Photos courtesy of Abrams

The Joy of Decorating

One of the hardest working women in the biz, Phoebe Howard.

Up and down the Eastern seaboard, from Florida and Charlotte to Atlanta, the name Mrs. Howard is synonymous with Southern style and home retailing nirvana. Atlanta-based interior designer Phoebe Howard is a design jack of all trades and has been for the past fourteen years. Literally, she does it all-- from running highly successful retail ventures, the more formal Mrs. Howard and the younger hipper Max & Company, to operating a thriving interior design business, Mrs. Howard has gone after the brass ring and grabbed it.

The first time I visited her Atlanta locations, I was amazed at how lush and inviting every single space of the store was, like you were visiting a real home where everything was for available for purchase. I am sure many people walk in the doors of her shops feeling the same thing, because everything is just so well edited and combined. But you can hire her for that! Her rooms, a mix of genteel elegance and total comfort, are often swathed in soothing tones of blues, seafoam greens and taupes. Yet lest you think she shies away from brights, she excels at that too. It is all done with her pretty pretty take. Her impeccable eye is self taught, and as she likes to say, "I realized that I did not choose it. It chose me." As half of a thriving partnership with architect husband Jim, you get the whole package with these two. From her livable room layouts with special, edited antiques and feminine yet not frilly window treatments, her dynamic body of stylish work is captured in The Joy of Decorating: Southern Style with Mrs. Howard, her just launched book with Abrams. Flip through its pages and you will find endless inspiration through timeless well- arranged spaces organized by themes of inviting, inspiring, timeless, graceful, tranquil, casual, and comfortable, plus, she shares her favorite resources in the back.

I invite you to buy the book by clicking here, where you will receive a 20% discount off the $50 price of the book when you enter the code for Stylebeat readers: SBJOD. Now go forth and get some joy in your life!

A Long Island getaway with country touches and chocolate brown and cream palette.

Architectural details and soft colors get along winningly in this Southern living room.

A neutral dining room pairs antique chairs and a highly patterned wall.

Soft monochromatic murals, intricate dental molding and a glittering crystal chandelier will make for one swellegant dinner party.

Soft blues in a variety of prints and patterns make a classical living room fresh.

A large living room with back-to-back sofas that provide two divided seating areas is accented with green and brown.

Rich royal blue cozy overstuffed sofas in a seaside living room with a nautical touch.

Vivid turquoise in a Florida living room. The wavy valance is a terrific detail.

Seafoam green and cream accents with a charming curved headboard and pretty long panels and sheers at the windows. I happen to think Phoebe does the best bedrooms- totally dripping with serenity now.

A tray ceiling expands the height of this bedroom's ceiling. What an amazing ebony bed!

Pool blue comes in stripes, florals and tiny prints. Ahh to me, this is what Florida should be.

Using the color plum as her guide, this country guest room makes twin beds look chic.

A twin bedroom with pops of pink.

Another valance to love in a green accented bedroom.

Cerused wood and a white tile backsplash in a generous kitchen with two seating areas, a dining table and a built-in banquette.

A punchy yellow-accented kitchen in a sunny locale is festive and vacation-minded.