2025 VOL. 42
CELEBRATING 25 YEARS
Nashville Interiors
BREAKING NEW GROUND WITH THE HELP OF FERGUSON BATH, KITCHEN & LIGHTING, NEUHOFF RESIDENCES IN HISTORIC GERMANTOWN IS THE FIRST LUXURY RENTAL APARTMENT COMMUNITY IN NASHVILLE TO INSTALL EXCLUSIVELY BOSCH APPLIANCES IN EVERY UNIT.
Welcome
This is a big year for Nashville Interiors. That’s because 25 years ago, in 2000, the very first issue was published. Back then, the magazine was sold on newsstands and was printed just once a year. Today, Nashville Interiors is free and available at close to 300 locations, and for the first time ever, it will publish six times a year. There is no stopping Nashville’s growth, and for us that means working even harder to cover as much as we can.
One of the developments that has been a part of Nashville’s boom is the Neuhoff Residences in historic Germantown. The former meatpacking district has been booming the past few years, and our cover feature showcases the teams at Bosch and Ferguson Kitchen, Bath & Lighting Gallery and how they came together as only Nashvillians can to coordinate the seamless installation of thousands of appliances at the luxury apartment buildings.
A few of our features this month involve people who made shifts in their lives to become designers, finally following their calling after years in other jobs. Wendy Smit left a successful marketing career after 16 years, and Justin Orton traded in his time as a touring musician often staring at uninspired hotel rooms, for a design career where he brings inspiration to life within four walls.
A trip to Maxwell Gallery and Glasshaüs is likely in your future once you read about the family business that includes a fine art gallery, coffee shop and glass blowing studio. You can even book a date night for Valentine’s Day that is definitely not your typical dinner and drinks.
And as usual, hospitality design is thriving in Nashville, and this issue we feature East Nashville’s Coral Club, with its wabi-sabi inspired minimalism, and Madison’s Harken Hall, which has been years in the making but is so worth the wait — with design touches from local artists and makers like New Hat and Jim Sherraden.
There is so much more in this issue — and in issues to come this year as we look forward to celebrating another year of art, another year of inspiration and another year of providing the best coverage of the design and build community in Nashville. Because 25 years is just the beginning for Nashville Interiors; it is only going to get better from here.
Hollie Deese, Publisher
Nashville Interiors
OWNER/PUBLISHER
Hollie Deese
SALES DIRECTOR
Pam Harper
ART DIRECTOR Cat Kahnle
AD DESIGN
Tracey Starck
COPY EDITOR Jennifer Goode Stevens GoodeEdits.com
ARTS EDITOR Robert Jones
CONTRIBUTORS
Garett Buell, Nicole Childrey, William DeShazer
Emily Diorio, Allison Elefante, Peyton Hoge
Amy Lamb, NativeHouse Photography
Anthony Romano, Zeke Ruelas, Victoria Quirk
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 2025 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 pulling together the units of a multi-family living space like the luxury apartment community of Neuhoff Residences, it takes multiple teams to coordinate every effort, from installing the custom cabinetry to choosing all the right amenities. For Travis McCloskey and Rob Withers from Bosch, it meant working hand in hand with Sydney Essell, Grant Alberstadt and Donnie Cummings from Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting to ensure that install went smoothly of their refrigerators, dishwashers and microwaves on each and every floor of both buildings.
(Cover photo by Anthony Romano at Neuhoff Residences, styled by Jillian Downham)
From left, Donnie Cummings, Ferguson; Travis McCloskey, Bosch; Sydney Essell, Ferguson; Grant Alberstadt, Ferguson; Rob Withers, Bosch
Nashville Interiors CONTRIBUTORS
AMY LAMB | PHOTOGRAPHER
Amy Lamb is the founder of NativeHouse Photography, and she shoots with a natural eye for capturing the soul of a space. From her home base in Nashville, she works with designers across the country, using her expertise in natural and off-camera lighting to bring their visions to life. While her work regularly appears in national publications, Amy’s true talent lies in spotting the small, thoughtful details that make each interior unique. She believes every room tells a story, and she’s made it her mission to capture not just the design itself, but the creative spirit behind it. For this issue of Nashville Interiors, Amy shot the design and build team of BEC Innovations in one of their renovations in East Nashville.
WILLIAM DESHAZER | PHOTOGRAPHER
William DeShazer is an editorial and commercial photographer based in Nashville. He spent 12 years working at various newspapers, including Memphis’ Commercial Appeal and the Chicago Tribune. He’s a regular contributor to The New York Times, ProPublica and The Wall Street Journal. His work has appeared in magazines from National Geographic, Plate, Golfweek, ESPN The Magazine, O – The Oprah Magazine and Runner’s World. His interior photography has been used by Holiday Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Whisky Advocate magazine and Davis Jewelers. William has been recognized by Photographer of the Year International and the National Press Photographers Association. For this issue of Nashville Interiors, he photographed artist Bridget Bailey as well as the Glasshaüs and Maxwell Gallery spaces.
ANTHONY ROMANO | PHOTOGRAPHER
Anthony Romano is a Nashville-based portrait photographer with a desire to bring out the best in everyone who steps in front of his lens. The Pittsburgh native brings a balance of raw authenticity and polished finesse to every shoot, all while having fun throughout the entire process. As his career has progressed, Anthony has cultivated a unique style of shooting. Working in studio and on location, he brings a keen eye for detail and a knack for storytelling through imagery. For this issue of Nashville Interiors, Anthony shot the team of Bosch and Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery for the cover.
NICOLE CHILDREY | WRITER
Nicole Childrey is a writer, editor and digital content strategist/manager with more than two decades of experience. From 2011 to 2019, Nicole worked full-time as a freelance content producer and social media manager, with clients ranging from marketing companies to hyperlocal publications, Realtors, record labels and small Nashville businesses. Before that she spent seven years on staff at Nashville daily The Tennessean and five years on staff at emerging-music publishing/events company CMJ in New York. Her writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, SPIN, the Nashville Scene, Billboard, USA Today, Modern Drummer, NYLON, on MTV.com and a host of other outlets. She has also been part of the in-house creative agency at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, directing online output for the organization as the pandemic turned their business inside out. For this issue of Nashville Interiors, Nicole wrote about the long-time-coming Harken Hall music venue in Madison, as well as the feature on Maxwell Gallery and Glasshaüs.
ALLISON ELEFANTE | PHOTOGRAPHER
Allison Elefante is a Nashville-based interior and architectural photographer who has become a mainstay with local designers, builders and artists. She is classically trained in photography and graduated from the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Allison developed a passion for interiors over the past several years and is genuinely excited when she walks into the rooms of her clients. Her work is widely published on social media and in local magazines, and she has shot multiple covers for Nashville Interiors. For this issue, Allison captures the home of designer Wendy Smit. When she isn’t behind the camera, she enjoys time at home with her husband and three young children.
Of
Handyman
Places,
Bridget Bailey’s artwork
Local designer April Tomlin takes the stage at the Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville.
At Glasshaüs, art, craft and community run in the family.
Less is more at the wabi-sabi inspired Coral Club.
Five years in the making, Harken Hall rises in Madison.
Passion Project
HOME RENOVATION MARKS A TRANSITION FROM DIY ENTHUSIAST TO INTERIOR DESIGNER
BY HOLLIE DEESE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALLISON ELEFANTE
When Wendy Smit decided to make a change after 16 years in a successful communications and marketing career — pivoting into design — it wasn’t a total departure from what she had been doing.
“I found myself gravitating to the parts of PR and marketing that allowed me to design, whether that was graphic design or styling photo shoots or planning the events that we hosted,” she says.
But it wasn’t until she worked on her own home that the passion project evolved into a thriving career shift. Balancing functionality and elegance, the spaces Smit created in her home reflect her signature style — California cool characterized by light finishes and durable yet sophisticated design elements, with touches of vintage and antique pieces thrown in, thanks to her time in the South.
“I like incorporating the antiques and vintage stuff we can find here,” she says. “That inspires me. You don’t really see that in California, those antique shops like here.”
Smit, her husband, two kids, a dog and a cat moved to Nashville in 2019 from Chicago, right before COVID, and they started building their house on the border of Franklin and Nolensville.
“We have just fallen in love with the people and the community. It’s where I launched my interior design career, and I think we’re lifers,” she says.
Smit’s home evokes a sense of warmth, effortlessly accommodating her family of four. With a preference for white and light finishes, from the captivating wallpaper in the laundry room to her daughter Ava’s serene room, each space is a showcase of that personal connection.
“My personal home was one where I could do whatever I wanted, which was fun,” she says. “When you work with clients, they’re usually drawn to your style, but then you’re also working within the parameters of what they have. So I’ve just loved using my home for good vintage finds, and it’s been really fun having that Southern flair.”
Wendy’s home refelcts her personal style, a mix of California cool and vintage-inspired.
Smit was able to start building her client base by documenting her personal design and build project on Instagram.
“I like incorporating the antiques and vintage stuff we can find here. That inspires me.”
— Wendy Smit
Smit says her background has helped her grow her business by focusing on the client experience, ensuring smooth client onboarding. “They know what’s going on every step of the way,” Smit says. “They get weekly updates on shipping or installations. I just want our clients to feel informed. You can have an eye, and you can put together a room — but your clients are investing a ton of money. It’s a luxury service. And you want them to feel that.”
Smit documented building their own home on Instagram, and it wasn’t long before people started asking for help with their homes. At the time, she was working as director of communications at Currey Ingram Academy. She began to do design work on the side until she couldn’t manage both paths anymore.
“In this area there are a lot of new builds, and so people are really looking for help just making them more cozy, more layered, textured,” she says, “Like adding the millwork to make them feel more custom — upgrading those builder-grade homes.”
And because so many of those people have been moving from California, they were drawn to her personal home with its California casual vibe in blues and wood tones.
Recently the Smits sold the home that first got Wendy’s design noticed, and they are now building one in Nolensville.
“Once I was starting to redesign our rooms for the second and third time, my husband was like, ‘We gotta get out of here,’” she says.
“So many of our clients are busy families, and I think we’re really good at telling people when they should invest in something like a Crypton sofa because I know I can get permanent marker out of it, and where we can save a little bit more, like in the rugs, things that are going to get used a ton,” she says.
Today about 90 percent of her work is through referrals — she has worked on three houses on the same street.
“I pinch myself daily that I get to do this, and that we get referrals like that.” she says. NI
MODERN MARRIES
TRADITIONAL
DESIGNER BRAD RAMSEY HELPS A COUPLE MIX THEIR DIFFERENT STYLES AT THE TOP OF VOCÊ
BY HOLLIE DEESE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZEKE RUELAS
Designer Brad Ramsey is often involved in new build projects when the plans are first being drawn, but for the home of Michele and Jack Sells, he was tapped later in the process. The couple was looking for guidance to merge their very different styles as they downsized from their traditional Governor’s Club home of 25 years to a modern, mostly glass build at Você, a development on land once owned by country icon Eddy Arnold.
“Michele wanted to get closer to the Green Hills area, and for quite a few years I was really looking hard for a hilltop lot with a downtown view,” Jack says. But when a lot at the top of the ridge in the Você development became available, he bought it, sacrificing a view of downtown for one with outstanding sunsets overlooking Richland Country Club.
Helping the couple combine their style preferences into beautiful balance was where Ramsey shined — keeping it modern without being cold.
“She likes a little bit of traditional, soft and pretty, and he wanted it to feel like a high-end, modern hotel,” Ramsey says. “We worked to try and find that balance of softness
and comfortability, but also get him all of the refined details throughout to keep it feeling modern and slick. Where he probably leaned towards metal and leather, we brought in fabrics and neutral colors to soften the tones and create a California modern feel.”
“We did a lot of wood details that warmed up the spaces and added balance to the more modern architecture,” he adds.
One of the very few houses along the top ridge of Você, its views are outstanding — showcasing Tennessee’s rolling hills while feeling totally separate from the rest of the neighborhood.
Honoring the view they searched so long for was important to the homeowners. That is best achieved by the third floor, dubbed by Jack and Michele as the “Bird House.” Accessible by elevator or spiral staircase, it has an infinity edge pool — the couple’s first — and multiple spaces inside and out to enjoy the view. It is one of the places their adult children love to enjoy when they visit.
“We can’t get rid of our youngest on the weekends,” Michele says.
Maintaing their hilltop views was key to the homeowners, including from the third-floor bedroom.
“She likes a little bit of traditional, soft and pretty, and he wanted it to feel like a highend, modern hotel. We worked to try and find that balance of softness and comfortability, but also get him all of the refined details throughout to keep it feeling modern and slick.”
— Brad Ramsey
The third-floor media room was another important element for Jack, but they did not want a TV to obstruct the views when it wasn’t in use.
“So we were able to disguise it and hide it behind the slots in the ceiling,” Ramsey says. “It’s pretty dang cool.”
Ramsey says requests like those made it equally challenging and exciting working with Jack. And he was able to turn some of Jack’s over-the-top ideas into successful design decisions.
One of those ideas was to upgrade the plain elevator with walnut paneling around the outside. Inside they added three panels of black mirrored glass that reflect the view outside when the doors open.
“Eventually he started to totally trust us in leading and guiding them through that process,” Ramsey says. “We built that trust level to where he felt free to throw out all of his ideas, and we worked with him on finding the right ones.”
Jack praises Ramsey for being an extension of their process and adapting to their likes and dislikes: “He’s innovative. He’s creative. He just really did a great job of adapting to what we wanted.”
One of Ramsey’s favorite elements on this project is a sitting area under the main stairwell. The space didn’t really register on the architectural plans, but it presented itself once the house was being framed. Ramsey added some seating and installed a custom globe light fixture that hangs perfectly through the stairwell.
“And when you see the house at night from the outside, with all those globes going up, it is really magical,” Ramsey says.
Michele wanted the kitchen to have all the bells and whistles. Ramsey used subtly veined quartz countertops for their dayto-day durability, but he chose a slab of Calcutta marble for the backsplash.
Another favorite moment for Ramsey — and another successful idea from Jack — is the wine wall, which features a large sheet of milk acrylic that’s backlit with LED to create an even glow.
“It’s not a main fixture in the kitchen, but when you see it, it’s like, ‘wow,’” he says.
Michele says they never have a hard time finding friends to house sit their dog and two cats when they leave town.
“They say coming over here is like getting away and staying at a spa somewhere,” she says. “We love to share it. And I just feel very blessed.” NI
Homeowner Jack wanted their home to resemble a modern hotel, while it was important to Michele that it feel warm and inviting as well. Designer Brad Ramsey skillfully married tradition and modern to achieve both.
BREAKING NEW GROUND
FERGUSON KITCHEN, BATH & LIGHTING COORDINATED A SEAMLESS INSTALL OF EXCLUSIVELY BOSCH APPLIANCES AT THE LUXURY NEUHOFF RESIDENCES IN HISTORIC GERMANTOWN
BY HOLLIE DEESE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTHONY ROMANO AND EMILY DIORIO
There are many moving pieces when it comes to coordinating the renovation and build of a project the size and scope of the Neuhoff Residences in Germantown. And with 542 units across two buildings, just the coordination of the kitchen appliances from Bosch — refrigerators, stoves, microwaves and dishwashers — took the combined effort of teams from Bosch and Ferguson Kitchen, Bath & Lighting Gallery.
“Between the two companies, communication was key to the success of this,” says Travis McCloskey, district sales manager for BSH Home Appliances Corp. “It was a collaborative effort to make this one of, if not the most successful projects that Bosch has ever done.”
That team included Sydney Essell, Grant Alberstadt and Donnie Cummings with Ferguson, and McCloskey, Rob Withers and Danielle Williams with Bosch. Together, they were able to coordinate more than 2,500 appliances to be ordered, delivered directly to the job site, and installed in each unit — one floor at a time.
“Without having Sydney and Donnie and Grant on the ground, in the space, communicating to Rob and me, and back to Danielle, this would not have happened as smoothly as it did,” McCloskey says.
Alberstadt has been with Ferguson for five years and handles job quotes and coordinating logistics. Cummings has been in sales with Ferguson for 23 years and initially sold the project to the Neuhoff team.
“Every job has a budget, so we do our job and get them in that budget,” Cummings says.
“Without having Sydney and Donnie and Grant on the ground, in the space, communicating to Rob and me, and back to Danielle, this would not have happened as smoothly as it did.”
— Travis McCloskey
Across, Rob Withers and Travis McCloskey with Bosch in one of the Neuhoff kitchens with their appliances.
Right, Donnie Cummings with Ferguson.
In 2022, after Cummings sold the Neuhoff’s developer and contractor on installing exclusively Bosch appliances, the other members of the team got to work. First they facilitated the direct shipment from the Bosch factory to the job site. Then installation began in April 2024.
“I feel supported when I’m in the field,” Essell says.
Typically Bosch does not ship direct to job sites. But because the Ferguson team was so capable and the trust was there, this project became the first.
“This is really the only market in my territory that I will do that in,” Withers says. It’s a difficult undertaking. Bosch staff would load up a 53-foot semi and show up on the job site at 6 a.m., where Essell was waiting. The crew would then unload the truck by hand and dolly the appliances into each unit.
Above, Sydney Essell, left, and Grant Alberstadt, both with Ferguson. Right, the Neuhoff Residences have exclusively Bosch appliances in every unit, including refrigerators, ovens, microwaves and dishwashers.
“We were lucky enough to be given a floor at a time,” Essell says. “And so we were able to bring in a loaded tractor trailer, unload it, and then install it all in a week. And we were doing about a floor a week.”
Essell worked for Ferguson for six years, then left the company to work for a general contractor for 11 years. She returned to Ferguson three years ago as a business development manager, and she now heads up the installation of appliances for multifamily developments.
“When I first got here and got to be familiar with the job site, you see the studs and behind the scenes of a building, and then see it come to life and be someone’s home,” Essell says. “It’s a really cool process.”
Williams, the project coordinator for Bosch, was instrumental in making sure everything showed up on time and where it needed to be, says Withers, project sales manager with BSH Home Appliances Group.
“Bosch did a great job of making sure the stuff was ready and available even though we did quote it so long before install,” Essell says. “They held that product for this, for this building, which is great. And the other good thing about Bosch, and that I’m excited to hopefully build more here, is that that product is still available. So they’re going to have a lot of consistency around here.”
Now open, the luxury apartment community consists of two buildings — Monroe House and Taylor House — along the Cumberland River. The development is just steps away from shopping, restaurants and the Cumberland River Greenway. Its amenities include a dog park, twostory fitness center and a pool with views of the river and downtown.
Jillian Downham, a designer who lives at Neuhoff, is a fan of having Bosch appliances in her home — especially since she is so familiar with the brand in her design work.
“I have in the past typically specified Bosch for their quiet dishwashers,” Downham says. “I love having the full suite of Bosch appliances living in Neuhoff. Every burner on my range is consistent when heating, the fridge interior I love, ice cubes a good size for any drinking glass, and I think it’s really well designed with storage bin sizes and maneuverability as the contents of my fridge change weekly with my busy schedule. And I would 100 percent recommend the dishwasher for cycle options and great loading capability for odd sizes of kitchen items. It dries everything well, and of course, because it’s so quiet.”
Bosch’s history goes all the way back to 1886 when the company was founded in Stuttgart, Germany, as an automotive supply company. Its founder is credited with the invention of the spark plug.
“Every car on the road has got Bosch in it,” Withers says. “Every single car.”
Withers says Neuhoff was just their launch into the multifamily market in Nashville. Next they are installing appliances at Paramount, the latest high rise from developer Tony Giarratana. And in 2026, they will be bringing the Gaggenau brand to the Nashville skyline.
“We understand the challenges of building in Nashville, and we’re able to help navigate that from the construction side, and still help those owners or architects or developers get what they want,” Essell says. “I think we’re lucky enough that we pretty much have touched almost every building that’s got a crane on it right now.” NI
New Beginnings at Neuhoff
BY HOLLIE DEESE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTHONY ROMANO
Jillian Downham first arrived in Nashville more than 20 years ago when her father moved the family from Memphis to take a job with a local architectural and engineering firm. And it was clear from the beginning the family business was in her blood.
“Ever since I was little, my parents would take me to job sites,” she says. “They’ve always been big DIYers. My mom’s a seamstress. My dad was an architect, so that’s kind of just an innate thing.”
Downham graduated from O’More College of Design when it was still in Franklin, then went to the University of Tennessee for three years, switching from a commercial focus to residential her senior year. Then, through the alumni association, she was connected with her first big employer, Roger Higgins, where she worked for almost nine years.
Then Downham decided she wanted to try something more management-focused. She left R. Higgins Interiors, sold her East Nashville home and took a job as assistant director of design at Blackberry Farm in East Tennessee, managing a design team of 32 people. But she missed the work she did one-on-one with her clients.
“I wanted to be making the design decisions instead of letting a team come to me with decisions that they had made,” she says. “I just felt like it was time to expand, to pursue this on my own.”
So she returned to Nashville, moved into the Neuhoff Residences, and teamed up with Melody Clifford and Halina Hickerson to launch Clifford Downham Hickerson Interiors this year.
“It just feels right,” she says. “We work so well together, and we just have a really great blend of styles. I’m excited to see what we do in Nashville that’s a little different.”
When she isn’t working on design projects, Downham is creating art for them. And she also scratches that DIY itch that is in her DNA by creating fabric lampshades and upholstering benches and bedframes.
“I love to problem-solve and figure out how things work,” she says. “It has been a really fun outlet for me.” Now that she is back in Nashville, Downham has been reconnecting with old partners like Ferguson. She worked with them for nearly a decade on new construction and renovations because of their incredible customer service.
“They are always prompt to jump to anything I need quoted for a client,” she says. “I have primarily worked with them for everything kitchen and bath — and several times for appliances.”
She also worked with them on her own East Nashville home renovation. “No matter who I work with there, I always get a consistently great level of customer and client care, and it’s an awesome perk to have such a diverse showroom to take a client to in person to shop from as well.”
Downham not only lives at Neuhoff, but also worked on the building as well, designing the fourth floor of the Curve building across from her apartment for the Rubicon founders of the development with Clifford.
“I’m not seeking to develop a brand,” she says. “I just want to design something that’s layered and curated and people can look at that and say, ‘This person knows my personality and elevated my taste.’” NI
Designer Jillian Downham fills her Neuhoff apartment with art and design inspiration.
COMING HOME
OF ORIGIN DESIGN REIMAGINES FAMILY HOME FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
BY HOLLIE DEESE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARETT BUELL
Before Danielle and Harrison Sonntag moved from Austin and into the Brentwood home Harrison bought from his parents, they knew the property was going to need a lot of work to become something that suited their lifestyle.
“We wanted to balance modern sensibilities while still honoring traditional style, and that was where I knew I would not be able to do this on my own,” Danielle says. “I needed an expert because we’re in a traditional neighborhood, and the bones of the house are very classic.”
Danielle began looking online using search terms like “luxury” and “modern” and landed upon the Instagram page of Of Origin Design, owned by Justin Orton. And once they met Orton, who works closely with Kierstin Casella, design director, she knew there was no need to keep searching.
“I knew it would be important to work with a team where aesthetically we were aligned, but also personalitywise,” Danielle says. “He put me at ease immediately from our first conversation.”
The team at Of Origin Design, as well as the homeowners, loved adding touches that could spur a conversation, like a monkey table or natural stones like obsidian.
Orton and Casella worked together to reconfigure the layout of the kitchen and outdoor area, adding square footage, and then worked room by room to give the couple (plus their two Maine Coon cats and their chihuahua) the modern flow and amenities they wanted in the newly 6,500-square-foot space.
“They asked us things like, ‘How do you foresee yourself using the space? Where do you currently shop? What styles are you drawn to? Where do you like to travel?’ Things like that, so they could really get to know us as people, how we live, how we envision the space,” Danielle says.
And like so many couples creating a home together, Harrison and Danielle have different styles — him, industrial; her, contemporary — and looked to Orton and Casella to help best merge them.
“When we’ve tried to design spaces together, we always ended up trying something in the middle that just didn’t work and neither of us loved,” Danielle says.
Casella and Orton’s focus in building relationships with clients is getting to know their personalities and what the little details are that are meaningful to them. “And so we like hearing their stories and thinking about how we can inject some of that into the design,” Casella says.
The couple and their animals moved into a 400-square-foot pool house out back for a year and a half while renovations were taking place. And while it was hard to not get overly involved, being on top of the renovations every day, they never had any doubt about the work going on inside.
“Our dream project is this, being able to curate everything from the ground up,” Orton says.
Throughout the process, Orton and Casella kept notes on what each of them loved to be able to incorporate in some way. For Harrison it was mushrooms and bees and heavy metal. For Danielle it was books and sentimental items.
“They did this huge reveal, and obviously we were impressed with that initial ‘wow factor,’” Danielle says. “But one of the things I loved the most was discovering little nods to conversations we’d had — knowing they paid that close attention and had remembered and filed away that little nugget of information.”
One of those moments was a metal poppy that Casella placed in her office, a nod to Danielle’s mother who had passed away from early-onset dementia — and who loved poppies.
“Those little pieces here and there were just so, so special,” she says. “They really paid attention. It is silly in some ways to get emotional about a room, but they really brought more to it than just pretty.”
And because of that, Danielle says her office has an energy that draws her there whenever she is missing her mom to feel that connection.
“I love details,” Casella says. “Homing in on those little things, and then finding a way to represent and symbolize without just being, like, right on.”
One of the couple’s other favorite spaces is what they call the “opium den,” a moody lounge with dark walls and rocker appeal, where one of their cats can often be found curled up — much as Danielle does with a book.
“It’s just so funky and moody, but dark and cozy,” she says. “It’s a vibe for sure. It’s like a cozy cocoon.”
In the primary bedroom, a coffee nook was added so in the mornings they could slide open the patio door to let the dog out and sit outside and sip coffee before ever leaving the bedroom.
“We wanted this house to be really beautiful and feel very elevated, but also livable,” Casella says.
One area where Orton had to push the homeowners was in the kitchen, specifically a custom marble hood over the stove. It’s a total standout, but it came with a high price tag.
“We were pretty cost conscious and trying to maybe find areas where we could save a little money, and one of the things I remember is asking if we could save money on the marble hood, because obviously natural stone is incredibly expensive and it took a large chunk of the kitchen budget,” Danielle says. “And, respectfully and politely, Justin was like, ‘Absolutely not. But here’s why.’”
He explained to her what an impact that stone would make, and that there were other areas where they could shave cost to be able to keep the marble.
“They are the experts. You’re paying them for a reason,” Danielle says. “Even if something doesn’t make sense to you on paper, like, you just have to trust the process and let them do their job. Because you’re going to just reap the benefits of letting them do that.”
The game room is filled with natural light, and natural elements like obsidian and selenite stones, as well as a pool table and dart board that see a lot of use when they entertain. Upstairs, a media room with blackout curtains is perfect for gaming and movie nights.
“We have been here a few years now, and I still can’t believe this is ours when I pull up in the driveway,” Danielle says.
Orton had been in the music business, but he got tired of touring and started working odd jobs, one of which was acting as an owner’s rep for a buildout. He has a background in construction and loved the process of working with designers, the architect and the builder.
He is also a painter and sculptor, so when he was done touring, he turned his attention to interior design because it was all of his favorite things meshed into one. He attended Watkins and got his fine arts degree, then began working for a commercial design firm.
“It was like a bootcamp for designers,” he says. “It was long hours, but I learned a ton.”
Orton had known Casella for years; she had worked for the booking agency that scheduled his band. They reconnected when they began working at the same commercial firm. He moved on to another commercial firm, building out its CAD program and teaching designers how to do drawings and set up standards.
But he began to feel like he did when he was touring: stuck in a room and not enjoying the work as much as he could.
“I’ve always been really focused on craftsmanship and makers and working with original artisans,” he says. He could see that movement taking off in Nashville and made the decision to strike out on his own. Kierstin joined him a year later.
“The first year was rough,” Orton says. At the time the general aesthetic in the area was more magnolia than modern. They worked on a number of spec houses in The Nations and in East Nashville, where they made connections with contractors and builders that helped them build their business in an organic way.
“I tried to take a lot of what I had learned from these large commercial firms and implement that into residential,” Orton says. That included doing all the planning up front, which makes for an intentional design process from the beginning instead of a reactive one that constantly changes direction.
“Reactive design is never great,” he says. “There’s enough things that pop up already. So if you have a plan and a roadmap that you’re moving forward with, and the client knows the budget and the availability of the products, there’s no making it up as you go. You have accurate bids, you have accurate timelines. That’s still the process that we follow.” NI
OLD HOMES, NEW LIFE
HANDYMAN BUSINESS GROWS INTO FULL-SERVICE DESIGN, BUILD AND RENOVATION COMPANY
wBY HOLLIE DEESE PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY LAMB, NATIVEHOUSE PHOTOGRAPHY
hen Blair Roedel was in the fifth grade, a guest speaker’s presentation about architectural engineering made a lasting impact on her. It guided her goals and career aspirations all the way to Kansas State University, where she graduated with an architectural engineering degree in 2012.
After graduation she joined a large union national mechanical contractor in Kansas City, where she rose to the position of senior estimator for an office generating approximately $25 million in revenue. In June 2019, she was promoted, and so she and her husband, Cody, and their young daughter, Eleanor, moved to Hendersonville.
Once they were here, her career took an unexpected turn.
“We moved into a neighborhood that was brand new, all builder-grade houses, and frankly, kind of boring,” Blair says. But instead of isolating themselves and diving right into home renovations, they decided to make an effort to get to know their neighbors and begin to build relationships in their new community.
“That was our strategy,” she says. But while making new friends in her neighborhood, she couldn’t help but notice the need her neighbors had for basic handyman services, like hanging curtains, installing shelving or changing faucets.
“Cody and I had spent so much time in the previous five years fixing and flipping houses,” she says. “Basically, we’d live there and renovate it, and then when we were done with the renovation, we moved to the next one.”
Blair started sending her husband to do these chores for their neighbors, mainly as a way to encourage him to meet new people. At the time he was working remotely and was happy to do the minor handyman tasks, at first for free. When business picked up, they began charging $25 an hour.
Soon, the scope of the work expanded to include built-ins, accent walls, cabinetry modifications, flooring, trim work, and minor plumbing and electrical services. Cody got his general contractor’s license, and the handyman initiative evolved into the establishment of BEC Innovations, officially launched in July 2020.
“When the world shut down and we were in people’s homes, for a minute it was really scary there,” she says. “But this whole thing started from this idea that these people need help. We’ve got the skills, and we would love to be able to be a resource.”
Today BEC is the couple’s sole focus. Blair handles sales and business development while Cody serves as a field technician, training and leading the field staff.
“A ton of clients still rely on us for things around their home. And they know that if they reach out, we’re gonna do our damnedest to get them taken care of, whatever that looks like,” Blair says. “And if we’re not the right answer, we’re happy to provide some resources.”
The BEC team has grown beyond the Roedels. Blair connected with designer Stephanie Eatherly of SE Design Company through mutual acquaintances, and Eatherly brought them in on a lake house renovation she was working on in Sparta in 2022.
“We have had a few projects together since then. I think she appreciates the way that we do business and the way that we work with her as opposed to on top of her,” Blair says. “It’s just been a really fruitful and amazing partnership.”
“This was an opportunity for us to make some decisions that a lot of clients don’t maybe feel as comfortable with. People really love seeing that so much care was taken, and that every decision was really thought out.”
— Blair Roedel
An East Nashville cottage got a complete renovation that totally updated the space while honoring details like trim and original doors.
Also on the team are Tash Towry, project manager, and Rusty Towry, administrator.
“We have a lot of women who are all pulling in the same direction, which is interesting because when you think of construction, you don’t think of women, traditionally,” she says. “Thankfully, that’s changing some, and it’s just been such a blessing to be able to understand that, for the experience of the client is what they remember. Yes, they want a beautiful space, but so many times a beautiful space doesn’t matter if it was an extraordinarily terrible experience the whole way through.”
Today much of the work they do is in Nashville, including East, North and Sylvan Park.
“We don’t really have a set style because so many times the home itself will tell you what it wants to be,” she says. “The last few that we’ve done have been kind of mid-century. And we have done a historic renovation in Gallatin that was very timeless and just a really beautiful renovation.”
A recent project is a small home renovation in East Nashville on Flamingo. Purchased by Roedel, this flip was a true outlet for the team’s creativity, which enabled them to make design decisions they might not have otherwise been able to.
“This was an opportunity for us to make some decisions that a lot of clients don’t maybe feel as comfortable with,” she says. “Stephanie did a great job with taking chances, and it has been very well received in the market. People really love seeing that so much care was taken, and that every decision was really thought out.”
While the Flamingo cottage is basically all new after the reno, so many touches remain, including old trim and historic doors that would have been so much easier to get rid of. But that would have taken away from the charm.
“Those touches are a reminder that yes, this house is basically brand new, but she’s got old bones and she still is this beautiful little cottage that is so special,” she says.
And it is their care for the projects as well as the clients that has really set BEC up for success.
“We backed into this alternative side of things where we spend so much time and care focusing on the experience for the client, making sure that people are informed, making sure that people understand timelines, understand constraints, and it has just brought so much buy-in from our clients. The trust is incredible.” NI
Small spaces like powder rooms are the perfect place to go bold with graphic wallpaper and colored tile.
From left, Stephanie Eatherly, Blair Roedel, Rusty Towry, Tash Towry
Staging by: Crystal Morgan | Parks Compass RE; Styling by: Stephanie Eatherly | Parks Compass RE; Calacatta Paradiso Quartz countertops from: Olivia Russell | Russell Crafted Cabinetry & Stone; Kitchen Cabinetry from: Jana Grandlienard | Super Home Surplus
FIVE FINDS
THE PLACES, SPACES AND THINGS WE LOVE FOR SPRING
Indulge in a subscription box (three, six or 12 months) of bouquets from locally owned, nontraditional florist Amelia’s Flowers, which has two locations in Nashville and one in Franklin. Each bouquet is a unique creation, brimming with vibrant, fresh seasonal blooms. $175-$675
If you find yourself in Lexington, Kentucky, try out the contemporary Italian-inspired restaurant Mileta, which prioritizes seasonality and impeccable culinary technique using local bounty and imported delicacies. The result is an unforgettable culinary experience. Pasta and mains, $25-$60.
Planning travel for 2025? Book now at Casa Angelina in the Amalfi Coast in their recently unveiled Vermarine, a new suite adorned with Paola Lenti indoor and outdoor products.
The third-floor suite offers the highest level of comfort and refined elegance, and the seafront terrace is the ideal spot to enjoy memorable moments of relaxation while admiring the panoramic view over Positano and Capri. Starting at $1,600 a night.
Wade Weissmann Architecture is passionate about creating significant and highly detailed luxury residences for clients who want homes where memories are made and each generation can add their mark. His latest book, Homes of Quiet Elegance (Gibbs Smith, 2024) showcases properties to inspire readers with the range, versatility and timelessness of architectural styles and interiors. A feature section highlights Weissmann’s drawings. $52.
Wallpaper leaders Milton & King just launched inhouse studio designs to redefine interior spaces with bespoke designs that are crafted with impeccable attention to detail. One of the newest additions to the portfolio is the Clouds collection, which includes large- and small-scale prints plus a six-panel mural featuring a dramatic skyscape. $325 per roll set.
muses in multimedia Myths
BRIDGET BAILEY’S ARTWORK REFLECTS THE DECADES AND DEPTHS OF HER EDUCATION AND INTERESTS
BY ROBERT JONES | PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILLIAM DESHAZER
Nashville native Bridget Bailey’s artwork combines playful childlike color palettes and textures with deeper themes that reflect her extensive education.
Bailey completed a five-year undergraduate program at the University of Virginia in 2015, then honed her skills in Detroit — where she worked with a number of renowned visual and performative artists, including Nick Cave. She then earned a painting-focused postgraduate degree in Boston before returning to Nashville in 2019.
“While studying painting in college, I worked on a project using air-dry clay. It reminded me of the Play-Doh I used when I was little,” Bailey says. “I really liked it, so I kept buying these tactile materials, like Crayola Model Magic.
“I’m really guided by material. Sometimes when I’m holding clay in my hands, I’ll sense that it really wants to be socks, or a bathing suit or little bras . . . I lean into those feelings and embrace them.”
Bailey’s work stands out not just because of the playful materials she uses, but also because of the glimpses it provides into her life.
“I went to a girls’ camp as a child. We would sing songs, and some of those lyrics enter into my paintings to this day,” she says. “I try to read a poem every day; I’m really drawn to Eileen Myles and James Schuyler. A lot of my work features poetry, but beyond that I think the way that I’m playing with material feels analogous to making a poem.
“There’s something kind of diaristic about it; My first formative body of work was when I was painting self-portraits in college. Even when I’m doing something more abstract, I think that throughline is still there.”
“As a child, I would make miniature food out of clay and beeswax for my Playmobil dolls. My cousin and I would make little worlds in shoeboxes. Looking back now I think of it all as practice.”
— Bridget Bailey
World building has been a central part of Bailey’s work since the shoebox dioramas of her childhood. But they also reflect another of her passions: the epics of Greek and Roman mythology.
“My favorite class other than art was Latin. I’m really into mythology. I thought reading epic poetry was so cool, especially in a dead language. A lot of the great epics have love stories in them, portraying intense emotions.
“I’m thinking about poems like the ‘Aeneid,’ or in the Love Poems of Catullus, which we read in high school. I think that a lot of my paintings feel like love poetry.”
Her most recent body of work supports this assertion, and it exhibits her return to the fundamentals of painting.
“I’ve been excited about making representational paintings again lately,” Bailey says. “I’ve been making still lives that my wife has arranged — she arranges it and then I paint it. Sometimes I’ll give her some guidelines to work with, but that collaborative process has been really fun.”
Bailey’s wife, Mary Liza Hartong, is an author who published her first novel, Love and Hot Chicken, in 2024.
After a successful solo show of her still life work at Electric Shed in October 2024, Bailey is collaborating in the new year with Hartong to make a book for Nashville artist Paul Collins’ Unbannable Library project.
In a reflection of her love of mythology, though, Bailey shares that her dream project in Nashville would be to create a series to be displayed at the Parthenon in Centennial Park.
“I would love to create work to show at the Parthenon — not just because of the mythology connection, but also because I have so many fond childhood memories of going to Centennial Park!” NI
www.bridgetmbailey.com
Instagram: @bridgetmhartonbailey @unbannablelibrary
“There is nothing formal about the way I live, and I plan to talk about how I got here, even if it’s a bit unorthodox. I want the design community to shed some of this pressure for perfection.” — April Tomlin
Local designer April Tomlin takes the stage at Antiques & Garden Show
BY HOLLIE DEESE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY APRIL TOMLIN
The Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville celebrates its 35th year with the theme “Cultivating Home: Life Well Tended.” The overall look and feel of the weekend at the Music City Center draws inspiration from signature fabric patterns by partners Fabricut, Jean Monro and Clarence House.
Each year, the show draws renowned leaders in their fields to share their passion for design, horticulture and living an inspired life. A standout this year is the Designing Music City lecture featuring nine-time Grammy Award–winner/singersongwriter Sheryl Crow with author and philanthropist Lauren Akins, alongside their shared interior designer April Tomlin, a staple in the Nashville design community.
“I think there is a melting pot of styles in Nashville, and lately, we’ve seen a rise in the effort of the design community to preserve what is stylistically ‘Nashville,’ as we watch beautiful, historic homes being torn to the ground only to be replaced by larger and more modern houses,” Tomlin says. “While I personally prefer a house with warmth and character, the growth in Nashville, with people moving from all over the U.S., has pushed us to make room for other styles and preferences.”
Tomlins designs don’t fit into any one style category. Over the course of her career, she has designed for musicians, athletes, large families, empty nesters and more — satisfying requests that range from warm and inviting to edgy and modern.
“People are people,” Tomlin says. “We all put our pants on the same way. I find, though, that the main difference in working with musicians versus people with more traditional careers is their schedule. When a client is touring constantly, it can be challenging to meet as often as needed to keep the project moving.”
A few years ago, Tomlin designed a home for Akins, who asked for it to feel like her grandmother’s house. More recently, Tomlin designed Akins’ farmhouse, which she and her husband, Thomas Rhett, co-own with Rhett and Sonya Akins.
“We leaned into an equestrian aesthetic there, and its wood walls, low ceilings and rich fabrics really give it an inviting, refined countryside feel,” Tomlin says.
Sheryl Crow turned to Tomlin when she wanted to freshen up her space. Tomlin gutted and redesigned Crow’s living room, powder room, mudroom and office.
“Because she is an avid collector of antiques herself, furnishing the spaces was a breeze,” Tomlin says. “I shopped the antique ‘store’ of Sheryl (which actually isn’t a store but should be) to style her home. She has a rock’n’roll, edgy type of style, and that is reflected in her collection of antiques and the amazing pieces she finds.”
Tomlin hopes to speak to the A&G show audience in a real, raw way. “There is nothing formal about the way I live, and I plan to talk about how I got here, even if it’s a bit unorthodox,” she says. “I want the design community to shed some of this pressure for perfection and be open about how we all struggle and second-guess our work. If we can do that, I think we can focus on what really matters about design — which I believe is bringing connection, safety, art, peace, creativity and, especially, spirituality into our homes.”
The Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville is a benefit for Cheekwood Estate & Gardens and Economic Club of Nashville charities. The show draws more than 15,000 attendees annually with its 150 antique, art and horticulture dealers, immersive garden showcases, live music and special events. The show has raised $11 million for its beneficiaries since 1990.
It is this local history — and the fact she has spent more money than she cares to admit for her clients over the years — that makes taking part in the show’s lecture series mean so much to Tomlin.
“I know the British designers taking the stage, and it feels overwhelming to have my name listed with theirs,” she says. “I am so excited and honored, but mostly terrified. The previous design talent that has been involved with the show is not lost on me, and if I don’t pass out, that will be a win in my book.” NI
Carpenter Stevie Estler designed her custom workshop in Lebanon.
Glasshaüs, At art, craft and community run in the family
BY NICOLE CHILDREY PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILLIAM DESHAZER
“There’s a lot to take in when you walk in here,” Juliana Maxwell says, looking from the delicate blue teardrops hanging from the ceiling to the Paul Bunyan-sized blown glass pint and french fries perching on the high shelves.
“Here” is Glasshaüs, the combination glassmaking studio/fine art gallery/event space/cafe founded by Juliana’s eldest son, Wyatt Maxwell, in Nashville’s Berry Hill. She owns and runs the Maxwell Gallery inside, down the hall from the cafe and across from the hot shop. In the hot shop, head of glass and resident artist Paul Nelson, along with Wyatt and other artists, will fire up the furnace to make molten, malleable glass — sometimes for classes, sometimes to make custom decor or gifts, often to blow, sculpt or cast art to go on display in the gallery or around the Glasshaüs.
On the way in, you might spy a display of Nelson’s quirky cups with glass-sculpted faces, or his colorful, large-scale wall platters — reminiscent of Dale Chihuly’s famed Persians, but a little softer.
“He inspired everybody to put big, big bubbles on the wall,” Nelson says of Chihuly, laughing and shuffling back to tackle some of the day’s work.
A Handcrafted Blend
It’s a bit of a culture shock, taking 10 steps from the rugged work of glass craft into the clean white box of gallery display. (With a break for breakfast burritos, if you catch the cafe before the kitchen closes at 2:30.) That wide scope was entirely intentional.
Wyatt founded Glasshaüs to showcase the full, flexible breadth of glass work — grand-scale art pieces to simple stemless wine glasses, admiration to utilization, teachers to learners, hot to cold, start to finish.
He also built the Berry Hill hub to help inspire and house a Nashville chapter of the close-knit crew that tends to gather around this distinct, time-honored art form.
“It’s a really cool community,” Wyatt says. “There’s established people who are in the gallery who (also) do demos, and then there’s people completely new to glass, but they’re artists and they love it and they want to see more.”
Various artists have pieces on display in the fine arts Maxwell Gallery, including Robert Burch, Dan Alexander and Carol Milne. Above, Paul J. Nelson, head of glass and resident artist, works in the hot shop.
“I love that in the morning, I look at this piece, and it’s one way. And if you look at it in a different light, at the end of the day, it looks totally different. I just love the unexpected.”
— Juliana Maxwell
Those who do want to see more — whether they’re collecting art, collecting knowledge or collecting experiences — get plenty of opportunities at Glasshaüs and the Maxwell Gallery. In the gallery, art collectors and explorers get up close to work that spans an exhaustive range of styles, from abstract and contemporary art to realism and beyond. In 2024, Juliana brought in unique “knitted glass” pieces from Carol Milne, pop art from John Miller (who made the giant fries) and a whole lot more.
Outside the gallery’s doors, classes and events fill out a steady Glasshaüs calendar, from solo “1 Hour Intro to Glass Blowing” sessions to group experiences with food and drink packages. Month to month, the hot shop also hosts hands-on demonstrations from nationally known glass artists like Robert Burch and Dan Alexander.
“That is the game changer,” Juliana says, nodding to the interactive experiences broadly and to one of Alexander’s new pieces specifically. “Dan made this on Saturday, and people were so enthralled. They loved it and the whole process.”
Passing the Passion Down
Juliana raised her three boys, Wyatt included, with the love for art she absorbed from her own parents. They were ardent supporters of the art community back home in Loveland, Colorado, and ardent supporters of their daughter’s own creative pursuits. After earning a BFA in graphic design from Texas Christian University, Juliana built a career as an album art designer.
Her husband, Joe Maxwell — a Vanderbilt MBA and “serial entrepreneur” — brought a refined business acumen to the family.
With that blended background of art and entrepreneurship, Wyatt turned glass art into a family business. He got into glass art through ceramics, and he soon developed a passion and a realization: There was a gap and an opportunity for glassmaking in Nashville.
Armed with a business degree from Belmont and a bit of tactical assistance from dad, Wyatt started exploring the idea of building a multifaceted glassmaking studio and community hub. And he knew the perfect person to run Glasshaüs’ in-house gallery.
“If she sets out to do something, she’s really good at operating and getting it done,” Wyatt says of his mom. “It’s super fun to work with her. And I mean, the gallery especially is fantastic. It’s selling lots and lots of work and exposing people to new work.”
If Juliana wasn’t a glass art expert before Glasshaüs opened, she certainly is now — a year and change later.
She knows the artists, their work and their process. She knows their families, their backstories and the intricacies of what inspires them to create. Importantly, she also knows how to articulate the complex, transmuting beauty of glass — a medium that reinvents its appeal with every shift in light or perspective.
“I love that in the morning, I look at this piece, and it’s one way,” Juliana says, gushing over one of Stephen Rolfe Powell’s large-scale blown-glass sculptures in the gallery. “And if you look at it in a different light, at the end of the day, it looks totally different. I just love the unexpected.” NI
Juliana Maxwell, owner of Maxwell Gallery and Nashville Glasshaüs
Raw materials mixed with natural elements evoke a coastal vibe at East Nashville’s Coral Club.
Elemental in East Nashville
LESS IS MORE AT THE WABI-SABI INSPIRED CORAL CLUB
BY HOLLIE DEESE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY VICTORIA QUIRK
Looking for an escape, a respite from the extremes of the seasons, Nashville locals and visitors alike have been popping into the oasis of the Coral Club since May 2024.
Tucked away off of East Nashville’s busy Gallatin Avenue, the Coral Club was opened by seasoned Nashville hospitality and cocktail veterans Aaron Izaguirre, Matthew Izaguirre, Kristopher Esqueda and Brice Hoffman. It offers imbibers a refreshing, rejuvenating and welcoming experience with a lively atmosphere.
“They wanted a very Riviera-type, Mediterranean vibe, which evolved over some conversations in the beginning,” says Alexandros Darsinos from Studio YUDA, the commercial and residential designers on the project. “We came up with the idea of creating an oasis that ended up being a mixture of those coastal, open, airy spaces — mixed with some darker materials.”
Darsinos, who worked on the design at Rolf and Daughters, created a space that evokes a seaside town far away. With various textures and neutral hues, Coral Club is a wabi-sabi sanctuary with a calm, processional entryway and piles of candles with wax dripping down to the floor.
Darsinos took a monolithic approach to color to induce a sense of tranquility throughout the dimly lit room, which has coral plaster walls, raw stone, wood structures, concrete tables, cozy seating and natural vegetation effortlessly layered throughout. The bar’s main lounge boasts a focal point made of concrete and stone.
“It’s something that feels raw and rough,” he says.
That roughness of materials, combined with the cool, organic interiors, stately stone bar and open-air rooftop, transports patrons beyond the noise of the city and into a coastalinspired calm.
“This allowed me to explore some shapes and movement and spaces,” Darsinos says, like using eucalyptus poles in an architectural way. “They bring that raw nature of material through their own texture. Along with some organic touches and elements through the architecture, I think it’s balanced.”
Delicate fabric wall coverings soften the space, and driftwood-esque eucalyptus pole ceilings and wall accents lend to effortless transitions between dedicated spaces.
Through a set of white oak sliding doors is the bright and open sun parlor, which features an abundance of windows,
lounge seating for small parties and plenty of standing drink rails organically shaped around the stone walls.
The lush rooftop patio provides views of downtown and East Nashville and is adorned with greenery, concrete bistro tables and seating for parties of drinkers throughout. The bar is stocked with beer and wine imported from around the globe, as well as a selection of nonalcoholic beverages made with top-quality ingredients and house-made syrups that evoke flavors from the coastal regions of Greece, Mallorca, Croatia, Amalfi and beyond.
“The strength of the space to me is always about the bones, the foundation, and the mood and the atmosphere should be driven from that,” he says.
“One of my favorite architects is Peter Zumthor, and no matter what the style is of the project, he will do it in a way that balances materials. To me, that’s a real architect — and also a real artist.” NI
Coral Club
604 Gallatin Ave. #217
Open 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily
Different spaces within Coral Club provide different experiences, from the bustling bar to the outdoor escape.
Harken Hall incorporates the work of a number of local artists and artisans, including master printer Jim Sherraden.
HARKEN HALL FINALLY RISES IN MADISON FIVE YEARS IN THE MAKING,
BY NICOLE CHILDREY | PHOTOGRAPHY BY PEYTON HOGE
From the onset, it took five years to rebuild Paris’ fireravaged Notre Dame Cathedral. Leadership changes, a global pandemic, a global recession, the careful sourcing of historic hardwood that could carry literal and figurative weight — obstacles rose, grew and surrendered. By late 2024, the cultural epicenter was ready to rise again, grand, graceful and beautiful.
Those same five years carried the serpentine origin story of Harken Hall in Madison, Tennessee. Leadership changes, a global pandemic, a global recession, careful sourcing of historic hardwood — from its first public announcements in 2019 to the venue’s 2024 unveiling, Harken Hall cycled through three names, three planned openings and no shortage of community questions.
It may not be America’s Notre Dame, but the stately venue does spark a kind of cultural renaissance for the once-bustling, slowly rejuvenating Madison. And its official fall 2024 bow
certainly stands as a major milestone for the creative people who pieced it together, burly beam by glinting gold detail.
“I always like a challenge,” Harken Hall president and veteran video and TV producer Jamie Amos says, laughing.
Before taking the Harken helm in 2022, Amos spent decades managing moment-to-moment details on shoots with country superstars, from Carrie Underwood to Johnny Cash. Pre-pandemic, she wrangled music performances on cruise ships. Right now, she’s balancing law school with running Harken Hall.
Amos had never built, branded, stocked and staffed an event venue before. But she had plenty of experience building entertainment “A teams” in Nashville.
“There are things that we don’t know what we’re doing,” she says, unintimidated and undeterred. “We get advice, and we find the right people.”
‘Our Go-To Guy’
Right person No. 1 was production designer Scott Moore, a seasoned art director, prop house owner and longtime creative collaborator with Amos and her husband, Harken Hall investor and Executive Vice President Patrick Kennedy.
“We were in a meeting when we decided we were gonna continue this venture,” Amos remembers. “I was still sitting at the table. I said, ‘I gotta call Scott right now.’”
When Moore came on board, the main hall was already built, primarily with century-old timber trucked from Montana and held together with whittled oak pegs, the exterior clad with craggy stone meant to mimic Madison’s old churches. Custom finishes were still to come, and the interior design was almost entirely open to Moore’s inspiration.
Working alongside Nashville’s Centric Architecture and a handful of handpicked local artists and artisans (including master printmaker Jim Sherraden and surface design studio New Hat), Moore shaped the design vision of Harken Hall, and over two years, made it real.
The finished design evokes wonder and warmth with clever juxtapositions — a story told in the details. Art deco ornamentation winks at rugged barnwood. Standard PAR cans hide behind twinkling chandeliers. Elegant jewel tones bounce off brown.
“When I came on the team, my first reaction was, ‘There’s so much wood,’” Moore says. “So I had to find a way to break through. That’s when we took the stained-glass windows.”
Those windows, custom-made by Franz Mayer of Munich, brought a bold and bright personality to the hall’s upper reaches. It’s less Renaissance church, more abstract modern art, and Moore echoed their influence throughout the hall’s design. Many of the pops are hard to miss, from the Vivian Ferne wallpaper lining the VIP entrance to the jade-green stage curtains and colorful runners and soft settees in the upstairs loft.
“I’m doing tufted walls in here next,” Moore says, tapping an everyday button on a soon-to-be-less-than-everyday elevator.
“It’s a really dark navy velvet, and the pins of the tufts are gonna have our logo. Beautiful. And it’s gonna catch the light.”
The Harken Hall’s design was inspired by the intimacy of early live music radio shows and the historic stone structures of the area.
“I mean, I’ve been in every green room in Nashville, so we wanted it to be a different experience. I think that’s what we’ve created: an experience.”
— Scott Moore, production designer
Uncommon Elements in an Uncommon Venue
Inside Harken Hall, you find an almost unheard of level of detail and glamor for what, at least in part, is a midsized music club. (They expect to also host corporate meetings, weddings, plays and community activities, among other events.)
The sophistication carries front to back, from walkways and hallways all the way into plush, almost astonishingly wellappointed green room spaces. The separate Artist Building has a craft service kitchen, sparkling shower, cozy courtyard and a wash of content-capture-ready decor, including handmade shadow boxes filled with hand-collected ticket stubs and backstage passes. It’s a particular point of pride for Moore.
“We kept thinking, ‘What’s gonna make the artist want to come here? What’s gonna make management want to bring their artist or act here?’” he says. “I mean, I’ve been in every green room in Nashville, so we wanted it to be a different experience. I think that’s what we’ve created: an experience.”
Similarly distinct among venues: Harken Hall was intentionally built as much for in-the-moment experiences as for making live moments permanent. With eight onsite cameras and built-in multi-track audio recording, it’s capture-ready, broadcast-ready, streaming-ready and wired to connect with remote trucks if the extensive in-house setup isn’t enough.
The acoustics were fiercely fine-tuned throughout the 700seat performance space, too, with acoustic wool-lined walls covered by tone-warming corral board.
Given Amos’ decades in award-winning TV and video production, you’d figure the audio-visual intensity was generated by the venue president — a creative comfort zone amid this big, new challenge. But she gives her A team all the credit.
“I just hired the right people,” Amos says. “We have, I would dare say, the best people in the country. And it’s wonderful to watch them work.” NI
Harken Hall
514 Madison Station Blvd., Madison, TN 37115 HarkenHall.com | @HarkenHall
