Presenters

Society Social is a modern lifestyle brand with a fresh take on timeless design. Founded by Roxy Owens in 2011, the brand expertly blends traditional craftsmanship with customizable, vibrant furniture and decor for the decorating enthusiast and modern traditionalist.

Raised in Hickory, North Carolina—the heart of American furniture making—Roxy was surrounded by design from an early age. Her path led from the halls of High Point Market to NYC’s Parsons School of Design, where she learned from seasoned retail and design veterans. She later refined her expertise in corporate retail, managing product assortments across 300 stores. Inspired by her upbringing and a passion for high design at attainable prices, she launched Society Social, debuting colorful bar carts and custom upholstered pieces that quickly gained acclaim. Society Social’s playful aesthetic—think vivid hues, tassels, trims, and tailored options—has garnered attention from Vogue, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Oprah, Town & Country, Harper’s Bazaar, Veranda, and more, earning Roxy accolades such as a “Pioneer of Modern Day Traditional Design.”

Today, you can find Society Social at www.shopsocietysocial.com, select high-end partners, and the rooms and suites at The Colony Hotel Palm Beach. Roxy has traded her NYC Soho showroom for a newly outfitted manufacturing facility in her hometown of Hickory, North Carolina where Society Social continues to design and craft custom, small-batch furniture.

“…A MODERN-DAY SLIM AARONS” — Town & Country

Nick Mele is a lifestyle, fashion and fine art photographer known for his whimsical take on American luxury and elegance. Nick’s passion lies in his love for fabulous interiors and the people who inhabit those spaces. His images have been said to evoke feelings of both old-world glamour and modern irreverence.

Over the last 10 years, Mele has become known for spinning tales of surreal characters in dreamlike domestic spaces. Documenting a lifestyle at once familiar yet fantastic, his imagery feels like a fanciful peek into life in the country’s most luxurious resort towns. As viewers, we are offered a glimpse into a world, sometimes real and sometimes imagined, that is normally inaccessible to the public eye.

Nick Mele (b. 1982, Southampton, NY) received his BA and MBA from Georgetown University and is an alumnus of the International Center of Photography in New York. He began his career working under famed society photographer Patrick McMullan, before developing his own trademark style and body of work.

Like many current artists creating today, Mele has demurred from the traditional gallery route. His work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at some of the nation’s most exclusive private clubs, hotels and retail outlets; most notably being his recent takeover of the entire 7th floor of Bergdorf Goodman in New York. Mele’s photographs have been featured in a myriad of online and print publications including Town & Country, The New York Times, Avenue, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Vogue and Vanity Fair. His commercial clients include brands such as Vineyard Vines, Sam Edelman, J.McLaughlin and Lilly Pulitzer, as well as several high end hotels and interior designers. Mele’s first book, A Newport Summer, was published in May 2022 by Vendome Press. It was followed not long after by Palm Beach Living in February 2023 by Vendome Press.

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.

Emily Hikade is the Founder and CEO of Petite Plume, a luxury sleepwear and home company. In 2024, Emily was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year. Also in 2024, Petite Plume was included in the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S.

Prior to launching Petite Plume, Emily spent over fifteen years under cover in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), focusing on Counterterrorism. Serving mostly in austere conditions, Emily was on the frontlines of Human Intelligence (HUMINT) collection in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. After a near plane crash during a mission, Emily made the decision to seek out a significant career change.

In 2015, while still living and working abroad, she bootstrapped and launched Petite Plume. Without prior retail experience, Emily built Petite Plume from the ground up and eventually evolved the business into a luxury sleepwear brand for the entire family to now a full lifestyle brand that includes home, bedding and linens. Today Petite Plume is available in nearly 500 stores nationwide, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus and is beloved by the Royal Family, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Hart, and so many more. In 2023, Esquire declared Petite Plume “The Best Damn PJs on the Planet.”

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 premiere 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.

A native of the Midwest, Sarah Wetenhall is a nomad by nature having lived in more than six cities during the first twenty years of her life. Her vagabond roots inspired a love of travel and developed storytelling skills that proved essential in molding this natural-born hotelier. A graduate of Vanderbilt University, she began her career in New York where she spent a decade-plus spearheading public relations efforts for major fashion houses including Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana and Hugo Boss. Her experience in the fashion industry honed her keen aesthetic acumen and a strong sensibility for the luxury market. She currently serves as a board member of the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Worth Avenue Association, the Children’s Museum of the East End, and the Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy, as well as the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City. Sarah has also been recognized by Hotels Magazine as one of the top ten independent lifestyle operators in the world.