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Schumacher’s newest book, Southern Interiors: A Celebration of Personal Style by Tori Mellott, invites readers into the private worlds of inspiring creatives across the American South. In this exclusive excerpt, we’re paying a visit TO antiques dealer, decorator, and stylist kerry p. moody TO find out what southern living means to him.
“My family has been in Louisiana since the end of the 18th century; I am descended from enslaved people and French settlers. I live in an early 19th-century Creole cottage in Bywater, a classic foursquare plan of rooms with the fireplaces located in the center of house instead of the outside walls. There are ‘cabinets’ (or small rooms) at the back joined by an enclosed gallery that now serves as my kitchen. The walls are bargeboards allegedly salvaged from the Mississippi River, which was a common early building technique in this part of New Orleans. The walls would have then been covered with painted canvas or plaster to keep out the wind. (Mine are plaster.) I’m a confirmed bachelor, but wouldn’t say I live alone, as the house is alive with friends, family, and things!”
Antiques dealer Kerry P. Moody in the lush front garden of his 19th-century Creole cottage.
Cedric Angeles
In the back parlor stair hall, a jib door conceals a coat closet. Moody bought the Directoire lit de repose while on his first buying trip to France.
Cedric AngelesTell us your favorite things about living in the South.
Does New Orleans really qualify as a typical Southern milieu? It has always been polyglot in every sense of the word: culturally, historically, and racially. That being said, the easy answer about what I love about being in New Orleans (or our version of the South) is the architecture, music, cuisine, and the crazy wonderful, eccentric people.
What defines Southern living for you?
For one thing, style really does matter. Developing your sense of style and sharing it with friends means never asking if it’s too much trouble to pull out the right glass for champagne or a saucer for the coffee cup, even if the cup is chipped. The silver may need polishing, but it’s on the table!
In the dining room, Moody declined to electrify the Empire-style tole chandelier, preferring instead to dine by candlelight.
Cedric AngelesWhat should every Southern house have and why?
The essentials of every household, even if it’s a pup tent, are nice silver flatware, a few good glasses, big white linen napkins, a monumental soup ladle, and of course good conversation.
How has the South shaped your aesthetic?
People here have absorbed the ethos that it’s not a matter of finance but romance that is to be primarily appreciated. Cash is great, but creativity is better. The other marvelous thing about New Orleans is our devotion to dramatic effect and illusion. There is something about living in an old city that was once the queen of the South that continues to taunt us with temptations to grandeur. A small cottage like mine can transport someone to another realm, and even if they would never want to duplicate it, they still can enjoy it.
Moody found the 18th-century Creole portrait in France. The 19th-century iron-and-leather ceremonial wedding necklace from Ghana, a gift from a friend, “sometimes whispers to me.”
Cedric Angeles
In the library, 19th-century pottery mingles with a brass hunting horn and a collection of African arrows.
Cedric AngelesTell us about a few things in your house that make you beam with pride.
Like most people who love their houses, everything has a story, and a connection with my life. I love the Creole painting above my mantel; some people think it could be an ancestor, and maybe it could—in fact, he has essentially become one. I first saw it in France in the collection of some acquaintances and didn’t bite. It haunted me and the next year I went back and bought it. The copper in my kitchen I’ve collected piece by piece and it holds stories of gumbos and bouillabaisses and good times around my table. I’m also moved by the ceremonial iron and leather necklace from Ghana that was a gift. It sometimes whispers to me.
“...It’s not a matter of finance but romance that is to be primarily appreciated. Cash is great, but creativity is better.”
Kerry P. Moody
“Cabinets” like this small room at the back of the kitchen are typical of Creole houses. A worn painted chair sits beside a belle époque cafe table.
Cedric Angeles
The back parlor leads to the kitchen gallery, with an early 19th-century Louisiana garde manger that Moody found on the street and restored. The oil painting is a copy of an original by Impressionist artist Frédéric Bazille.
Cedric AngelesWhat’s a Southern rule you love to break?
The one tradition I occasionally transgress, but with great difficulty since I am naturally loquacious, is the long goodbye. By the end of the evening, as delightful as it has been, a simple à bientôt is sometimes enough.
Off the top of your head, give us five words that sum up the South.
Only five words! Even Genesis starts out with ten. But here goes: pride, pleasure-loving, prejudice, poetry, and playfulness.
An elegant fireplace mantel serves as an impromptu bar with ornate antique crystal decanters.
Cedric Angeles
Moody sets a fine table with antique French crystal and silver, including knife rests, damask linen napkins, and 19th-century faience plates.
Cedric AngelesThis story originally appeared in Southern Interiors: A Celebration of Personal Style. Learn more here.
