Guest Speakers

Antiques at the Gardens is pleased to welcome these nationally and internationally acclaimed interior designers, floral designers, architects, landscape architects, and furniture designers to our 18th annual show.

dealers

Stacey Bewkes

Shop the Show
Friday, October 4 | 9:30 a.m

Quintessence founder Stacey Bewkes is a well-respected voice for original written, photographic, and video content in the world of design and lifestyle. From interiors, art and architecture, to antiques and decorative arts, jewelry, travel, and more, Stacey presents the stories behind the style with thoughtful, well-researched and beautifully documented content. Her popular “Quintessence” video series, produced with author Susanna Salk, garners millions of views worldwide.

Stacey is a dot-connector, creative collaborator and insightful curator of product and talent. She has been a sponsored blogger at innumerable events including the Architectural Digest Home Design Show, High Point Market, KBIS and La Cienega Design Quarter Legends; a featured speaker and moderator at many public and private design-related functions; and an inaugural member of the BlogTour team at the London
Design Festival. Quintessence has been featured in numerous print and online publications and was named one of Domino’s 26 favorite design blogs.

Bunny Williams

Red Diamond Lecture
Friday, October 4 | 11 a.m.

Considered one of the most talented names in design, Bunny Williams is an accomplished businesswoman, entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist. A lover of dogs, gardens, and china, Bunny’s knowledge and expertise are on par with her enjoyment of life. She launched her eponymous firm following a 22-year apprenticeship with the esteemed Parish-Hadley Associates.

Her business, Bunny Williams Inc., includes Williams Lawrence, Bunny Williams Home, and a range of product and fabric lines, as well as her series of bestselling books. She has made her name creating interiors with livable elegance, and nowhere is this more apparent than her own beloved country house in Connecticut where she lives throughout the year. For over 35 years, Bunny has brought her impeccable eye to a series of gardens that extend across the verdant and ever-evolving 22-acre property. In her new book “Bunny Williams: Life in the Garden,” Bunny shares her passion and infectious enthusiasm for planting, entertaining, and living among nature year-round.

Photo credit: Annie Schlechter

Gil Schafer

Red Diamond Lecture
Friday, October 4 | 2 p.m. | Followed by book signing.

Award-winning architect Gil Schafer is one of the country’s leading practitioners of contemporary classical architecture and one of the most sought-after residential architects working today. He is a member of Architectural Digest’s AD100, a winner of VERANDA’s “Art of Design Award,” a recipient of the Arthur Ross Award for Architecture, and the subject of the recent PBS documentary, “Design in Mind: Unlocking the Mysteries of Place.” Gil holds a Master of Architecture from Yale and is the author of the bestselling books “The Great American House” and “A Place to Call Home.” His latest book, “Home at Last: Enduring Design for the New American House” is newly out from Rizzoli. He opened his eponymous firm G. P. Schafer Architect in 2002 and renamed the firm Schafer Buccellato Architects in the fall of 2023.

Photo Credit: Eric Piasecki

Elizabeth Lawrence

Saturday, October 5| 11 a.m.| Followed by book signing.

Elizabeth Lawrence has spent her career working alongside Bunny Williams, designing projects across the country from Manhattan to Palm Beach to Los Angeles. Since being named Bunny’s only partner in 2017, which led to the renaming of the firm as Williams Lawrence in 2023, she and Bunny have run the Bunny Williams umbrella of brands together.

Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Elizabeth attended the University of Richmond and then the New York School of Interior Design. She was honored by The New York School of Interior Design at their annual gala in 2020, and her work has been widely published in The New York Times, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Veranda, Galerie, House Beautiful, and many others. A few of her current projects include a new country estate, a glamorous New York City townhouse, a Palm Beach getaway, and a young family’s apartment overlooking Central Park.

Photo Credit: Lesley Unruh

Moderated by Steele Marcoux, Editor in Chief, VERANDA Magazine

Rudy Saunders

Saturday, October 5| 11 a.m. | Followed by book signing.

Rudy Saunders, Design Director of Dorothy Draper & Company, Inc., joined America’s oldest established and continually operating interior design firm in 2015 under the direction of his role model, Mr. Carleton Varney. Based in New York City, Rudy is involved with all aspects of the firm including designing colorful, bright, and fun residential interiors for discerning private clients across the U.S. and internationally. Additionally, he oversees the design direction of hospitality projects, including The Greenbrier in West Virginia and Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan.

Originally from Cincinnati, Rudy attended University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) where he received a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design. A prolific needle pointer, Rudy launched an exclusive needlepoint collection, R! by Rudy in 2020.

Moderated by Steele Marcoux, Editor in Chief, VERANDA Magazine

Elizabeth Pyne Singer

Saturday, October 5| 11 a.m. | Followed by book signing.

Elizabeth joined McMillen Inc. in 2009 after having worked at Sotheby’s, where she was a specialist in the Old Master paintings department. At McMillen, Elizabeth has completed interior design projects throughout the United States.

Her “Old Guard/Avant-Garde” approach to decorating, mixing traditional motifs with contemporary art and design, has captured the attention of leading shelter publications. Elizabeth’s work has been published by outlets such as Architectural Digest, New York Magazine, The New York Times, and House Beautiful. Celebrating its 100th year this year, McMillen Inc. is the oldest, continuously operating design and decorating firm in America.

Moderated by Steele Marcoux, Editor in Chief, VERANDA Magazine

Barry Dixon

Saturday, October 5| 2 p.m. | Followed by book signing.

From a Manhattan loft choreographed for entertaining, to Arts and Crafts in a woodland glade, to embassy elegance in Washington, D.C., Barry Dixon has seen and designed it all. As one of America’s top designers, Barry’s work is a masterful blend of traditional and contemporary that mixes color and texture in creative ways, that has clients across the country clamoring for his designs.

His work has been featured in scores of publications, including House Beautiful, Better Homes & Gardens, Traditional Home, and more. Barry’s own furniture and soft furnishings line is carried in showrooms nationally.

Moderated by Margot Shaw, Editor in Chief, FLOWER Magazine

Mary McDonald

Saturday, October 5| 2 p.m. | Followed by book signing.

Award-winning, L.A.-based interior designer Mary McDonald is one of today’s most sought-after tastemakers, known for fearless exuberant style immersed in classicism. Her client roster includes renowned celebrities as well as Forbes 400 families. She stars on Bravo’s “Million Dollar Decorators” and has been featured in countless major publications throughout the world.

Consistently ranked one of House Beautiful’s top 100 designers, her gorgeous, feminine interiors have graced the cover of every major design magazine. Dubbed the “decorating daredevil” by Domino magazine, Mary began her career as a milliner and retains a sense of “couture chic” that inspires the look of her interiors, which are simultaneously timeless and of the moment. Her ability to combine bold patterns, chinoiserie, and Indian influences with contemporary lines and an impeccable sense of color has made her one of the most sought-after interior designers working today. Her first book, “MARY MCDONALD: INTERIORS, The Allure of Style” from Rizzoli Publishing is currently in its fifth printing.

Moderated by Margot Shaw, Editor in Chief, FLOWER Magazine

Michelle Nussbaumer

Saturday, October 5| 2 p.m.| Followed by book signing.

The guiding force behind Ceylon et Cie, founder Michelle Nussbaumer has always had a passion for creating timeless spaces inspired by the furthest reaches of the globe. Michelle Nussbaumer’s design career began in Rome, where expats fell in love with the villa she had decorated and sought her out as a guide to Italian treasures. After moving to Los Angeles, Nussbaumer opened her design business and chic antique shop in La Brea. A decade later, she returned to Dallas and opened her celebrated shop Ceylon et Cie. Her work has been featured in Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, Veranda, Marie Claire, House & Garden, and the New York Times.

Through Ceylon et Cie, Michelle and her team of visionaries are turning Old World inspiration into modern, soulful interiors for youthful spirits. From antique textiles to contemporary touchstones, interior design at Ceylon et Cie is often a menagerie of pieces that together create a one-of-a-kind experience as unique as the individuals they’re designed for.

Moderated by Margot Shaw, Editor in Chief, FLOWER Magazine

Calvert Crary

Saturday, October 5 | 3:30 p.m.

Calvert Crary is the Executive Director of FlowerSchool New York and FlowerSchool Los Angeles, and author of “Flower School: A Practical Guide to the Art of Flower Arranging.” Professional photographer and floral entrepreneur, Calvert is an internationally recognized instructor and mentor, and was this year’s judge for the prestigious PHS Philadelphia Flower Show. Calvert has trained and coached thousands of students in the floral industry.

Alexa Hampton

Sunday, October 6 | 11 a.m.

Alexa Hampton has been president of Mark Hampton, LLC, her iconic father’s interior design company, since 1998. She has been named one of Architectural Digest’s AD100 Top Interior Designers every year since 2002 and has been included in House Beautiful’s list of America’s 100 Best Designers every year since 1999. The creator of the recurring “Where-to” feature for the Wall Street Journal, she is also the designer of eponymous licensed products for the home and a member of the board of the New York School of Interior Design. In 2012, she became the first female designer to win the International Market Centers’ Design Icon Award.

She is the author of three books. Her most recent book, “ALEXA HAMPTON: Design, Style, and Influence” is a memoir about her journey into design and the inspirations that shaped her iconic style.

James Carter

Sunday, October 6 | 2 p.m.

James Carter’s frequent travels and an ever-expanding personal library have yielded a thorough understanding of and passion for classical architectural principles. He earned his degree in architecture from Auburn University and opened his namesake studio in 1996 after years of experience working with a respected Birmingham architect. James, along with associate architects Scott Boyd and Andy Taylor, create timeless homes that portray an “easy grace.” Project concepts and designs are inspired by classical vernaculars, based on historical precedent, and reflective of the homeowner’s lifestyle and personality.

Highly detailed, hand-rendered construction drawings, along with James’ personal involvement through project completion reflect the firm’s “hands-on” philosophy. His firm’s work can be seen from Texas throughout the South and as far north as Massachusetts and Missouri.

Moderated by Michael Diaz Griffith, Executive Director & CEO of Design Leadership Network

Richard Keith Langham

Sunday, October 6 | 2 p.m.

Alabama born and Manhattan based, Keith has been a force in the decorating world for more than 30 years. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and studying at the Study Center for the History of Fine and Decorative Arts in London, he then apprenticed with design legend Mark Hampton.

Keith spent 10 years with Irvine & Fleming before founding his own firm in 1990. His keen eye and ebullient talent serve well in assembling his signature rooms—those that speak to the past in a fresh way and are brimming with luscious color, pattern, and couture detailing. Perhaps no one summed up his aesthetics more than Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who once proclaimed him to have “a sorcerer’s eye.”

Moderated by Michael Diaz Griffith, Executive Director & CEO of Design Leadership Network

Ben Page

Sunday, October 6 | 2 p.m.

Ben Page is an award-winning, nationally renowned landscape architect with over 40 years of experience. Growing up in Tennessee, Page gleaned knowledge of the land, natural systems, and horticulture during a childhood spent on his grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ farms.

Over the years, his passion led him to specialize in residential landscape architecture. Ben strives to design projects with his clients that are richly detailed and often incorporate a combination of historical influences interpreted for the 21st century. His work has received numerous awards and has been featured in publications including The New York Times, Garden & Gun, Southern Living, The Washington Post, and House Beautiful.

Moderated by Michael Diaz Griffith, Executive Director & CEO of Design Leadership Network