In his new book, interior designer and gardening expert James Farmer shows that you can go home again—to welcoming Southern style regardless of your location or time of life.
Happy Friday!
I have a beautiful new interior design book to share and giveaway, courtesy of Gibbs Smith Books:
Home Again: A Return to Gracious Interiors
by James T. Farmer (Author), Emily Followill (Photographer)
I’m a huge fan of James Farmer and have several of his books! If you’re not familiar with him, let me introduce you:
James Farmer is a Southern author, interior designer, gardening expert, and entertainer. This is his third interior design monograph (following A Place to Call Home, Arriving Home, and Celebrating Home) and his eleventh book overall. His work has also been featured by Flower Magazine, House Beautiful, Traditional Home, the Today Show, among other publications and outlets. He lives in Perry, Georgia, and maintains a home in Cashiers, North Carolina.
In his new book, James Farmer shows that you can go home again―to welcoming Southern style regardless of your location or time of life:
“Through these chapters I am delighted to take you on a tour of homes that evoke the seasons of our clients’ families and set the stage for seasons to come. From the farmlands of Georgia to the Carolina Lowcountry, the Blue Ridge Mountains to the citrus groves of Florida, college towns, Martha’s Vineyard, and a cottage in Mississippi, the places within these pages are inspiration and reminders of Southern style and traditional décor. Town and countryside play host and hostess, setting the tone to celebrate our homes wherever they are.”
Let’s take a look a few pages and interiors. . .
As a dishaholic, I’m a fan of plates as a decorative element on the walls. . .a wonderful way to enjoy them every day instead of stacked away in a cabinet!
I thought this bedroom with the combination of greens, blues and tans was so dreamy and soothing. . . it looks so cool and inviting, especially with our current August heat and humidity!
Wallpaper has made a resurgence in interior design after a period where painted walls
were the dominant trend . . .
There is such a wide range of styles, patterns, and textures available these days.
I loved the painted floor and register in this bedroom, layered with a diamond pattern rug. . .
And I have kitchen envy!
Such an expansive island for entertaining (and storage!) and beautiful painted cabinets in this open kitchen.
The painted backdrop of the built-ins above really make the homeowner’s collection of books, shells and pottery pop. . .
More dreamy soft blues and greens, including the ceiling of the master bath below!
In addition to his clients’ homes, James Farmer’s home, “Farmdale,” in Perry, Georgia, is featured, as well as his mountain home, affectionately dubbed “Joe Pye Cottage” (after his favorite native wildflower, Joe Pye weed) in Cashiers, North Carolina.
Gibbs Smith Publisher has provided me a copy of Home Again to give away to one reader.
For a chance to win a copy, tell me what’s the best purchase you made for your home design-wise, or what would you change if you could . . .draperies, wallpaper, flooring/rugs or something else?
This giveaway is open to those living in the continental U.S. through midnight August 29th.
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
CONGRATS TO SUE B.!
Home Again: A Return to Gracious Interiors by James Farmer is available for preorder and releases September 9th.
Other favorite James Farmer books:
Arriving Home: A Gracious Southern Welcome
Celebrating Home: A Time for Every Season
* As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase anything through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Thank you to Gibbs Smith Publisher for providing a copy of Home Again for my review and giveaway.
“We can go home again—and that, my friends, is a wonderful gift to ourselves daily and through each of life’s many seasons.”
– James T. Farmer, from the Introduction
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What a beautiful book! I’d have to say that the best addition we made to our home was installing hardwood floors about 10 years ago. We close a distressed wood finish so our wild pack of dogs wouldn’t wreck them racing around the house. It’s a hoot to watch them slide around trying to stop once they get going. 🐾Thank you for the opportunity!
Oh my goodness I’d love to have this book! So much of it with the blues and plates would be lovely in my own home. To sit with it and a cup of tea would be a lovely way to start or end a day!
James Farmer is one of my favorites! I’m glad that wallpaper is making a comeback as it can add so much character to a room. Thank you for always sharing such lovely photos and interesting content!
I love James Farmer and his wonderful style, he’s seems to be a true Southern gentleman too! I agree, that bedroom is so dreamy and I would love to win a copy of this book! As far as what I would change, I would love to replace the double set of French doors off the back of our house onto our deck. Thank you!
Love the book. The decorating style looks so cozy.
I am new to James Farmer but will definitely have to look at his books. I came to VA ( kicking and screaming but hubby was the primary wage earner at the time and he was transferred from the beautiful low country of SC) and agreed to our current home with one major modification…the living room wall that faced our beautiful woods had two thin windows…it is now floor to ceiling windows with a gorgeous view of my three acres. I am now content in VA and enjoy seeing deer every day. Life happens and we adjust!
Gorgeous book – what a delight it would be to win! I love my wood ceilings (stained, not painted) and would be happy to swap out my speckled granite counter tops for beautiful cream colored marble instead.
He does beautiful work. We installed lvp flooring several years ago and have never regretted it. Living on acreage and having dogs we couldn’t be more pleased.
What a gorgeous post! James Farmer is a favorite of my daughter, and she takes a lot of her decorating ideas by following him on instagram….and I am enjoying watching her decorate her newly remodeled home in this layered style. I would love to share this book with her!
Good morning Mary! So much beauty between the pages. James Farmer is new to me, but I love his use of color, pattern and textures. I have a bad case of kitchen envy too. I’ve been trying to convince the mister that we need to update our kitchen for about 20 years now. 😊 When I win the lottery, I’m gutting it and pulling out all the stops! I’d love to win a copy of this book, thanks for the chance. Enjoy your weekend!
Oh I’m a big James Farmer fan! Green and white is always right! My new home is magenta and turquoise, however!😂. We just moved from coastal Virginia to the mountains of Virginia to be near grandchildren so there’s a lot of decor that came with me while having the opportunity to modernize and update a bit. I need this book for inspiration! I am about to embrace the latest love of wallpaper! Something I haven’t had in my home in many, many years! Trying to pick a paper these days is daunting! There are companies, sources and papers everywhere! 😵💫. My first room is my dining room. I’d love to see James’ latest book for inspiration before I make my final decision. Thank you Mary and Gibbs Smith!
Such a wonderful giveaway, Mary! Thank you for showing us the beautiful rooms James has created. If I could change anything in my home, it would be the flooring.
Best purchase for our home: kitchen expansion.
My best change is hiring an interior decorator to help with paint colors. She went with my choices and enhanced them to make a home I love… so many decorators want a home their style and don’t do as their client wants
Mary Good morning
The best purchase I made for my home was actually last year !
The beautiful addition of plantation shutters changed the look of my home both inside and out
James Farmer has creativity down to a science. his books are full of inspiration and clever tricks of the trade. The best thing we ever did to your 50 year old home was to paint white the black and gold Spanish kitchen and put glass into the cupboard island doors, it took the black hole of Calcutta and tuned it into a bright light place to work and entertain.
Every photo is dreamy! The best purchase I ever made for our home was a quality, hardwood-built sofa back in 1988. I’ve lost count of the number of times it has been re-slipcovered, and it’s still as solid as a rock :) I’m certain that James would approve lol!
What a beautiful book – I’d love to have it on my coffee table! Whenever I need some eye candy, there it is!
I must say, if you ever get the chance to see/hear James Farmer in person, don’t miss the opportunity. He’s so entertaining and interesting. And such a Southern gentleman!
I’m getting rather giddy looking at all of pictures from James Farmer’s books. I have ideas of using grass cloth wall paper in a tan and silver blue colored beach themed room. He has inspired me to continue on to create.
What’s not to love about James Farmer?!! I purchased a sideboard at an estate sale years ago that has been a favorite anchor piece! A new book sure would look nice on it!
I love Mr. Farmer’s decor style, it’s beautiful, fresh and inviting! What a lovely book too, it is a work of art! Happy fall yall!
I love James Farmer’s sense of style and home. Thank you for informing me about his new book. We have an old historic home and in the 1940s someone enclosed a porch, which is now our family room. With scored concrete floors and lots of window and French doors, this room needs a complete remodel. I am stuck on what to do because of the room’s dimensions. I need to tackle this project in 2026 and maybe James Farmer’s new book has the answers!
I LOVE that pretty is back. I’m truly tired of the clunky, uninteresting, huge boxes they call furniture these days.I walked through a store not long ago and saw that everything looked exactly the same! I remember when furniture stores offered a variety of styles to choose from. You walked through vignettes of Colonial, French Provincial, Early American and perhaps Mediterranean, for instance. Our choices were as different as our personalities. Now the only way to be unique is to look for vintage furniture, which in my opinion is way better and get inspired by designers like Eric. Thank goodness for designers like him for showing us there is an alternative. I have two of his books and definitely need more for inspiration!
I love James Farmer and have all of his books. I am excited for this new edition to his collection and can’t wait to purchase and dive in! His decor style is exactly my favorite timeless classic look. Every venue photographed is inspiring.
I would love to win a copy of this fabulous book. I recently changed the carpet and wall color in my bedroom to a silvery sage green. I have been using pink and white with it as I already had it. I have been wanting new bedding and draperies, but could not decide on a color pallet. The blue and green bedroom in this book is just perfect! I am inspired!
I didn’t know James Farmer, but the rooms in his book look lovely, calm, but at the same time interesting. I moved into my present house about 14 years ago, and did quite a bit then, but as I’m now retirement age, projects have ceased. When I moved in I put wallpaper in the dining room and one of the cozy bedrooms upstairs. Wall paper was very out then. Everything white and minimalism was in. But those rooms give me such joy over the years and I’ve never gotten tired of the patterns. Thank you for sharing the beautiful book.
I had no idea James Farmer lived primarily in Perry, Georgia. Originally from Atlanta, now Florida, we have shown horses for many years in Perry! As for changes, the first thing I really need to do is change and replace our flooring. Many doggies and many years have worn down the Florida tiles. Would adore to change them for wood looking tiles – still have doggies! :) Lots of doggies! ;)
This book is absolutely inspiring! I have loved seeing a peek into the book and it looks amazing. The best purchase I have made recently is my new kitchen/dinette/family room draperies. They have completed the polished look of my grand room (kitchen/dinette/family room) makeover, making the room so inviting for my family and friends.
He’s new to me and what a lovely home that I can only dream about. I’d love that book to inspire me.
I’ve always admired James Farmer’s work. How exciting that he has a book out, thanks for the give away. We are in the middle of a remodel and I am really tempted to add some wallpaper somewhere!
15 years ago we built our “retirement” home to last the rest of our lives. We built a one story, accessible home with pocket doors and tall toilets and two big porches on front and back of the house. All of those have been fabulous decisions but painting the walls in a dove grey was absolutely the best decision as it is the most calming and workable color I’ve ever had. Would love to see this new book as the pictures feel like home….
I love James Farmer’s style and am so happy to see that pretty decors and colors are coming back. So tired of everything being gray. Best thing I have done recently is to hire a decorator to have custom flowered linen draperies made for my living room.
Wow, what talent James Farmer has been gifted with! What I wouldn’t give for any of his room designs! Once we moved to this cottage four years ago, I was content with furnishing with estate sale finds to fill certain pockets. I think one of the best things I found were two chairs in a custom upholstery in a blue & white print with yellow piping. I just love those chairs, and they’re in my office space. What I’d love to replace now is my dining room set (brought from the condo, included in that purchase). I want a dish rack to display my dishes in rotations, and I have the perfect space for it, having left it blank ever since we moved here four years ago. I’d also love to find a bold and happy wallpaper for my powder room.
While I don’t own any of Farmer’s books, I’ve had Celebrating Home on my Amazon shopping list since Oct 2022, lol. I’ve loved each time I’ve seen him featured in my magazines. His style reminds me a bit of Dan Carithers., who also loved displaying his dishes.
Thanks for the review and the chance for the giveaway, Mary. You showcased some beautiful photos.
Be still my heart! What beautiful interiors. I downsized two years ago and the best practical decision I made was to redesign one wall of the kitchen to expand the cabinetry there. Now, I have an origami pantry, built-in refrigerator, hidden microwave station and handy drawers for my dishes and flatware.
I wallpapered the entry in Rifle Paper’s Peacock wallpaper which added so much drama to my generic 1970’s condo. I was hesitant to go so bold, but I love it!
I’m still debating whether to add draperies to the living room.
Thank you for making the Farmer book available to all of us in preview. You’re the best!
Such a beautiful book with lots of inspiration! I’d love to have a copy. The best decorating decision I ever made was to wallpaper my stairway, all the way from the first floor to the third. It United the spaces. I chose a very classic design so it still works 20+ years later. I’m so happy that wallpaper is back. Hope to re-wallpaper my powder room this winter!
Southern style perfection!
Beautiful Southern style! Mary, I have enjoyed your blog for a long time and this is my first time to post a comment. James Farmer is a favorite of mine and you and I also share the joy of waterfront living, but we don’t live there full time. We are tossing around the idea of downsizing to move to the river. Giving away over half of our belongings will not be easy for me. I will definitely be keeping my books. His newest book would be a treasure for sure! Thank you for alerting your readers to the upcoming release.
The book looks like I can get lots of inspiration! The best purchase we made was leather sofa and chairs. It lasts forever and my cats don’t ruin it by scratching and leaving hair stuck in the fabric.
Oh my, Home Again is definitely eye candy! I would love to drool over it’s pages! One of the best decisions I made to my home’s interior was adding on a sunroom. I love this space! Not only is it light and airy but so fun to decorate for the seasons. I recently scored a set of very high quality wicker furniture (I looked for years) for a steal that was in stellar condition. I did have the cushions recovered. It looks so classy in my sunroom. If I could have a do over I would put 10′ ceilings in my home and add more character architecture such as beams, batten board, crown molding or cornice. I could add some of those components today. If I win this book it will be my inspiration! I’ve been eyeing a couple of James Farmer’s other books…I mean eye candy!
Beautiful post and beautiful book, Mary!! I love James Farmer’s classy design techniques. His newest book would be such eye candy and so inspirational for anyone getting ready to remodel or update a home. Thanks for the giveaway.
Such a lovely book! My favorite design feature are two double French doors that open onto the lanai of our Florida home. We spent hours admiring the wildlife visiting the pond behind our house.
Hard to choose just one change, but hardwood floors throughout and plantation shutters add so much! I have everyone of James Farmers books, including his cookbooks which are lovely!
Thank you for offering such a wonderful giveaway!
Mary, I’m so excited to see James Farmer has a new book out. I’ve enjoyed having his books among my references on my bookshelves. I will need to check out this one. Thank you for an overview. His style is always appealing to my senses, not to mention his gardening skills. I’ll gladly throw my name into the drawing! As for what I feel is our best purchase for our home design wise, without hesitation I’d say, our art collected over the years. Someone recently asked me what my favorite aspect of our home is. I immediately responded our art. For us, art is personal, it speaks to us, and reflects an artist we admire, a place we have traveled, a subject that calls us. Our art is very eclectic and holds special significance within my heart.
The pages are beautiful and inspiring. I would if could tear up the tan colored rugs in every room of my house and replace them with something more grayish mixed color so it would go with every painted wall And decorations added through out the year(s).
I immediately was drawn to the plates on the walls, Mary. My beloved mom always had pretty plates hung on the walls and I loved that. What a beautiful book for a giveaway. What I would like done is to truthfully redo my kitchen table. In my younger years I was always doing projects of putting up wallpaper, painting, etc., but now I just don’t want the mess. I hope you have a beautiful weekend at your lake. ❤️
Mary, I’m a big fan of James Farmer. Love all his books! I think my best design idea was adding a butler pantry next to our dining room when we built our house over 30 years ago. I am a dishaholic!!! Having a place for all my china and crystal has been such a big help over the years. Thank you for the opportunity to win a James Farmer book.
Looks like inspiration on each page.
I think area rugs have been the best design choice I’ve made
Would love to win Home Again. The one thing I would change in building our home is carving out enough space to include an actual laundry room. It is currently in our garage although it is handy when grandkids are headed into the house from playing baseball, tumbling in the yard, getting dirty, etc. as they can shed their clothes to be washed before stepping back into the house.
Beautiful book Mary, with some stunning flower arrangements!
We are in a new to us home this year and it’s calling for old school Southern Traditional. I could study these pictures for hours. My best design wise choice for this home has been oil paintings, gobs of them in every size. On my wish list is some William Morris wallpaper for the powder bath and pantry. Now on to reading and gleaning from all your savvy reader’s comments. Thanks for a great post.
Thank you Mary for such a beautiful book giveaway. I’ve followed James Farmer for several years (and followed you for even longer). I love his (and yours) style.
I’ve made many updates in my 1936 home inside and out but now I need to just refresh with new
vignettes. I struggle with this. I have many lovely pieces but struggle with putting them together. They are the final step to add personality to a home.
Love the cover of this book, the kitchen and the over-the-top bathroom photo. If I could make a change, I would add lovely handmade tile to the bathroom and squeeze in more dreamy textiles all over the house. A couple changes make a big impace.
If I could change things….and do something “james farmer” it would be to copy the beautiful fence and backyard on the cover of one of his other books that you show….so inviting and relaxing!
I have always loved James Farmer’s timeless style and use of antiques coupled with new pieces. This looks like a beautiful book as are all of his.
If I could change anything about my house, I would make the dining room a little bigger. My dining table has several leaves, but I cannot use them because I don’t have the space. I enjoy having 8 around my table, but would love to be able to have more. More than anything, I cherish a few family pieces of furniture handed down. They aren’t fine, but add warmth to my decor. Thank you for continuing to provide beauty every time you post!
I\’d paint my kitchen cabinets!
Hiring a color consultant to assist with selecting quartzite countertops, kitchen cabinet and wall colors was the best design decision ever. No sleepless nights, and the project turned out even more beautiful than I anticipated. Thank you for sharing this wonderful book with us.
Thank you for the preview of this gorgeous book! I love the looks that James Farmer creates. If I could change anything in my home, I would take down the wall between our kitchen and dining room to create one large space and I would definitely add an island to the kitchen area.
I’m a Dishaholic too! And my best purchase when we moved into our forever home here in the Texas hill country was a 10 foot china cabinet, for our formal living area. I enjoy changing it out with all of my thrifted finds. I love this post and the dreamy style of James Farmer! Our styles are closely aligned and think I could learn a lot from his books. The regret I have is that we purchased engineered wood floors and our precious pups managed to scratch them! I love your posts and so enjoy them. Thank you!!
What a wonderful give-away, Mary! I am not entering this time, but to answer your questions – by far my very fav purchase for my home has been my huge antique armoire in my living room. I bought it when we first were married and moved to this new home we’re still in (forever home) due to its soaring high ceilings. That angled extra tall open area leading up to the loft needed to be filled with something wonderful and substantial. And all these years later it never fails to get a compliment to anyone new who comes to call. I absolutely love it. What I would do if I could? I’d realllllly love a screened porch. I am attacked by mosquitos when I am in my covered paver patio in back – love it – but the bugs are too much for me and I find I do not go outside nearly as much. We’ve had so much rain they’re just the worst this year. And we updated our kitchen 20 years ago and it is time to do it again. I enjoyed this post and his book – not my style, but sure is a great giveaway. Have a wonderful remainder of your weekend. ♥
I need new flooring in my home and that would be a major purchase. I’m obsessed with all things home and love beautiful coffee table books. Thanks so much!!
We added hardwood floors to our house several years ago. What a difference it made! Our home immediately felt warmer and more grounded. I would love to add wallpaper to our dining room and bathrooms, drapes in our dining room, and something to enliven our living room. The living room looks tired. If only James T. Farmer were in my budget.
I love the ice creams and would love to make them, but I’m lactose intolerant. Any suggestions for changing the Eagle brand milk for some other kind of milk like goat’s milk. I can handle regular milk or Eagle brand milk if the recipe goes in the oven…otherwise, I’m sick.
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Hi Claire, You can buy Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk as a dairy-free alternative. It will lend a slight coconut flavor to the ice cream but you can experiment with the addition your other ingredients to complement it.
There are recipes on Pinterest to make your own, just do a search for sweetened condensed dairy free milk recipe. I am sugar free so have to make my own for recipes.
I like his style! With a Boykin Spaniel that believes the sofa is her domain, I think we are most grateful for our leather sofa. It’s over 20 years old and though the rich brown color may not be at the height of style, but I can clean it easily and change out the pillows every few months for variety and to keep it current.
If I could change anything in our house it would be updating the bathrooms. Someday…
I’m new to James Farmer and love the pictures you show. I’ve always loved southern style decorating even as a midwesterner! My favorite purchase for my home was a large mirror with a vine scroll and birds around it. It’s larger and looks wonderful in my front entrance. I have so many things I want to change in this house but one would be updating my bathroom vanity. I have an old dresser that is waiting to be converted to a bathroom vanity. The floors and shower need to be redone. Thank you for the post and the opportunity to win this wonderful book.
I so endorse the return of wallpaper, adds so much to a room.
Love this book & his interiors are beautiful!
I have a large 1/2 moon window in my den that I had a wooden shutter custom made for it years ago and have never regretted it..
Would love to purchase a new set of gas logs for my fireplace! Thank you for the opportunity to receive this lovely book!
We built our custom 4 story, Queen Anne Victorian, starting in December 2001, and we moved into it in July 3, 2003. We added an elevator, and it was the best decision we made, since we have a drive-out garage in the basement, and the kitchen is on the first floor. We did include wallpaper in 2 powder baths, even though it maybe was not so popular then.
Mary, thank you for your inspiration and the chance to win this fabulous book! I’m a dishaholic and adore wallpaper too! One of the best purchases I have made for my home was a blue and white chinoiserie garden stool. It has been a side table in every room of the house including the bath🙂
Inspired by James Farmer and the book. Thanks for bringing it to the viewers attention.
What a lovely book! His design is timeless. I’m ready for new flooring!