Ordered Beauty: The Classical Home & Garden, A MESDA Design Seminar

Moderated by J. Thomas Savage, MESDA’s longtime Design Seminar host and the Director of Educational Travel & Conferences at Colonial Williamsburg, this program brings together four notable architects, designers, and gardeners from both sides of the Atlantic to share how classical design can bring beauty to your home and garden.

During the Saturday program, we’ll hear from Troy Scott Smith, Head Gardener at Sissinghurst in Kent about his work on their incredible topiary landscape and the natural evolution of the castle’s iconic gardens, described by Vita Sackville-West as having a “‘strict formality of design, with the maximum informality in planting.” Then Atlanta-based Interior Designer, Jackye Lanham will share how she uses classical design to create exceptionally chic spaces for great Southern homes. Finally, Architect Jacques Levet will round out the program as he discusses his journey from biomedical engineering to award-winning architect in the classical tradition and and how young architects like himself are embracing the lessons of classicism. We will close with a moderated discussion between Stan Dixon, Jackye Lanham, and Jacques on the importance of mentorship in fostering the next generation. The day will conclude with a book signing featuring the newly released Home: The Residential Architecture of D. Stanley Dixon.