VERANDA Magazine's Holiday Hosting Camp

Lewis Miller

New York Floral and Event Designer

Lewis Miller Design is a New York-based floral and event designer. Born and raised in California farm country, he developed a deep respect for nature at a very young age. At 18 years old, Lewis moved to Seattle, where he studied horticulture and landscape design. In 2000, Lewis moved to New York City, where he worked for one of the city’s well-known floral shops. Two years later, he started his namesake business, and it quickly became one of the premier floral design houses. With two decades of experience, LMD has grown into one of the most sought-after and well-respected multi-event production houses in the world and recently opened a second office in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

Photo provided by Francesco Lagnese

Keith Meacham

Founder of Reed Smythe & Company

Photo provided by Wiff Harmer

Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Interior Designer

Named one of Veranda magazine's Next Legends in 2021, Heather Chadduck Hillegas is a decorator, textile designer, and photo stylist known for the spirit of hospitality that defines Southern style. Each one of her projects reflects the individual tastes and needs of her clients, who share an appreciation of interiors rooted in tradition, arranged for comfort, and styled for relaxed elegance. Her love of fine arts, antiques, and textiles led to the launch of her botanical-inspired fabric collection, now sold in trade showrooms across the globe.

Before starting her own design business, Heather inspired millions of readers through her editorial work at Cottage Living and Coastal Living, and most recently as the Style Director of Southern Living. She began her career in the 1990s, creating dreamy retreats—literally—for the catalogs of the finest bedding manufacturers, including Peacock Alley, Yves Delorme and Neiman Marcus. Later, as an editor, she collaborated with the nation’s best architects and decorators as a behind-the-scenes producer of hundreds of stories and more than a dozen major showhouses. One of her largest design projects to date, the 6,800 square-foot interior of the 2019 Southern Living Idea House on Amelia Island, Florida, was completed in only seven months from design to installation, toured by a record 15,000 visitors and Instagrammed countless times. Her current projects include numerous houses across the South, mid-Atlantic states and Indiana, plus a luxury yacht in the Bahamas.

For every commission, Heather taps into an extensive network of wholesale vendors, artisan craftsmen, bespoke furniture makers, antique dealers, and numerous drapery and upholstery workrooms. Widely published and celebrated across print and digital platforms, she joined the prestigious, invitation-only Design Leadership Network earlier this year. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, travel and lifestyle photographer David Hillegas, in a newly renovated 1920s clapboard colonial that was featured in the October 2018 issue of House Beautiful. Her first line of accessories, a limited edition of luxury beach towels for Weezie, launched in Spring ’21 and quickly sold out.

Photo provided by David Hillegas

Steele Marcoux

Editor in Chief, VERANDA Magazine

Steele Thomas Marcoux is the editor in chief of VERANDA, where she oversees brand strategy and content across all platforms and manages a team of editors and writers. She also writes about architecture, design, travel, jewelry and gardening. Prior to joining VERANDA in 2018, Steele held editorial leadership roles at national design and lifestyle brands for over ten years. She has also worked as a freelance writer on articles ranging from celebrity profiles and gift guides to food and beverage trends. Steele has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College (art history) and a Master of Arts degree from University of Alabama (American history). When not working, Steele can be found cooking for her family, cheering her sons on at cross country meets, soccer games, or lacrosse tournaments, playing with her dogs, planning her next design oriented trip or trying to find a way to squeeze in a few more minutes on a tennis court. Follow her at @steelemarcoux. 

Photo provided by Brian Woodcock