In recent years, the South has seen incredible individuals across industries take their rightful place among the region’s top talent. Adrianne Bugg and Brandeis Short of Pillar & Peacock bring an eye for beauty and excellence to interior design projects that are impeccably imagined and flawlessly executed. We had the exciting opportunity to speak with the talented design duo.

Here’s what they had to say.

1) At Pillar & Peacock, storytelling is a key element of your design philosophy. What is your process for successfully uncovering a client’s story?

We love storytelling. That’s the heart of everything that we do. We have a process that helps keep us in line—find, focus, and finish. We always say that we don’t want you to walk into a room and say, “Pillar and Peacock did this.” We want it to be about the homeowner. We want to be telling their story.

So we start with the find. We do a deep dive of creative discovery—the pieces that they want to use in the home, the art that they’ve collected, how they use the space, and how they entertain.

There’s a lot of listening in the very beginning of our process. We take that information and then we bring insight to the table based on what they’ve given us. That’s where we see everything come together, and that story takes shape.

Then we move into the focus phase, which is where we are developing the story. We’re selecting items and pieces that tell that story. We want it to be very authentic to them.

Then our third phase is the finish phase, and that’s where we take all of those details that we have focused on and make the action happen. So this is when we’re pulling it all together, bringing it in, and installing it.

That’s one of the greatest joys of our job—when the client sees it all come together. That final moment when we come in and pull that story together and present it to them is usually emotional. They say, “Wow, you gave that piece a whole new life.” Or, “I never would’ve imagined this piece of artwork in here, but it’s amazing.” That’s how we tell the story of design.

 

2) How do you marry your signature style with Alabama’s unique character, and in what ways does Southern culture influence your design aesthetic?

We don’t have a cookie-cutter design—everything’s very curated for each client. It’s less about where you are; it’s more about who you are and what you want that to reflect. We’re honoring what your personal style is, but we also pay attention to the house and the area. It’s not just a one-size-fits-all formula with us. It’s what the client needs, but it’s also what the house needs.

There’s some really cool design coming out of Alabama. We want to find that unique twist. If you’re passionate about using local, we want to find those local artisans or furniture makers to tie that all in. It’s all a part of leaving those threads on that canvas to tell the story. It’s also the client’s history and the story of why they’re living there—why they bought the house. Maybe it’s a family home that’s been in the family for generations. We have to respect all of that.

We’re both from the South. When you think about Southern culture, you think about our porches, our conversations, and storytelling. That’s part of our history—we are welcoming people into our home and having that comfort. We try to listen to all of our clients and find out what that [story] is. It’s their story. So we dive deeper into that.

3) Modernizing Southern historic homes can pose many challenges. How do you approach transforming these spaces while preserving their original charm?

We’ve done estates that are over 250 years old. It goes back to our process. We are finding out so much information in the beginning and understanding the story behind the house and the family, and the why that we want to weave.

We’re not just waving our hands and throwing things places. With Pillar and Peacock, what we were trying to convey was that you have to look at the function, and the pillar is an architectural structure. It represents the practical side of design.

The peacock is a beautiful bird, and it symbolizes the artistry that’s involved in any design. So it’s nailing that function and then saying, “How are we going to give this a new life? What can we do that honors the architecture of the home?” Maybe there’s a beautiful detail that we want to keep because that also reflects who our client is.

Then we’re weaving in those more modern elements to improve flow or incorporate a timeless material. Maybe we mix that with something really funky that the client has or that they want. We’re really good at mixing styles. Naturally, we end up on these projects, it could be a historic or older Southern home, where we’re combining it with a modern family and their needs.

4) In what way do Southern artisans or regional materials play a role in your projects?

Ten years ago, I [Brandeis] had not lived in the state of Alabama; then I came to Florence. Obviously, in Florence, you have quite a bit of rich art coming from our region and from all over. It’s so amazing. I’m always pleasantly surprised at what’s coming out and want to dive in more.

I was down in Sylacauga and pulled Alabama marble for a project that is a 250-year-old home. They wanted it to be Alabama marble and were very specific about that. They also had just gotten AC in that home for the first time, and we had to have slim radiators put in. Unfortunately, we had to cut some of the amazing base, but we found a millworker out of Montgomery who made the shape and ran the wood base for us.

I’m passionate about the fact that we are losing so many of our skilled people. We need to be investing more in that.

5) Finally, tell us about a memorable project that captured a client’s personal story or heritage in a meaningful way.

One of my favorites is an old fish camp that’s here in Florence. It’s a 1930s fish camp that was built for our client’s mother. Her mother had polio, and they built it for them to go and swim in the Shoals Creek here in Florence. It’s really one of my favorite projects. She had a ton of artwork from her mother—hundreds of pieces and sculptures. We incorporated that throughout, and it was beautiful.

She said, “My mom would be so happy to see all these pieces in a different light and in a different place.” It’s on the water, so we got to honor the landscape. The interiors feel very much like the exterior—bringing those indoors in. That felt really good and authentic to us. The stone pathways that lead to the house go along the water and become the flooring in the spaces. When you’re sitting in the living room, you’ve got these huge windows, and it feels like you’re on top of the water.

See more of Pillar & Peacock’s stunning design projects here and follow along on Instagram here.