Some interior designers might find it challenging to have their parents as clients. Biggs Powell found it fun.

    Genetics probably played a role in his career choice. His mother worked as a decorator years ago and is still an avid collector, as was his grandmother.

    "Growing up in our house in that very creative environment greatly influenced what I am doing now," he says. After receiving an interior design degree in 1997 from American InterContinental University, Biggs joined a veteran Memphis designer, Roland Gerhardt, but within a short time he was eager for his own clients. His first big project was his parents' residence.

    Designed by architect Lewis Graeber III of Jackson, Mississippi, the traditional but asymmetrical home is carved into the side of a hill. The tall hipped roof and engaged dormers evoke French overtones, but the house has English traits as well. "I don't like to do 'authentic' houses," Graeber explains.

    The residence has an informal plan with a mock carriageway entrance hall and a gallery across the back. The architect worked on the plans with the owners for more than a year before construction began.

    In addition to Graeber's extensive input, Powell says his mother also worked with a designer to "get the necessities in place" when the house was first completed eleven years ago.

    "Mom has wonderful taste and a collection of things that she has purchased over many years. Yet, a lot of the house was either never completed or needed to be refreshed.

    I know what my parents like and how they live." Under Powell's direction, the house was sparked with art and color. He rearranged furniture, reupholstered many pieces and decorated the master bedroom from scratch. "They wanted a home that was comfortable and unique," he says. "I just took the house a step further."

    Last December, he launched his own firm, Biggs Powell Interior Design & Antiques in a restored house in midtown Memphis. This past September he was selected by House Beautiful as one of twenty-five Top Young Designers in America. His interiors have a definite urban feeling, as he pairs period pieces with newer furnishings. "I like to mix organic shapes and forms and upholster furniture in fabrics that are unexpected," he says. Now his creative instincts influence the decor not only at his parents' home, but for other clients as well.