31ST ANNUAL SERIES: 2025-2026 SPEAKERS
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Mark D. Sikes: Forever Beautiful
Renowned interior designer Mark D. Sikes is a tastemaker with notable projects in the U.S. and abroad, including the White House and Blair House. His beautiful and timeless interiors embody an indoor/outdoor lifestyle with a fresh take on classical aesthetics. A celebrated designer, Sikes is a member of Architectural Digest’s AD100 and Elle Décor’s A-List, and has ongoing collaborations with top fabric, wallpaper, furnishings, and other home accessory brands. Based in Los Angeles, Sikes will speak about his book, “Forever Beautiful”, the third and final book in his “Beautiful” trilogy, published by Rizzoli.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Aerin Lauder: Sharing Insights from Living with Flowers
Legendary hostess and style icon Aerin Lauder, founder of the global luxury lifestyle brand, AERIN, will speak about her book, “Living with Flowers”. Published by Rizzoli, the book shares Lauder’s creative ideas that bring the beauty of nature into a home via arrangements of seasonal blooms and floral patterns on wallpaper, fabric, and tabletop pieces. In “Living with Flowers”, the New York-based Lauder invites readers into her homes and gardens to illustrate the beauty and joy of all things floral.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
D. Stanley Dixon: The Career & Work of D. Stanley Dixon
D. Stanley Dixon, an acclaimed architect based in Atlanta, Georgia, is a three-time winner of the “Southeast Architect of the Year” award given by Veranda magazine and the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center, among other honors. Inspired by the pastoral landscape and historic structures of Sumner County, Tennessee where he grew up, Dixon knew from an early age he wanted to study architecture. The simplicity of materials and authentic beauty of the houses continue to inform his design philosophy today. He founded D. Stanley Dixon Architect, Inc. in 2006, and he sits on the National Board for the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. Dixon will speak about his book, “Home: The Residential Architecture of D. Stanley Dixon”, published by Rizzoli.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Caroline Gidiere: Interiors for a Life in Good Taste
Caroline Gidiere is an award-winning interior designer and tastemaker who recently released “Interiors for a Life in Good Taste”, published by Rizzoli. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, Gidiere will speak about her book, which presents her extraordinary talent for color and palette in creating breathtaking interiors for herself and her clients. Her aesthetic is a modern take on traditional interiors, using beautiful pieces and classic textiles to create interiors that are fresh and timeliness. Gidiere has developed her eye for design over a lifetime, from attending school in Paris where she studied architecture, art, and literature, to extensive travels throughout the European continent. Her work has been featured in Veranda, ADPro, House Beautiful, Southern Living, Luxe and others.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Jeffry Weisman: The Magic of San Miguel de Allende
Jeffry Weisman not only received his Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction in Design and his MBA from Stanford University, but he lectured in Stanford’s Design programs for 10 years. He later formed First Design, a consultancy focused on the development and licensing of an extensive range of furniture, lighting, and other product designs with his late partner, Charles Pfister. Following Pfister’s death in 1990, Weisman changed focus to residential interiors while continuing to develop and license his product designs. He and Andrew Fisher established Fisher Weisman Collection in 2000. The firm’s work, described in the New York Times Sunday Magazine as “drop dead, big city chic,” includes distinctively luxurious and innovative interiors. Weisman will discuss their interior design work and collection of handcrafted furniture, lighting, and accessories, inspired by the renovation of an 18th century home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Weisman previously authored “Artful Decoration: Interiors by Fisher Weisman”, published by Monacelli Press.