Hosted by the ICAA Southeast Chapter
Join esteemed photographer Emily Followill, Jennifer Boles, Senior Editor at Luxe, and celebrated interior designer Barbara Westbrook for an illuminating conversation hosted by Holland MacRae and moderated by Dawn Fritz, Principal & Director of Marketing at Historical Concepts. Together, they will explore the full journey of capturing classical interiors. Topics range from thoughtful pre-shoot preparation, to the craft of the shoot itself, to the path toward publication. With insights on budgeting for professional photography, editorial collaboration, and lessons learned along the way, this discussion offers a rare and candid look at how exceptional design is translated into enduring imagery.
About our Panelists:
Jennifer Boles
Jennifer Boles was born and raised in the South, where her love of beautiful homes and gracious living was fostered by her house-proud parents and their decorator, a true Southern eccentric with great style and maddening business practices.
After a decade of working in the business sector, Jennifer pursued her love of both interior design and writing by founding her much-loved blog, The Peak of Chic, in 2006. Over the years, Jennifer’s postings on Dorothy Draper, Elsie de Wolfe, English Country House Style, 1930s decor, society hostesses, Jazz Age cocktails, and all of the other tokens of classic design and style have earned her legions of worldwide readers, not to mention a coveted spot in the Design Bloggers Hall of Fame.
A freelance writer and a Contributing Editor to House Beautiful, Jennifer and her blog have been profiled in House Beautiful, Town & Country, New York Times, Departures, Elle Decor, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, and other publications. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Jennifer is a frequent speaker at designer show houses, antiques and garden shows, and design centers across the country.
Emily Followill
A native Atlantan, Emily Followill has always had a love and deep tie to the arts. From her undergraduate and graduate degree in the arts, Emily cultivated a style that remains concise, crisp, and classic. Her balanced and carefully curated photos tell a story, and she is recognized for her natural quality of light. From residential interiors, to gardens, to lifestyle, to products, Emily demonstrates an ability to capture simple beauty in complex settings.
Emily’s photographs have been featured in numerous acclaimed national publications including Veranda, Milieu, Garden & Gun, Traditional Home, Luxe, Southern Home, Better Homes & Gardens, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, Southern Living, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many others.
Prior to creating her own company, Emily managed a digital photography studio for a national production agency creating content ranging from advertising to product catalogs.
Emily and her team of experts are dedicated to creating work that exceeds her clients’ expectations. Her attention to detail is as focused on location as it is in her final editing process. Emily treats each client and each project as a new story to tell – one that captures the spirit and the essence of each person and place.
Dawn Fritz
In 2001, Dawn answered a classified ad to help Historical Concepts prepare some professional award entries, a job that was supposed to last a few weeks: she has been with the firm ever since and became a Partner in 2021.
As the firm’s Director of Marketing, she enjoys speaking with prospective clients, coordinating photo shoots upon project completion, and sharing news about the firm with members of the media. In college, Dawn was an early adopter of “desktop publishing”, taking loans to buy a Macintosh SE (with a whopping 20 MB hard drive), and is amazed that she now gets paid for what was once an “expensive hobby.” She studied public relations and English at the University of Miami, and later earned a Master of Public Administration from the university’s School of Business.
Dawn has managed the production of both of the firm’s books, Coming Home (2012) and Visions of Home (2021). Her proudest Historical Concepts achievement, however, is ICON (2022), a book written exclusively for the Historical Concepts family and close friends to mark the firm’s 40th Anniversary. ICON honors the firm’s founder, Jim Strickland, and chronicles the firm’s history through first-hand reflections and archival photos and drawings.
Barbara Westbrook
Westbrook Interiors, an Atlanta interior design firm specializing in high-end residential and commercial projects, employs this philosophy in each and every project, whether it’s a private residence, vacation home, large-scale renovation, spa or professional office. And like Chanel’s “little black dress,” our interiors are effortlessly elegant, comfortably tailored and always classic.
With each project — modern, traditional or in between — our goal is to make the design feel cohesive and reflect not only the character of the home, but also the client’s tastes. And whether we are integrating a client’s treasured objects into their new home or accumulating everything, it is our goal for each project to look as though every meticulously curated piece was collected over time.
Barbara Westbrook, a native of Virginia, launched Atlanta-based interior design firm Westbrook Interiors in 1992 after designing under the tutelage of venerable talents Nancy Braithwaite and Gandy-Peace. Barbara has made her mark on interiors employing her signature style: tasteful, timeless and simply elegant. Westbrook’s inviting approach to design has yielded stylish results in traditional, transitional, and contemporary interiors.
This event is hosted by an ICAA Chapter. Please check the Chapter website or contact the Chapter directly for the most up-to-date details including dates, times, and pricing.