The kitchen is about much more than making a meal; it’s the heart of the home. The Galley was created to make life in the kitchen easier, more efficient and more enjoyable. Discover how a highly functional and social kitchen revolves around the Galley Workstation.
002 Collection
LEGENDARY QUALITY for elevated living
Your future kitchen starts with Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove. Learn more at a dealer near you.
Sam Calderon, Nicole Childrey, William DeShazer, Emily Dorio. Allison Elefante, Daniel Miegs, Anthony Romano, Elise Rowland, Caroline Sharpnack
Nashville Interiors is the premier building and design guide of Middle Tennessee. We feature regional master artisans, designers, architects, builders, artists, collectors and retailers, and we bring you news of the area’s trends in building, design and development. We also showcase the inspiring spaces of our area’s eclectic group of residents.
Nashville Interiors is published by Deese Media LLC. Nashville Interiors has been continuously in print since 2000.
All editorial and photographic content is the sole property of Deese Media LLC and is not to be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission of the publisher.
Nashville Interiors is available at select locations and events. For information on where to find a copy, visit the website or email hollie@nashvilleinteriors.com.
To receive an advertising rate sheet or 2026 media kit, email Pam Harper, pam@nashvilleinteriors.com.
To request content reprints, suggest story ideas or notify us with website or social media issues, email Hollie Deese, hollie@nashvilleinteriors.com.
ON THE COVER
When it comes to quality of service, diversity of product and even just some friendly faces during a stressful install, designers are lining up to work with the team at Myers Flooring of Nashville, and have been for the past 27 years. In this issue we look at the result when good design meets integrity with a business that knows, in Nashville, your name will always mean something. On the cover, designer Leigh Ann Hardie of LAH Interiors used Myers Flooring. Photographed by Suzy Thompson. Art by Karen Philpott, represented by Leipers Creek Gallery.
Photographer: Stephen Karlisch
Interior Designer: Jenkins Interiors
Welcome
Twenty-Five years is a long time for a small business to exist, and a true milestone for any print publication. So we can’t help but really enjoy the fact Nashville Interiors has been a mainstay in the design community for an actual quarter of a century.
The premier issue of this magazine was published in the year 2000, and back then founder and publisher Kelly Magill said something in her letter that is an ethos we still believe today, and truly, the very reason she was able to launch and why 25 years later we are still around.
Magill dedicated that very first issue of Nashville Interiors to her participating businesses, and said “Each ad represents more than just a local company. It represents all the years of work and commitment each company has devoted to its clients. Without businesses like these, Nashville would be a very different place and (just as important) there would not be a first edition of Nashville Interiors.”
There were advertisers in that first issue who are no longer with us, like The Arts Co., and advertisers in that first issue who are also in this very issue, like Jeffco Flooring. To see designers like Kathy Anderson and their work in 2000, and to see their work again now, makes me realize how lucky we are to be able to document someone’s career organically, in print publication that is growing and evolving along with them.
We know that there is joy in seeing your hard work in print, and that is something we have in common with the people we feature and partners we work with. As the designers and builders stressed and cursed over the projects to only have the most beautiful end result they can be proud of, so do we as we produce this magazine. Their good work makes us look good. But they know, and we know, no matter how stressful it can be to get to that end result, it is always worth it.
It has been enlightening and informative to go through the old issues and see how the publication has evolved, and how its place in Nashville’s design community has evolved too. That’s something I think I have loved more than anything else over the years: watching the growth of our events and the strength of the connections people make through them. Watching people who should know each other, finally meet and prosper from it.
As amazing as the last 25 years have been for Nashville design, and Nashville Interiors, we know that part of it can only continue to grow because the sense of community we all have is not easily shaken. I can’t wait to look back 25 years from now to see how much further we have come.
Hollie Deese, Nashville Interiors publisher
Kelly Magill, Nashville Interiors founder
BY
PHOTO
ROB STARK
CONTRIBUTORS
CAROLINE SHARPNACK | PHOTOGRAPHER
Caroline Sharpnack is an interiors and lifestyle photographer based in Nashville, her hometown. Caroline’s passion for photography started at 13 when she was given her grandfather’s Canon AE-1. Since then, her love of photography has grown, photographing professionally since 2014. She has an ever-expanding love of design, and adores collaborating with clients to bring their vision to life. For this issue Caroline shot the home of Nashville Soccer Club head coach B.J. Callaghan for designer Christina Henck.
DANIEL MEIGS | PHOTOGRAPHER
Daniel Meigs is a commercial photographer based in Nashville. After moving to Nashville in 2006, he began assisting under photographers such as Frank Ockenfels III and Art Streiber, mastering his craft and developing a strong work ethic and personal style. Today, Daniel works with a variety of clients, using powerful photography to tell stories and strengthen brands. For this issue he photographed the board members of Nashville Design Week, an organization he has worked with since its inception.
ELISE ROWLAND, PHOTOGRAPHER
Elise Rowland is a lifestyle and portrait photographer based in Nashville. Shooting for six years, Elise captures authentic, emotion-driven moments using both natural and studio lighting. Her warm approach puts subjects at ease, and her portfolio spans headshots, fashion-product photography, and fine art series. She currently focuses on creating meaningful visual content for brands, from curated product shots to lifestyle imagery. For this issue Elise shot designer Christopher Todd in his Belle Meade design studio and store.
ALY MAROTTE | PHOTOGRAPHER
Aly Marotte is a Nashville creative who moves across the studio, job sites and showrooms with equal ease. A seasoned photographer, she brings an editor’s eye to every project, championing honest light, thoughtful details, and work that lets subjects shine. Her favorite projects start with a conversation around a kitchen island. At Nashville Interiors, Aly helps tell the city’s design story while building relationships across builders, architects, and designers. For this issue Aly shot the PDI influencer event.
| WRITER
Nicole Childrey is a writer, editor and digital content strategist and manager with more than two decades of experience. Nicole has worked as a freelance content producer and social media manager, and spent seven years on staff at The Tennessean. She is published in Rolling Stone, SPIN, the Nashville Scene, Billboard, USA Today, Modern Drummer and NYLON and on MTV.com. For this issue Nicole writes about the new Powell showroom, the Clementine renovation project, and the PDI influencer event.
| PHOTOGRAPHER
Allison Elefante is an interior and architectural photographer based in Nashville who has become a mainstay with local designers, builders and artists. A graduate from the Art Institute of Philadelphia, Allison has developed a passion for interiors over the years and is genuinely excited by beautiful spaces. Her work is widely published on social media and in local magazines, and she has photographed multiple covers for Nashville Interiors. For this issue Allison shot the work of designer Brittney Blanton.
Embrace the
PDI
and
Famed floral designer Laura Dowling returns to Cheekwood for the second year in a row to create elaborate custom decorations inside the historic mansion.
For decades Nashville designers have built relationships with the team at Myers Flooring that go beyond the quality, selection and service. Now, there is also love and respect.
Look back over the years of design covered in the pages of Nashville Interiors magazine since the very first issue was printed in 2000.
Designer Christina Henck creates balance for Nashville Soccer Club’s B.J. Callaghan and his family as they settle in Nashville after a number of moves.
Powell’s new Berry Hill headquarters and studio showcases risk, rewards, and the best of Nashville design.
Designer Christopher Todd settles into a new phase of his career after years in Vegas.
CONTINUING THE DISCOURSE
Revisiting Nashville Design Week eight years after four women started a conversation about design, growth and inclusion
77 A COTTAGE TO ITS CORE
Modern updates enhance an East Nashville bungalow’s historic character
86 SETTING THE STAGE
LANDMARK STATUS
Local designers Roger Higgins and Stephanie Sabbe have been chosen for high-profile work at Antiques & Garden Show 2026.
92 A COLLECTED LIFE
Time, memories, people all find a place among the things Bebe Buell collects. 101
An exclusive exhibition of iconic celebrity portraits from renowned photographer Timothy White debuts inside The Hermitage Hotel.
107 SEEING STARS
Michelin come for music city as the inaugural Michelin Guide for the American South debuted and bestowed stars on three Nashville restaurants and honored others.
114 RESTORATION AND REVERENCE
Inside Clementine Hall and Dragon Park’s transformational touch.
122 A WELCOME DEBUT
Perenn brings a European take on neighborhood dining to historic Franklin.
beauty, function & craftsmanship
At Kimber Watson Closets, we believe a closet should feel like your favorite room in the house. We specialize in high-end, fully custom closet and dressing room design, with a focus on combining beauty, function, and craftsmanship. Every project reflects the client’s lifestyle, whether that means creating a boutiqueinspired dressing room, a streamlined wardrobe space, or a one-of-a-kind storage solution.
a luxury experience
We offer flexible levels of service to fit your needs— some clients bring us in just for design, allowing us to consult other fabricators with their builder or fabricator, while others prefer a full-service experience where our team oversees everything from concept to installation. No matter the approach, our goal is always the same: to deliver a luxury experience and a finished space that feels truly personal, elevated, and timeless.
kimberwatsonclosets.com
The best way to connect with us is through our website, where you’ll find detailed information about our services, project galleries, and a “Contact Us” section to get in touch directly. You can also follow along with our latest projects and inspiration on Instagram and Facebook.
Light my Fire
EMBRACE THE SEASON WITH COZY CHARM AND SCULPTED DESIGN
Now that it’s officially cuddling weather, it’s time to grab a glass of wine, a fluffy blanket and get a roaring fire going.
Right now, we are loving all things wood, including luxury fireplace company Ortal and its recently expanded Wilderness Collection featuring a new Birch log option. Powered by Ortal’s patent-pending flame-through-log technology, the result is ultrarealistic, taller flames that emerge directly from the logs. The result beautifully emulates a traditional wood-burning fire — delivering the magic without the upkeep or emissions – and is available across Ortal’s wide range of models, from inserts to frontfacing, three-sided, corner and standalone styles. Available locally at Nashville Fireplace. NI
Holland Williams Photography
We specialize in creating distinguished works of art.
At Tate, we transform natural stone into timeless statements of design. From bespoke marble kitchens and sculptural fireplaces to striking commercial lobbies and sweeping staircases, our craftsmanship elevates every surface.
With decades of expertise in high-end custom residential and commercial stonework, we collaborate with designers, architects, and homeowners to bring each unique vision to life — combining precision, artistry, and the world’s finest materials.
Whether it’s a minimalist masterpiece or an opulent showpiece, our work stands at the intersection of innovation and elegance.
418 Industrial Drive White House, TN 37188
www.tategranite.com
615.813.5939
TATE’S SHOWROOM
PDI’S PICKS FOR 2026 Future of Fixtures THE
DBY NICOLE CHILDREY PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALY MAROTTE
uring a fall hang with design pros and social influencers at the PDI Nashville Showroom, the future of fixtures had the floor. Broad consensus: Bold colors and smart features are big and getting bigger, but the next wave in kitchen, bath, and lighting design is riding on self-care.
“Kohler is all about exploring wellness and making products that benefit the wellness of our customer,” said rep Billy Toungette, nodding to the company’s Leap smart toilet, with integrated bidet, customizable water temperature, spray, and pressure, warm-air dryer and heated seat.
Across the aisle, the Cinq filtered showerhead stood ready to conquer one of Nashville’s worst water features: mineral-heavy hard water. “The great thing here is, it’s taking out all those impurities, all the chemicals,” Toungette said. “So it’s healthier, your skin is better, your hair is going to be better.”
On the brighter side, Heather McKinley of Source & Co. tracked a lighting shift toward gentle, calming details — softer color temperatures, less clear glass, more soft opal tones — that benefit mental and emotional wellness.
“I think people just want to feel cozy in their spaces,” she said. “And anything that can help them achieve that, they’re all in for.” NI
(Top left) Photographer: Sam Calderon.
Prodigy showroom (other photos) Reed Brown
A Dazzling Display
LAURA DOWLING RETURNS TO DECORATE CHEEKWOOD MANSION WITH ELABORATE CREATIONS
BY HOLLIE DEESE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAITLIN HARRIS
Famed floral designer Laura Dowling returns to Cheekwood for the second year in a row to create elaborate custom decorations inside the historic mansion as part of the estate's annual Holiday Lights display, this time with a look inspired by visions of sugarplums, candy-colored hues and chestnuts roasting over an open fire.
“I'm thrilled to return to Cheekwood this holiday season and to once again collaborate with their talented team on such a beloved tradition,” said Dowling. “This year’s theme, ‘Sweet Dreams,’ reinterprets the mansion’s holiday décor as a series of enchanting vignettes inspired by classic stories, songs and traditions.”
Dowling is known for her contemporary and romantic style of flower arranging that is rooted in classic French design. She served as chief floral designer at the White House from 2009 until 2015, managing the floral design for thousands of private and official White House parties, receptions and state dinners as well as large-scale installations for holidays, including the iconic White House Christmas.
Each room at Cheekwood will come alive with vintage-style ornaments, festive bouquets, colorful ribbons, and striking topiaries, wreaths, trees, and garlands — all created with Dowling’s signature style and touch, infused with her love of Paris and the French garden-style.
Guests are welcome to tour the Mansion during the day from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. or in the evening from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. during Holiday LIGHTS, Nov. 21, 2025-Jan.4, 2026.
Designed to complement the architecture and interiors at Cheekwood and create a warm and welcoming ambiance for guests, Dowling was inspired by the sweet dreams and simple gifts of the holiday season, and nostalgic memories inspired by classic songs and stories — ranging from “The Night Before Christmas” and the “Nutcracker” to Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas” and Dolly Parton’s “Hard Candy Christmas.”
“Just as Nashville has long been the city of musical dreams, our goal is to create a holiday experience that captures the joy, nostalgia and hopefulness of the season,” Dowling said. “Together with Cheekwood’s staff and volunteers, my team and I are excited to bring this vision to life and to invite visitors into a world where dreams, both sweet and timeless, do come true.” NI
Laura Dowling is the author of Floral Diplomacy at the White House, A White House Christmas, Wreaths, Bouquets and Designing Christmas. She currently tours the country sharing her experiences at the White House and
Myers, and the Designers
DESIGNED BY JESSICA DAVIS, NATIVE HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHY
NASHVILLE’S MOST TALENTED DESIGNERS TURN TO MYERS FLOORING FOR CONSISTENCY, QUALITY AND CUSTOM WORK THEY CAN’T GET ANYWHERE ELSE
BY HOLLIE DEESE | PHOTOGRAPHY SUBMITTED
Hilary Steve joined the Myers Flooring Nashville team in August 2014, but according to her she has been in the industry since I was 16.
Hilary grew up in Dalton, Georgia, known as the “Carpet Capital of the World,” in part because it was producing more than 80 percent of the world’s carpet by 1960. It is also where Myers Flooring was founded in 1957, and remains today as the oldest carpet store in Dalton.
that mix the look designers want with the durability their clients need for whatever stage in their life they are at.
“A lot of the designers like the hand loom pieces because they're unique, with more creative textures, but they may not be as durable,” she said. “And that's the fine line we help them with.”
And it is that knowledge and skill that Hilary and other members of the team that has designers coming back over and over.
"Working with Myers Flooring has always been an enjoyable process. Their showroom atmosphere is welcoming and the selections are vast. Each rep we have worked with has always been helpful and kind."
- Tanya Hembree, Onyx & Alabaster
“I was raised on a tufting machine,” she said.
Still it wasn’t until after she moved to Nashville and then, years later, when her kids were in their teens, that she began working at Myers in 2014. Today, she works directly with a combination of designers, contractors, realtors and homeowners, and really loves what designers bring to the table.
“A designer's got a clear vision and I can help them with what they need,” she said. “Or, they'll come in with some ideas of where they want to go, and then by asking questions about their client - is it a family? Is it a single person? Do they have dogs? - then I can get them to the right fiber.”
Hilary has become pretty adept at guiding designers toward products
“I’ve worked with the Myers brothers and their team for over a decade, and their level of service remains unmatched,” said designer Evan Millárd, who has worked with Myers on multiple projects.
“What makes Justman and Sinclair so special is the partnership they bring to the design process,” Millárd said. “They approach every project with care, consistency, and a genuine commitment to getting it right. Their attention to detail, their knowledge of construction and materials, and their hands-on approach turn selecting a rug into a seamless, joyful experience.”
Myers has become the largest wool carpeting retailer in the Southeast and one of the major natural fiber retailers in the country. One of the keys to their success is that all locations have custom rug workrooms where they cut, serge, bind, and create customized area rugs and room-sized rugs.
“I am on a project now where the client saw a carpet at her hotel in Switzerland and wants us to duplicate that,” Hilary said. And the best part is, they can.
“We can start with a photo and then find the right manufacturer that can work with us,” she says. “It’s incredible the breadth and depth of product offerings we can get. We can go from
family friendly to high design, higher end looks from Stark.”
Designer Britney Blanton is a big fan of Stark, citing their long history and vast library of products as a valuable resource for complementing diverse styles across her various projects.
“If we are looking for interesting patterns and colorways that will enhance the overall design, our first stop is Stark,” Blanton said. “For this particular project, we needed a custom size and desired something visually engaging like an area rug, yet soft and subtle enough to elevate the space’s elegance without competing with other elements in the room.”
Myers is the only premier partner and showroom for Stark in Nashville.
Founder Gene Myers started buying scraps of carpet from local mills and reworking them into stair treads and small rugs which he then sold through area chenille stores. In 1957, with the help of his wife Evelyn, and later, sons Rick and Ray, opened Dalton's first carpet store and began offering carpet from Dalton's local mills.
Gene passed away in 1981 at age 53 and since then the company has been managed by Rick and Ray. In 1998, Myers Flooring Nashville opened, followed in 2001 by the purchase of Division Street Carpets downtown. In 2016, Myers Flooring of Nashville purchased the assets of Van Gilmore's Nashville Carpet Center in 2016, combining the two businesses and employees at their current Sidco Drive location.
“I have worked with Myers flooring for over 20 years,” said designer Jessica Davis. “Words cannot describe how grateful I am to work with a team of people that truly care about my projects the same way I do. From the selection process to installation, they have and will always stand behind their name. There is more than enough product to choose from and I know I can count on them doing a great job with service. I cannot imagine another source that compares.”
DESIGNED BY EVAN MILLARD PHOTOGRAPHED BY ALLISON ELEFANTE
“The team at Myers, particularly Hilary Steve, at this point in my design career, feel like family to me. Always positive, always engaging. Whether I am sourcing floor coverings for a multi-million dollar client or a playroom rug for my kids, I get the same level of service and care.”
— Stephanie Sabbe, Sabbe Interior Design
“Their rug collections are beautifully curated - full of depth, texture, and artistry. Whether I’m designing something calm and tonal or bold and layered, Myers Flooring always has pieces that elevate the entire room and tie it all together.”
— Evan Millárd, Millárd Design
SABBE
“Myers has been a go-to resource for my business for over a decade. Audra is so knowledgeable and always helps me find what I’m looking for in my projects. From measure to delivery and installation, the Myers team takes great care of me and my clients.”
— Emily Dyer Gulick, Emily Dyer Design
DESIGNED BY EMILY DYER GULICK
PHOTOGRAPHED BY SUZY THOMPSON
“Myers is one of the few places left that feels like the Nashville I grew up in. Their expertise and wide variety of stylish flooring options are the obvious reasons I make an appointment. However, their caring, unhurried way of helping me make selections for my clients is what makes my visit so meaningful, rewarding and fun.”
— Leigh Ann Hardie, LAH Interiors
DESIGNED BY LEIGH ANN HARDIE
PHOTOGRAPHED BY SUZY THOMPSON
“We love working with Myers Flooring. They are very detailed with measurements and have an experienced installation team, which always makes us look good. They are excellent at challenging stair runner installs too! Myers has a genuine family feel and truly makes us designers feel valued. It’s always fun to visit their showroom.”
— Katie Stix, Anderson Design Studio.
THEATER ROOM ON TIMS FORD LAKE DESIGNED BY ANDERSON DESIGN STUDIO
THE VOLUME 37 ISSUE RELEASE EVENT AT MYERS FLOORING BROUGHT TOGETHER DESIGNERS AND THE TEAM WHO HELPED THEM SUCCEED WITH THEIR CLIENTS.
PREMIERE ISSUE On the cover of the very first issue of Nashville Interiors, Barton-Riley Builders is featured, and credited with building some of Nashville’s most luxurious homes. Plus, local designers Kathy Anderson, Landy Gardner, Laret Casella and Lee Shacklock all contribute to a feature about current design.
2005-2006 With a Mike Ford Custom home on the cover, then publisher Kelly Mahill promoted two new big changes with this issue - a new Tips and Trends section, and even more exciting, Nashville Interiors TV, a show that aired Saturdays on Channel 5’s cable channel. It also showcases an ad for the NDC - the Nashville Design Center on Melrose, not to be mistaken for the NDC - the Nashville Design Collective on Merritt.
SPRING2013 The Spring 2013 edition of Nashville Interiors is a standout because it is the first time you can find the byline of now-publisher Hollie Deese as she wrote about bathroom mosaics and using online resources like Pinterest for design inspiration. A nighttime view of a Ford Custom Classic Home is featured on the cover.
2013-2014 Another graphic Baylor Bone-designed cover, this issue showcases favorite finds from the now-closed ReCreations, a profile on the Southern Living idea house from Castle Homes and custom furniture from Woodstock Vintage Lumber.
2006-2007 The cover of the 2006-2007 issue from Baylor Bone Interiors just speaks to the era in which it was printed. A feature about the new Annondale development in Brentwood reminds us that not everything new stays that way - and an ad for the Mall at Green Hills reminds us how much we miss Davis-Kidd.
2007-2008 What stands out about the 2007-2008 issue is that it is the first, and only, flip cover, with one side featuring Lankford’s Bath & Hardware, while the other is a Mike Ford Custom Home. One of the biggest highlights of this issue are the number of ads, many for places that are no longer around, so we can remember what was once here.
Nashville Interiors
MIDDLE TENNESSEE’S PREMIER BUILDING AND DESIGN GUIDE
FALL/WINTER 2017-2018
WINTER 2015 With a cover featuring Christopher Architecture & Interiors, the issue also features tips on curating an art collection with interviews from Ron York of York & Friends and Kelly Harwood of Gallery 202. There is also a piece on timeless trends that smart use of space and Shaker-style cabinets.
FALL2017 The Fall 2017 was the very first issue published by Hollie Deese after years of writing for the publication as a freelancer. One the cover was a home in the Voce development, built by Castle Homes, and other highlights include Scott Hamilton in his drum room, Libby Calloway in her home before a big renovation and spotlight on artist Julia Martin.
Nashville Interiors
COVERWINTER2020 The Winter 2020 edition of Nashville Interiors featured a Pritchett & Co. project at The 505, and the release event we had in celebration of it was the last one we had before covid. Other issue highlights: A spotlight on artist Omari Booker, the renovation of a Depression-era Tudor by Pfeffer Torode and a look inside the home of designer Sarah Bartholomew.
Nashville Interiors
2023 VOLUME 36 A favorite issue because it showcases the perfect example of development and art coming together, with local female makers and artists - New Hat Projects, Red Rock Tileworks, and Megan Stengel Bentley - collaborating on a piece inside the lobby of the Alcove highrise from Tony Giarratana. Inside, the home of Dillon Arnold and Brant Lyons is featured, as is the home of designer Jessica Stambaugh.
FALL 2021/WINTER 2022 A cover featuring Circa Lighting before they made their name change to Visual Comfort was designed by The Mix Interiors and shot by Allison Ellfante, one of many covers she has shot for the magazine over the years. The artist John Paul Kessling is featured, and the Pantone color of the year was Very Peri, a periwinkle blue hue.
Nashville Interiors
2023 VOLUME 37 This issue, also shot by Allison Elfante, showcases Myers Flooring in a new light, with a textile-forward cover and spotlight on the workers on Sidco making all the custom pieces happen. This issue also covered the Barbie trend, another Southern Living Idea House, this one from Hatcliff, and a piece on the Bellevue development boom.
DESIGNER CHRISTINA HENCK CREATES BALANCE FOR A SPORTS FAMILY ALWAYS ON THE MOVE
BY HOLLIE DEESE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLINE SHARPNACK
WHEN YOU GOTTA GO, YOU GOTTA GO.
And no one knows that more than people who work in sports, and the families that love them. So in July 2024 when B.J. Callaghan was hired as the head coach of the Nashville Soccer Club, the second in the team’s history, he and his wife Leigh packed up their two children and dog Gus and headed to Nashville from Chicago, where they had only been a short time after moving from Philadelphia.
Looking for a home with good schools for their daughters, now in 8th and 10th grades, the Callaghans chose a Legend Homes-built property in Brentwood’s Witherspoon development, but like many people who have to move over and over because of their career, they wanted to make changes to the property to make it feel more like home. Their home.
So the couple turned to designer Christina Henck to infuse the space with a more casual, comfortable aesthetic that aligned with their personal style. Having lived in Philadelphia when B.J. was the assistant coach for the Philadelphia Union, they liked that Henck came from there too.
Originally from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Henck got her interior design degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, then moved to Philadelphia where she grew her interiors design business. A few years ago, she and her husband moved to Nashville.
Immediately Henck knew the family needed their home to be functional and comfortable, first and foremost and made a plan to establish a conveniently functional space for the family with a relaxed feel.
“It was all about actually enjoying our space as a family, having a place to sit down and have meals, but also enough space for us to sit down and watch TV together,” Leigh said.
To make the space welcoming for the Callaghans when they arrived from Chicago, Henck mixed wood tones with soft neutrals, chose warm paint colors and cozy furniture pieces, and layered handwoven rugs and large-scale light fixtures to bring the designer look to life.
“Changing paint sounds so basic, but it completely transformed this traditional house into something casual and comfortable,” Henck said.
We had ideas and I thought Christina did a really good job of connecting what we wanted, but then also pushing our boundaries a little bit further.
— Leigh Callaghan
Leigh is a fan, though she admits she had to be convinced the colors Henck chose were going to work. “She asked what we liked and took that into consideration, and then pivoted completely 180 from that,” Leigh said with a laugh. “She suggested things I would’ve never picked. But once we saw them, we knew they were definitely the right choice for us. And we didn’t know ourselves well in terms of interior design. We had ideas and I thought Christina did a really good job of connecting what we wanted, but then also pushing our boundaries a little bit further. I actually appreciated that, because I feel like, at the end, we ended up with something that we really like, but there’s some uniqueness to it.
Enjoying the change so much is great for the Callaghans too, in that they are a little hesitant to take on major renovations, not knowing if they will ever get to enjoy them.
“We’ve learned to be a little bit gun shy on going for bigger projects,” Leigh said. “The last three homes, we invested a significant amount of money into, only to move out in the next three months after that project was complete. Because in a moment, you can get a phone call that say you have a new job.”
Still, Henck recognized the need to maintain the home’s elegant architectural style while introducing elements that felt cushy, yet sophisticated. By curating a design for the great room, dining room, kitchen and lounge areas, Henck seamlessly blended sophistication with comfort, transforming a traditional house into a welcoming sanctuary for the Callaghans.
“She made it feel like a home, but at the same time kept a traditional vibe,” Leigh said. “It feels homey, like a neighborhood home, which is comforting.” NI
BOLD & Beautiful
BY NICOLE CHILDREY PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMILY DORIO
POWELL’S NEW HQ SHOWCASES RISK, REWARDS, AND THE BEST OF NASHVILLE DESIGN Beautiful
MAYBE THE WALLS IN POWELL’S NEW BERRY HILL HEADQUARTERS CAN’T TALK, BUT THEY’RE CERTAINLY TELLING STORIES.
In the conference room that looks onto Bransford Avenue, custom wallpaper — a collaboration with surface design studio New Hat — turns a selection of Powell’s greatest hits into a purposeful patchwork dubbed “Project Palettes.”
“Every rectangle (references) a different project — the color palette and elemental features,” says Powell partner, chief creative officer, and interior designer Katie Vance, pointing toward the pastiche of earth tones, soft pastels, primarys and near-neons, with geometric slabs and delicate linework tiptoeing in, around, and in between.
“That’s O-Ku,” she says, bringing up a block that pays homage to that restaurant’s lilac leather. “And that’s Mojo’s Tacos. That’s Audrey. That’s Fancypants.”
Ur andaepuditas voloria vendunda noste nitam, volorec torehene serorem poresequi
All those restaurant projects, spanning years of Powell’s rise as one of Nashville’s premier architecture and design studios, inhabit wildly different worlds of inspiration. Industrial textures and Aztec patterns. Warm organics and shou sugi ban vibes. Florals and fireengine red.
“It was wild to really take in how every space they’ve done is wholly unique,” says Elizabeth Williams, New Hat’s co-founder and captain. “There’s no template that they follow to make things easier or faster. I don’t think most designers/architects can say that.”
Collected into one wallpaper design, it should be chaos. But as Powell closes in on 20 years of beautifying Music City, they’ve made a unique knack and a refreshing message clear: Bold and boundarypushing isn’t just doable, when you’re partnered with the right people; it’s duty.
“I always say, if part of it doesn’t feel risky, it’s not worth doing,” Vance says.
Growing and Glowing Up
A project several years in the making, the new Powell headquarters serves multiple functions. It’s a dynamic architecture, design, and construction showpiece. It’s a practical necessity — somewhere to park, plan, and perform with the team. And it’s a place to grow, not just creatively and artistically, but in broader business directions.
The studio’s three partners — CEO and architect Luke Tidwell, chief development officer and general contractor Chad Roberts, and Vance — led every step of envisioning, designing, and building their hub at 2813 Bransford Avenue.
Powell had more than outgrown the cozy East Nashville office they’d worked in for years. And they were getting busier pushing out the borders of the business, adding luxury residential design to their commercial foundation around 2021. Now they were eyeing expansion into development.
“I always say, if part of it doesn’t feel risky, it’s not worth doing,”
— Katie Vance
With the move, Vance says, “I think that was our goal: to create something for ourselves, and then show that we could get into development.”
Powell purchased two lots, and start to finish, shaped a three-floor, nearly 10,000-square-foot building to showcase their capabilities, house their operations, and accommodate likeminded tenants. STAT Wellness, a luxury functional medicine and movement studio (and Powell client), now occupies the first and top floors, with Powell taking the second.
Although it’s their first development project, the team pulled no punches. Even from the street, the building practically howls “Powell” — arches and angles in the architecture directly reference the studio’s stacked-shapes brand identity, and the closer you move, the more the bold details come into view.
“Far away, you’re seeing how the shapes progress,” Vance says. “When you get closer, you get more of the texture.”
That texture brings an inspiring balance, glass and metal cutting sleek slices into a curved expanse of concrete block installed to surface the corners. It looks almost unnaturally natural, like giant petrified reptile scales. The Powell team had used this technique as an accent before, but never an entire facade.
“The mason wanted to literally murder us when he looked through that curve,” Vance says, laughing. “He was like, ‘Do not give out my name to do curved brick on a 45.’”
Collaborating With Nashville
Powell’s collaborators — even when under installation duress — tend to play a powerful role in the studio’s creative process. That’s by design and by preference. So completing this new HQ meant an opportunity to put favorites and longtime partners, like New Hat, on prominent display.
Along with “Project Palettes,” the Nashville surface design studio teamed with Powell and fellow locals Red Rock Tileworks on custom kitchen bar tiles that tell another visual story. The concept: a bodega that only sells things that begin with the letter P, for Powell.
“The hardest one is the racecar,” Vance says, offering a sly twinkle. (It’s a palindrome.)
From a distance, the concept might seem silly, but to the creative crew involved, it was an inspiring narrative to jump off of.
“This is a great example of why Powell’s designs can be so fun,” Williams says. “It starts with a narrative that clients can find meaning in instead of just, ‘Here’s some cool stuff that will look cool in your cool place.’ Katie is often providing us, her collaborators, with these narrative cues.”
Other locals and longtime partners who contributed to the new HQ include Mesa, who built a Pullman-style boucle-upholstered booth for the lounge; Southern Lights Electric, who supplied style-forward custom lighting; and HollerDesign, who shaped grand custom doors and tables. All together, 13 local artists, makers, and design companies contributed mostly madeto-order work.
Taken together, it might seem like the Powell HQ is absolutely busting with custom. And it is. But that’s another tale the team is intentionally telling.
“We want to showcase the different collaborations that are possible with projects,” Vance says, “but I think also, a lot of times people think custom sounds scary and pricey and just out of the realm. We want to show that it actually can be a fun, easy process, if you work with the right people.”
Still, Powell isn’t closed off to off-the-shelf finishes, when they’re inspiring and fit the project. In the HQ’s open workspace, floor-toceiling feature walls showcase “WILD,” a loud and powerful tile design from Nashville’s Haustile, featuring abstract tiger shapes with six gleaming eyes.
The Powell team was obsessed with the unflinching pattern. Haustile co-owner Lindsay Sheets was stoked, because, she told Vance, “People are scared to use it.”
Vance remembers the conversation, smiling. “I said, ‘Well, we’re not.’” NI
EXPLORE POWELL
powellnashville.com
@powellnashville
2813 Bransford Ave. Suite 200 Nashville, TN 37204
“We want to show that it (custom) actually can be a fun, easy process, if you work with the right people.”
— Katie Vance
SWEET HOLIDAY DREAMS
| NOV 21 – JAN 4
• Mansion décor by former White House florist Laura Dowling
• Holiday nostalgia comes alive in the historic period rooms
• Tour the Mansion in the day or evening during the holidays
• Reserve tickets at cheekwood.org
A RETURN SOUTH TO THE
DESIGNER CHRISTOPHER TODD SETTLES INTO A NEW PHASE OF HIS CAREER AFTER YEARS IN VEGAS
BY HOLLIE DEESE
BY ELISE ROWLAND
PHOTOGRAPHY
Every day of the life of designer Christopher Todd is completely different from the day before. And probably won’t be anything like tomorrow. That’s because he doesn’t hold himself back from practicing any of the different genres of design that he loves, including interiors, events, florals and holidays, which is where he started, and how he gained entrance to decorating celebrity homes, luxury hotels and retail spaces throughout the country.
“I've always had an entrepreneurial mindset,” Todd said. “When most people look at things as challenges, I look at them as opportunities, and I go out and I make them happen. I remember at the University of North Texas, I created a list of 10 things I wanted to accomplish by the time I was 21. Of those 10 things, I've done eight of them. The only thing I'm missing, I've never been a puppeteer and I've never had my own TV show.”
Todd grew up in Monticello, Arkansas, and when he was 18, started his holiday design business, kind of as a fluke. “I would help friends, and word got around,” he said. From there, Todd launched Pizazz Party Planning.
“But when you're in a town of 8,000 people, there aren't many parties to plan,” he said. So the bulk of his business then was baby showers, wedding showers and other family events.
“My mother was a big influence in my life because she always hosted parties in our home, so I understood how to do things, and how to do things right,” he said. “One of her famous quotes was, ‘It takes very little to be above average.’ And that was always instilled in me - to do everything right, to make sure every detail was touched on. And it really started affecting my business, because I was known for doing things right.”
When he was 23, he opened first brick-andmortar business, buying an existing flower shop in his hometown from someone who was retiring. In 2002 he relocated to Fayetteville and opened another floral design business. As luck would have it, his very first job was for J.B. Hunt and his wife Johnelle’s 50th wedding anniversary, hosted by the Tysons, of Tyson Foods.
would have a function at her house, she'd say, ‘Can you run over and Toddify things for me?’ he said. At one event, a woman who was there loved what he had done for Judy and hired him to design a 7,500-square-foot house she had just built.
“I'd never really done anything to that scale. And I told her that,” he said. “But she told me she liked my style, and thought I could do it.”
“I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset. When most people look at things as challenges, I look at them as opportunities, and I go out and I make them happen.
— CHRISTOPHER TODD
“It was the most incredible streak of luck that I was able to show off in front of all of these people, and my business just completely blew up and flourished at that point,” Todd said. He began doing work for Walmart, Tyson Foods, the University of Arkansas.
“And it just so happened that a client at a party we had done, Judy, coined the term ‘Toddify.’ And so anytime she
That was in 2004, and it was that same client who brought Todd to Nashville 20 years later.
“Over those past 20 years we've done six homes together,” he said. “She has been the backbone of my business, sharing who I am,” he said.
Still, Todd was itching to do more events, big ones. So he went out on a limb and contacted the Academy of Motion Pictures. He asked them who did their flowers for the Oscars, and obviously a little surprised with the question, gave him the name of the company, the same one that does the Rose Bowl Parade.
“And with just a little portfolio in hand I drove from Arkansas to California in hopes that I could get an opportunity to do flowers for the Academy Awards,” he said. “I contacted the company and told them I had driven all the way from Arkansas to show them my portfolio. And the gentleman said, ‘Yeah, I'll give you a few minutes to come in and talk to me.’”
That guy gave Todd the opportunity to help with the Rose Bowl, and based on his work with that, then hired him for the Oscars.
“That was my first really big opportunity to do a nationally recognized event,” he said. That person then introduced Todd to someone with MGM Properties in Las Vegas who hired him to do all of their events. So Todd moved to Vegas, and his career hit a new level.
“It was just unreal - huge budgets, huge production opportunities,” he said. “I remember the very first event she took me in on, we walked into this big ballroom at the Mirage Hotel, and Garth Brooks was doing a sound check, and I was like, ‘What's happening in my life?’”
After a few years with MGM though, the entrepreneur in him wanted a change and so he branched out on his own even design business, all the while still doing holiday design.
One of his first solo events was the national launch of the new Range Rover. And 13 years later, Todd did this interview from Temecula, Calif., where he was designing an event for Land Rover. He has also done events for Audi, Rolls Royce, and BMW.
“Other people plan and we go in and make them beautiful,” he said of event design. “Being we have a background in design, and we have a background in floral design, we are a one stop shop. We can go in and do everything where a lot of people would have to call a florist, and then call the rental company for furniture. We do everything.”
In 2024 Todd was working on a project with that woman he met at the party years ago. It was their third home in Nashville to work on, this one a smaller property by Lipscomb where their daughter was attending. He would fly in from Vegas every Monday and fly out Thursday, for a year and a half.
Realizing he wanted his future to be more Nashville focused, he made the choice to make it permanent. He moved, and almost immediately opened a showroom in Belle Meade, his sixth brick-and-mortar across his career.
“I decided to close the store in Las Vegas, and I just packed everything up and we relocated to Nashville,” he said. “I signed the lease on September 1st, and I opened the doors, renovated and ready to go, on October 11 of last year.”
Now he is excited to invest the next stage of his career here, a return to the south where he was born and raised and first built his career.
“People have a sense of home and family here,” he said. “They appreciate their homes, and they like investing beautiful things into their homes. I see my future being a lot more based in Nashville, getting more rooted in Nashville.”
Christopher Todd is the featured event designer of the upcoming Nashville Interiors magazine 25th anniversary dinner and celebration at Clementine Hall on December 11, 2025. NI
Make Merry
This season Christopher Todd has partnered with renowned European ornament house Joy to the World to host the company’s very first pop-up shop in Todd’s Belle Meade design showroom.
The shop features a curated assortment of hand-blown, hand-painted glass ornaments, including a special limited edition Nashville-themed collection designed by Todd in partnership with the ornament house during his recent trip to their studio in Poland.
The Nashville collection consists of four designs that celebrate the city, featuring two variations of glittering skylines, a hot sauce bottle, and a banjo, with only 72 pieces of each available. Exclusively available at his showroom, this collaboration marks the beginning of what Todd hopes will become an annual collector’s series, created for those who see the holidays as an opportunity to express taste and tradition.
CONTINUING the DISCOURSE
BY HOLLIE DEESE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL MIEGS
REVISITING NASHVILLE DESIGN WEEK 8 YEARS AFTER FOUR WOMEN STARTED A CONVERSATION ABOUT DESIGN, GROWTH AND INCLUSION
In 2018, four women came together with a mission and a message — that all the disparate design communities could come together to change the discourse of what a new and improving Nashville could be. To open the door for new voices to be heard in how we grow as a city and as a community.
And so Fuller Hanan, then a project manager with Pfeffer Torode Architecture, Kate O’Neil, then an architect and designer with Hastings Architecture, Lindsay DeCarlo, also then with Hastings, and Julia Dyer, then a merchandiser with VF Workwear, pulled together the first Nashville Design Week. It was a multidisciplinary series of workshops, panels, discussions and site visits meant to give everyone — designers, architects, artists, makers and the public — a voice in the sometimes difficult discussion around Nashville’s growth, and how current design will affect what we leave behind.
DeCarlo at the time. “And it's not too late. We are at a moment where we can make change in that arena, and that's why we're so excited to be doing this now.”
Those four women felt the pressure to not only have the event live up to the vision, but to make the right choices on programming — and be open to input about how to improve what could be a defining moment in Nashville design.
“These conversations have been happening, it's just the hope is that it'll be taken to a
volunteers and their initial call for events got triple their bestcase scenario estimate, with nearly 90 submissions.
“I think we all kind of thought we'd have to convince people that there was a need for it,” DeCarlo said back then. “And the design community has just welcomed us with open arms.”
In 2025, the mission of what those founders intended, and the embrace from the design community, is alive and growing.
Nathan Hutcheson, a creative professional in marketing and design, moved to Nashville in 2022. In 2023 he volunteered for NDW for the first time. This year he served as partnership chair, raising money and securing sponsorships.
“I think we all kind of thought we’d have to convince people that there was a need for it, and the design community has just welcomed us with open arms.”
– Lindsay DeCarlo, In 2018
“This is the perfect moment to take pause and think, ‘OK, how can we create artist housing with all of this new construction? How can we make sure that all of the creatives that have been able to afford and live and work and grow small businesses here still have the opportunity to do that 10 years from now?”said
whole different level during design week, where people just get together that maybe wouldn't normally be in a room together, in more of a relaxed atmosphere where you feel comfortable having conversations about tough topics,” Dyer said in 2018. “There's only room for growth. There's no limit to what we can be, while keeping our identity.”
The response to the premiere Design Week was overwhelmingly positive. Sponsors signed on, dozens of people were organized into
“We want the community to come together,” he said. “All of our events are submitted by people in the community. It isn't us deciding what we're going to do or what we're going to talk about. This is a community organization. We might be leading it behind the scenes, but we want this to be what Nashville's design community is about.”
As communications chair for Nashville Design Week this year, Nichols led editorial, marketing, and communications strategy in an effort to amplify the creative voices shaping the city.
the FOUNDERS of NASHVILLE DESIGN WEEK
THE FOUNDERS OF NASHVILLE DESIGN WEEK, FROM LEFT, LINDSAY DECARLO, JULIA DYER, KATIE O’NIEL, FULLER HANAN.
NDW EVENTS FROM PAST YEARS, INCLUDING OPENING PARTY AND A PANEL AT EXIT/IN.
DESIGN IS EVERY THING EVERY THING IS
With a deep passion for architecture, hospitality and art, Nichols, a Jackson, Miss., native, believes in the power of design to reflect identity and community. And the power of NDW to keep pushing that forward, welcoming all to the conversation.
“It think a lot of times very important people get left out of the conversation, and I think our events actually create a space where these two different groups of people — people who are in the know, who can make big decisions, are in the room with people who may not have that much influence, but still have so much to bring as far as ideas,” Nichols said.
“Our events create the opportunity for two worlds to collide and figure out how they can make progress within the city. Building that community. And I think, especially right now in our world, we're so divided and we need to have more moments where we feel more unified. And I think design, in so many ways, brings us all together.”
Also fairly new to Nashville, Haley Beckham-Shetty is the founder and lead designer of Bex Interiors, and serves as the operations chair for NDW, championing collaboration and connection across the city’s design community.
DESIGNED
“From the get go, our mission has been about putting designers in Nashville on the map. Giving them a platform,” Beckham-Shetty said. “And the reality is we are in year eight, and the designers are on the map. We have very talented design firms, and Nashville has a pretty great name in the design community overall. So I'm hoping we can reshape our mission to really focus on how we get these designers and artisans and all of these people to cross pollinate and collaborate. I want our future to showcase what happens when Nashville designers get together.” NI
In 2018 the founders of Nashville Design Week each had a favorite building in the city, and an idea of what Nashville needed most at the time. We have asked this year’s board members the same questions. Here is what they had to say then, and now.
JULIA DYER (2018)
Favorite building? “It’s in Wedgewood-Houston, the street that crosses over the railroad tracks. It used to be a shop or something, but I just love that it was so intentionally redone. It just sits alone on this corner, nothing else around it, but all four sides of it are now something you want to look at and interact with.”
What does Nashville need? “There's a lot of different things that go into how we have become successful as a capital for tourism and a capital for music. Let's become a capital for something else in the world as well.”
FULLER HANAN (2018)
Favorite building in Nashville? “I actually like the Arcade. There is always something new to find.”
What does Nashville need? I would say preservation of place. And whether that's from a residential standpoint or the downtown fabric, not preservation for the sake of preservation, but it's attempting to breathe new life into those spaces. Historic preservation is so needed and so necessary in Nashville. Because otherwise we are going to just not have an identity.”
KATE O’NEIL (2018)
Favorite building in Nashville? That's hard. I've always really loved the Bridge Building. It's something that actually attracted me to Hastings. Just the re-use and the history of it, I think was just fascinating, and the changes that the actual building itself has gone through since it was originally constructed and the way that they were able to respect that history.
What does Nashville need? From a planning perspective I would love to see more of a focus on public transit. I do feel like the growth and the literal knocking together of people in this one place, it's really hard to just get around. And I think as we grow just continuing to think through how we move as a city is critical.”
LINDSAY DECARLO (2018)
Favorite building in Nashville? “The Bridge Building and the pedestrian bridge. I think the city could do a lot more to hold onto its architectural history and I very much appreciate those moments when it has been thoughtfully restored and considered and put to new use. I think adaptive reuse is something that we could be doing a lot more of. I think just what that stands for, it's probably my favorite.”
What does Nashville need? “My knee jerk reaction is bike lanes. As we get more and more dense, thinking about how we move in terms of the pedestrian experience. And I think that is often overlooked in our neighborhood.”
MARIO NICHOLS (2025)
Favorite building? For me, it’s the restored church that now houses Bad Idea. Nashville’s design community does an incredible job of repurposing the old into something new, and Bad Idea is a perfect reflection of that.
What does Nashville need? I think Nashville needs more spaces for people to meet beyond coffee shops and bars. Where else can we connect? That’s the question I’m asking these days.
LINDSAY CHADWELL (2025)
Favorite building? I would say my favorite building in Nashville is probably the L&C Tower because of the art deco style, the materials, the history of it being built (how big of a deal it was for the time period), and the iconic observation deck.
What does Nashville need? Nashville should continue to invest in better infrastructure for the continuing growth of the city but infrastructure that also focuses on career development for future designers across all industries. I love this city and its vibrancy, and I hope the future remains as bright.
NATHAN HUTCHESON (2025)
Favorite building? My favorite Nashville building is the BMI building near music row. It’s one of the few Brutalist buildings in Nashville, but I love that it has so much character and style.
What does Nashville need? Nashville needs better transit between neighborhoods. Areas like WeHo, Germantown, and East are great to walk around, but unfortunately you have to drive and park to access them.
HALEY BECKHAM-SHETTY (2025)
Favorite building? Santa’s Pub might be my favorite building in Nashville because it proves a space doesn’t have to be polished to tell a great story. It’s a tiny double-wide that somehow holds decades of personality, community, karaoke, and pure Nashville weirdness and that’s the kind of soul you can’t fabricate. It reminds me that the best spaces aren’t always the fanciest ones.
What does Nashville need? Nashville needs design with a longer view. Right now, we’re building for volume instead of legacy, and it shows. I want to see spaces that honor the creatives who give this city its character. Spaces shaped through real local collaboration. And we need to plan for the next twenty to thirty years while we’re at it: better transit, intentional public places, smart density, and development that strengthens our story instead of steamrolling it.
MODERN UPDATES ENHANCE AN EAST NASHVILLE BUNGALOW’S HISTORIC CHARACTER
BY HOLLIE DEESE PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALLISON ELEFANTE
It was only meant to be a screened-in porch addition.
A small project to add some life to an East Nashville home. And really, that is all it started out for the homeowner when she contacted designer Brittney Blanton, who had become rather adept at expanded outdoor living and screened-in porch solutions during COVID.
“She was very open, designwise.” Blanton said of the woman who lived there with her husband and two dogs. “But she wanted it to be well-designed, and she wanted it to be very finished.”
The homeowner loved the drawings Blanton did for the porch, so she asked her to then do the front elevation, and then, ultimately, the finishes and furnishings for the entire 1,700-square-foot home.
By walking through each room of the home together, Blanton was able to learn everything
about the home the owner was bothered by. And other than knowing how she wanted it to make her feel, she didn’t have any other specifics in mind of what it had to be. And that’s a great starting point for a designer.
“After that walkthrough we came back and put together our design concept,” she says. “We started pulling all the fabrics, building out the space, reworking the floor plan, and had a pretty clear design in place.”
That vision was to make it more functional while also injecting all of the couple’s personality into the space. They opened a wall between the kitchen and the back to create an open flow between areas, while keeping each room distinct. For instance, the front living room is rather contained, but the arched opening leads to the kitchen, now more open and functional, with a wall of cabinets added to a space where there was nothing before.
“We were able to give each space its own personality and identity while keeping a common thread throughout, I think that makes it a really fun house to walk through and to entertain in because there’s a different atmosphere within each space as opposed to a big, fully-open concept.”
— Brittney Blanton
“She had really strong ideas about what she wanted,”
— Brittney Blanton
“We were able to give each space its own personality and identity while keeping a common thread throughout,” Blanton said. “I think that makes it a really fun house to walk through and to entertain in because there’s a different atmosphere within each space as opposed to a big, fully-open concept.”
The result beautifully blends the home’s historic cottage character with modern updates, showcasing the charm of East Nashville architecture.
“This project captures the essence of Nashville—its rich history, growth, and evolving design scene,.” Blanton said.
Antiques, art add to the story
The couple travel a lot, picking up pieces from their trips that add to the story their home tells about their lives - little painted horses from the Netherlands on the piano, or Alice in Wonderland plates from a layover in London over the sink.
“We were fortunate to incorporate the clients’ personal antique collection throughout the space, giving the design a deeply personal touch,” Blanton said. From there, they were able to fill in the blanks from consignment shopping trips, or having art pieces commissioned.
“She had really strong ideas about what she wanted,” Blanton said.
The interest isn’t only on the walls however - look up and you will find most of the light fixtures are almost like art themselves. Some new, many vintage, the pendants and fixtures are all full of personality, including a drop chandelier Blanton had been saving for herself. “That one was hard to give up,” she said with a laugh.
As for the initial project she was hired for, Blanton transformed the standard wood deck into a true indoor/outdoor space, with heater on one end, fireplace on the other, fully connected to the main house to really expand the living space, which, now, completely fits the people who live there.
“What makes this project feel successful is that it is a reflection of the client,” Blanton said. “It really feels like their personality, but we also got to be very creative because we got to design it top to bottom. Having trust from the client was huge.” NI
Originally from Alabama, Brittney Blanton moved around a lot growing up. After graduating from the University of Alabama with her interior design degree, she worked in New York for a few years before moving to Nashville. After a couple of years she bounced to Birmingham, then Chattanooga. In 2019, Blanton made Nashville her permanent home and founded B. Blanton Design.
MakingEntrance an
When the Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville announced “American Elegance” as the theme for its 2026 show, it only made sense that the look would be guided by fabric partner Kravet, the classic legacy of Ralph Lauren, and a team of designers, landscape architects and volunteers who transform the Music City Center each year in a matter of days.
LOCAL DESIGNERS CHOSEN FOR HIGHPROFILEWORK AT ANTIQUES & GARDEN SHOW BY
HOLLIE DEESE | PHOTOGRAPHY SUBMITTED
For 2026, that team includes Nashvillebased interior designers Stephanie Sabbe of Sabbe Interior Design as the 2026 Stage Designer, and Roger Higgins of R. Higgins Interiors as the 2026 Entrance Designer.
“It’s incredibly satisfying, and it lets you know that after you've been doing this for 30 years, maybe it's been noticed,” Higgins said. “Nashville has a history of some great design, and that needs to
be played up, not ignored, because of the flash that’s happening right now.”
Still, the amount of work that goes into such a high-profile but short-lived display is immense. And intense.
“Getting all of those elements lined up quickly, then installed in three days, it's kind of a lot,” said Higgins, who is partnering with David Skinner Antiques and Period Lighting for his installation.
LAST YEAR’S STAGE, DESIGNED BY RACHEL HALVERSON
“But, you have all these people willing to help, which is wonderful.”
Sabbe had a bit of an idea of what she was getting into because last year’s stage designer, Rachel Halverson, is one of her best friends. Plus, the theme of American Elegance appealed to her design aesthetic.
“This is an easy style fit for me because I already do that kind of traditional, Ralph Lauren vibes,” she says.
To prepare, Sabbe is recovering collected pieces of antique furniture in Kravet fabric. At the MBA Art Show in November she met artist Parker Williams, commissioning him to create a George Washington portrait in what she describes as his Wes Anderson style.
“And, we're pulling in a big historic fireplace that I've had in storage, and I have an antique, cane-back sofa in front of that,” she said.
The 2025 show drew more than 17,000 attendees for the 150 antiques, art and horticulture dealers, immersive garden showcases, live music and special events. Chairing the forthcoming event are Paula Kinard and Phyllis Vandewater, close friends and creative collaborators who have years of joint community involvement.
Additionally, renowned designer, author, entrepreneur and philanthropist Bunny Williams and her business partner Elizabeth Lawrence will return as honorary co-chairs.
“This is an easy style fit for me because I already do that kind of traditional, Ralph Lauren vibes. And, we’re pulling in a big historic fireplace that I’ve had in storage, and I have an antique, cane-back sofa in front of that,”
— Stephanie Sabbe
Sabbe and Higgins are not the only local designers working on the look of the show. Cheekwood will once again greet attendees with the entry exhibition garden, designed by Cheekwood’s team of gardeners. And, the lead landscape designer on the East Garden is Gavin Duke of Duke Design Group, while Nature’s Best, an awardwinning garden center in Middle Tennessee, will design the West Garden.
Nashville has a history of some great design, and that needs to be played up, not ignored, because of the flash that’s happening right now.” — Roger Higgins
“I think it’s a very generous idea to incorporate us,” Sabbe said. “The speakers all tend to be from out of town, and while it's super popular and we get people from all over, it doesn't really directly bring attention to Nashville designers unless they have a booth. I love what Vintage Millworks has done over the years, and Anne Daigh’s display last year was out of this world, insane. I just think it's great for them to think of other ways to incorporate us into the whole show, because it’s the biggest design event we have here.” NI
Roger Higgins R. Higgins Interiors 2000 Blair Blvd., Nashville rhigginsinteriors.com 615-297-9632
JAN. 9-11,
FRIDAY MORNING: Keynote lecture with David Lauren and Lauren Bush Lauren discussing the legacy of Ralph Lauren’s classic American interiors, moderated by Alfredo Paredes.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON: Design panel on the sophisticated translation of American elegance with renowned designers Will Meyer & Gray Davis of Meyer Davis & John & Christine Gachot of GACHOT.
SATURDAY MORNING: Floral lecture with globally-celebrated designer, author and public speaker Preston Bailey on the art of designing an elegant celebration.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON: Landscape design lecture with landscape architect Charles Stick on designing timeless American gardens.
THE ANTIQUES & GARDEN SHOW OF NASHVILLE |
2026
A Collected Li f e
TIME, MEMORIES, PEOPLE ALL FIND A PLACE AMONG THE THINGS BEBE
BUELL COLLECTS
BY HOLLIE DEESE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTHONY ROMANO
From a young age Bebe Buell noticed that when her mother decorated, she would keep things grouped together in their like category. All the birds would be in one place. All the glass eggs in another.
Little by little, her mother started small collections for her too, like a little shoe collection, and her Desert Rose patterned china. Both have grown extensively since those early days.
“My mother really was the driving force behind my collectible gene,” Buell said. “I sort of picked it all up from her. She's also the one who gave me permission to be diverse, to decorate with really valuable pieces and also just pieces I love. Like my deer heads. I've probably got a deer head - not real, but like brass or porcelain - in every room in my house. She said the eclectic mixture of decor was always a lot warmer than people who just want it perfect.”
“There isn’t one thing hanging on my wall that doesn’t have a story,”
— Bebe Buell
In 1972, when Buell was 18, she moved to New York after signing a contract with Ford Models, and from there her collections evolved from what her mother got for her as a little girl to what she was picking up for herself through her, sometimes unbelievable, life experiences as she pursued a singing career and found herself among a circle of icons.
BEBE’S MOTHER STARTED HER COLLECTION OF SHOES, INCLUDING THE ROLLERSKATE, ABOVE RIGHT.
HER COLLECTION OF TEACUPS, LEFT, IS ABOUT TO GROW WHEN SHE BRINGS HOME HER MOTHER’S COLLECTION TO ADD TO HERS.
Naturally, mementos of this time in her life, when she was hanging out at Max’s Kansas City with Andy Warhol and longtime partner Todd Rundgren, and becoming the muse for some of the most iconic musicians ever, including Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Elvis Costello and Steven Tyler.
“There isn't one thing hanging on my wall that doesn't have a story,” she said. Like the Picasso block print Jagger gifted Buell when she turned 21. Or the Patti Smith drawing from the artist herself. Or the drawing Kurt Cobain did for her husband Jim Wallerstein when his band Das Damen was touring with Nirvana.
And those are just some of items among the sea of memorabilia, photos, art and objects hanging on the walls of her Franklin home.
“The dog bathroom is my favorite room... Everywhere I go, I look for dog pictures.”
— Bebe Buell
“You'd have to sort of walk around and look at everything,” she said. “Slowly, because you could overlook something easily. And I will continue to frame and hang pictures. I've got lots of wall space.”
And just like her mom, Buell groups her collections accordingly. One wall is filled with crosses and religious iconography.
In a curio cabinet, all of her teapots stand. And in the downstairs bathroom — nothing but dogs.
“The dog bathroom is my favorite room,” she said. “That started from a collection of postcards that belonged to my husband's mother when she was a little girl. Then I started seeing these amazing dog things everywhere. And then my mother reminded me she had the paint-by-numbers I did of Boxers when I was in high school. And then, before I knew it, I had another budding collection. But then I became obsessed. Everywhere I go, I look for dog pictures.”
Buell’s mother, Dorothea Johnson, passed away earlier this year at the age of 96, and Buell, her cousin Annie Noyes, and her daughter, actress Liv Tyler, went through Johnson’s belongings together, bonding over their loved one by the things she left behind.
“It was a very loving exchange, and
everybody sort of knew who was going to get what anyway” Buell said.
“Believe it or not, inanimate objects have energy and power,” she said, describing the energy she feels from an 80-year-old Hummel collection that belonged to Jim's mother.
“I treasure everything,” she said. “That's a problem with me. I can't throw anything away. But I feel an energy around some of this stuff. But of course, you can't take it with you.”
Now, Buell takes notice when people like something of hers, and has started assigning in her mind who will get some of her special pieces.
“I'm not planning for my goodbye from the planet, but you do become vulnerable when you have to go through a health scare,” said Buell, 72, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024 and underwent a lumpectomy. “As Jane Goodall would say, you realize you're closer to the end than you were to the rest of your life. And you have to be very conscientious and very present about what you choose to do with those years. And I'm sort of at that place right now, where I just want to do my best work. I think I have a lot to give to people that feel like things are over. They're never over. Even when they're over, they're not over.” NI
BY JANELLE
HAIR AND MAKEUP ON BEBE BUELL
WOOD
MATT REASOR ART
Starting December 9th EXTENDED HOLIDAY HOURS 10 am - 6 pm* Tuesday - Saturday *open 10 am - 5 pm on 12/13
Landmark Status
AN EXCLUSIVE EXHIBITION OF ICONIC CELEBRITY PORTRAITS FROM PHOTOGRAPHER
TIMOTHY WHITE DEBUTS INSIDE THE HERMITAGE HOTEL
BY HOLLIE DEESE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAM CALDERON
“Timothy White’s portraits capture the same spirit of influence and artistry that has always lived within these walls. Together, we’re honoring Nashville’s legacy while creating an experience that invites our guests and neighbors to see history and culture come alive in a new way.”
– Dee Patel, managing director of The Hermitage Hotel
An exclusive artistic partnership with award-winning photographer Timothy White and The Hermitage Hotel has turned the grand entrance, bar and signature restaurant into a living gallery that honors both Nashville’s cultural legacy and The Hermitage Hotel’s place within that legacy.
Since opening in 1910, The Hermitage Hotel has served as a backdrop to the city’s story. From civic leaders and visiting dignitaries to music legends and global icons, the hotel has long been a gathering place where history is made.
In much the same way, Timothy White has chronicled more than four decades of cultural history. Considered one of the most important figures in contemporary photography, White has captured some of the most iconic images in Hollywood, music, fashion and advertising. His portraits are exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, and his extensive archive stands as one of the most significant visual chronicles of modern pop culture.
“Timothy White’s portraits capture the same spirit of influence and artistry that has always lived within these walls,” said Dee Patel, managing director of The Hermitage Hotel. “Together, we’re honoring Nashville’s legacy while creating an experience that invites our guests and neighbors to see
history and culture come alive in a new way.”
The collection of 22 images, exclusive to The Hermitage Hotel, marks a first-of-itskind collaboration for the property. By integrating White’s evocative imagery into its signature restaurant, Drusie & Darr by Jean-Georges, the hotel extends its legacy as a cultural cornerstone of Music City.
“There is some relevancy to it that works in this room, the contemporary work in this classic structure,” White said. “It's a really good balance. We went back and forth on black and white or color, but the black and white was a really good choice. It just really added a punch to this room that doesn't take away from JeanGeorges’ presentation.”
The exhibit includes icons such as Bruce Springsteen, Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, Jon Bon Jovi, Shania Twain and Keith Urban, many with ties to the hotel as past guests. White says he is able to get the images he does by never having a preconceived notion of his subject, no matter how notorious.
“It’s not about what we know about them. It's about my interaction with them,” he said. “I'm feeling people and I'm watching them. It’s getting them comfortable with me and not uncomfortable with the camera.”
The exhibition will remain on permanent display within Drusie & Darr, offering guests and visitors an intimate opportunity to experience White’s legendary body of work, a fitting tribute to a city and a hotel that continue to shape cultural history.
“The Hermitage Hotel is steeped in history and storytelling, which resonates deeply with the narratives I strive to capture in my work,” said White. “To showcase these portraits here feels like an extension of that history, a dialogue between the past and the present.” NI
JEAN-GEORGES, LEFT, AND TIMOTHY WHITE
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Seeing Stars
MICHELIN COMES FOR MUSIC CITY
BY HOLLIE DEESE | PHOTOGRAPHY SUBMITTED
PHOTOGRAPHED BY DANIEL BROWN
It’s About Time.
At a ceremony in Greenville, S.C., on Nov. 3, 2025, the inaugural Michelin Guide for the American South debuted, covering Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The 2025 guide also includes the pre-existing Atlanta restaurant selection as part of this first regional edition in North America.
“The cuisine of the American South is a rich blend of cultural influences, brought to life by skilled chefs who have crafted some of the region’s most iconic dishes,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide.
The inaugural selection of honorees in the guide includes 18 one-star restaurants, eight previously awarded in Atlanta, and 10 new ones across the inaugural states. Emeril’s of New Orleans got two stars.
“Our anonymous inspectors were deeply impressed by the region’s culinary prowess, and this inaugural selection reflects their findings — from Southern staples like barbecue, Creole and seafood, to international flavors,” Poullennec said. “We welcome these restaurants to the Michelin Guide family and toast to all the chef and restaurant teams honored tonight.”
honor for offering a high quality, three-course meal at a moderate price.
This is a defining milestone for the region’s culinary industry, with Nashville restaurants Bastion, Locus and The Catbird Seat each earning one star.
“Michelin’s nod to Nashville affirms what locals have long known - Music City is a culinary destination,” said Deana Ivey, president and CEO of Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. The creative spirit that drives our world-class music scene also inspires epicurean innovation."
Seven more Nashville restaurants — Kisser, Peninsula, Redheaded Stranger, Sho Pizza Bar, SS Gai, St. Vito Focacceria and Uzbegim — were given the Bib Gourmand
And we especially love that the Michelin Sommelier Award went to Alex Burch at Bad Idea, a space featured in Volume 38 of Nashville Interiors. Designed by EOA Architects and Design Object in a historic church shell, it is filled with the works of some of the area’s best makers, including New Hat Projects.
"We're proud of our chefs and restaurants who work tirelessly to shape Nashville's diverse food landscape, which amplifies our reputation, fuels tourism, and invites the world to a table where Southern hospitality meets culinary ingenuity." And if that table is set beautifully, all the better. NI
AUDREY
READ THE REVIEWS
So what did the anonymous inspectors have to say about our Nashville favorites? The 2025 Michelin Guide for the American South reviews, printed below:
BASTION
NASHVILLE | CONTEMPORARY CUISINE
Walk through the buzzy cocktail bar to find this stylish restaurant in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood. Bastion offers a single tasting menu featuring contemporary Southern cooking that is approachable yet playful. Dishes arrive in waves, and the product focus is on full display in a stunning plate of yellow peach and tomato with strawberry miso mayo and mozzarella marshmallows, and in a summery pairing of candy-striped agnolotti filled with squash accompanied by a luscious bowlful of creamed corn. Black cod poached in champagne butter over kohlrabi noodles is topped with a parsley salad with bacon for a clever dish. Southern chess pie is bested with sake lees and cantaloupe sherbet for a terrific finale.Gold rice and dressed with candy cap mushroom-infused broth and pickled radish pods is yet another tempting possibility.
LOCUST
NASHVILLE | CONTEMPORARY CUISINE
Reservations are a must at Chef Trevor Moran’s compact, Japanese-influenced seafood spot. There is a simple elegance and a clear attention to detail in these dishes, all designed for sharing. Beef tartare hand rolls, a house classic, always delight. From there, explore more of the seafood like Maine diver scallops with shaved green apple. A Japanese omelet with shredded Jonah crab is simple but spot on, but don’t skip dessert. The ever-changing iterations of their kakigori may present a block of the finest, powdery shaved ice filled with a dense passion fruit cream and caramelized honeycomb, then draped with rich milk foam and crowned with a confit egg yolk.
THE CATBIRD SEAT
NASHVILLE | CONTEMPORARY CUISINE
Originally opened in 2011, this prized perch has ushered in a new chapter with its relocation to the top floor of the Bill Voorhees Building. Headed by husband-and-wife chef duo Andy Doubrava and Tiffani Ortiz, there is a youthful, maximalist vibe to this cuisine, and a degree of dedication to locality, seasonality and preservation. The meal is built around an array of stimulating small bites that may include such morsels as an elegant take on a chicken wing, here deboned, stuffed and dressed with sauce Perigord. A wee bowlful of crisped lamb neck set atop creamy Carolina Gold rice and dressed with candy cap mushroom-infused broth and pickled radish pods is yet another tempting possibility.
"We're proud of our chefs and restaurants who work tirelessly to shape Nashville's diverse food landscape, which amplifies our reputation, fuels tourism, and invites the world to a table where Southern hospitality meets culinary ingenuity."
These honorees are restaurants that have not yet earned a star but are still endorsed by the inspectors for good cooking and the use of quality ingredients.
ARNOLD'S COUNTRY KITCHEN
AUDREY
BAD IDEA
CAFE ROE
FOLK
HATTIE B'S HOT CHICKEN
IGGY'S INTERNATIONAL MARKET
ROLF AND DAUGHTERS
SHOTGUN WILLIE'S BBQ TAILOR
Rolf & Daughters
RESTORATION
BY NICOLE CHILDREY
When Brenda and Dan Cook bought the old West Nashville United Methodist Church, it didn’t inspire many design hosannas. Look heavenward inside the sanctuary: pockmarked, office-grade drop-ceiling tiles. Down: greasy red shag carpeting.
But the Cooks felt prepared to change its tune, having successfully rehabbed a run-down Primitive Baptist Church into Ruby, another stylish boutique event space, operating in Hillsboro Village since 201.
Or, anyhow, they felt prepared-ish.
“It was in rough shape,” Dan said, throwing an arm up toward an example inside the building now known as Clementine Hall. “All these steel supports here? Those are to prevent this whole wall from falling into the alley.”
He laughed and shrugged. “Those are things you don’t know at the beginning.”
SECRETS AND SURPRISES
The 1889 structure did have its secrets. But as the project got underway, the spouses, co-architects, and co-designers in charge — who work together as Dragon Park — found that 4710 Charlotte Avenue had treasures waiting to be uncovered. (Then repaired, reimagined, and renewed.)
The main sanctuary, now known as Adelaide Hall, held quite a few.
Under the drop ceiling: wood beadboard with personality and potential. Under that beadboard: beams that screamed grandeur.
Layers and layers of plaster and globs of concrete hid wall after wall of beautiful original brick — plus a bunch of onceforgotten, now-formidable arched windows.
“It was in rough shape.” — Dan Cook
“When we took off the plaster, we’re like, ‘Whoa, look at that!” Brenda remembered, wide-eyed.
The secret windows were certainly staying. But they set the tone for nearly every rescue effort inside Clementine Hall: No restoration project was going down easy.
“There were a lot of, uh, architectural design challenges,” Dan said, trailing into a laugh. “One was, when you find these, what used to be windows, and they can no longer be windows because there’s a building on the other side now, how do you maintain those, but obviously not return them to their 100% original function, which is impossible?”
SOLUTIONS AND SOUND WAVES
The Cooks hit that challenge and the others with equal parts creativity and reverence.
For the windows, they designed warm brass screens stamped with gothic quatrefoils, drawing inspiration from the sanctuary’s existing, but not original, chandeliers. Those chandeliers moved over to the adjacent space, now known as the Little Bird Lounge, where the Cooks uncovered another treasure: a walled-in original fireplace. That one took muscle to renew, plus years of searching for an appropriate mantel. (They did eventually find one from the right era at the right size, made in Nashville. They joke that they probably bought their own mantel back.)
Clementine Hall’s biggest and leastexpected restoration project, though, took the Cooks and the venue viral.
A gargantuan, circa-1905 George Kilgen & Son pipe organ, just like the one in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, anchored the sanctuary. With its size and not-necessarilyneeded function, the Cooks figured they’d have to remove it. But a love of history and craftsmanship wouldn’t allow them to destroy it.
READING THE ROOM
While the Cooks are enamored with the building’s history, they didn’t want Clementine Hall just to be a picture of the past. To balance old and new — respecting history but giving the venue its own distinct future — the couple stayed flexible and read the room.
They brought in counterpoints, like the massive modernist Poulsen pendants that warm up Adelaide Hall, the red neon Clementine signage out front, and the dark, sophisticated marble on the 20-foot bar in the lounge.
Dan called The Tennessean, offering the instrument for free if someone was willing to have it moved. The story hit USA Today, then went global.
“We were getting hundreds of calls from all over the world,” Dan said. Grammy-winning producer T Bone Burnett came in to pay homage to the organ. Widespread Panic’s John “JoJo” Hermann did as well.
“I think we looked at each other one day and said, ‘Well, maybe we give it a go,’” Dan said. “’Maybe we repair it and maintain it and see how the customer responds.’ And they did, very positively.”
Dennis P. Milnar, who rebuilt the organ after a 1965 fire and maintained it for nearly 55 years, renewed it again. (The Cooks reworked some of the old beadboard for the ceiling above it.)
Today, the Kilgen organ is a centerpiece and a calling card. “In eight or nine years here,” Dan said, “it rarely gets covered intentionally.”
They also turned problems into jumping-off points.
Some of the venue’s moodier palettes — like the black and gold in the Little Bird — pulled inspiration from staining on the brick behind old wainscoting and from charred beams that survived the fire. Downstairs in the Tiger Room, the codesigners wrenched cozy and cool, midcentury-basement-bar style out of a once “spooky” space that gave them a full case of the creeps.
“Now it’s maybe my favorite room,” Dan said. Brenda agreed. “It’s got a good vibe.”
FUNCTION AND FORM
Vibes are key to a successful event space. But writ large, the Cooks’ approach to Clementine Hall followed function as much as form.
“The art for us was taking this big space and really thinking through the floor plan in a way that made sense.”
— Dan Cook
“The luxury of having run another venue for seven or eight years beforehand is that we had a long list of things that we wanted or that we knew venues needed,” Dan said. “The art for us was taking this big space and really thinking through the floor plan in a way that made sense.”
They put the Bird and Tiger dressing rooms on separate floors, with separate entryways. Brides and grooms who traffic in tradition appreciate the barrier to pre-ceremony
glimpses. The Cooks also built a full catering kitchen for on-site food prep, and added the Flower dressing room for bands and performers. Both of those spaces, very intentionally, are right by the load-in doors.
Pretty and practical come together in many of the finishing touches, too.
Repurposed antique schoolhouse chalkboard slate covers the far entryway walls, setting a sleek and elegant tone while giving hosts a place to scribble welcome notes and directions.
Rising Sun Redbud trees line the sidewalk in the front, adding picturesque texture and color to the privacy of the front courtyard while welcoming wedding guests with a splash of heart-shaped leaves.
“In the spring, they’re orange, so that’s kinda cool — the Clementine theme,” Brenda said, confirming that these little details, the conceptual and decorative knots that tie the whole place together, aren’t happenstance. “That’s the fun part, right?”
Rising Sun Redbud trees line the sidewalk in the front, adding texture and color to the privacy of the courtyard while welcoming guests with a splash of heart-shaped leaves that turn orange in the spring, matching the Clementine theme. According to owner Brenda Cook, that wasn’t happenstance. “That’s the fun part, right?”
KEEPING THE STORY GOING
If you were a bride, groom, or event planner who didn’t know anything about Clementine Hall’s history — its 19th-century beginnings, the many additions that happened along the way, the fire that almost destroyed the building but didn’t — you’d still find plenty to draw you in, from the cathedral grandeur to the design details.
But the story adds something special, especially in new Nashville, and the Cooks get that.
They’re happy to regale visitors with tales of hidden treasures and famous pipe-organ fans, but to make the storytelling seamless, the Cooks added small plaques with QR codes throughout the venue. Scan a code and your smartphone transports you to before-and-after photos and details, and stories about the origins, renovations, and intentions.
“Anything that might have happened in that room or to that item,” Dan said, got captured and chronicled and uploaded where the code goes. (It’s all accessible on ClementineHall.com).
And they’re regularly adding to it as they unearth new details, maintaining a living testament to a place that’s held more than a century’s worth of promises, prayers, first dances and teary toasts.
“I think the realization hit us that it would be a real pity if everything we learned about the history of the building was lost with us,” Dan said. “I’m a firm believer that history should stay with the place and shouldn’t be lost or rewritten later. So this is a way for us to download it all and make it available to everybody.” NI
DRAGON PARK VENUES
CLEMENTINE HALL
4710 Charlotte Ave., Nashville TN 37209
clementinehall.com
@clementinenashville
RUBY
2411 Blakemore Ave., Nashville TN 37212
rubynashville.com
@rubynashville
MEET QUINN BOSS
Quinn brings a fresh perspective and keen eye for design to Nashville. She can make your interior design dreams come true for any space, indoors and outdoors. Quinn offers E-design, Interior decorating, organizing, in-person & online projects to make your vision a reality.
NASHVILLE SYMPHONY
STEP INSIDE THE SOUND | 2025/26 SEASON SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Holiday brass spectacular with Members of the Nashville Symphony DEC 14 | 7:30 PM
Christopher Norton, conductor
bluebird at the symphony with Jessi Alexander, The Warren Brothers & Members of the Nashville Symphony
JAN 11 | 7:30 PM
preservation hall jazz band: creole christmas
DEC 15 | 7:30 PM
Presented without the Nashville Symphony
coltrane 100: legacy
with the Nashville Symphony
JAN 15 & 16 | 7:30 PM
cody fry christmas with the Nashville Symphony
DEC 16 | 7:30 PM
Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor
handel’s messiah
with the Nashville Symphony & Chorus
DEC 19 & 20 | 7:30 PM
DEC 21 | 2 PM
Nathan Aspinall, conductor
Tucker Biddlecombe, chorus director
Estelí Gomez, soprano
Amanda Crider, mezzo-soprano
James Ley, tenor
Enrico Lagasca, bass baritone
Jonathan Taylor Rush, conductor Joe Lovano, vocals leonard slatkin’s hollywood
with the Nashville Symphony
JAN 21 | 7:30 PM
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
JAN 4 | 7 PM
disney’s frozen in concert
with the Nashville Symphony
JAN 23 & 24 | 7:30 PM
JAN 25 | 2 PM
Deanna Tham, conductor
Holiday Brass Spectacular
Jessi Alexander & The Warren Brothers Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Kayce Laine
John Coltrane Cody Fry
NashvilleSymphony Chorus
Leonard Slatkin
A Welcome Debut
BY
DEESE
PERENN BRINGS A EUROPEAN TAKE ON NEIGHBORHOOD DINING TO HISTORIC FRANKLIN
HOLLIE
| PHOTOGRAPHY BY STELO CREATIVE
et inside the historic Boat House on Main Street, Perenn, an all-day bakery, rotisserie and grocery concept from husbandand-wife owners Aubrey and Tyler O’Laskey made its Tennessee debut in Franklin in May.
After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America and private cheffing and catering, the O’Laskeys opened their first Perenn in 2018 with a small neighborhood cafe in Reno. Its quick popularity sparked the expansion into a full-service restaurant, bakery and market.
In 2024, the O’Laskeys relocated their family of six to Tennessee, enticed by the rolling greenery, family-friendly nature and artisan farms and purveyors of Middle Tennessee.
“We found a home in Franklin with everything we love — community, creativity and a real appreciation for craftsmanship,” Aubrey said.
Designed to feel warm and approachable, the Franklin location reflects the couple’s signature blend of sustainability, seasonality and simple cooking, brought to life in collaboration with designer Anton Anger at Studio Meadow.
“We found a home in Franklin with everything we love — community, creativity and a real appreciation for craftsmanship,” – Aubrey O’Laskey
“At first it was stressful and I think everyone got a little panicked... This is a really pretty, historic space, and we wanted to make something that felt special for Franklin.”
– Anton Anger
“This location was intended to be an extension of some of the work that we had done together out west, but definitely have some growth for them as they tried to find a more mature expression of the design language,” Anger said. “Franklin was the optimal place to test that out.”
The 2,700 square feet counter-service space pays homage to its historic setting: the Boat House overlooking the Harpeth River. A homey feel, featuring warm textures and cozy seating nooks invites guests to linger from morning pastries to evening pours.
“There was a little bit of storytelling that we chose to do, which was to take the structure and try to elevate it in certain ways to match what we saw going on in some of the rest of Franklin in a way that was not cartoonish, but definitely a bit theatrical,” Anger said.
A hand-painted espresso machine by Darin Stockwell in Perenn’s signature dark green anchors the coffee counter, with paintings by Renee Evans adorning the dining room. With 40 interior seats and 60 exterior seats, the space is built for connection and comfort in the heart of Franklin.
The main dining room evokes a true boathouse with low, wooden ceilings, complemented by upholstered booths lining the walls and additional table seating throughout, including a back patio, a front patio and riverside seating with sweeping views of the Harpeth River.
“The dining room was something that was stressing a lot of people out,” Anger said, as he turned away from the soaring ceilings with exposed mechanical systems seen in many restaurants over the past 20 years to something compressed and intimate, adding walls, dropping the ceiling and creating a sense of place and comfort by creating small niches and pockets for people to sit.
“At first it was stressful and I think everyone got a little panicked, but Aubrey and Tyler, they got it pretty quickly,” Anger said. “This is a really pretty, historic space, and we wanted to make something that felt special for Franklin.”
A second Perenn opened shortly after in Berry Hill, in Nashville’s Oak Barrel Building. This space serves as a central bakery for wholesale orders, catering and events as well as a café open to the public. With an open-layout production floor, the design allows guests to watch the bread making process in action.
“It’s been really exciting to grow alongside them as their ambition and the scale of their projects has grown,” Anger said, who has had a hand in the design of each of their spaces over the years. “So, too, is what we’ve been able to shoot for and achieve in these buildouts.” NI
JOIN GALLATIN’S ONLY BOUTIQUE FITNESS STUDIO
Dive Barre offers an inviting space to challenge and empower your body through Reformer and Mat Pilates, Barre, and Yoga. Get ready to grow, connect, and have fun.
Anton Anger
ONYX + ALABASTER
INTERIOR DESIGN STUDIO | COFFEE LOUNGE | HOME MARKET
