, one that embraces warmth, family traditions, and gatherings of friends, is the key.”
When Anderson was approached by Nancy and Mark Peeples two years ago to help design the interiors of their new-build property in Birmingham, Alabama, he knew he had to find a balance between Nancy’s more modern ideas and Mark’s inclination toward Southern old-guard style. Nancy imagined a contemporary low-slung Mediterranean house with grand arched doors and a lot of light flooding in through floor-to-ceiling glass windows, but Mark, an avid outdoorsman, privately doubted that he would feel comfortable in a space that modern. He was used to their previous house, where they had lived for 20 years and raised their two daughters. Mark, a real estate developer, had even helped design the lodge-like property, complete with old hand-hewn hickory beams and a game room lined with his own hunting trophies. Anderson knew he would have to do a lot of listening (something he grew adept at during his years as a bartender). “For me, a project is not just about the visuals, but rather about an atmosphere,” explains Anderson. The couple, who have a second home in Montana, did agree on one thing: They wanted to create that Big Sky Country feeling in their new house.
