I'm going to try not to gush too much about this Farmer's Dozen
interviewee. Maggie Coody Griffin as y'all know is a dear friend and
designer- we have the pleasure of collaborating on showhouses, weddings
and events all over The South. Yet, we started all this as children- not
on the scale we do now but on a scale that many folks will recall as
the truly old Southern way. We both were raised in the small agrarian
town of Hawkinsville- raised by and influenced by mamas with taste and
style and grandmothers (Baboo and Mimi) with poise, elegance and grace.
Throw in a Mrs. Mary (me) and a Mrs. Suzy (her)and you've got a couple
kids who love a small town life, good cooking, fine yet comfortable
decor, a connection and love of the land, blue and white, Pink Fluff at
The Steakhouse and taxidermy chic too! It doesn't hurt that Mrs. Mary
and Mrs. Suzy are BFF's either- it just keeps it all intertwined!
Maggie Griffin is one of my Maggies- I have sister Maggie and friend
Maggie and have had so since childhood... How lucky am I? I relish any
time I have with either Maggie and both of their husbands are as fine a
gentleman as ever was. I count both of these fellas as some of the best
biddies I have! And since each one can wire chandeliers, hang pictures
level and drive truckloads of furniture, well, what more could you ask
for in a friend-in-law and brother- in- law?
I simply cannot thank Maggie Griffin enough for all she does; and our
"work" is more like "play," for we love design, beautiful homes and the
chance to create and combine the two.
You can take us out of Hawkinsville but you cannot take the Hawkinsville
out of us! Tradition with a twist is our style; pine cones aplenty find
their way into our decor; plundering our grandparents' attics and
helping siblings with weddings are just a couple pastimes in which we
delight. Ladies and gents, I am pleased as punch to welcome my friend
and fellow designer Maggie Coody Griffin to this Farmer's Dozen!
1. From Halloween parties at Baboo's to Longleaf
Hunting Club to pink fluff at the Steak House, what are some of your favorite
memories of us? Gosh, there are so many! I love that we share so many memories.
As children, the Halloween parties were so fun! We’ve now gone from bobbing for
apples as kids to picking up pine cones at Longleaf as adults! And, I still like
pink fluff! Riding 4-wheelers at the Farmer’s farm is a funny memory too! We’ve
always had fun together whether picking flowers on the side of the road,
taunting buffalo and cattle, decorating beautiful rooms, planning fabulous
events, or attending fun parties. But what I love most is our time chatting and
sharing hilarious stories while in the car!
2. If you were a color, what would you be and
why? It is so difficult to pick just one! But, it would probably be blue. For
blue reminds me of summers spent by the ocean, the blue and white china hanging
on the walls of my childhood, and the turquoise jewelry that I can’t get enough
of! The girly girl in me love love loves my pink too… of my favorite berry –
the raspberry, sunsets over the water, and the roses and camellias that were
always in my grandmothers’ gardens.
3. What are some of your favorite heirlooms? What
do you love about them? How have you incorporated them into your decor? My
family has had a lot of my grandmothers’ and great-grandmother’s things in
storage that we grandkids get to plunder through at our leisure. A few months
ago my husband and I loaded up a mid-century table (now a chic high-gloss
black) of my Mema’s and a small secretary of my Baboo’s – the little secretary
was in my mother’s childhood homes and even went with her to college, and now
is a pale blue gray tucked into a corner of my bedroom. Over the years, I have received
jewelry, silver and even vintage clothes that belonged to them all. I’ve got a
pair of precious diamond studs from my Mama Doris and some of her gorgeous
antique tableware. A few years ago, my mother had a watercolor rendering done
of Baboo’s beautiful living room – it’s one of my favorite pieces of art and
reminds me of so many happy times with family!
4. What's your favorite room in your home?
Most definitely the kitchen and keeping room.
I love the ample natural light in this room and that so many can gather and
graze and catch up with me without getting in my way! There’s no place I’d
rather be in my home than behind the island while my loved ones are chatting
from a barstool or the settee; it belonged to my Baboo as well, and has been in
the family since I was a baby.
5. What's your favorite pattern? Oh
goodness, there are so many! I love a graphic print such as a chevron or a
Greek key. And I am equally happy with classics such as ticking stripes and
toiles. But the global influence of Ikats and batiks never fail to inspire me!
Fortunately, my clients have loved patterns like me! I gravitate toward a
neutral base on large upholstery pieces and prefer to bring in pattern with
pillows, small ottomans, and window treatments.
