Greeting the equinox after a slow, intentional winter with extra sleep, tons of creativity and wonderful support to prepare for healthier new growth! š±
I have bittersweet news to share: The July/August 2025 issue marks my last as Southeast editor of LUXE Interiors + Design. After 6.5 years and 38 issues, Iām embarking on a new chapter, profoundly grateful for the people, places and stories that shaped this one.
When Sibyl de St. Aubin and I joined the company in 2018, the Southeast edition existed as an awesome idea, but not yet a product you could hold in your hands. Togetherāfirst under Pam, then Jillāwe asked: What does LUXE look like through the lens of the Southeast? From Atlanta to Nashville, Charleston to Birmingham, Charlotte to Savannah, I worked to answer that question with every feature, every issue, every carefully deliberated comma.
Alongside countless incredible freelancers, PR reps, photographers, stylists, design professionals and peers (including my tireless managing editor, Krystal Racaniello), Iāve had the privilege of shaping 120 home tours across the region I call homeāwhile also contributing to the magazine nationally, from Southern California to NYC, Austin to Palm Beach. Youāll see a couple of those stories in todayās July/August carouselānamely a Kiawah Island garden feature with Stan Dixon and a stunning Hamptons retreat by Sawyer | Berson.
Southeast SCENE was mine to write for every issue; my current column highlights The Iron Gate in Nashville, Estelle Colored Glass in Charleston and design news from Birmingham to High Point.
The Sept/Oct issue, now in production, will include the final round of Southeast home tours I had the joy of producing, as well as my last SCENE column.
Iām excited to share whatās next in time. But for now, I just want to express my sincere thanks for all the support, collaboration, mentorship and friendship that this role has made possible. These experiences have meant everything to me, and Iāll carry them with me always.
So excited to share a little more of what we are working on in Leipers Fork. Thank you Luxe for shining a light on us! Bentontown will be an extension of the incredible art, merchants, music, history, and creative culture that Leipers Fork is established on and one that we have all watched bloom here in Nashville. We will be joining a community of merchants that have set the bar incredibly high and one that is such an honor to be a part of. We are going ahead and dubbing it The Living Room of Leipers Fork. Over the next few seasons you will see this space transform into something that we are hoping as a community will be such a unique experience. We will still be hosting Dasher 2.0 in the space ā¦which will open around Easter and run until mid June. So please mark on your calendars to come visit our collaboration of vendors throughout the Spring!
We cannot wait to open Bentontown doors in 2026!
Words by: @kateabney
Pics: LUXE + Bunch of randoms by meš
Bentontown Architect: @stevegiannetti
Cheers to 2025! What better way to usher in @luxemagazine ās 20th year than with a beautiful redesign? Brava to Editor in Chief @jilleditsluxe , whose vision debuts with our new Jan/Feb issueāon newsstands starting today. If you want to learn more about everything in store for Luxe, please catch her recent conversation with @dennisscully for the @businessofhome podcast. Itās a great listen! š§
