Southern_Living_June_2017

JUNE 2017 / SOUTHERNLIVING.COM

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With kismet on their side, they began working

on the home’s expansive backyard, hoping to

create a poolside outdoor living area that felt

as cozy as a living room but with the glamour

quotient of a fabulous hotel’s cabana. Once Berry

finished transforming the space into a heaven-on-

earth veranda that’s 100% pet- and wet swimsuit-

proof, Sarah invited her inside.

While the outdoor living room had been

composed mainly of new pieces, Berry’s interiors

took a different, less shop-heavy route. First, she

emptied the house to paint it and then shopped the

family’s own possessions. From there, she moved

pieces into different rooms to play around with

scale and reupholstered furniture to create a sunny

take on traditional style.

Berry’s signs of success came from hearing

the veranda had turned into the family’s outdoor

living area, accommodating everything from

morning coffee dates to a baby shower for 20-

plus guests, with enough seating for all. See how

she pulled it all together.

SMOOTH ENTRY

Berry softened the

boxy-looking foyer with

a settee and curtains.

The designer also added

a celadon-colored linen

skirt to the Sammises’

old hexagonal table.

TRANSITION

ZONE

The family room is the

last stop before the

backyard, so it’s a natural

high-traffic zone. Berry

repurposed or re-covered

everything in this space

and even shortened the

legs of the old entry table

to make the coffee table.

Sky blue walls

(Opal Essence;

benjaminmoore.com)

and an arrangement

of leafy branches

channel Mother

Nature.

“

I wanted every seat in the house to invite people to sink in,

put their feet up, and throw pillows around.

”

—Sarah Sammis