Nashville might be known as the country music capital and “The Athens of the South,” but designers there wish to make it very clear you can’t pigeonhole Nashville’s style. Though the city has a wealth of lovely conventional homes and embraces the classical (it will have a full-size Parthenon in the center of Centennial Park, for gosh sake), in addition, it keeps up with the times. “Nashville is such a diverse city, and that’s exactly what makes it so much fun to reside and design in,” states Lisa Hutson of Nashville Interior Design Group.

The town’s fast growth over the past 20 years has attracted an influx of new residents from all over the planet, a populous city center, professional soccer and baseball teams and a gorgeous skyline that’s always changing. “I think Nashville is in a transition period … as it continues to rise, its art and architecture landscape is becoming more progressive and much more representative of the present time,” says architect Ryan Thewes.

The bottom line: Nashville design encompasses a wide array of styles, but what they have in common is their warmth extends Southern hospitality with welcoming fashion. Check out Nashville’s diverse range of styles and see whether the way that they’re mixing things up strikes a chord for you.

Kristie Barnett

Nearly every designer I spoke with said that among the greatest misconceptions about Nashville is that everyone’s house style is country and western. This isn’t the case — even the nation musicians here are not always going western and country with their style at home.

“When I use artistic types, for example musicians — there are a number of them here — they especially want their homes to reflect their passion,” says interior designer Kristie Barnett. “However, it is not for display — it is actually only a practical means to live out that they are in their decoration options.”

Framed album covers, spots to hang tools and plenty of comfy places for strumming are part of the warm contemporary Musician’s Row condo revealed here.

Llc, Eric Stengel Architecture

While Nashville may not be strictly nation, the energetic city is certainly surrounded by magnificent countryside. Farms and rolling hills encircle the city.

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Nashville designers seem to both the city and the nation for inspiration.

Christina Cavin

Mixing Old and New

“An eclectic mixture of style that joins in Nashville’s country music swag with conventional design is a staple in the ‘Music City’ — we are finding that our customers wish to combine the old with the new, maintaining the original integrity of a house when updating a remodel,” Hutson says.

One way to find this balance between new and old is by streamlining in subtle ways — using easy color palettes and clean lines, such as the ones found on Shaker-style cabinet doors such as these.

Beckwith Interiors

“Many new businesses and people are moving into Nashville from important cities, and they’re looking for a style that’s a great deal more cosmopolitan,” notes California transplant and interior designer Jamie Beckwith. “Nashville is becoming more sophisticated and worldwide, and a lot of our customers are looking for the same aesthetic.”

Beckwith combined Gothic structure with cutting-edge LED lighting from the oil wine storage revealed here.

See the rest of the Wonderful pool house

Llc, Eric Stengel Architecture

While some Nashvillians are moving more contemporary, much of the town’s architecture embraces ancient components, and a lot of its citizens adopt the past while moving forward.

“Thomas Jefferson appeared to the classics, such as the Romans and Greeks, and altered their architecture to become our very own,” architect Eric Stengel explains. “Today my patrons in Nashville wish to behave as a sign of who we are now while standing on the shoulders of giants”

Eric Stengel Architecture, llc

Stengel adapts classical components to meet contemporary needs. This pavilion is a rustic modern arrangement, but its classic proportions are what make it pleasing.

Dream Build Nashville

“Instead of dismantle our origins and history, you’ll discover gorgeous Tudor-style cottages and Victorian-era homes outfitted with cutting-edge design crafted for the current homeowner,” states Andrea Woodward of Dream Build Nashville.

Dream Build Nashville

Such projects mean you can open up the doors of a conventional home that’s respectful of its historical area and also be quite surprised by the light and open spaces indoors. Nashville’s transitional style mixes more traditional details such as hardwood stair railings and moldings with spacious programs, light colors and a mixture of furnishings which may incorporate everything from antiques to midcentury classics to a little Shabby Chic (after all, comfort is essential).

Epiphany Design Studio

Livable Elegance

Interior designer Julie Goad of Epiphany Design Studio states Nashville style could be summed up in 2 phrases: casual elegance. “Nashville used to be somewhat formal, and now a more relaxed look is popular — customers would like to have the elegance, but they also need a space that’s livable,” she states.

Her customers have tossed out the formal drapes and the furniture you are not permitted to touch or sit on in favor of comfort and are combining new and old. “People still love antiques, however it is the mixture of antiques, iron, linen drapes, crystal and mercury glass folks are looking for in their homes,” she states.

Christina Cavin

Hutson discovers that many of her customers have eased out of rigorous conventional into Icelandic style. “Nashville goes for a relaxed luxury interior — warm, cozy, and inviting rooms for Southern parties is where the heart is in Music City,” she states.

Leland Interiors, LLC

Tradition Is Becoming More Modern All the Time

Interior designer Kippie Leland’s family has seen Nashville transfer from ultratraditional to transitional to contemporary firsthand. “My father claims that years ago when he first started in the interior design business, that to sell an antique it was English, brown and conventional,” she states.

Again, mixing and new and old is a big part of the livable elegance. “While there are still individuals who cherish and love their English antiques, much has changed … insides today run much more to the transitional style, including some antiques with sleek, new contemporary pieces.”

Leland Interiors, LLC

“Our customers want colour palettes which are brighter and lighter nowadays,” Leland says. A fantastic case in point is that this master bathroom, where a gorgeous aqua and aluminum botanical background pops against crisp white fittings.

Anderson Design Studio

Southern hospitality is still alive and well in Nashville regardless of what the style. “The design business can lean very edgy and progressive, but our spaces always have a warmth that reflects the friendly and welcoming spirit of the people of Nashville,” says interior designer Kathy Anderson of The Anderson Design Studio. Warm wood, stone, lighting and comfy upholstered furniture locate their place in Nashville’s contemporary decor.

Anderson Design Studio

“While design in Nashville can be fun and new and youthful, it will have a regard for the past,” Anderson says. For example, traditional furniture blends comfortably with vivid turquoise walls and contemporary artwork in this area.

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist

Nashville’s new penchant for urban living is inspiring citified style all over the increased area. “Many customers I use, including two out of the TV series Nashville, are now looking for more contemporary or metropolitan design,” says Barnett. This house takes its cues from midcentury modern design with its rectilinear lines, gridded artwork arrangement and shelves, and neutral colour palette accented with splashes of crimson.

Epiphany Design Studio

The Urban Farmhouse

“Nashville is quite a bit more elegant than cowboy hats and boots, which are part of that we are but doesn’t reflect us correctly,” Goad states. “Nashville is a soft mixture of antiques, reproductions, contemporary and urban farmhouse style” This standard rustic farmhouse kitchen has been upgraded with subtle industrial touches such as stainless steel appliances and glass pendant lighting.

Beckwith Interiors

Beckwith notes while her customers still appreciate Nashville’s Southern classics, the style carpetbaggers from some other metropolises are putting their own stamp online design. “Many customers need an intimate, well-traveled environment that’s comfortable but stylish,” she states.

Case in point: A cozy upholstered bed and pouf and knotty wood trim contrasts using a modern acrylic chair and area rug.

Atmosphere 360 Studio

Melissa Frederiksen of Atmosphere 360 Studio also notes that a lot of Nashville’s newcomers are bringing contemporary and modern tastes together and are remodeling accordingly. Her customers are asking for clean and easy styles.

Elements such as floating vanities and transparent glass shower surrounds lighten and decorate bathrooms, while mosaic tile and neutral palettes lend a contemporary feel.

Ryan Thewes Architect

Midcentury Modern and Contemporary Sounds Link Past and Present

As in the rest of the nation, the city has its share of midcentury modern denizens, and it is a group that’s growing. “More and more, customers are coming me with a fascination with midcentury modern design with large expanses of glass, sloping roofs, exposed beams and organic substances,” architect Thewes states.

Ryan Thewes Architect

“I think people picture country cottages, gabled roofs and big porches when they think of Nashville,” Thewes continues. “In actuality, it is a really creative city, and also the architecture is beginning to reveal that.” Striking rooflines and contrasting materials such as wood, metal and translucent panels are a contemporary alternative to stones and logs.

Ryan Thewes Architect

A frequent thread several designers mention is that residents wish to enjoy amazing views of downtown’s ever-changing skyline and its surrounding mountains. “Views of downtown are all valuable, and designs concentrate with this: Rooftop decks, large patios and large expanses of windows highlight our growing downtown skyline,” Thewes states.

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Landscape architect Gavin Duke of Page | Duke Landscape Architects needs you to wipe out any stereotypes which extend to the lawn. “A falsehood about Nashville is that everyone has a half a tractor tire painted white fully planted with petunias,” he states.

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Duke notes that lots of customers are going for coordinated, low-maintenance indigenous plantings nowadays instead. Also, he’s noticed that edible blossoms are popular nowadays. “The farm-to-table movement is much more widespread than ever — people are planning more kitchen gardens than ever before,” he states.

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“People take pride in their landscapes and consider a reflection and extension of the house and insides in connection to what occurs outdoors,” Duke adds.

If there’s one common thread through this wide range of Nashville styles, it is pride. Even as residents move into transitional, contemporary and modern styles, they’re embracing the history and culture of their city by infusing their homes with warmth, and they welcome you to test it out.

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