Some houses are restored. Others are gently awakened. In Past Forward: Reviving an Old Southern House with Collections, Antiques, and Passion, Barbara Hamby Adkins shows how her family’s Harpersville farmhouse became an enduring expression of Southern style — not through renovation, but through decades of living, collecting, and paying attention.
The home, occupied by five generations of Barbara’s family, is the backdrop for a meditation on collecting, preservation, and the quiet beauty of living with history.
Known for her discerning eye as the founder of Black Sheep Antiques in Harpersville, Barbara has spent decades shaping interiors that feel deeply personal rather than decorated. Heart pine floors, timeworn antiques, heirloom textiles, and foraged floral arrangements are layered with an effortless hand, creating rooms where every object contributes to a larger story.
The landscape is just as compelling as the interiors. Historic plantings, seasonal blooms, intimate garden rooms, and a charming summer house extend the home’s sense of place beyond its walls — a reminder that in the South, architecture and landscape are rarely separate conversations. Throughout the book, Barbara reflects on the rituals of Southern hospitality and the pleasures of collecting with intention.
Past Forward: Reviving an Old Southern House with Collections, Antiques, and Passion
Published by Rizzoli // Foreword by Bobby McAlpine // Photography by Hector Manuel Sanchez
Richly layered and quietly transporting, Past Forward is an invitation to appreciate the beauty of patina, the resonance of inherited objects, and the enduring power of a house shaped over generations.
Barbara is the founder of Black Sheep Antiques, located at 39509 Highway 25 in Harpersville, Alabama. For book signings and local retailers, follow @black_sheep_and_co on Instagram.
