7 Designers Share The Best Advice They Received From Their Grandmothers

When it comes to giving design advice, grandmothers really do know best! Here, seven Southern interior designers reflect on some of the tips that their grandmas passed down to them about how to create a warm, welcoming, and put together home. These nuggets of advice will truly never go out of style!

Always Be Ready For Guests

Grandma knows best when it comes to how to be an all-star entertainer. “My grandmother instilled the importance of always having your home ready for guests,” says Elle Cantrell, the ounder of Elle Du Monde in Atlanta, Georgia. “Keeping your house in order—your guest bedroom ready, and snacks on hand—is key.”

Antiques Are Always In Style

Antiques will always be in vogue, and there are so many secondhand treasures just waiting to be found. “The best advice that I got from my paternal grandmother, Nana, was to use antiques and vintage pieces to economically yet stylishly outfit a short-term apartment,” says Pamela O’Brien, the founder of Pamela Hope Designs in Houston, Texas. O’Brien shares that her East Coast-based grandmother would travel to large cities, including Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., as well as smaller towns, such as Front Royal, Virginia, and Wheeling, West Virginia, in search of special finds. 

“She told me she had decorated my father and three aunt’s first apartments with antiques she had found,” O’Brien adds. “When Nana came to visit me in my first apartment in Texas, the first thing we did was go to an antiques store to find an armoire to use as a media console in my living room.”

Shop For Your Home As You Travel

Traveling provides an amazing opportunity to source one-of-a-kind pieces for your space that you’d never come across back in your home town. Sara Hillery, the founder of Sara Hillery Interior Design in Richmond, Virginia, says that her grandmother would tell her the following: “When you travel, bring something back for your home.”

Hillery adds, “My great-grandmother used to travel a lot and did the grand tours of Europe before she passed and would bring furniture and china back from her travels. As a kid, I always thought she was so cool and her house was full of one of a kind pieces. To this day, I still think she was a tastemaker!”

Curating Collections Is Key

Grandmothers often have some pretty impressive collections and may inspire you to start a few of your own. “I grew up with a grandmother who loved antiques and collections,” says Maggie Clarke, the founder of Maggie Clarke Interiors in Memphis, Tennessee. “I remember going over to her house and admiring a collection of antique handbags in her glass case curio coffee table.”

Clarke shares that she attributes her own love of curation and collections to her grandmother. “Every time I buy something for a collection of mine at an antique store or flea market, whether it’s chinoiserie or Staffordshire dogs, I always think of her,” she says.

Treat Your Belongings Well

It’s important to take good care of your prized possessions, something that Ariene Bethea’s grandmother instilled in her. “It wasn’t advice she ever said out loud, but more a lesson she taught by example,” says the founder of Dressing Rooms Interiors Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina. “My grandmother took care of her things—she had them recovered, refinished, and treated them with pride,” Bethea explains. “Watching her, I learned to buy with intention and invest in pieces that last.”

Use Your Nicer Pieces

Many people today are beginning to understand that it is indeed more than ok to use your nicer pieces on a day to day basis rather than saving them for a major holiday or celebration. In this respect, Mary Buford Guthridge’s grandmother, who lived to be 107, was certainly ahead of her time!

“I learned from her that it’s ok to live a relaxed lifestyle in formal rooms, and not to hide the finer things away and save them for special occasions,” says the founder of James Interiors in Richmond, Virginia. “Use them and enjoy them in everyday living.”

Don’t Forget About Flowers

Whitney Durham, the founder of Whitney Durham Interiors in Atlanta, Georgia, reflects on how well her grandmother incorporated fresh flowers into her home.

“Flowers elevate a space, no matter the occasion,” Durham says. “Fresh flowers, even from your own yard, are inviting, charming and helps a room feel special.”