DESIGN DAY
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9TH, 2026
CAROLINA COUNTRY CLUB // RALEIGH, NC
9:15AM: Check-in
10:00 - 11:00AM: Keynote Design Lecture with Young Huh and Christopher Spitzmiller,moderated by Steele Marcoux - Main Ballroom
11:00AM - 1:00PM: Light buffet lunch - Main Ballroom
11:00AM - 3:00PM: "Antiques Corner" presented by Julia Reinert and Pop-Up Shop featuring 20+ curated vendors - Dining Room and Hallways
12:30-1:15PM Lifestyle Lecture with Jane Scott Hodges of Leontine Linens - Main Ballroom
1:15 - 2:00PM: Floral presentation by former White House floral designer, Laura Dowling- South Ballroom
Cash bar will be available.
Young Huh Interior Design is a full-service design firm specializing in residential and commercial interiors. A Detroit native, Young attended the Cranbrook School, received a degree in English from Smith College and a law degree from Fordham University. While pursuing further education and an internship in interior design, Young discovered her true calling and founded her eponymous New York City-based design firm in 2007. Resetting the design narrative for each project, YHID’s work is about finding harmony and dynamism through the application of classic and modern design principles. Thoughtful architectural details provide the groundwork for warm and welcoming interiors, each animated by sophisticated surface treatments, a singular play of pattern and color, and a touch of wanderlust. YHID continues to expand beyond its original repertoire to include large commercial and hospitality projects, as well as a growing line of licensed collections. For the last five years Young has been included on Elle Decor’s prestigious A-List and is included among top talent on Architectural Digest's AD 100 2023, 2024, and 2025 list. She was named one of Vogue’s five interior designers on the rise, included as a finalist in the Andrew Martin Design Review Volumes 24 and 25 and, in 2011, she won the Connecticut Cottages & Gardens Innovation in Design Award. Her work can be seen in the pages of Architectural Digest, Domino, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Interior Design, Luxe, The New York Times, Real Simple, The Wall Street Journal, etc. Young actively bolsters the local and global design community, participating in speaking engagements and charitable events including, among others, the Kips Bay Decorator Show House and NKBA Board of Directors. Young also sits on the board of Olana, is Secretary of the Board of NYSID, Decorators Club Committee Chair, co-chair for Design on a Dime, and a founding member of AAPIDA.
Christopher Spitzmiller is known to his friends and Instagram fans as the ultimate weekend farmer, who raises his own handsome chickens, grows his own flowers, and puts up his own jam, cider, and honey. In his first book he treats readers to a full year at Clove Brook Farm, his idyllic but always-active country retreat. Naturally organized into four seasonal sections, the book begins with Spring where Spitzmiller evokes the chilly quiet of March before the farm bursts into the bloom of lilacs and apple blossoms; takes us behind-the-scenes in the dovecote with his Indian fantail pigeons; hosts an Easter lunch with a table laden with daffodils and his prettiest plates; and shares his recipe for freshly harvested rhubarb pie.
Summer brings hydrangeas and dahlias; readying the chickens for the Dutchess County Fair, honey-gathering, and planting bulbs, and the ultimate fall feast of Thanksgiving with all the stops pulled. Winter closes the book with inspired holiday decorating, a holiday buffet to celebrate the bounty of the farm, and uniquely wrapped gifts to treasure.
Filled with tips on garden-planning, creating seasonal flower arrangements, and living with animals, A YEAR AT CLOVE BROOK FARM is a timely book as we are all focused making the most of our own homes and gardens— even if that’s only a row of herbs in a sunny urban window—and it is the the perfect inspiration for anyone enthralled by the fantasy of full-on farmstead living. Christopher Spitzmiller’s lamps, tableware, and other ceramics are found in every chic A- list interior, including the White House, and are regularly featured in celebrated publications including Architectural Digest and the Wall Street Journal. He is on the board of the Garden Conservancy and the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House.
As the Founder and CEO of Leontine Linens, Jane Scott Hodges launched the brand in 1996 with a clear conviction: couture linens belong in everyday life and should reflect your style and personality.
For thirty years, she has championed the traditional techniques to create heirloom quality custom linens intended to be cherished for generations to come. ‘Sewn by us, created by you,’ Leontine linens are lovingly handmade in the historic Eleanor Beard Studio in Kentucky, where Jane Scott first witnessed the artistry that still defines Leontine today, now a sister company acquired in 2002.
With her innate sense of style, eye for design, and quick wit, Jane Scott is also a sought-after lecturer and author, inspiring new, joyful approaches to living artfully and modern entertaining. Her distinctive perspective has made her one of the most influential voices in design today.
As Leontine celebrates its 30th Anniversary, Jane Scott continues to shape the world of bespoke linens, expanding the conversation around the place of linens in the home and the rituals that surround them.
Laura Dowling is a floral designer, author, and speaker best known for serving as Chief Floral Designer at the White House from 2009–2015. Originally a policy analyst in Washington, D.C., Laura was inspired during a trip to Paris by the artistry of French floral design. She studied in Paris and Germany, launched a small studio from her basement kitchen -- and while still a part-time florist -- entered a highly publicized, nation-wide competition to select the next White House Chief Floral Designer. After rounds of interviews and a final design challenge at the White House, she was chosen for the role by the First Lady.
At the White House, Laura created décor for state dinners, official ceremonies, and the iconic holiday installations, employing a signature approach she calls Floral Diplomacy -- using flowers to convey cultural meaning, narrative, and hospitality on the world stage.
Laura is the author of several books, including Floral Diplomacy at the White House, A White House Christmas, Wreaths, Bouquets, and her newest title, Designing Christmas. Her garden-inspired aesthetic and creative philosophy have made her a popular speaker and presenter at major venues at home and abroad, including museums, botanical gardens, flower shows and garden clubs nationwide.
In 2024 and 2025, she designed the celebrated holiday décor for the historic Cheekwood Estate & Gardens in Nashville and was recently named Cheekwood’s Directrice Artistique for Holiday Design. In 2026, she was the Principal Writer for "Old Town Style" -- a new coffee table book on the architecture and interior styles of Old Town Alexandria's most beautiful historic homes.
Her honors include the American Horticultural Society’s Great American Gardeners Award and National Merit Award for her role in saving historic River Farm, the Royal Horticultural Society of Belgium’s Distinguished Flower Ambassador title for using flowers as a communications tool, and the American Institute of Floral Design's prestigious National Award of Merit, for her contributions to American floristry. In 2019, four of her wreath designs were released as special Forever holiday stamps by the U.S. Postal Service.
Julia Reinert, founder of The Lifestyle Historian, blends storytelling, branding, marketing and event planning with a unique historical perspective. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Third World, Non-Western History, her career spans journalism, marketing, brand management, and event planning. After her graduate studies in International Relations and 25 years of marketing experience over several industries, she recently transitioned to make The Lifestyle Historian her full-time focus, where she combines her love for research, antiques and global travel to create compelling narratives and educational experiences. In addition to providing storytelling, marketing, and event planning services for her clients, Julia is also a columnist for *Home Accents Today* magazine and a current student of the Asheford Institute of Antiques .
