House Romantics: Lindsey Coral Harper

A few years ago in New York, I had the good fortune to meet Cartersville, Georgia, native and Manhattan-based interior designer Lindsey Coral Harper (photo below) when she launched Lamshop, the furniture collection she designs and produces in partnership with the talented Maggie Currey.

(photo by Laurey Glenn)

To say that the glamorous, graphic aesthetic of the pieces stopped me dead in my tracks that day is a GIANT understatement (just take a closer look at some of the items in the collection below and you'll see why):

And a few short months after that first meeting, I got to know Lindsey even better when I included her in Garden & Gun's Southern Women issue in 2011. She is, without a doubt, destined to be one of the most famous interior designers of my generation. Given the fact that she landed the cover of House Beautiful in February of 2012, you can mark my words on that.

And I feel super simpatico with Lindsey because she's a huge advocate for Southern artisans, artists, and designers like I am and that quality makes her the perfect House Romantics subject. A photographic tour of the things she loves most in her New York City apartment follows below. Enjoy.

—Her zebra console. "I have no idea where my obsession with zebras began but I fell in love with this commode and had to have it! The gilded greek key mirror I found at a Paris flea market. The ikat bowl holds all my personal mail, invitations, baby announcements, Christmas cards, and birthday cards and is by Nate Berkus for HSN. The antique maharajas on their elephants are from a New York flea market."

—Her vintage bar cart and cocktail table. "I love—scratch that—I am OBSESSED with barware and glassware, china, flatware and anything for entertaining!  I never have enough storage for my collection. One day I imagine I will have a butler’s pantry larger than my kitchen!  I love to set up a beautiful bar to show of all of these wonderful pieces and of course love my Chinese Red Lacquered Lamshop Cocktail table. I am pretty sure it’s one of the first pieces we ever produced!" 

—Her bedside table tableau. "It’s vintage and I had my dear friend Jay paint it in faux black/gray/white tortoise. I always wanted a pair of mercury Christopher Spitzmiller lamps, so I finally bought myself an imperfect pair at one of his 'Seconds' sales which is fine by me as I often prefer imperfect! The tiny zebra is from Palm Beach. There's also a photo of me and my grandmother Mary and a zebra tray from my brother where my rings sleep at night. And always books, books, and more books."

—Her Steve Penley piece. "Without even knowing it, I started collecting Southern art," she says. "I’m friends with Steve Penley and I love his works on paper, which are somewhat rare, since he uses paint for most of his work. I love this piece because it’s of College Street in Athens, Georgia, where I went to school, and where I met and became friends with Steve. And I love this arrow wallpaper. I saw it in an ad for something and looked all over the internet until I could source it."

—Her Rob Matre piece. "This is called 'Georgia Peanuts' by Rob Matre, a Southern photographer. My grandfather was a peanut farmer, so this reminds me of my roots." 

—Her origami paper planes by Nate Moore, from Little Rock, Arkansas. "I saw his work in Atlanta and through Emily Amy Gallery commissioned two of these for myself. He made them by using my favorite wallpapers." 

—Her malachite collection. "I have also started collecting malachite. Real, faux, boxes, ashtrays, china—you name it. If I see it, I typically grab it! I simply love the coloration of it."