After working in TV news, Suzanne Winston launched a second career renovating houses. She gained a reputation for mixing vintage furnishings into modern homes, and eventually launched a full-service interior design firm with a brick-and-mortar showroom. Based in Alabama, with projects that span the Gulf Coast, Suzanne mixes modern and classic elements to reimagine coastal interiors. Here, she shares a few recent projects and her favorite Chairish pieces.
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What made you passionate about interior design?
I would have to say growing up near New Orleans (and later living there) is probably the biggest thing that contributed to my passion for interior design. It’s a city that embraces architecture and history, and there is so much emphasis there on the creative arts. Also, people tend to have so much pride in their homes. They keep them beautiful and entertain so beautifully in them. All of this made an impression on me at a young age. I also had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time in Charleston, South Carolina, and I’m now living near Mobile, Alabama. These are all great Southern cities with fabulous architecture, and people who appreciate vintage and antiques.
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How’d you get your start in interior design?
Completely by accident! My first career was journalism, as a TV news reporter/producer. When my husband’s job brought us back to the Gulf Coast, I began renovating homes in the cute coastal town of Fairhope, Alabama. People would come to our open houses and tell me that they could not see a single way to improve it. That’s when I realized I really had a gift.
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As I renovated more homes, I started using antiques to build in kitchen cabinets and powder room vanities. This was 25 years ago, when no one in the area was doing that, so my projects stood out. I instinctively started using old family pieces to stage a house. I took undervalued homes, saw the potential in them that others missed, and renovated them into beautifully detailed spaces—that’s how I discovered that I have a knack for turning “ugly duckling” homes into swans. I truly love working with people to help bring their visions to life. It’s what I was meant to do. It just took me a while to figure it out.
What do you find most compelling about Chairish?
The whole concept that I can source antiques from multiple countries from the privacy of my own home in my pajamas! On the flip side, I love sharing my finds and the beautiful pieces I curate on my travels to France, England, and Morocco—and even pieces I find right here at home. Italy is coming up this summer! Also, I love the relationships I’ve made with other Chairish sellers—we have bought from people who have now become friends!
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Favorite way to create a statement-making moment in a room?
I love mixing new transitional or contemporary pieces with one fabulous statement antique chandelier, or antique commode. And then I bring in pops of color—whether it’s through a fabric or a fabulous wallpaper.
Do you have any go-to color palettes and color combos?
I do not like to be limited! Each project starts anew! But we do love color. Our clients in the coastal areas tend to be in love with neutrals and whites or either blues and greens. Layered greens have really been trending lately. We’ve worked on other homes and other places where the color palettes need to be something entirely different.
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What advice do you have for first-time clients to make their space truly personal?
If you see something you truly love, you will always find a place for it and it will always make your home happy! I always tell young couples starting out to invest in the best quality pieces you can afford. Even if you have to buy them one at a time over a few years, you’ll likely never replace them. My husband and I lived by that when we first got married. The very first club chair we ever purchased was a quality piece made in North Carolina, and we’ve recovered it five times. It remains with us to this day.
Lead Image: Interior Design by Suzanne Winston, Photography by Laura Rowe.
