Achieving Southern Livability

Livability for all ages is one of the first considerations when trying to bring southern living charm into your own home.  When designing the Southern Living Showcase Home, open for tour October 21-November 6 in Green Hill’s Dorset Park, Heather Looney, Castle Homes Vice President/Build Phase Designer, says a sense of togetherness and family should be at the core of your goals.

“Designing spaces for growing and aging families should be taken into consideration. This also makes your decisions more long-term budget conscious because they are spaces your family will grow into and will be more flexible, “ Looney said.

The dedicated study area is a classic example.  Looney said the popular built-in desk feature isn’t always a good idea when the kids will be heading off to college in a few years. Looney said when designing a home, you need to take into consideration the natural aging of your family.  Design an area for computers and study but allow the space to easily transition into a gift wrap or crafts space.

“One of the ways in which this is achieved in the Southern Living Showcase Home is the downstairs study. For the tour, it will be dressed as a formal study by Kippie Leland, ASID, Leland Interiors, LLC.  However, in the reality of living, this space can also be used as an additional downstairs bedroom for an aging parent or a newborn,” Looney.

For more information or to follow the build of Nashville’s first Southern Living Showcase Home in over a decade, follow the build on Twitter and Facebook.