Southern Charm

If you like this blog, then you probably watch Southern Charm on Bravo.  It's basically my perfect reality show.  Light on the dark drama that the Real Housewives sometimes throw our way (ahem, New Jersey) and heavy on chintz and, well, charm.

And there is Patricia Altschul, who is the other person I pretend to be in my head when I'm not pretending to be Britney Spears.  (I kind of feel uncomfortable with that entire sentence).

So last night was the season finale of Southern Charm (tear), and I had two mini-freak outs.

First, as I was fully absorbed in the Katherine/T-Rav drama, I happened to notice out of the corner of my eye a figure in the shadows. It was my four-year-old standing three feet away from my side of the bed, smiling and quietly staring at me at 11:30 PM. AH!! How long had he been there? Why didn't he announce his presence?  Why is he awake?  So alarming.

Second, this.

Yep, that's Mario Buatta.  The Prince of Chintz hanging out in Patricia Altschul's kitchen offering his two-cents on the Southern Charm kids' shenanigans like it's a regular old Tuesday afternoon.   I died.

I knew the minute I saw her bright apple-green walls with all of the chintz and check fabric that Mr. Buatta had a hand in the decor, but I definitely didn't expect him to actually appear on the show!  It was just a hilarious collision of two unlikely worlds that actually made perfect sense.  We've entered into a new era Of reality TV y'all.

Patricia, her caftans, the fabulous chintz seating, the butlers and cocktails, they are the true stars of the show.  She's clearly having fun with it, too.  So in honor of the season finale, I had to post the grand "Buattafied" Charleston mansion, generously shared with us by the fabulous Miss Patricia.

If you want a great read, definitely check out the accompanying article in Architectural Digest.

Here are so more, less glossy photos, from the Bravo web site, which I actually prefer.

Which room is your favorite? I could never choose.


Now I'm off to mourn the end of my favorite TV show until it returns for a new season.  Let's hope this show only serves to encourage more fabulous people with legendary interior designers to enter the Reality TV world.  Bravo, take note.