Art, Music And Bold Designs Define A Creative Nashville Renovation

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White living room with zebra...

Designer Lindsay Rhodes placed a painting of Jimi Hendrix by American speed painter Denny Dent in the living room of this Nashville home, adding instant good vibes. Following that same retro thread, she chose a vintage Hans Wegner coffee table and 1960s marble nesting tables, both from Eneby Home. The sofa and armchairs are customized versions by Verellen sourced from Hey Rube, the latter upholstered in the company’s Adagio Polvere wool-mohair blend. The glass-globe chandelier is a Lindsey Adelman original.

Round table, antique chair and...

In the entry of this Nashville home, 19th-century Indian leather cornice boards and a painting by French graffiti artist Blek Le Rat, purchased at a Montgomery Bell Academy art show, add flair above a vintage walnut table. The Louis XVI chair is one of several pieces designer Lindsay Rhodes’ clients Kerr and Melanie Tigrett brought with them from Memphis.

Tufted peach velvet banquette with...

Kelly Wearstler’s Graffito wallpaper lends a café-like feel in the ladies’ lounge, where a tufted Verellen sofa, upholstered in a peach Fabricut cotton-velvet, provides a plush perch. The bolsters showcase Nobilis’ striated sherpa wool bouclé while a mix of tables—CB2’s marbleized Portal side table and a Carrara marble-topped bronze bistro table by West Elm—provide spots for drinks.

Round table with two antique...

Framed by custom sheer linen draperies, a pair of vintage Louis XVI armchairs freshly upholstered in white cowhide joins CB2’s concrete Scallop ivory table in the ladies’ lounge. The diamond-patterned cotton Moroccan rug was sourced through ABC Home, and the terra-cotta pot is the clients’ own.

Large window above built-in banquette...

In the kitchen’s cozy gathering area, a built-in walnut banquette—plus the pillows that top it—feature easy-care Sunbrella textiles. Sourced from Hey Rube, Verellen’s Lutz swivel wing chair wears a nubby bouclé as a warm counterpoint to the room’s sleek travertine floors. A duo of CB2’s Shroom concrete tables can accommodate coffee and cocktails alike.

A kitchen with a brown...

Capturing square footage from what was formerly a five-car garage, Rhodes created the home’s new kitchen with entertaining in mind. Clé’s weathered-white terra-cotta Zellige tiles contribute tonal texture along the backsplash wall. The perimeter countertops showcase Carrara marble and the island is topped with Cristallo Extra quartzite, both from Daltile.

Dining room table with slipcovered...

Located on the footprint of the former kitchen, the dining room boasts an oak trestle table surrounded by Verellen dining chairs from Hey Rube. The pendants are vintage French baskets from Houston shop Kay O’Toole Antiques & Eccentricities that the designer repurposed as light fixtures. An heirloom sideboard supports a 2019 work by Birmingham artist William McLure from Galerie Tangerine.

Bar with countertop, black stools,...

In a vestibule between the kitchen and dining room, the designer fashioned a bar from the same quartzite used for the kitchen. Worlds Away’s Emmett counter stools take on a glamorous feel in concert with a colorful work by Louisiana artist Ashley Longshore, which was gifted by Kerr to Melanie partway through the project.

Photo of bed with yellow...

In the eldest daughter’s bedroom, the designer set a nature-inspired—but not overly girly—tone with Hermès’ Tendresse Feline wallpaper. The skirted bedside table wears yellow linen with green Samuel & Sons trim. Crisp hotel-border bedding is accented by Ferrick Mason’s Espalier linen in Foliage on the shams and Christopher Farr Cloth’s Pollen linen on the bolster.

Photo of bed with yellow...

The goal for the eldest daughter’s bedroom was to create a lively retreat that encourages creativity. A pair of Serena & Lily’s Senegalese baskets provides practical storage and texture. The yellow linen draperies and Samuel & Sons tape trim match the skirted side table.

Yellow Billy Balls in a...

“I hired Lindsay for her creativity; I have never met a designer so uninhibited,” says Melanie. “She just makes it fun, exciting and interesting to look at.” The botanicals chosen match the yellow hue used for the eldest daughter’s bedroom.

Serendipity, luck, divine intervention—however you’d define the force that brought Nashville designer Lindsay Rhodes and recent Music City transplant Melanie Tigrett together, their relationship feels like more than just coincidence. The two first crossed paths when their children, both kindergartners, became friends at school. Melanie, her husband, Kerr, and their brood had just moved from Memphis and were renting until they found their forever home.

Following a playdate at the Tigrett’s former residence, Rhodes sensed Melanie was someone who clicked with her aesthetically. “A lot of Nashville is more traditional, so I could just tell by their art and some of their furniture—plus her personality is just really fun—that this was someone I would connect with in that creative way.” So, when the designer and a couple of her other clients were co-hosting an in-home show for Louisiana-based artist Ashley Longshore, Rhodes knew Melanie would “get it,” and extended an invitation.

She was right; in fact, Melanie was already in the market for a Longshore piece, though she found herself more enamored with the residence itself, which Rhodes had designed with pops of color, edgy patterns and personality galore. “I told Lindsay, ‘I feel like I heard a Lionel Richie song when I first walked into that house.’ Like a Disney movie with the stars flying around,” Melanie recounts. “I was going crazy about the house because she had designed it. I knew at that moment, ‘This is my designer. This is it.’ ” 

But before Rhodes could design the couple’s home, they needed to find the right one, first—a task that proved challenging for a duo who loves to entertain but also has three children ranging in age from toddler to teenager. “Being hands-on parents is their most important concern,” the designer explains. “So, they wanted a house that would inspire creativity for their kids as well as themselves; a calm place to rejuvenate, refuel and stimulate.” 

A Georgian-influenced abode in West Meade—designed by E+H Architects in 2004—proved full of potential. “We thought the kitchen was too small and dark, which would not work for someone like me who loves to cook and have friends and family over in the kitchen,” Melanie explains. So, Rhodes swooped in with the perfect solution: to knock out a wall and capture existing garage space for a generous new custom kitchen. 

Happily, general contractor Chris Rhodes was able to tackle this huge structural change with ease, particularly because his company had renovated this very residence in 2012. “He’s really efficient and a really nice guy,” the designer notes. “He made our exact plans happen.” In the general contractor’s hands, one of the floor plan’s least appealing features became a calming, airy cooking and gathering space that Melanie now calls “the heartbeat of our home.”

With the white, bright kitchen as the nucleus, the rest of the rooms fell into place somewhat naturally, lending opportunities to display souvenirs, art and artifacts that speak to the owners’ personalities. “We wanted to honor the traditional architecture while incorporating pieces we’ve collected over time, but with a contemporary edge: Lindsay’s fun pop,” Melanie elaborates. In the study, for example, the designer lined the room with personal mementos that pay homage to Kerr’s father (founder of famed toy manufacturer Tigrett Industries): a framed prototype for the Drinking Bird, a patent for the mesh playpen, a sketch of B.B. King by artist and family friend LeRoy Neiman and more.

“Moving from a blues music town to a country music town just continued our love of music,” Melanie adds, noting how Rhodes responded to this passion by punctuating the residence’s warm, organic textures with favorite music-themed artworks from the Tigrett’s collection. In particular, two stylized portraits of Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix by American speed painter Denny Dent bring dynamic energy to the living room while making a lively tribute to the couple’s Memphis roots. Adds Melanie: “We appreciate all forms of art—whether written, sung, drawn or sewn together.” 

To reintroduce age and patina to the fresh renovation, Rhodes mounted a collection of tapestry-like 19th-century leather cornice boards from India—acquired by Kerr’s mother in the 1980s—in the home’s entryway. Here and elsewhere in the home, the designer mixed moments of boldness and modernity masterfully—not unlike a skillfully composed song.

“Lindsay is uninhibited when it comes to design,” sums Melanie, emphasizing the connection she and the designer share. “She might be one of the most creative humans I have ever met. I told her, ‘I just wish I could live in your head one day.’ ” Perhaps living inside one of her designs is the next best thing.