Episodes

  • Thomas Jefferson's Flowers: Reading the Garden with Peggy Cornett

    Thomas Jefferson's Flowers: Reading the Garden with Peggy Cornett
    Jul 1 2026
    In this episode of Grandma's Silver, Allie Kochinsky sits down with Peggy Cornett, longtime Curator of Plants at Monticello, former director of the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants, and author of Thomas Jefferson's Flowers, to explore gardens as living records of history.

    Together, they discuss how historic landscapes preserve stories of daily life, seasonal rhythms, beauty, labor, and cultural exchange. Drawing on more than four decades of preserving Thomas Jefferson's botanical legacy, Peggy shares what the flowers cultivated at Monticello reveal about Jefferson's botanical interests, his international network of plant exchanges, and the many people, including enslaved gardeners and laborers, whose knowledge and work shaped the landscape.

    The detective work behind restoring historic gardens is also explored, along with how historians reconstruct landscapes from letters, archaeological evidence, and plant records, and why heirloom plants can serve as a form of living inheritance.

    In this episode, they discuss:
    • The inspiration behind Thomas Jefferson's Flowers
    • How gardens function as living historical documents
    • Jefferson's passion for flowers and botanical exchange
    • The people whose labor sustained Monticello's gardens
    • Restoring historic landscapes
    • Heirloom plants
    • Seasonal rhythms in early America
    • What gardens reveal about identity and place
    RESOURCES
    • Visit Monticello's website here.
    • Purchase the book on Monticello's site, or on Amazon.



    If you enjoy Grandma’s Silver, follow the podcast and share this episode with a friend who loves heritage, design, and timeless living.
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    39 mins
  • Summerville, SC: The Birthplace of Sweet Tea

    Summerville, SC: The Birthplace of Sweet Tea
    Jun 24 2026
    This week, Allie Kochinsky virtually travels to Summerville, South Carolina, a historic Lowcountry town that proudly calls itself the "Birthplace of Sweet Tea." At the center of the conversation is the town's Sweet Tea Trail, a self-guided experience connecting local businesses, history, food, and community through one of the South's most iconic traditions.

    But this episode isn't simply about a beverage; it's about hospitality as identity. About preserving small-town character in a changing South. About tourism rooted in storytelling rather than spectacle. And about why certain traditions, even simple ones, continue to hold emotional power.

    Allie, joined by Cassie Ford, Director of Tourism, explores the history of Summerville, the cultural mythology surrounding sweet tea, and what local traditions reveal about the places we call home.

    RESOURCES:
    • Take a visit to the Summerville website here.
    • Follow along on Facebook and/or Instagram.
    • Learn more about the Sweet Tea Trail!




    If you enjoy Grandma’s Silver, follow the podcast and share this episode with a friend who loves heritage, design, and timeless living.
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    31 mins
  • Lycette Designs on Stitching Tradition

    Lycette Designs on Stitching Tradition
    Jun 17 2026
    In this episode of Grandma's Silver, Allie Kochinsky is joined by Jessica Chaney, founder of Lycette Designs, for a conversation on needlepoint as more than just a pastime, but a practice rooted in patience, memory, and home.

    Together, they explore why this traditional craft is finding new relevance today, and what it offers in a culture that often prioritizes speed and convenience. From heirloom pillows to hand-stitched canvases, needlepoint occupies a unique space, both decorative and personal, shaped as much by the process as the finished piece.

    Jessica discusses the quiet discipline of making something by hand, how these objects evolve over time, and why they so often become part of a home's story.

    RESOURCES
    • Shop Lycette Designs online.
    • Plan a trip to the store(s).
    • Follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and/or Pinterest.


    If you enjoy Grandma’s Silver, follow the podcast and share this episode with a friend who loves heritage, design, and timeless living.
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    41 mins
  • Pink Sand Summer with Chassity Evans

    Pink Sand Summer with Chassity Evans
    Jun 10 2026
    In this episode of Grandma's Silver, Allie Kochinsky sits down with lifestyle creator and new author Chassity Evans to discuss her debut novel Pink Sand Summer, and the relationship between place, memory, creativity, and storytelling.

    Known for her thoughtfully curated lifestyle content and love of coastal living, Chassity has spent years creating visual narratives inspired by the places she loves. With Pink Sand Summer, she takes that storytelling a step further, transforming the atmosphere and emotional pull of Harbour Island into a work of fiction.

    Together, the women explore how places shapes narrative, why summer stories continue to resonate with readers, and how nostalgia functions as both a feeling and a creative tool. Chassity also shares what surprised her most about writing a novel, the challenges of moving from visual storytelling to long-form fiction, and the role memory plays in building characters and emotional depth.

    In this episode, they discuss:
    • The journey from creator to novelist
    • The inspiration behind the book
    • Harbour Island as a creative influence
    • Place, memory, and storytelling
    • Why readers are drawn to summer fiction
    • Building characters through emotional detail
    • The emotional power of coastal settings
    For readers who love summer novels, coastal fiction, place-based storytelling, and romance, this episode offers a thoughtful look at how the places we love become part of the stories we tell.

    RESOURCES:
    • Follow Chassity on Instagram here.
    • Buy the book on Amazon!



    If you enjoy Grandma’s Silver, follow the podcast and share this episode with a friend who loves heritage, design, and timeless living.
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    33 mins
  • The Sentiment of Objects with Brittany Shepard

    The Sentiment of Objects with Brittany Shepard
    Jun 3 2026
    In this episode, Allie Kochinsky is joined by Brittany Shepard, founder of The Sentimental Decorator and co-host of The Sentimental Twist, for a conversation on what she calls storykeeping, the practice of weaving memory, meaning, and personal history into the everyday rhythms of home.

    Together, the two explore the quiet power of ordinary rituals: setting the table without occasion, using heirlooms instead of saving them, and gathering in ways that feel lived-in rather than performed. Brittany shares how her perspective on home was shaped by the women who raised her, and how continuing their traditions through objects and simple acts of hospitality has become a way of carrying their presence forward.

    Brittany and Allie also talk about the difference between hosting and hospitality, the emotional weight objects can hold, and why repetition rather than reinvention is often what creates a true sense of home.

    RESOURCES:
    • Visit The Sentimental Decorator website here.
    • Follow Brittany on Instagram.
    • Follow Brittany's podcast!


    If you enjoy Grandma’s Silver, follow the podcast and share this episode with a friend who loves heritage, design, and timeless living.
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    53 mins
  • Inside Charleston’s John Rutledge House Inn

    Inside Charleston’s John Rutledge House Inn
    May 27 2026
    Charleston is often described by its charm and beauty, but this conversation looks at the city through a different lens: domestic space, hospitality, and the rhythms that shape how people feel inside a place.

    In this episode of Grandma's Silver, Allie Kochinsky sits down with Stacey Bodnar, Director of Marketing & Public Relations for Charming Inns, of which the John Rutledge House Inn belongs. The pair talk about what it means to operate a historic house as a living environment rather than simply a hotel. Together, they explore how architecture influences behavior, why porches—nay, piazzas—remain powerful social spaces, and how atmosphere can subtly alter our sense of time and connection.

    From summer mornings and daily rituals to the emotional pacing of historic interiors, this conversation examines why certain places stay with us long after we leave them, and what Charleston reveals about hospitality at its best.

    Topics covered include:
    • Historic homes as lived environments
    • Southern porch culture and social connection
    • Hospitality as rhthym and ritual
    • Atmosphere, pacing, and memory
    • Why summer in Charleston feels distinct
    RESOURCES:
    • Visit the John Rutledge House Inn's website here.
    • Follow along on Instagram and/or Facebook.
    Read about Charleston!
    Start here: www.arcadiapublishing.com/GRANDMILLENNIAL
    Code: GRANDMILLENNIAL

    If you enjoy Grandma’s Silver, follow the podcast and share this episode with a friend who loves heritage, design, and timeless living.
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    38 mins
  • Bushel of Prints: Pattern, Memory, and the Ritual of Everyday Design

    Bushel of Prints: Pattern, Memory, and the Ritual of Everyday Design
    May 13 2026
    In this episode of Grandma's Silver, Allie Kochinsky speaks with the founder of Bushel of Prints, a studio specializing in illustrated wrapping paper and printed goods inspired by memory, pattern, and everyday storytelling.

    The conversation explores how even ephemeral, everyday materials like wrapping paper can carry meaning through design. It considers how pattern becomes a form of visual language, and how illustration can transform ordinary places and objects into part of personal and cultural rituals.

    Together, they discuss the relationship between design and memory, the emotional role of gifting and presentation, and how small-scale creative work can shape the way we experience everyday life.

    This episode looks at pattern not as decoration, but as a way of marking time, memory, and connection through design.

    RESOURCES:
    • Visit the Bushel of Prints website here.
    • Follow along on Instagram.
    Read about the Lowcountry!
    Start here: www.arcadiapublishing.com/GRANDMILLENNIAL
    Code: GRANDMILLENNIAL


    If you enjoy Grandma’s Silver, follow the podcast and share this episode with a friend who loves heritage, design, and timeless living.
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    34 mins
  • Carried Forward by Hand: Sunhouse Craft and the Future of American Craft

    Carried Forward by Hand: Sunhouse Craft and the Future of American Craft
    May 6 2026
    In this episode of Grandma's Silver, Allie Kochinsky sits down with Cynthia Main, founder of Sunhouse Craft, for a conversation about tradition, material knowledge, and what it means to carry craft foward today.

    This episode is part of a special series exploring American craftsmanship inspired by Colonial Williamsburg, created in partnership with the Craft & Forge brand of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Craft & Forge collaborates with contemporary makers whose work reflects the Foundation's mission to preserve historic trades and pass on artisanal knowledge through living practice.

    Based in Berea, Kentucky, Sunhouse Craft operates as both a working studio and a training environment, dedicated to reviving regional materials and traditional making practices through well-made goods for daily use. Through this collaboration, Cynthia's work draws inspiration from the Historic Area, archival collections, and the legacy of early American craft, while remaining rooted in place and process.

    Together, Allie and Cynthia explore the philosophy behind making objects meant to last, the role of nature and seasonal materials in shaping craft, and the balance between historic inspiration and contemporary design.

    The conversation also centers on Sunhouse Craft's white oak basketry apprenticeship, an initiative supported in part by South Arts, which is working to restore an endangered Appalachian tradition through hands-on training, mentorship, and long-term skill development.

    This episode offers a thoughtful look at craft as living practice, one sustained not only through objects, but through people, knowledge, and the act of making itself.

    In this episode, you'll hear:
    • The path into woodworking and traditional craft
    • How regional materials and seasons shape the work
    • The influence of Colonial Williamsburg and the Craft & Forge collaboration
    • What it takes to rebuild a disappearing craft tradition
    • Why apprenticeship is essential to preservation
    • The relationship between function, beauty, and longevity in handmade objects

    RESOURCES
    • Visit the Sunhouse Craft website here, and follow along on Instagram. And shop the collection here!
    • Take a peek at the work the Craft & Forge brand is doing, and follow along on Instagram.

    Read about Appalachia!
    Start here: www.arcadiapublishing.com/GRANDMILLENNIAL
    Code: GRANDMILLENNIAL


    If you enjoy Grandma’s Silver, follow the podcast and share this episode with a friend who loves heritage, design, and timeless living.
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    45 mins