A Passion for Beauty

The southern sensibilities of Ray Booth

By Cathy Whitlock

Mentors are not always iconic architects and interior designers. For designer Ray Booth, the look was no farther than home. “It all started with my mom who grew up in rural Georgia, outside of Atlanta, in an old house with no indoor plumbing and a wood burning stove. She would tell stories of running out to the outhouse and using Sears and Roebuck catalogue for logs.” he reflects. “Eventually she was sent to live with a distant family member (after her parents divorced) who lived in an antebellum home with a sweeping staircase and grand piano. She spent her entire time looking at beautiful houses and would take me on house tours as a child.” A self-professed “Mama’s boy,” Booth’s passion for beauty and the home was clearly a result of osmosis.

Nashville and Manhattan interior designer Ray Booth.

A pair of Siamese cats complement the silver, blue and gray color palette of Booth’s living room.

His interests led him to studies at Alabama’s Auburn University School of Architecture (where he was under the tutelage of architect Bobby McAlpine) and jobs in New York City with none other than design giants John Saladino and Clodagh. “I always knew I wanted to do architecture,” says Booth, “and loved how emotional architecture was.” Working under the master of design and architecture, he notes, “I called Saladino the ‘Painter,’ and learned color palettes from him as he was so artful in is use of color.” Other mentors include the designer Clodagh who he refers to as ‘the Sculptor’ as she “would do these incredible models with clay in 3D formations. And Bobby (McAlpine) remains and always has been the ‘Poet.’ He is articulate like no one I have ever met in the language of architecture and interiors.”

An orange throw provides a pop of color in the sitting room of a mountain home. Robert Indiana’s sculpture number 2 makes for an interesting focal point.

The Luce de Luna quartzite countertop anchors an open plan kitchen in a two-story beachside residence.

Antique industrial rings grace the rustic walls of this entryway in the Rockies.

Today he lives in the best of both worlds with one foot in Manhattan and the other in Nashville, coming full circle and overseeing his firm McAlpine Booth & Ferrier. Projects from Montana to Mexico and Charlotte to Baton Rouge pepper his resume which includes a collaboration with McAlpine and Country Music stars and husband-and-wife duo Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, to name a few.

Perhaps his toughest client thoughis himself.

Looking to return to his roots part-time, he and husband and television executive, John Shea, built a 5,150-squarefoot home in Music City that is pure and classic Booth. A blend of midcentury modern coupled with traditional, it reflects a laundry list of design essentials with contemporary seating, architectural details, an almost romantic use of light, and magnificent windows all resulting in pared down tranquil interiors with an inspired hit of Saladino.

Booth’s love of large windows is on full display in this modernist Nashville home.

Booth’s credo—“The process of design seeks to find a marriage, or at least a commonality between the two main components or each residence: the persona and the place”—holds true with this very personal project. “We are eight years or more in this house and things keep showing up. When I work it’s like an adoption agency—I find a home for something and I can’t let it go!” details Booth. “Everyone says it’s difficult to do your own architecture and interiors. I had already designed 34 houses before this one was built. As with any project, it’s all happenstance and evolution.”

Taking his cues for the color palette from the idyllic purple mountains in the distance (soft lilacs, blues and whites), his first consideration was an open floorplan with a contemporary aesthetic that is also simpatico with the country surroundings. “I knew it wouldn’t look right with a very modern house sitting on a hill. The house needed to pay homage.” Some of the standout furnishings include a Minotti chaise lounge, a Robert Lighton side table, Christophe Delcourt floor lamp and artwork by Louise Crandell and Terry Winters.

Cathedral windows were used in Booth’s hillside home for a “lofty yet welcoming entry.”

Magenta, teal and blue provides a splash of color in Booth’s Manhattan apartment.

Pale blues and whites in the master bedroom are simpatico with the beach view.

With the publication of his first book (Evocative Interiors/Rizzoli), an exclusive lighting line of lighting and accents with Arteriors and an upcoming furniture launch with Hickory Chair at High Point, Booth’s star continues to shine.