The Welcoming House

The owners of the acclaimed stores and decorating firm Circa Interiors present eight stylish, beautiful homes blending comfort, beauty, and function with classic Southern hospitality. A house with an open door is like a friend with an open heart: inviting, generous of spirit, and constant at the core. In their first book, Jane Schwab and Cindy Smith present beautifully arranged interiors in which the trademarks of their style—subtle color palettes, graceful furniture, an emphasis on comfort and entertaining—harmonize to create fresh yet classic rooms. Walking the reader through each home with their characteristic Southern charm, they share their vision and process, from big-picture topics such as room flow and furniture plans, to the importance of entryways and setting a beautiful table. The lessons also extend from the interior to the garden, as Schwab and Smith discuss how outside spaces can become natural extensions of the home for entertaining. Throughout, they share specific ideas for arranging rooms to welcome one, two, or four people as comfortably as fifty, establishing multifunctional, adaptable gathering places that are both gracious and functional for the family of the house as well as their guests.

Jane Schwab and Cindy Smith have been partners in Circa since 1988. Schwab attended Parsons School for Design and spent several years working at the New York firm of Marshall Schule Associates. As a student in France, Smith developed a love of antiques, which led her to launch Circa Interiors & Antiques in 1979. Bunny Williams is an acclaimed interior designer and the author of four books, including An Affair with a House.