Nashville Interiors: Welcome

Twenty years is a long time for a publication to be in print. It speaks to a commitment to excellence, an ability to deliver and the support of key people. In journalism school in Chicago nearly 20 years ago, we were warned by pretty much everyone that what we were entering into was not for the faint of heart. Print was dying, didn’t we know? Still, I was compelled to be there, learning Quark for magazine layout and the proper format for a news article. Meanwhile, Kelly Magill was preparing to launch a brand new magazine, Nashville Interiors.

About 10 years later I was building a freelance client base at home with small babies after writing at The Tennessean, and a former colleague needed help with a magazine project—Nashville Interiors. And that is when I met Pam Harper.

Many people know the magazine only through Pam. A common thread through all owners and publishers across nearly 15 years in publication, Pam has been the best ambassador for the book. She is charming, intelligent and the nicest person; Pam and I connected immediately. And after a few years of working together, I shared that I had big plans if I ever got my hands on Nashville Interiors as my own.

In early 2017, I got that opportunity. Kelly had recently sold to a new owner, who decided after one issue to move on. Pam, believing in me, told me about the opportunity, and within a week the magazine was mine.

Over the past three years it has taken a team to grow the magazine in a way that felt right for what was next. The redesign by Karen Cronin of Cronin Creative. The copyediting skills of Jennifer Goode Stevens and design from Ginger Katz. The designers working with our advertisers, Jennifer Rapp, Tracey Starck and Mary Grace Gaureke. The talented contract photographers. The support from my printer and Austin Davidson.

Through it all, Pam has been the biggest cheerleader—even as 2020 caused a pause. In 2021 her role will be smaller, but she will still be an ambassador for the magazine and the person to turn to if you have always worked with her. She is in many ways more Nashville Interiors than anyone else.

And we so appreciate the people making the continued growth of Nashville Interiors possible—the advertisers on these pages and the people who allow us to tell their stories. We need to lean on each other. Support each other. Champion each other. This is the story of Nashville Interiors, and we will continue to tell the stories of the people in our community. —Hollie Deese, Publisher