“I’m 100 percent Natchez. Because of Natchez, I was learning about furniture all my life at the houses of my mother’s friends. I remember at the Shields Town House the oak and mahogany tester bed from the 18th century with Prince of Wales plume-carved decoration Mrs. (Marie) Perkins had in her guest bedroom. It was extraordinary,” she said. “Natchez is a jewel. When you move away, you really realize how special it is. I would love to come into Natchez and save all the houses, if only I could. Natchez teaches you, if you pay attention, to study history and be inspired by it, and that’s what Natchez does.”
Unlike what some people might expect, Shearouse is not constantly redecorating her own house.
“One of my mama’s best friends, Sherry Jones, said you buy a piece of furniture a year, and that way you freshen up your home. You suffer through buying the good stuff.”
The first piece of furniture Shearouse purchased in her 20s came from Annette Holder at Mrs. Holder’s Antiques.
“It used to be in the family room, moved to the dining room and is now in our basement, and that’s been over 30 years ago.”
While in college, Shearouse interned for Natchez interior designer and antiques dealer the late Hal Garner. She credits him with teaching her much of what she knows about design and style.
“He was amazing. He is where I get my ‘turn around, remove yourself and walk back into your space. What does it feel like and what does it look like?’ He taught me that. I teach that today to other designers.”
Shearouse has also adopted some of Garner’s sayings as her own, including “you should look good naked in your bedroom.” She is also famous for designing places to “hide your crazies,” both sayings very familiar to those who follow her on social media.
“Hide your crazies” refers to creating cabinets, cupboards and other storage spaces to stash the things people need but don’t necessarily want to look at — the things that create visual clutter.
“My husband asked me recently why I changed the chair I usually sit in in the family room. I told him I can’t see all the mess the children have made like I could from the other seat. They just shove their stuff in and I can’t deal with it.”