By Madoline Markham Koonce
The story of Antiques at the Gardens is a story of people and their passions. It’s a story of antiques dealers and interior designers, volunteers and enthusiasts. And it’s a story of pivots and innovation, growth and evolution that all began in 2006 as a fundraiser for the 67.5 acres of wonderland that is Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
The antique show’s now-official ambassador, designer Richard Keith Langham, was one of the first to help put the show on the map nationally. After the Brewton, Alabama, native spoke at Antiques at the Gardens in its third year, the show began to draw bigger and bigger names from the design world to Birmingham in a list that’s become a who’s who in design: Bunny Williams, Charlotte Moss, Martha Stewart, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Bobby McAlpine, Miles Redd, Christopher Spitzmiller, Ken Fulk, Celerie Kemble, Alexa Hampton, to name a few.
Stephanie Lynton, a returning co-chair of the event, points to another turning point in 2021 when the world was still coming out of COVID, and all the events were held outdoors “out in the gardens, for the gardens,” she says, recalling one of the events where she served as a co-chair. “You had this giant white tent on this big green flat space, so the bars needed to be more colorful, the decor needed to be bigger because it had to fill the tent. The florals were over-the-top that year. It took on a more designery feel because it was such an empty box, and we had to make it look homey, like a room.”
That design momentum built even more when a design sponsor came on board for the first time, sending all kinds of fabrics, wallpapers, accessories and more, whatever their specialty is, for the decor at the show that year. “That’s added a whole different dimension,” says Emily Bowron, the chairman of the Board of the Friends of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. “It takes the level of the decor up.”
Since then, design sponsors Sister Parish, de Gournay, Cowtan & Tout, Kravet/Lee Jofa and Schumacher’s patterns have all graced the walls and tables of the show. This year’s design sponsor Gracie will bring in more than 180 custom hand-painted wallpaper panels to line the gardens, indoors and out as well as custom fabric. “It’s going to be over-the top this year,” Lynton says of the overall design.
In this new era with design sponsors, the gardens’ lecture stage feels more like a well-appointed living room. “The designs are very elaborate and absolutely gorgeous, and it give everybody a little bit of a way to dream about what you can do in your own space,” Bowron says. “It’s added another layer of beauty to the show.”
With the growth of the event has come growth in the support of the garden too. The show is the largest fundraiser for the Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens and covers two-thirds of their operating budget for the gardens themselves—educational programs for all ages and summer camps—and for the more that 330,000 visitors who come to the gardens annually. Since 2006, the show has netted more than $7.5 million. “The bigger this function has become, the greater the fundraising result is,” Bowron says. “That has helped us tremendously.”
Not to mention, Antiques at the Gardens has become a great PR asset for all of Birmingham, showing off the city at its best. “We have people coming from all over the U.S. to attend this function, and they fall in love in Birmingham and go home and tell their friends and family how wonderful this city is,” Bowron says.
While much of the now four-day show has evolved over two decades, some things have remained the same, like antique dealers who have been at the show all 20 years: Whitehall Antiques from Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Thomas M. Fortner Antiques from Memphis and McDonough Fine Art from Atlanta. “They have stuck with us the entire time, which is kind of remarkable,” says Tricia Noble, who has organized staging and booths for the antique dealers since the show started 20 years ago.
Others like Edwin C. Skinner and Antique Cupboard have been coming almost that long, and those who return year to year are “good ambassadors for us when they go to other shows [across the country],” Noble says.
Another angle of the story of the Antiques at the Gardens’ 20-year history is all that goes on behind the scenes each year. As soon as one show ends, work on the next year’s begins with the co-chairs meeting weekly to reinvent the show’s look and programming. A full year of planning all coalesces on the ground the week of the event.
The setup begins when trucks and vans full of antiques coming from dealers on the East Coast and as far away as Los Angeles and the United Kingdom start to arrive. Professional movers from McCorquodale Transfer carefully unload each delicate piece and deliver it all to a dealer’s booth. From there, it’s time for dealers to arrange their wares and “fluff” up the style of it all.
Next come stylists and florists arriving on the scene. “It’s organized chaos for a couple of days,” Noble says. The activity is nonstop. Anticipation builds. All that begets profound beauty, each year distinct of the one before. By 6 p.m. on Thursday, the work is complete as the honoree celebration before the gala begins, and the end result is nothing short of a dramatic transformation. “Everybody works together…coming up with creative ways to solve problems, and it’s just a great team,” Bowron says. “That’s when you recognize how much talent is in this city.”
Lynton agrees, “All these plates are spinning. It’s exciting, and it’s daunting, but you feel so grateful for the team you have doing their best to make it beautiful.”
Each year it’s that team that makes Antiques at the Gardens the phenomenon that it has become. Time will only tell where the next 20 years will take it.
Attend Antiques at the Gardens
Oct. 1-4, 2026
Visit bbgardens.org/antiques, and follow @antiquesgardensbham for tickets and more information.
This year’s show is led by co-chairs Marguerite Johnson, Rachael Rummel, Jeremy D. Clark, Stephanie Lynton and Jennifer Ard, whose vision and dedication have shaped a weekend worthy of a 20th anniversary. They are joined by the 2026 honorees, Margot Shaw, Richard Keith Langham and Bart McCorquodale, whose involvement dates back to the show’s earliest days.
The weekend is made possible through the generous support of many sponsors, including Presenting sponsors 1919 Investment Counsel and Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC. Jones Walker LLP and ServisFirst Bank serve as sponsors of the Gala, while Red Diamond Coffee & Tea sponsors the Red Diamond Lecture Series.
Landscape designer Zachary J. Westall will set the tone from the moment guests arrive, designing the garden entry sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Birmingham that serves as their first introduction to the event. He is joined by some of the many talented local creatives, craftspeople and sponsors generously contributing their time, expertise and resources to bring the event to life, including Elegant Earth, architect Sissy Austin of Austin & Co., Pentoir Construction, McGuire Construction and Trestle Construction. Lighting from Visual Comfort & Co. will be featured throughout, while Gabriella White, home of Gabby and Summer Classics, will provide outdoor furnishings.
Veere Grenney
New Zealand native, interior designer, founder of Veere Grenney Associates, former director at Colefax and Fowler and author of On Decorating and Seeking Beauty.
Amy Astley
Global editorial director
and U.S. editor in chief of Architectural Digest, former editor in chief of Teen Vogue and editor of the newly released AD at Home.
See Grenney and Astley: In Conversation introduced by Richard Keith Langham on Friday at 11 a.m.
David Netto
Los Angeles-based interior designer and writer, author of the “Case Studies” column for Town & Country, a self-titled book published in 2023 and monographs on François Catroux, Stephen Sills and architect Rosario Candela.
Richard A. Bories & James Shearron
Partners in an award-winning architectural firm whose memorable projects range from Grey Gardens in East Hampton to Montecito and Palm Beach and who have collaborated with interior designers including Mark Sikes, David Netto, Markham Roberts and the late Suzanne Rheinstein.
See Netto, Bories, and Shearron speaking: “Dialogue in Design” with an introduction by designer Richard Keith Langham on Friday at 2 p.m.
Alexander Widener
Collector since childhood; owner of Widener Company, an interiors shop and guest cottage in coastal Maine; popular Instagram
personality @alexander_widener, who formerly worked with Matouk, Sister Parish and Samuel & Sons.
Max Sinsteden
New York-based interior
designer celebrated for his fresh take on traditional American decorating, layering antiques and fine art into rooms that feel both elegant and livable.
Rudy Saunders
Design director of Dorothy Draper & Company, Inc., where he oversees interiors across the U.S. and
internationally, including hospitality projects at The Greenbrier and Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel and prolific needlepointer behind his
R! by Rudy collection.
See Widener, Saunders, and Sinsteden speaking: “The Making of a Collection” with moderator Hudson Moore of FREDERIC on Saturday at 9 a.m.
Matthew Carter
Lexington, Kentucky-based interior designer known for his thoughtful use of antiques, heirlooms and architectural detail.
Annie Meyers-Shyer
Daughter of filmmaker Nancy Meyers; author of This Oak House and voice behind the widely followed @thisoakhouse, where she documents the restoration of her 1940s Gerard Colcord home in Los Angeles.
Nathan Turner
Fourth-generation Californian; owner of his namesake shop and destination for leading designers on La Cienega in West Hollywood and author of three best-selling books, including Nathan Turner’s American Style.
See Carter, Meyers-Shyer, and Turner speaking: “Designing a Forever Home” moderated by Steele Marcoux, editor in chief of VERANDA, on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Jennifer Gracie
Creative director of Gracie, the family-owned decorative arts firm founded in 1898 and this year’s 20th Anniversary Design Sponsor; co-author of The Art of Gracie (Rizzoli, 2024) and speaker on craftsmanship and artisanal interiors.
Elizabeth Locke
Former Town & Country editor turned gemologist and founder of Elizabeth Locke Jewelry who scours the globe on a “continual treasure hunt” for antiquities to transform into wearable art.
Ann Mashburn
American womenswear designer, former fashion editor and co-founder of the eponymous lifestyle brand she built with her husband Sid Mashburn.
Frances Schultz
Author, speaker and artist; writer and co-writer of 10 books, including The Bee Cottage Story and editor-at-large for VERANDA and a contributing editor for FLOWER magazine.
See Gracie, Locke, Mashburn, and Shultz speaking: “Designing Women” moderated by Karen Carroll of FLOWER on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Bunny Williams
Businesswoman and philanthropist; author of eight design books and owner of Williams Lawrence and Bunny Williams Home with licensed collections for Ballard Designs, Lee Jofa, Dash & Albert and Currey & Company.
Elizabeth Lawrence
Interior designer and Bunny Williams’ business partner at Williams Lawrence, renamed in 2023, who now runs the Bunny Williams umbrella of brands alongside her mentor.
Charlotte Moss
Interior designer who has created licensed collections with Century Furniture, Fabricut, Stark Carpet and more and author of 12 volumes, with the newest, Charlotte Moss: At Home in Virginia, coming out in September 2026.
Margot Shaw
Founder and editor in chief of FLOWER, which inspires, educates and entertains readers with a point of view that sees the world through a botanical lens and author of Flowering Outdoors and Living Floral: Entertaining and Decorating with Flowers.
See Moss and Shaw speaking: “In Pursuit of Beauty” on Sunday at 2 p.m.
