Marcia Sherrill
Marcia Asks
Local design enthusiasts reveal their greatest inspirations
BY
Marcia Sherrill
PHOTOGRAPHY
Illustration by Christina Payne

When I’m up late at night (which is every night since I don’t get cranking until noon), I love trolling the Web for the “Next Big Thing.” An annual trip to the Costume Institute at The Met gets my creative juices flowing and—while I’m in the neighborhood—I love to pop in on several old handbags I designed that are now ensconced there. Even mama Jojo’s basement—with its 400 Lily Rubin-esque dresses and 6-foot-high mish-mash of loose ribbon and wrapping paper—has its own endearing charms. Where do local tastemakers turn for inspiration? I asked and they’re telling…

CHRISTY DILLARD
“I tend to get inspired when on vacation. There is something about a different landscape and climate that causes a big stir in my brain, and creativity comes forth. But I can also hop into Robuck & Co.—they have such beautiful, unique pieces—and feel as though I have traveled halfway around the globe.” —Dillard is the owner of her own interior design practice, Dillard Design

DENNIS SCHUHART
“Design books are where I get the most inspiration, but old movies are addicting! I love anything by Hitchcock. And travel! When I was last in Egypt, it moved me even more than Paris and Rome—with all of the exuberant colors, wildly diverse materials and centuries-upon-centuries of artifacts.” —Schuhart is the creative director of Travis & Co.

AIDA FLAMM
“My best design inspirations come from vintage magazines, but they also always make me laugh when I see what we have come up with through the years! India, with its dizzying array of fabrics and metals and handiwork, never fails to astound me and is a constantly renewing source of inspiration.” —Flamm is the owner and creative director of Aida & Co.

KIM ZIMMERMAN
“A large part of my creative inspiration comes from the activities that I do with my daughter Charlie; sometimes I’m simply inspired when we are out throwing the ball with our Jack Russell terrier, Ansley. I’m also excited to see the King Tut exhibit, as I am longing for a little gold and opulence as an escape from all of the world’s problems.” —Zimmerman’s eponymous interior design firm is located in Atlanta. She previously spent many years in New York’s fashion industry

INSIDE STORY
Long before eBay, when I became obsessed with old home and fashion magazines, I had my ever-willing disciple—my mama Jojo—place ads in Thrifty Nickels across Alabama, asking people for their discarded copies. Lo and behold, she was assailed with calls to “just run on over here and pick up all these old things.” Eventually, she hauled away from several of Birmingham’s finer residences mountains of Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, Vogue and a goodly number of extinct Connoisseur. Those magazines served as a font of inspiration, getting me through the designing of countless handbag collections and interior design projects—and overcoming the occasional bout of writer’s block. Almost all of Jojo’s calls were followed up by “How much are y’all gonna charge to haul these things away?” And although we didn’t charge a dime, the spoils were priceless.