Whether as Buffalo Bill or Slap Maxwell, Dabney Coleman made an art of playing unlikable characters. His no-fuss approach to acting allowed him to dig deep and expose the core of even the most unsavory characters. His TV and movie appearances, including roles in the movies 9 to 5, On Golden Pond and Tootsie, cemented his reputation as a solid character actor.

In the years since his death in 1958, his work has continued to resonate with audiences and critics alike. He’s been called a masterful character actor, a chameleon who could play nearly any kind of role and an American original. His unflinching willingness to take on a part that was often considered “too sleazy” or “lowbrow” gave Coleman a lasting legacy in Hollywood.

Similarly, DabneyCollins, founded in Greenville, South Carolina, by founding principal Dabney Peeples and owner Kenny Collins, has earned a deserved reputation for its enduring designs that merge outdoor living spaces with the home. Unlike some garden designers, Peeples sees nature as something to cultivate, nurture and support. He listens to his clients’ wishes, but he also hears what the land is saying.

At his firm, Peeples and Collins employ a team of landscape designers, landscape architects and installation crews with the skills and experience to tackle any project. They take advantage of the Upstate’s four seasons to craft a seamless flow between interior and exterior spaces, and they add luxury outdoor living amenities that are leaps and bounds ahead of what homeowners might have expected only a few short years ago.

For example, Peeples created multiple garden rooms for one client, including a fairy garden, a compost area, a bee garden and a space just for plants native to South Carolina. During their design process, he and Collins take into account the site’s topography, sun exposure and drainage, as well as its overall aesthetic.

Peeples also has a keen sense of humor and an eye for the quirky. He and his team frequently incorporate sculptural elements and architectural accents into their plans, and they use a unique material for their flagstones: petrified lake mud.

Peeples and his team are currently collaborating on a book on Edmund Wilson, which will be the first full-length biography of the nineteenth-century author in more than a hundred years. The book is scheduled for release in 2022 by HarperOne, the imprint of publisher HarperCollins.