One magazine lists Furlow Gatewood's age as 92. Another says he is 94. No matter how old he really is, this self-taught antiques dealer has created a home that demonstrates the art of living well. Veranda describes "Peacock House" as a "chic mix of grand and humble" - a combination many people strive to achieve and one that Mr. Gatewood appears to have mastered effortlessly and intuitively. My favorite photo in this post features an antique American quilt paired with a framed fragment of toile in a bedroom. New Orleans-based writer Julia Reed wrote the book, One Man's Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood (Rizzoli), which was published on April 22, 2014. The tome depicts the designs of a Southern gentleman who has worked with antiques dealer John Rosselli for decades. Take a look . . . 


"In the tiny bedroom in the Peacock House, framed pieces of old toile decorate the walls."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Paul Costello.

"Before it became a full-fledged house with a bedroom, bath, kitchen, and back porch, the Peacock House began life as a winter plant repository with dirt floors."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Paul Costello.

"The Barn, the first of Furlow Gatewood's 'follies,' was a longtime labor of love. The structure was on the brink of collapse in the 1950s. Pictured is the living room mantel."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Paul Costello.

"Gatewood salvaged the Barn's center room shutters from a house being torn down in New Jersey."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Rodney Collins.

"Gatewood added this wing, comprised of a spacious hall, bedroom, and bath, to the Barn's original structure."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Paul Costello.

"Gatewood purchased the Lumpkin House in Stewart County, Georgia, and moved it forty miles to Americus [Georgia]. Pictured is a view across the center hall to the living room."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Paul Costello.

" 'There’s no shortage of gorgeous homes in the South. But there’s nothing quite like the abode of Furlow Gatewood. Over the past sixty years, the self-taught designer and avid collector has created an enclave of four treasure-filled houses on his family’s pastoral Americus, Georgia, property. And though he’s hardly a household name, his unique compound has become a source of inspiration to some of the South’s most influential tastemakers. 'It could easily be on a different planet—one where things of only the utmost beauty or interest or soul are allowed,' writes Garden and Gun contributor Julia Reed in the just-released One Man’s Folly—The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood.
Photo credit: Rizzoli via Garden and Gun website.

" 'Furlow Gatewood is one of the most talented and influential members of America's design community—and one that you have likely never heard of,' pens the incomparable Bunny Williams in the foreword of a new book One Man's Folly (by Julia Reed and published by Rizzoli) dedicated to the self-taught antiques expert. As a longtime associate of legendary New York antiques dealer John Rosselli, 94-year-old Gatewood has spent some sixty years scouring remote lands for finds. One of the many items that he always has his discerning eyes peeled for: blue-and-white porcelain.  Here, we admire his personal collection of chinoiserie pottery that enchantingly consumes his family enclave in small-town Georgia.
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Paul Costello and Rodney Collins for One Man's Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood, Rizzoli.

Americus, Georgia, home of Furlow Gatewood.
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Paul Costello and Rodney Collins for One Man's Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood, Rizzoli.

Americus, Georgia, home of Furlow Gatewood.
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Paul Costello and Rodney Collins for One Man's Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood, Rizzoli.

Americus, Georgia, home of Furlow Gatewood.
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Paul Costello and Rodney Collins for One Man's Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood, Rizzoli.

"Plants don't normally have enchanting Gothic houses designed for them, nor do peacocks. But both certainly are treated to this service in Furlow Gatewood's universe—an unlikely compound of five houses and an array of outbuildings fanned across 11 acres in bucolic Americus, Georgia. A peacock on the south Georgia property."
Renovation, interior design, and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee. 
Written by Max Kim-Bee.
"Country Flair" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (March - April 2014).

"A self-taught antiques expert and true Southern gentleman, Gatewood, at 92, still has an architectural imagination bubbling over with visions. He calls this structure the Peacock House, but he first built it as a greenhouse with dirt floors. This came about because he'd bought two intriguing Gothic columns at an Atlanta flea market, and they made his mind itch. 'There's not a lot to do around here, so I built a house with them,' he says with modesty. Phillip, an Italian greyhound, sits in front of a 17th-c. Italian table from John Rosselli. 19th-c. Dutch chandelier."
Renovation, interior design, and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee. 
Written by Max Kim-Bee.
"Country Flair" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (March - April 2014).

"When the plants froze, he ceded the place to his 40 peacocks. But the birds would try to fly and crash into the rafters. Only then did he add a few rooms and call it a guesthouse—one that has yet to see its bedsheets mussed. Chair and candlesticks, John Rosselli."
Renovation, interior design, and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee. 
Written by Max Kim-Bee.
"Country Flair" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (March - April 2014).

"The truth is, function doesn't much matter to Gatewood, who has worked closely with design-world maestro John Rosselli for more than four decades. Whitewashed plank floors and wall paneling leaven an eclectic mix of fine antiques. Antique French sofa, armchairs, demilune consoles, 19th-c. creamware lamps, and 1950s slipper chairs, John Rosselli."
Renovation, interior design, and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee. 
Written by Max Kim-Bee.
"Country Flair" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (March - April 2014).

"His houses are follies—each has been an excuse to indulge his passions for vernacular Southern architecture, collecting antiques, and interior design. Peacock House is a typical Gatewood creation: He assembled a motley but sublime collection of architectural fragments, designed the house around them, and had a wondrously understanding builder bring it to life. 19th-c. chest, lamp, African antlers, and armchair, John Rosselli." 
Renovation, interior design, and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee. 
Written by Max Kim-Bee.
"Country Flair" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (March - April 2014).

" 'I like marrying things together,' he says, pointing out the egg-and-dart molding around the front door that came from a house on the Hudson River, now topped with a transom unearthed at a Georgia flea market. Round cabinet, William Doyle."
 Renovation, interior design, and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee. 
Written by Max Kim-Bee.
"Country Flair" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (March - April 2014).

" 'Gatewood never went to architecture school, but he creates these buildings with fabulous style because he has this innate feeling for architecture,' says interior designer Bunny Williams, a close friend for decades and also Rosselli's wife. 'Then he furnishes them in the most delightful, eclectic way. He has a real flair that often eludes professionals.' For years Williams prodded Gatewood to do a book on his compound, and now he has; One Man's Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood (Rizzoli). An antique American quilt is paired with framed fragments of toile. Bed and English chair, John Rosselli. [Note: the bedside styling in this photo is different from the styling in the book photo that appears at the top of this post."]
Renovation, interior design, and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee. 
Written by Max Kim-Bee.
"Country Flair" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (March - April 2014).

"Peacock House's interior has as much personality as its architecture. It's a chic mix of grand and humble. In the foyer, a 19th-century Dutch brass chandelier hangs above a 17th-century Italian table. In the living room, 1950s American slipper chairs fraternize with a Louis XIII sofa. It's old school yet completely freewheeling. There are no curtains to obscure the light. Cushions are made from fabric scraps Gatewood finds and gives to a woman a few miles down the road to sew up for him.Architectural fretwork, Michael Trapp. Pagoda and 19th-c. Swedish table, John Rosselli. Chairs, Treillage." 
Renovation, interior design, and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee. 
Written by Max Kim-Bee.
"Country Flair" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (March - April 2014).

"Gothic gingerbread trim adds whimsy to the exterior. Columns, Scott Antique Markets. Lantern, John Rosselli." 
 Renovation, interior design, and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee. 
Written by Max Kim-Bee.
"Country Flair" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (March - April 2014).

"The mid-19th-century house, transplanted from a small town southwest of Americus."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
Written by Carol Prisant.
"Forever Charmed" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (May - June 2011).

"Treasures pop against white faux stone millwork. Mirrored sconces and vase, Rosselli. Antique console, hurricane shade, portrait and eglomise mirrors."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
Written by Carol Prisant.
"Forever Charmed" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (May - June 2011).

" 'I was really anxious to finish this house,' Gatewood says, and he did it in just eighteen months with consummate, timeless style. It helped that many of the furnishings came from John Rosselli's bountiful inventory: the tables, consoles, wall brackets, mirrors, beds, even the imposing plaster Diana in the back hall. Gatewood found the goddess hidden in Rosselli's basement—there, most likely, because the deer accompanying her is missing its head. The Oriental rugs and antique delft were Gatewood's own . . .
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
Written by Carol Prisant.
"Forever Charmed" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (May - June 2011).

"Candlesticks and console, all Rosselli. Grisaille wallpaper panel, tole urn and garden seat, all antiques. Tablecloth in vintage Fortuny fabric."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
Written by Carol Prisant.
"Forever Charmed" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (May - June 2011).

"Furlow Gatewood added mirrored doors for sparkle. Octagonal table, consoles, chairs, gilt mirrors, hurricane shades, table lantern and Gatewood-designed tole leaf wall ornaments, Rosselli." 
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
Written by Carol Prisant.
"Forever Charmed" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (May - June 2011).

"Symmetry brings order to an array of treasures. Mantel with niche by Gatewood. Dog painting. French daybed, trumeau mirror, lamps, Chinese porcelain birds, marble Gothic mantel ornaments. Louis xV side chair and fireplace fender, all antiques. Louis XVI-style ottoman, Rosselli. Georgian armchairs in cotton slipcovers. Sisal rug, Stark."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
Written by Carol Prisant.
"Forever Charmed" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (May - June 2011).

"The two spacious living rooms and the dining room are painted gray and white because they're 'very cooling,' Gatewood says. (He didn't mix that gorgeous gray himself and hastens to add, 'It came right out of the Benjamin Moore can!') Throughout the house, most of the seating was upholstered in subtle shades of white, cream and the occasional stripe, and every room is smartly punched up by his ubiquitous blue and white porcelain. A bed by architect David Adler inspired this one by Gatewood and Rosselli. Bed and mirror, both in camel bone and teak, and table, bench and barley-twist lamp, all Rosselli. Side chair, urn lamp, chest, Anglo-Indian campeche chair in Rosselli linen and clock, all antiques. Needlepoint rug, Stark."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
Written by Carol Prisant.
"Forever Charmed" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (May - June 2011).

"A bed by architect David Adler inspired this one by Gatewood and Rosselli. Bed and mirror, both in camel bone and teak, and table, bench and barley-twist lamp, all Rosselli. Side chair, urn lamp, chest, Anglo-Indian campeche chair in Rosselli linen and clock, all antiques. Needlepoint rug, Stark."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
Written by Carol Prisant.
"Forever Charmed" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (May - June 2011).

"Slipper chair and tea table, Rosselli. Vintage rug. Antique bed and needlepoint art."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
Written by Carol Prisant.
"Forever Charmed" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (May - June 2011).

"Gatewood layers pattern on pattern. Antique wicker. Ikat on cushions and batik on table, both vintage. Tablecloth and pillow in John Robshaw Textiles fabric. Spoonback chair and Gothic fragment, both antiques. Console, Rosselli. Indian dhurrie."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
Written by Carol Prisant.
"Forever Charmed" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (May - June 2011).

"Pigeonnier with Gothic arch, designed by Gatewood."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
Written by Carol Prisant.
"Forever Charmed" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (May - June 2011).

"If this grand cottage seems effortless and breezy, that's because it is. Nothing's overworked, nothing's over thought, nothing's overlooked. It's polished, relaxed and divine. Should that surprise us? No, this is what comes with maturity and taste. Not to mention talent. An allee of hydrangeas, including 'Nikko Blue,' creates a sense of occasion on the front drive to Gatewood's compound."
Renovation, interior design and landscape design by Furlow Gatewood.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
Written by Carol Prisant.
"Forever Charmed" produced by Carolyn Englefield.
Veranda (May - June 2011).

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