Inescapable Influence

Q&A with Keith Smythe Meacham and Will Hunt Lewis

Growing up in the Mississippi Delta

     There is a common thread in the lore of the Delta. It’s in the seamless blend of high and low, old and new. It applies to all facets of our culture, from our music to our food, how we entertain, and even how we live in our homes. We are comfortable with old things and slightly uneasy when a home or space seems too perfect—or new. No one knows this better than two of our own who have taken the influences of their Mississippi Delta childhoods, global travels, and love of design to start their own “click and mortar” businesses.  

     Keith Smythe Meacham founded Reed Smythe & Company with beloved Delta-style maven and fellow Greenvillian, the late Julia Reed. Her online shop and Nashville showroom bring its customers carefully curated artisan-made goods for the house and garden and collaborate with artists across the South and beyond to create beautiful, unexpected pieces.

     Will Hunt Lewis also hails from Greenville and has had a career in almost every facet of home furnishing, from Stems, his full-service floral and event studio—featured in one of our very first issues—to forging a retail merchandising career with companies such as Jonathan Adler, One King’s Lane, and Kravet. Hunt & Bloom, his online vintage and antique shop with a showroom in Houston, perfectly blends his retail background with his Delta roots and love of home furnishings.

     I recently caught up with Meacham and Hunt to discuss their memories of Delta Holidays, how their upbringing impacted their entertaining and decorative style, who their major design influences were, their favorite entertaining tips—and even their biggest entertaining fails! – Cindy Coopwood

Who helped shape or encourage your interest in entertaining and/or decor?

     Keith: I would say Julia was one of my greatest teachers because she was able to articulate so perfectly why something worked or didn’t work, whether it was in a room or on a plate. She was one of the Delta’s great entertainers, like her mother, and I was lucky enough to meet her in New York in my 20s when I was still learning to cook and host grown-up parties and was decorating my first apartment. My grandmother Margaret Smythe, and my Aunt Hebe were also inspirations. Hebe’s house on Deer Creek in Leland is still one of my favorites, and I remember as a child vowing I would one day have a room painted this dark muddy brown like the color Hebe still has in all the entertaining spaces in her house.

     Will: I owe all my interests and passions in decor and entertaining to three people—my mother and both of my grandmothers. I got my love of making things from my father’s mother. She sewed, crocheted, needlepointed, crafted, cooked—she did it all. I was constantly in her shadow, wanting to do everything she did. My mother’s mother had exquisite taste and their home was stunning, filled with family antiques and treasures she and my grandfather acquired during their travels around the world. She was also an expert at entertaining and threw the most gorgeous dinner and cocktail parties. I think I got my love of styling from my mother, whether styling bookcases or cocktail tables. She loves beautiful things and would spend hours pouring over shelter magazines and styling and restyling every bookcase in our house!

How does your Delta upbringing still influence your entertaining or decorative style?

     Keith: The houses we grew up in and around were decorated with this wonderful, insouciant mix of antiques and white slipcovered couches (before they were a thing), and Oriental rugs tossed on top of woven rush floor mats. Everything had some story or history, but the houses were never fussy. They were lived in. Dogs would lie on the floor in front of a fireplace whose mantel was topped with Old Paris vases, and cocktail glasses would leave rings on the side tables. These sensibilities have stayed with me, and I want my guests to experience this same casual elegance in my home.

     Will: Growing up going to parties around the Delta and seeing how to really throw a party has really helped shape the career path that I chose and the way that I entertain. Living in the Northeast, I loved throwing parties for friends who had never been to the Delta and seeing how they responded, almost always so impressed with the detail and planning that went in, not to mention the food served that they had never had before. In terms of decorating, you are hard-pressed to find a Delta home decorated in a stark, minimal way—at least when I was growing up. I was raised with a “more is more” approach, filling our homes with treasures passed down from family members and pieces picked up along the way. It’s one reason I love antiques and vintage pieces to this day.

Name three things you think every home needs and why.

     Keith: 1. Books, books, and more books. They are not only beautiful, but add a personal touch.

2. A woodburning fireplace. It makes a house a home.

3. Color! There is a trend in design and decorating these days that relies entirely on whites and neutrals, but I think a complicated mix of color makes a house so much more interesting.

     Will: 1. Something old. I think a home should have AT LEAST one antique piece. Decorating with antiques brings a bit of history into your home, and each piece tells a story.

2. Books. When I visit someone’s home I love to peruse their shelves to see where their reading interests lie, and I always hope these are titles that the owners are truly interested in, and not just to fill space!

3. Table and floor lighting. While overhead lighting is certainly necessary at times, there’s nothing I like less than being in a home in the evening with the overhead light shining so bright you practically need sunglasses. Set the mood with the warm glow of a gorgeous table or floor lamp.

Now, name three things you think every tablescape needs and why?

     Keith: 1. Something old. Whether it’s your wedding china or a silver wine coaster handed down, these anchor a table and give it depth.

2. Fresh flowers. Arrange them in a vessel that allows you to see who’s across the table.

3. Place cards. I love to make sure my guests are not seated next to their significant others and that they get to talk to someone I think they’ll enjoy.

     Will: 1. Again—something old! Just like in home decor, it’s so easy to bring a bit of the past into your tablescapes. If you don’t have pieces passed down from family, you can easily pick up very affordable vintage and antique tabletop pieces to pair with your own china or table linens.

2. Candles. I always incorporate candles into my tablescapes, day or night. Tapers, pillars, votives, tealights, and candles add ambiance to the tablescape.

3. Something fresh. A gorgeous flower arrangement is ideal for all tablescapes, but if you can’t get out to pick up fresh flowers, just grab apples, oranges—something fresh—and add them to the table, or forage a bit of greenery from your yard or garden. This brings life to the table.

What’s the most underrated (or simple) entertaining tip—that brings the most wow factor?

     Keith: Don’t be afraid to add some live music to the mix. Even if it’s just for a part of the party. We live in Nashville now so finding people to play just about any instrument is pretty easy. And there is definitely no shortage of musical talent in the Delta. At a recent dinner party for out- of-town guests, I had a very small bluegrass trio play the “Tennessee Waltz” in lieu of a blessing before dinner. Everyone loved it.

     Will: Massing candles is a super easy way to really turn up the wow factor. If you are throwing a party with a tight budget, grab all kinds of candles and pepper them throughout the space. Your guests are sure to be impressed with the effect all of this candlelight can have on the mood of the party. Just be sure to blow them all out!

How often do you entertain in your homes and do you have a go-to menu?

     Keith: I entertain all the time. Big parties, small dinners, casual cocktails on the terrace. My favorite menu for both casual and more formal dinners is a beef bourguignon recipe from the Silver Palate cookbook, served with cheese grits, a Bibb lettuce salad with fresh grapefruit and avocado, and a loaf of crispy buttered French bread.

     Will: We are always on the go, but when things are calm, I love to throw a dinner party. Sometimes we have food brought in for dinner parties, but when I have time to cook, I have a few standbys I love to serve. One is called Green Rice, a recipe from my sister-in-law’s family. It’s a simple combination of parsley, bell pepper, green onion—with not much more than chicken broth, butter and rice. I pair it with either a beautiful roast chicken or steaks and a gorgeous big green salad. Easy and impressive!

Have you ever had an epic dinner party or entertaining fail?

     Keith: I once hosted a cocktail supper in New York for a very fancy group of journalists that was a disaster. I was in my 20s and desperately trying to impress my guests. In the middle of the cocktail hour, just as we’d finished putting out the buffet on the round catering table I’d set up, since I didn’t yet have a proper dining room table, a loud crash erupted and I looked into the dining room to discover that the table legs had not been properly locked on one side and the table had buckled under the weight of my wedding china and my grandmother’s silver trays, laden with the food I’d spent days preparing. My Herend Chinese Bouquet was in shards on the floor and there was Spinach Madeleine splattered on the walls. It was totally humiliating but I remember pouring a huge glass of champagne and carrying on as though it had all been a great lark.

     Will: Oh yes, unfortunately, and I still think about it. When we lived in New York, we invited a couple over for dinner at our apartment. I had regaled them with the stories of the “Saturday Suppers” of my childhood which for many years consisted of steaks and rice consommé, and how delicious it was, so I decided to host a “Saturday Supper” in New York, complete with steaks, rice consommé, a big salad, and bread. Everything was going well. The rice was in the oven, the salad was made and ready to be dressed, and the steaks waiting to be seared. Suffice it to say that it went downhill from there. A series of events unfolded including setting off the smoke alarm when I seared the steaks, rice consommé that inexplicably refused to cook—causing the steaks to get cold, finding I had no dressing of any type on hand for my salad, and, finally, going to the pantry to get the fresh baguette I’d bought at a great French bakery, and it was nowhere to be found. I must have lost it along the way home. So, my perfect “Saturday supper” ended up being nothing more than steak and undressed salad. I had even forgotten to make or pick up dessert.

Will, some people find using handmade or vintage with their collections intimidating. Do you have any tips for mixing and matching?

     Will: I think people are intimidated by trying to mix and match pieces that don’t inherently go together in setting the table. I love to mix old and new. As I mentioned earlier, bringing vintage or antique glassware into your table settings is so easy, and it brings in a bit of the past to your gathering. I have some gorgeous emerald green glassware that belonged to my father’s parents. Its sentimental value far outweighs its monetary value, but it really makes a statement on the table. If you’re worried about not being “matchy matchy” don’t. It’s far more interesting to have a curated, interesting tablescape than one where everything matches perfectly.

What are your favorite holiday memories of growing up in the Mississippi Delta?

     Keith: Every year of my childhood for as long as I can remember, I looked forward to the annual holiday party that Cora Louise Belford hosted at her effortlessly chic Victorian house on Deer Creek in Leland. It was an occasion to bring together three families that had been friends through the generations. We called it the McGee, Smythe, Percy party and the only requirement for getting an invitation was that you belong to one of those families. Children were invited to this grown up affair, and we were decked out in our finest smocked dresses and ran through the house with Shirley Temples and iced cookies in hand while our parents drank Jack Daniel’s or Johnny Walker Red (or in leaner years, Old Charter). I remember the ice clinking in their glasses, cigarettes in hand.

     Will: The holidays were always my favorite time of year, and I was fortunate to have had both sets of grandparents living in the same town! The season started with Thanksgiving at my father’s parents’ home. My grandmother was the epitome of a Southern cook, and we would feast on hordes of delicious dishes, all prepared by her with no recipes in sight! For Christmas Eve we gathered there again, and we would graze all day on pimiento cheese, sausage balls, “trash,” fudge, divinity, and so much more followed by a feast for dinner. After dinner, we would gather in their living room to open gifts, but it seemed like dinner would drag on and on as we waited for the adults to finish so we could begin to open presents!

     On Christmas Day after spending hours digging into the treasures Santa would bring, we would head over to my mother’s parents’ home for Christmas lunch, a much more formal affair, and my maternal grandmother was a consummate hostess. Everyone would drink Bloody Marys from sterling julep cups while she would pass smoked salmon and caviar and blinis. We would then gather around the beautifully appointed dining room table and feast on everything from perfectly cooked beef tenderloin to a stunning roast turkey at the impeccably set table. Dessert was always Charlotte Russe, a decadent cold dish that contains copious amounts of whiskey. And yes, the children would also be served dessert, though I could never stomach it. Finally, our Christmas season festivities would always conclude with a cocktail party hosted by three Delta families—the Percys (my family), the Smythes (Keith’s family), and the McGees.

Does your family celebrate Thanksgiving with a lunchtime meal or dinner? What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?

     Keith: We have an afternoon lunch at about 2 p.m. I love my mother’s cornbread dressing!

     Will: We celebrate Thanksgiving with a mid-afternoon meal that satisfies both lunch and dinner. We host about thirty people every year, and I love every minute of it. I make my very favorite dish, my grandmother’s dressing, which was hard for her to put it into recipe form, but luckily my aunt was able to get her to do her best at putting it pen to paper so we have been able to continue to enjoy it every year. I know she is with me every year when I am making it.

What makes Christmas most special at your house?

     Keith: Christmas morning when my three kids STILL sit on the stairs in the entry hall waiting to see if “Santa” came. They are now 21, 19, and 15, so I don’t know how long the ritual will last, but I love it.

     Will: I think the most special part of Christmas at our house is our tree—it is filled with ornaments that have been collected over many years and each one has a story. It’s so fun every year pulling out each one and remembering where it came from and the story behind it. I always tend to leave the tree up well past its prime because it is so special to me.