Meet The Designers
LAND & SKY DESIGN
Heather McKeown, Creative Director
Charlotte, NC
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MUD ROOM & LAUNDRY ROOM
Urbane yet understated, comforting yet contemporary, Heather’s designs are a reflection of her own life experiences and inspirations. The organic forms and functions of nature are a major influence on her design philosophy.
Her love of family and everyday experience led her to interior design. Growing up on construction sites, she watched as her father, an architect and builder, brought his own visions to life. She founded Land and Sky Designs as a way of weaving together her passions for life and style with the wants and needs of her clients.
HALLIE LYCANS
Hallie Lycans, with Design South Builders, brings the technical and the aesthetic of design together for a collaborative approach with clients throughout the entire custom building process. She enjoys transforming the client's vision into reality. A Nashville native, and design graduate, she has found a home across the plateau as a part of Design South.
Along with her design degree, she has extensive knowledge in CAD & project management and takes an enthusiastic hands on approach to working with clients and supply partners.
LISA WESTER
An Oneonta native, Lisa Wester embraces timeless Southern design to create spaces with a sense of history, passion, story and substance. Lisa’s signature is a haven which represents the owner. After working many years in design, Lisa created Lisa Wester Interiors in 2016.
She specializes in new construction and renovation projects as well as interior and exterior concepts. A home that evokes thought and feeling through carefully curated design is a hallmark of her work. She works with clients to blend their family heirlooms with updated fabrics and finishes to make each project truly one of a kind.
STACIE PLATT
Stacie Platt has had a passion for Design all her life and began her career in furniture and design while still in college. Always up for an adventure, she moved to the North Carolina mountains after college to become the manager of High Country Furniture in Maggie Valley. Stacie moved to Cashiers a few years later and has lived here for 24 years. First, she worked with Interior Enhancements before making the move to Rusticks in 2010. As a busy mom of 3, Stacie took a few years off from full-time design work to raise her children and to focus on her other passion as a Wellness Director at Cullasaja Club and Lonesome Valley.
The original owners of Rusticks, Ann and Rody Sherrill, have remained good friends, mentors and occasional collaborators throughout the years. Upon the Sherrills retirement, Stacie had the opportunity to return to Rusticks full-time and continue on Ann’s vision and legacy. As the Manager and Interior Designer under new Rustick’s owner, Stacie has refined a modern yet elegant mountain aesthetic. She finds great joy in helping her clients and the customers of Rusticks.
ABBI WILLIAMS
With over 15 years in the interior design industry the goal has always remained the same. Work directly with homeowners to give them an level of design reflecting their personal style that they couldn’t have achieved on their own. Involving and engaging the homeowner throughout the entire build as I use handrawn sketches to refine and carefully edit the build process of slowly bringing their vision to life. It’s an absolute honor to be an interior designer for some of the finest homes throughout the South.
MELANIE COUCH & NANCY DYLESKI
Spruce Interiors, locally known as “the girls”, consists of Melanie Couch and Nancy Dyleski of Highlands, NC. The design duo were first introduced to one another at the University of Georgia where they studied in both art history and textiles, merchandising and interiors. As fate would have it, they found themselves living in their favorite mountain town years into their
careers and formed a partnership to fill the need for a more curated design aesthetic in the area.
As Georgia natives, “the girls” are inherently inclined to their southern roots and traditions with a deep respect for family and the lifestyles of their clients. On the Plateau, homes lend themselves to a myriad of hosting and relaxing opportunities which guide their design philosophy. Spruce aims to create spaces that feel timeless, comfortable and beautiful while being totally approachable…much like the designers themselves!
LYNN MONDAY
Owner of Lynn Monday Home and Mondays House of Design, Lynn has been working in design for over 40 years. Author of “Southern Mountain Living”, she is an award-winning Interior Designer of both residential and commercial spaces.
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Lynn and her staff bring a full-service firm attaining the highest level of achievements producing well defined interiors for their clients. With her eye for beauty and sense of scale, Lynn Monday’s design style is truly distinctive.
DOUGLAS HILTON
DWH Interiors is a boutique firm founded on personal service and attention to detail. It’s founder Douglas Hilton has been a part of the Atlanta design community for over 35 years. The firm is based in Atlanta and has projects in Georgia, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Washington D.C Florida, Utah, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Douglas’s work has been published in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, Modern Luxury, Elegant Homes, The Atlanta Journal and The New York Times Magazine. He has given tours of Adac as well as participated in window displays and panel discussions. He has participated in the Atlanta Symphony Showhouse and Callanwolde Christmas house. He is honored to have participated in the Cashier’s showhouse starting in 2015 and was a guest speaker at the 2018 Showhouse Douglas is known for his use of art and color. He loves to use large over scaled pieces in rooms to add a focal point and interest to a room. Creating gallery walls is also one of his signature looks intricately mixing varied sizes and styles of art together to form a display which creates conversation and visual pleasure. While art is definitely part of his style he works with each client to help them create their personal signature look – whether that look is English Regency, Transitional, Contemporary, or Eclectic. In the end it is the client’s vision for their home not Douglas’s which is important and DWH Interior’s job to make the client’s vision a reality.
NELLIE JANE OSSI
Growing up, I was surrounded by all things decorating and design. When I
was 7, my father founded our design firm James Michael Howard. Shortly
after my mother opened our retail division of stores called Mrs. Howard/max & company, which has five locations across the Southeast. In addition to managing and buying for our Jacksonville Beach location, I am a lead designer for the firm. My personal style is a reflection of my coastal Southern upbringing, with a fresh take on timeless design and an appreciation for the classics.
HOLLY WATSON
Holly Watson with Old Edwards and Acorns Boutique
Highlands, NC
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PRIMARY BATH/CLOSET
Acorns Director of Retail, Holly Watson has a passion for mixing old and new design elements creating timeless spaces. As the buyer for Acorns, she enjoys shopping for unique pieces that will complement any room. While her focus is on classic interiors that will outlast the ever-changing fads in design, she loves finding statement pieces that finish off a space.
KATIE JACKSON
Katie, an Atlanta native, has been in the Interior Design business for over 25 years. Katie brings
unique design sensibilities, a keen approach to understanding the needs of clients, and a
tireless work ethic to each project. Katie draws inspiration from art, travels, and her talent in
helping clients realize their desires for their homes.
From designing custom furnishing to finding just the right piece Katie ensures that every project blends the heart of the client’s vision with beautiful livable and deeply personal spaces that can be enjoyed for generations to come.
ERIC ROSS
Interior Designer Eric Ross has over twenty years of design experience. With a background in bespoke furnishings and a penchant for traditional fabrics and antiques, Ross creates dynamic home interiors that blend comfortable Southern living with timeless style. Blue-and-white porcelain, mixing fabrics on furniture, statement print curtains, artistic wall groupings and tasteful displays of homeowners’ personal collectibles star among Ross’ signature look, which celebrates the most appealing tenets of southern design.
Ross enlivens spaces and works magic with his refined Southern aesthetic. His lush designs reflect his traditional style as well as the passions and preoccupations of his clients. His work has been published in Traditional Home, Southern Style, Southern Lady, The Cottage Journal and many other publications. His debut book, Enduring Southern Homes, published by Gibbs Smith, is already in its second printing.
MAGGIE GRIFFIN INTERIORS
Based in northeast Georgia, Maggie Griffin Design is a high-end residential interior design firm with projects spanning across the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, and Alabama. Lead designer and owner Maggie Griffin is joined by associate designers Grace Brackman, Havolynne Saxon, and Emily Jiles for a myriad of projects with shared experience of over 30 years.
They are known for a fresh take on traditional interiors, specializing in full-scale interiors, and ground-up design and building. Whether a second home, a primary residence or a pied-à-terre, the women of MGD pay careful attention to every detail, engage with talented vendors, and foster relationships with clients that span generations.”
JANICE DIETZ
Janice Dietz founded The Consulting House, INC. in January 2001, a full-service design firm specializing in new construction, renovation, and interior design projects. Janice attended Cornell University, College of Architecture, holds a BA from University of Pennsylvania and an MBA. As a patron of the arts and an avid art collector, Janice has expertise in curating and purchasing museum quality art. Janice's involvement in the visual arts community and initial training in architecture inform her creative flair and attention to detail.
With both a design and business background, Janice brings her creative skills, problem solving prowess and business acumen to all projects. Her emphasis is on quality, value and attention to detail while creating innovative, artistic and creative designs that are warm and inviting and reflect a comfortable sophistication and timeless quality. Janice has residences in Atlanta GA and Cashiers NC (Lonesome Valley) with her husband and two daughters.
LAUREN ROBBINS
Founder of her eponymous design firm Lauren Robbins Interiors, Lauren Robbins is best known for her modern take on traditional design. She and her team work with families across the Southeast and beyond to infuse their history, lifestyle, and identity into their homes, all while creating curated, collected spaces that are both beautiful and functional. Lauren uses her natural eye for design to create spaces that are layered, truly unique and reflective of the owner. She has an innate knack for spying an incredible vintage piece at a show, for knowing what unexpected touch will give balance and personality to a room, and for envisioning what color or design change will transform a space.
Lauren plays with art, antiques, and natural materials to build her signature approach: a traditional style with a modern edge that feels deeply personal to the owner. Based in Augusta, Georgia, Lauren Robbins Interiors was established in 2018 and she opened her retail shop at Summerville Studio in 2021. Lauren calls the historic Summerville neighborhood of Augusta home, living just down the road from her studio with her husband and three children.
