Live More Authentically With This Nashville Designer’s Debut Line

Details

April Tomlin holds stacked hand-crafted bowls at her shoulder, smiling

From her office in Green Hills, in equal proximity to rolling pasture and bustling cityscape, April Tomlin is actively cultivating what she considers the design equivalent of peace. The Memphis native, who launched her Nashville firm in 2010, is favored by Music City A-listers for a lived-in aesthetic that underscores her personal ethos: to live a grounded, authentic life. Following two years of development, her newly debuted Tomlin House collection spans three thoughtful product brackets: Sourced (curated items from the firm’s favorite vendors), Collected (one-of-a-kinds hand-selected across travels) and Made (pieces that solve design conundrums and reflect Tomlin’s philosophy of functionality-meets-beauty). Here, she reveals the vision behind it.

How did the idea for Tomlin House come about? Tying a space together with small details is one of the most important aspects of design. We were having a hard time finding pieces that were the perfect fit for projects—they weren’t in the scale or materials we needed, for instance. After making so many things custom for clients, we kept asking: “Why doesn’t this exist?”

What can we expect from the Made portion of your collection? Dishware and ceramics hand-thrown by local artisans, bed linens made in Europe, trays in walnut and white oak. There’s also an organizational system that sold out immediately.

Tomlin House seems to resonate with what your clients come to you for. It’s so interesting that people are moving here from the West Coast and New York and buying property out in the country. I see a need for more land, less noise.

Anything on the horizon? We’re adding new colors for linens and mix-and-match options for tabletop. We’re also exploring the potential to be in retail stores by 2023. 

PHOTO: KATELYN BROWN