KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Bunny Williams and
Elizabeth Lawrence
Friday, September 25 at 11:30 a.m.
Considered one of the most talented names in design, Bunny Williams is also an accomplished businesswoman andphilanthropist known for balancing refined beauty, welcoming livable appeal, and attention to detail. One of Architectural Digest’s “AD100 Hall of Fame” members, Bunny is consistently named on various best-of lists, including Elle Decor’s A-List and Luxe’s Gold List, and has won numerous awards, including the New York School of Interior Design’s “Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award” and the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art’s “Arthur Ross Award.” Bunny is the author of eight design books and is a sought-after speaker and mentor on decoration, gardening, and entertaining. Her business includes Williams Lawrence; Bunny Williams Home, the firm’s line of furnishings, lighting, art, and accessories; and licensed product lines with Ballard Designs, Lee Jofa, Dash & Albert, Currey & Company, Mirror Home and Modern Matter. Bunny and her husband, the antiques dealer John Rosselli, split their time between New York City and their iconic country house in Connecticut. Follow Bunny @bunnys_eye and see more of the firm’s work @williams_lawrence_interiors and williamslawrence.com.
Elizabeth Lawrence has spent her career designing projects across the country, from Manhattan to Palm Beach to California. Since being named Bunny’s business Partner in 2017, which led to the renaming of the firm as Williams Lawrence in 2023, she and Bunny have run the Bunny Williams umbrella of brands together. Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Elizabeth attended the University of Richmond and then the New York School of Interior Design. She was honored by The New York School of Interior Design at their annual gala in 2020 and her work has been widely published in The New York Times, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Veranda, Galerie, House Beautiful, and many others. A few of her current projects include a new country estate, a glamorous New York City townhouse, a Palm Beach getaway and a young family’s apartment overlooking Central Park. Elizabeth and her family live in New York City. She posts snapshots of her work, travels, tablescapes, great design finds, and other adventures on her personal Instagram. Follow her @elizabeth_m_lawrence and see more of the firm’s work @williams_lawrence_interiors and williamslawrence.com
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Benjamin Johnston
Saturday, September 27 at 10:30 a.m.
Benjamin Johnston sits at the helm of his award-winning design and architecture firm, Benjamin Johnston Design. Known for a refined, art-driven approach, the firm’s work has appeared in top design publications including Architectural Digest, VERANDA, House Beautiful, LUXE, and Elle Decor, and has been honored with prestigious accolades, including the John Staub Award from the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art and the Palladio Award for residential architecture.
Benjamin’s appreciation for artistic innovation and passion for quality craftsmanship have resulted in three licensed collections: a furniture line for Chaddock Home, a collection of heirloom rugs for Madison Lily Rugs, and, most recently, a line of fabrics, wallcoverings, and trims for S. Harris. He is currently developing a new collection of fireplace surrounds and mosaics with MATERIAL Bespoke Stone + Tile.
Committed to advancing the design industry, Benjamin serves as President of the High Point Market Authority’s Diversity Advocacy Alliance and as a board member of the High Point Market Authority. He is also a dedicated educator and mentor, supporting emerging designers and championing diversity across the design community.
His highly anticipated debut monograph Refined Interiors: Timeless Homes for Modern Living (Rizzoli 2026) will be available for preorder and at the show
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Ray Booth
Sunday, September 27 at 11:30 a.m.
Ray Booth is an architecturally trained designer and partner at the prestigious McALPINE firm. His innovative approach to design infuses spaces with a keen sense of place and tranquility as well as layered and bold details, speaking to each individual client and setting. Based out of studios in Nashville and New York City, Ray creates homes across the country that are strikingly sophisticated and wonderfully livable at the same time and is a master of modern elegance.
As an Alabama native and alumnus of Auburn University’s School of Architecture, Ray’s love of house and home was nurtured in the American South. In 2018, his best-selling book, Evocative Interiors, was published by Rizzoli showcasing his luxury residential projects throughout the U.S. In Fall 2025, Rizzoli published his second book, The Expressive Home: Architecture and Interiors by Ray Booth.
In addition to his architecture and interiors work, Ray’s acclaimed furniture and lighting collections are available from Hickory Chair and Visual Comfort. His collection for Hickory Chair incorporates a contemporary spin on classical design in its refined forms and detailing, and his decorative lighting collection with Visual Comfort & Co. is imbued with a signature appreciation for historical reference in modern shapes. As an AD 100 Designer, Ray’s work has graced the covers and pages of Architectural Digest, Luxe, Veranda, House Beautiful, Hamptons Cottage & Gardens, among others. With an undimmed passion for beauty, Ray shares his life and homes in New York and Nashville with his husband John Shea.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Bobby McAlpine
Sunday, September 27 at 11:30 a.m.
Born in an Alabama sawmill town, Bobby McAlpine designed his first house at the age of five—and hasn’t stopped since. An architect, romantic, poet, and entrepreneur, he envisions home as a timeless, graceful, and emotionally evocative place. Since founding McALPINE in 1983, he has brought this vision to life in a diverse array of traditional styles and regional vernaculars for clients across the United States and abroad.
McALPINE, a brilliant and eclectic firm of architects and interior designers with offices in Atlanta, Nashville, New York, Montgomery, and Palm Beach, has been recognized on Architectural Digest’s AD100 and Elle Décor’s A-List. Their work spans hundreds of residences, hotels, restaurants, private chapels, follies, schools, a rehabilitated town, and a family compound on a private Caribbean island. Widely published in books and periodicals—including Veranda, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Southern Living, and Traditional Home—their designs are celebrated for their sophistication and emotional resonance.
Bobby also designs the nationally available McAlpine Home furniture line and holds degrees in both architecture and interior design. His latest book, McALPINE Romantic Modernism (Rizzoli 2023), joins his bestselling and critically acclaimed titles, The Home Within Us (2010) and Poetry of Place (2017), offering a lasting testament to his vision of beauty, home, and design.
Ready to be inspired and entertained by this year’s lineup of speakers?
Reservations will open June 1.
Call (402) 346-4002, ext. 267 to inquire about reservations >>
