About Us

PAMELA BERGER, Creator. I like pretty things. I suppose that’s why I’ve been hooked on home design blogs since their inception. I started to take notice in 2005 when I purchased my first home and wanted to design my new space with personal, original style without spending a lot of money. Design Sponge and Apartment Therapy made my intention obsessively fun and easy to obtain. With the emergence of hundreds of new sites since, I have fallen smitten to the creative masses that share their inspiration and a bit of themselves each day. Humbled, yet eager to share, I’ve decided to join the fray.

My full time career is as a television producer and I'm a storyteller at heart. My intention with Sweet Peach is to focus on the South because ever since moving from California, (originally from Connecticut) I have fallen in love with the diversity, culture and craftsmanship found here- and all too often, it’s underappreciated. With Sweet Peach, I want to celebrate and support the artists of the South and share with others the varied shades and textures that make up its lovely and hospitable landscape. 

*My Atlanta home was featured in Lara Rossignol's wonderful blog, Piewacket in 2010. If you'd like to reach me directly, please email me here. 

SUBMISSIONS. Sweet Peach celebrates the artistry of the South. When I speak of the South, it encompasses 16 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia...plus D.C. If you are an artist from one of these states and would like to be a part of Sweet Peach or have some pictures of your home, porch, window sill or a decor idea you'd like to share, please email me as I'd love to hear from you. As of now, new entries will be posted Monday through Friday at 8:00am EST. 

BRYCE TONEY, Ask the Experts, Contributor. Bryce is a solution guy. He loves a challenge and is a master at building, designing and just plain making it work. Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bryce exudes southern hospitality, a quick wit and a love for the outdoors. After realizing he’s a beach boy at heart, he has spent much of his adult life in southern California. In 2001 Bryce and I met as neighbors in Hermosa Beach where he has lived on and off over the years. He's my positive, kind, hysterical, resourceful, can do anything friend. I adore him.  

Since 1992, Bryce has owned and operated successful businesses that cater to antiques, home design, everyday gifts and bath and body products. His latest endeavor, Curious..., is a mix of vintage and new with a price point that works in today’s economy.

His store is like comfort food and just makes you feel good when you walk inside. Eye candy abounds at every turn- from funky jewelry and cards to unusual books, light fixtures, chairs, pottery and whatever other fabulous finds have caught his eye that week. All of the furniture for sale is redesigned, recycled or handcrafted by Bryce himself as sustainability is his mantra.   

Although he is California based, Bryce is Southern to the core and a design guru I felt I had to share with my Sweet Peach audience. He travels quite a bit to Georgia and North Carolina and we hope to keep his inspirations coming every week that showcase an aspect of home design that is useful to our viewers- from DIY’s and garage sale rules to all manner of interior tips. If you have a design question or comment for Bryce, please contact him here. Bryce is also one of my featured "Ask the Experts" and is the perfect person to go to for advice on salvaging, repurposing, deck building, or just plain home improvement. 

KATHRYN KOLB, Contributor. “Leaves and Trees” is a weekly Sweet Peach feature, based on the photography of my dear friend, Kathryn Kolb. Her work is exceptional and comes from a place of stillness, care and dare I say, genius. She is an encyclopedia of natural history with a fact friendly mind- rattling off statistics and latin names with an ease I deeply admire. As stated on her website, “all works are straightforward, un-manipulated images, and she uses no digital cameras or printing techniques.”   

Kathryn often blurs the image, believing it allows you to see the subject or essence of things more clearly. Her goal is to get you to really see and appreciate what you may have never noticed before. For as Kathryn taught me- we can only have compassion for something once we can truly see it. I hope our posts help spread compassion for our trees. If you have a question or comment for Kathryn, or to learn more about her prints, contact her here. 

 ROSE BERGER, Ask The Experts. Rose is my beautifully talented sister-in-law. She has worked in kitchen and bath showrooms since she was 18 and grew up with a well rounded knowledge of plumbing as her dad was a plumber. My brother has known that life as well as our dad has owned Modern Plumbing in New Milford, Connecticut since we were kids. After my dad retired years ago, both Rose and my brother took over the business. Rose is a wonderful resource if you plan to remodel your kitchen or bath as she not only knows the industry inside and out but her favorite part is design. So if you have a before picture you'd like to send Rose of your kitchen or bath that needs a little help, she'll be sure to give you some great advice or resources to ensure a good after picture. Just remember to be nice to her...she's family! Contact Rose here. 

 VANESSA DINA, Sweet Peach Design. My dearest friend since grammar school, Vanessa is a wonderfully talented graphic designer with a knack for knowing (and making) good food. She is the Design Director for Chronicle Books, based in San Francisco. Some of my favorite books that she has designed are ‘Cupcakes!’ ‘Tartine’ and ‘Hip Sips’ as well as her own cookbook, “Meat Club, Girls Only.”

Vanessa lives in the Mission district and has a home that oozes creativity, thoughtfulness and nostalgia. You can see it featured here on Design Sponge. Her eye for detail and razor sharp design sensibility is impressive. Perhaps that’s why I’m that nagging friend always asking for favors- whether it’s to design my party invites, a new business card or my latest idea for a blog. I am so fortunate to say that over the many years of tedious to last minute requests, she has never turned me down.  

I love her design of Sweet Peach (she even thought of the name), and I feel so lucky to start work on my blog each day utilizing the template she has crafted with her hands, her heart, her selfless love and friendship. Somebody pinch me…