There is a simple beauty in discovering visitors through the soft crunch of tires on the crunched stone of a motor court. Simplicity pampers the senses, does not overload. We find simple elegance in organic warmth of sea grass on bare feet. The seamless marriage of the best of the old with the fine restraint of the modern. It is the juxtaposition of the fresh minimal use of stone against the worn patina of a 19th-century cabinet. It is bone china against brushed steel. It is the light filtered through a clean paper cone, the sound of crickets, the barest separation of man from his world by great reaching panes of glass. It is the sleekness of that automobile against the old crushed stone. Clean lines. Warm materials. Pleasant textures. Gentle sound.

It seems that, somewhere along the way, ours has become a cluttered world. We inhabit cluttered spaces. And, in many ways, our thinking reflects that environment with noise - with gadgetry and ornament. And the spaces we fill are distracting. We seek balance in our lives with things. But, balance is found in the art of restraint. By definition, elegance is the height of art. Elegance and opulence must never be confused - for one chokes the sensuality from the other. When a space is in harmony it resonates. It beckons peace. Creates romance. It gives quiet drama to our living. It enhances our spirit.

Life is filled with choice. We can choose to fill our world with things. Or we can choose to simplify. Simple design creates peace. We create spaces in our world that brings us out - that sell our souls. We create environments that give us pause, and deep breaths, comfort, and powerful thinking - spaces that make it feel in our world. Organic. Not like something struggling at the surface of it. Places of texture, of balanced beauty, of old-world sensuality dancing in modern spaces, Welcome. Embrace calm restraint in a world that needs it.

Since founding his eponymous architecture firm in 1995, Bill Ingram has created countless timeless homes and has had his work featured in top publications including VerandaArchitectural Digest, House BeautifulSouthern Accents, Southern Living, and Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles. Being named ADAC’s Southeast Architect of Year and receiving the ICAA’s Shutze Award are just a few accolades Bill Ingram has recently accumulated. Over the last twenty years, Bill’s work has come to exemplify modern Southern style and he has cemented his role as one of the most important architects working in the South today. Bill’s design philosophy is rooted in beautiful simplicity and executed with an approach that brings together the organic with the elegant, pairing traditional and modern; and opulence with simplicity to achieve harmony and balance in every aspect.

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CLASSIC COLOR CHOICE

I usually use a warm white as the main color with olive green as the compliment. A touch of gray and the right lime green are my go-to accent choices.

FAVORITE HOTEL

Rock House, in Harbor Island, Bahamas. 

INSPIRING OUTLET

Mark D. Sikes
www.markdsikes.com

RESTAURANT

The Garden at Chateau Marmont or Sip Sip on Harbor Island.

BOOK

Mellor Meigs & Howe
by Owen Wister, LL. D.

MUSEUM

The Menil Collection in Houston, Texas.

DEAREST OBJECT

A silver bouillotte lamp from the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

YOUR WEEKEND

A mahogany boat.

DESIGN INFLUENCE

I cannot resist the honest design of Colonial American.

GARDEN

Formal outdoor space as a livable extension of the house.Groomed boxwood, grass, and ivy as architectural elements.

FOOD

Grilled chicken sandwich and/or a protein bar.

FAVORITE QUOTE

"When an architect is asked what his best building is, he usually answers, 'The next one.'" - Emilio Ambasz