Museum of Early Souther Decorative Arts
In Perfect Harmony: A MESDA Design Seminar
Winston-Salem, NC
May 2-3, 2025
Moderated by J. Thomas Savage, MESDA’s longtime Design Seminar host and the Director of Educational Travel & Conferences at Colonial Williamsburg, this program brings together notable architects, designers, and gardeners to share the latest trends in design, and how they create harmony between a home, garden, and a space’s history.
During the Saturday program, we’ll hear from Lady Xa Tollemache, Author of A Garden Well Placed, about her experiences designing the gardens at Helmingham Hall while remaining in harmony with the home. We’ll then learn from Charlottesville-based interior designer Charlotte Moss, author and editor of over a dozen books and star of the American interior design world, about her design influences. Finally, interior designer and architect Steven Gambrel, part of the Architectural Digest’s AD100 in 2023, will share how he creates modern interiors rooted in tradition. The day will close out with a book signing.
2025 Southern Living Idea House
PHOTO: JON MESSER
For more than 35 years, Southern Living has partnered with builders, architects, and designers to produce custom houses. The 2025 Idea House will be in Keswick, a community just outside of Charlottesville that celebrates the charm of Virginia’s countryside. Charlotte is thrilled to be working with developer Molly Hardie; builder Alexander Nicholson; architects Rosney Co. Architects and Waterstreet Studio.
The Idea House will be open for public tours from August through December 2025 Thursday through Sunday. Thursday through Saturday, hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Sundays, hours are 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. It will be closed for tours on Thanksgiving Day.
Thank you to the national sponsors.
UPCOMING EVENTS
May 2, 2025
In Perfect Harmony: A MESDA Design Seminar
Winston-Salem, NC
May 7, 2025
Cherokee Garden Library 50th Anniversary Celebration
Atlanta History Center
Atlanta, GA
July 15, 2025
Martha’s Vineyard Edgartown Yacht Club
August – December 2025
Southern Living Idea House
Charlottesville, VA
PAST EVENTS
–Madison Antiques and Fine Things – A Conversation with John Bossard
-Sulgrave Club – Talk with Stan Dixon
-Williamsburg Antiques Forum
-Winter Antiques Show – Discussion with Suzanne Tucker
-VCU Alumni Star Awards
-Kaftans & Cocktails-Caspari Flagship Store
-Glaucoma Foundation – Kitty Carlisle Hart Award of Merit for Lifetime Achievement
-Little Rock Garden Club – Centennial Community Coffee and Lecture
-Columbia Garden Club Garden Symposium – Lecture, Luncheon and Booksigning
-Thomasville Antiques Show – Panel and Booksigning with Stan Dixon
-ICAA Southeast Chapter – Quattuor Lecture Series
-Devon Yacht Club
-American Horticultural Society Gala at River Farm
-Housing Works Design on a Dime – co-chair
-Garden & Gun’s 13th Annual Made in the South Awards – Home Category Judged by Charlotte
-Lecture and booksigning at Naples Tables
-Rizzoli Bookstore Holiday Party -Author book signing
-Honorary showhouse chair Flower Magazine Atlanta Showhouse
-Lecture at the Stony Brook Garden Club
-Lecture and Luncheon at the Garden Club of Somerset Hills
-Celebrating Resilience – An Evening with No Kid Hungry
-Spring commencement address Virginia Commonwealth University
-Luncheon, lecture and book signing at The Carnegie Museum of Fine Art
-Lecture at The Oak Spring Garden Foundation
-Lecture and booksigning at the Sulgrave Club
-Lecture and book signing at the Columbus Botanical Gardens’ Gala Luncheon
-Lecture and book signing at the Birmingham Antiques at the Garden show
-Honorary Chair for the Olmsted Forum for the Albelmarle Garden Club
-Conversation with Margot Shaw from Flower Magazine for the 10th Annual ADAC in Bloom
-Lecture and book signing at the Maidstone Club Benefiting the New East Hampton Emergency Department
-In conversation with Lisa Fine at Barrett Bookstore
-Live webinar with the Garden Club of St. Louis
-A conversation with Steele Marcoux of Veranda on flowers, inspiration and spring. On InstagramTV
-Online chat as part of Jura Koncius’s weekly Home Design Advice Q&A with the Washington Post.
-Conversation and book signing with Margot Shaw of Flower Magazine hosted by Bookhampton
-Creative Conversations Series with Pamela Jaccarino of LUXE On InstagramTV
-House Beautiful: A Day at the Flower Market with Robert Rufino
-A Conversation with Dayle Haddon on reinventing yourself and discovering beauty in your surroundings on InstagramLive
-Conversation with Maria Pollard for the Washington Winter Antiques Show
-Conversation with Tom Kligerman and Michael Boodro on the Design Leadership Network’s Travel by Design
-Indagare’s Global Conversations Podcast
-Deep Dive with Dara Caponigro and Schumacher1889 on Youtube
-Leaders of Design Council: Elevations speaker series
-Charlotte introduces: A Garden for All Seasons for Hillwood Museum’s Livestream Lecture series.
-Charlotte chats with Margot Shaw of Flower Magazine on InstagramTV
-Charlotte chats with Tori Mellott for Schumacher’s Next Door Series
-Design Master Class with Luxe’s Editor in Chief Pamela Jaccarino on Instagram TV
-House Calls with Thom Filicia: InstagramLive
Design Masterclass with Carl Dellatore Rizzoli Bookstore InstagramTV
-Global Conversations with Melissa Biggs Bradley of Indagare
-A Heart to Heart with Century’s John Welker
-Panel discussion on Mario Buatta and the English Country Side Style at Sotheby’s
-Panel discussion at the Theta Charity Antiques Show
-Conversation with Steele Marcoux at the Dallas Women’s Club
-Longue Vue House and Gardens Design Symposium
-Conversation with William Norwich to Celebrate the Release of “Interiors”
-Lecture and book signing at the Garden Club of Santa Barbara
-Chair of the New York City Ballet Spring Gala
-Co-Chair of the Bone Marrow Foundation “Be a Lifeline” Gala
–Wynsum Antiques and Interiors Book Signing
-Fashioning Change with IBu
-Lecture and Book Signing at the Thomasville Antiques Show
–Houston Holiday Home Tour
-IBU Trunk Show at the Townhouse
-A Conversation with Jennifer Dengel
-The AD Aesthete Podcast: Elsie de Wolfe, the Mother of Modern Decoration
-The Business of Home Podcast: Charlotte Moss is a legend, not a brand
-Keynote speaker and book signing at Delaware Antiques Show
-Century Furniture at High Point Market
-San Francisco Antiques Show
-Booksigning at Leontine Linens
-Lecture and booksigning at ADAC
-Booksigning at Caspari
–What’s New, What’s Next, New York
-Easthampton Historical Society
–Marders Booksigning
-A.Home Booksigning and Celebration
–Meg Braff and Elizabeth Pash
–Washington Post-Home Front with Jura Koncius
–Mecox L.A. Booksigning
–Wake Up L.A. with Nathan Turner
-La Cienega Design Quarter: Legends 2018:A conversation with David Netto and Nate Berkus
–Wakefield Design Center
-Elizabeth Park Conservancy
-D. Porthault Booksigning
-Flower Magazine “In Bloom”
–New Canaan garden Club and New Canaan Beautification League
–Washington Winter Antiques Show
-IBU Trunk Show, Birmingham
-IBU Trunk Show, Dallas
-IBU Trunk Show, New Jersey
-IBU Collection Charleston Debut
-IBU Boutique at the Pierre
–Woman’s Club of Richmond
-At Home with Dogs and Their Designers Book Party
-Rizzoli Bookstore
-ICAA Legacy Dinner
–NYSID Annual Benefit Dinner
-Bone Marrow Be a Lifeline Spring Gala