Best of the South
Do you have favorite finds from around the South that you give as gifts, buy for your home or rave about to friends? If, so please share them with us. Send suggestion to: ljerkins@bellsouth.net. In the subject line, write Southern Made. Include your name and a contact number.
Pillows and prints for your home. And pouches and bags for spring break and other off-duty pursuits.
Passion for pillows
After she moved to Atlanta 13 years ago, Sudi Rafizadeh began doing custom drapery work for designers in the Southeast. But her dream job was to design an exclusive line of high-end pillows. A few years ago, encouraged by a friend, she started Designs by Sudi.
In her Buckhead studio, the Iranian-born designer — with a science degree and a love of textiles — combines vintage and modern materials to create her decorative pillows ($200 and up) in various sizes and shapes, including the lumbar (pictured).
Pillows in neutral colors are always top choices, she said, because they are versatile and work year-round. Accents, such as flat braids and Greek key trim, add the kind of attention to detail and craftsmanship that Atlanta A-list interior designers like. To learn more, visit
Bag it in style
Charleston, S.C.-based artist Lulie Wallace has a floral attraction. It shows in her bold and bright still-life paintings and prints, which have attracted small buyers and big retailers, such as Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie (one of her favorite stores).
In addition to her paintings, the Columbus, Ga., native and College of Charleston grad has created a line of textiles. Her bags and travel pouches pack a lot of style and come in a range of pastels, geometrics and — modern florals.
The “Daffodil” weekender bag is a current favorite. The bag ($88) is made of cotton duck with cotton web handles. Other products include large duffel bags ($139), pillows ($108) and zippered pouches in two sizes ($22 to $28). To order, visit www.luliewallace.com. At the site, check out her paintings and prints, which quickly sell out.
Inspired by nature
Honeysuckle. Spider lilies. Sweet gum balls. These native plants and others are found in Rachel Brown Fowler’s backyard in Columbiana, Ala. They also inspire her printmaking.
In Fowler’s India ink botanicals, caladiums and fan-shaped ginkgo leaves are popular with art and nature lovers. The botanicals are individually drawn, not printed, on 100 percent cotton paper. The black and white contrast of the prints highlights the graphic shape of the leaf, fruit or seed. Priced from $750 to $1,250, the unframed prints measure 22 inches by 30 inches.
The award-winning printmaker also offers signed and numbered silk screen and lithographs ($750 to $1,250 for 22 inches by 30 inches) of dandelions, cattails, “whirlybirds” and feathers. For the right wall, a series of these simple yet sophisticated prints work well.
For something smaller, consider Fowler’s sepia-toned intaglio prints. The unframed prints measure 7.5 inches by 11 inches and range from $100 to $400. Visit www.rachelbfowler.com. For credit card orders, call 205-910-3567. Fowler’s work can also be found at the Atchison Gallery in Birmingham’s Mountain Brook area.
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