Richard Keith LanghamBy Donna Cornelius
Those who attend Antiques at The Gardens are always treated to a variety of speakers. Past design stars who have appeared at the annual show include lifestyle guru Martha Stewart, the “Prince of Chintz” Mario Buatta, decorator Bunny Williams, architect Bobby McAlpine and a host of other notables from the decorating and design world.
But there’s one familiar face who’s been a crucial part of the event for years: Richard Keith Langham, the AATG ambassador. He’ll be back for this year’s show, set for Sept. 28-Oct. 1 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
A native of Brewton, Langham left Alabama to attend the Parsons School of Design and earned a degree in interior design from The Fashion Institute of Technology. Soon after came an apprenticeship under renowned interior designer Mark Hampton, named by Architectural Digest as one of the world’s top 20 designers of all time. Langham also expanded his education at London’s Study Center for the History of Fine and Decorative Arts.
“I’ve always had an affinity for all things English,” he said.
Back in New York after living in London, Langham worked at Irvine & Fleming, gaining 10 years of experience in the firm’s American version of luxe English country house style. Langham launched his own business in 1994 and developed a sterling reputation for creating rooms packed with colors and patterns and deftly mixing the old and new. He’s been named multiple times to Architectural Digest’s AD-100 and to Elle Decor’s A List.
Having clients such as Patricia Buckley, wife of William F. Buckley Jr., and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis – she once described him as having a “sorcerer’s eye” – was “pretty heavy for someone my age,” Langham said. “I still pinch myself.”
He said he was still a novice when he worked with the former first lady.
“She knew more than I did,” he said.
Southern Roots
Langham said his interest in design started in his south Alabama hometown.
“Brewton is a very picturesque little town with stylish houses,” he said. “That whetted my appetite. And I think I’m more Southern now than when I got to New York more than 40 years ago. The South instills in you a special appreciation for life and beauty.”
Over the years, Langham’s work has been featured in many prestigious publications, such as Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Vogue, Veranda and House Beautiful.
“All of that has been very exciting,” he said. “When you work hard, it’s good to have your efforts chronicled for history.”
His creations also have been preserved in his 2017 book, “About Decorating: The Remarkable Rooms of Richard Keith Langham.” It features projects from diverse places such as New York, New Orleans, Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Jupiter Island in Florida, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., and Memphis.
Although the bulk of his work is residential, one of his favorite projects was in New Orleans for one of the city’s most iconic restaurants.
“I helped create the new improved Brennan’s,” he said.
As the Antiques at The Gardens show ambassador, Langham uses his many connections to help secure speakers. His sister as well as lifelong friends live in Birmingham, so he enjoys returning there – as well as seeing the reactions of those guest speakers who have never visited the Magic City.
“They’re always surprised by Birmingham’s beauty, its people, its architecture and its restaurants,” he said.
He’s also gratified to see how Antiques at The Gardens, now in its 17th year, has blossomed. He credited the hard-working volunteers who year after year make the show a success, including Penney Hartline, Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ director of development. Langham said this year’s chairmen – Jennifer Ard, Jeremy Clark and Kirk Forrester – had “great energy” in making the event a vibrant one, including recruiting prominent people to share their expertise at AATG.
“It’s exciting to see how the show has become one of the best in America,” Langham said.
“It’s grown into an elaborate thing, and it’s really something to be proud of.”
English (US)