Southern Living Idea House opens this month in Mt Laurel

The 2016 Southern Living Idea House will open in the Shelby County neighborhood of Mt Laurel this month to host showings five days a week from now through the end of the year. 

The house, complete with a wraparound front porch as well as 9-foot doors and windows, will open to the public on June 25. Tours will be held Wednesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person. 

Approximately 20,000 visitors are expected to tour the home, designed by nationally renowned Birmingham-based architect Bill Ingram. Builder and project manager Bryan Phillips of Town Builders, Inc., worked alongside Ingram to build the home to fit both the community and the known Southern Living aesthetic. Phillips, who is also a Mt Laurel resident, said in an interview with the community’s blog that his favorite parts of the house include its 11-foot ceilings, shiplap-lined walls and open concept design. 

Mt Laurel resident and local landscape architect David Brush designed the home’s outdoor space. In speaking to the blog, Brush said he incorporated some of his favorite plants — oakleaf hydrangeas, rosemary, St. John’s wort, serviceberries, yellow anise and magnolias — into the home’s outdoor design space. 

This year, the magazine will celebrate its 50th anniversary. In order to commemorate the occasion and recognize each decade of the magazine’s history, five Southern Living-approved designers — Amy Berry, Ashley Gilbreath, Lauren Liess, Margaret Kirkland and Mark D. Sikes — worked inside various rooms in the home to offer their own modern take on their designated era. Idea House sponsors include, but are not limited to, James Hardie, Marvin, Thermador, Wellborn Cabinet, Webb Concrete and Building Materials, Lennox, and Delta.

Mt Laurel, according to a Southern Living preview article on the home, “was a natural selection for the Birmingham-based publication, a tribute to its current headquarters.”

Southern Living has used the Idea House program to form teams of talented architects, landscapers and designers to build and renovate homes for more than 20 years. Photo galleries featuring past idea houses, which can be found in places like Nashville, Tennessee; Covington, Louisiana; Port Aransas, Texas; and Senoia, Georgia, can all be found at southernliving.com. 

 “For the Town of Mt Laurel to be hand-picked to host the 50th anniversary Southern Living Idea House is quite an honor,” said Vice President of Sales and Marketing Ray Jackson in a news release. “Our community embodies all that Southern Living stands for by embracing a natural environment with a walkable town center, broad sidewalks, front porch friendliness, multiple parks and green spaces, and leaving all the beautiful trees throughout the neighborhood.  We expect the opening of this special home to attract guests from all over the Southeast, especially Birmingham families.” 

The Town of Mt Laurel is located at 5 Mt Laurel Ave. in Birmingham. For more information, visit mtlaurel.com or call 408-8696.