Adherents of classical architecture in its purest form may frown on anyone who dares to step outside the bounds of tradition. But architect Steve Giannetti believes that if doing so improves the daily experience for the people who live there, some allowances should be embraced. “I’ve always been a bit of a rule breaker,” he shares. “I like to take the best ideas from all eras and blend them together.”
A sublime example of Steve’s approach plays out on Nashville’s pastoral outskirts, site of the new abode owners Dana and David Curtis have lovingly dubbed Bliss Manor. Theirs is a residence that certainly references history, yet very much comes across as here and now.
Formulating a design inspired by years of Dana’s personal sketches, the architect then took further cues from the DNA of storied Southern homes—including local favorite Cheekwood Estate—along with British manor houses Dana admired while living in England when she was young. So, while the residence boasts a classic pediment and limestone exterior, its au courant façade is enriched by soaring steel windows and doors painted soft gray. “When most people incorporate steel, the finish is darker, which means that material really defines the space,” Steve explains. In this case, “We wanted your eye to flow through without interruption, so the home feels connected to the landscape.”
Home Details
Photography
Lisa Romerein
Architecture and Landscape Architecture
Steve Giannetti, Patina Home & Garden
Interior Design
Brooke Giannetti, Patina Home & Garden
Home Builder
Jim Mullowney, Mullowney General Contractor, Inc.
Go Behind The Design With The Giannettis
To keep the large house from becoming cold or unwelcoming, the architect referenced the floor plans of older homes. “Rooms unfold sequentially as you walk through them,” reveals Steve, whose plan favors the enfilade in lieu of hallways. “There is only one hall on the first floor—and it leads to the primary suite.” This free-flowing configuration allows the couple and their four young children to easily interact, even when seated in neighboring rooms. “The spaces are laid out in such an intimate way,” Dana reveals. “Steve was so attuned to what we wanted for our family and how to make our home work for us and for entertaining.”
For the interiors, the Curtises engaged Steve’s wife, Brooke Giannetti, his partner in life and design. “When you hire Steve and Brooke, you get ‘one plus one equals three,’ ” Dana says. The duo’s collaboration calls to mind longtime dance partners; every move is anticipated as they keep their eye on the goal of an extraordinary home. In the case of Bliss Manor, their collaboration produced a mix of classic—French giltwood mirrors, cut-crystal accents, oil paintings and old-world textiles—with current: pale painted finishes, natural wood tones, breezy linens and plentiful clear glass. Room by room, Brooke’s judicious placements of hand-carved 18th- and 19th-century antiques provide ornate counterpoints to Steve’s comparatively streamlined millwork.
The foyer embraces tradition via reclaimed gray-and-white marble checkerboard flooring from Exquisite Surfaces and a Gustavian settee from D. Larsson wearing Holland & Sherry’s Rambouillet velvet. Framed botanicals from Benton, Hayden & Associates accent walls painted Farrow & Ball’s Wimborne White.
A Marvin transom window marks the transition from the family room to the courtyard. Beside the Absolute Pools swimming pool, Bevolo lanterns flank a pair of Formations’ Estate Chaises topped with pillows of DeLany & Long Ltd.’s Cabriolet outdoor velvet in Sky.
McLean Lighting Works’ English Street Light helps cultivate the family room’s casual attitude. Highland House’s Marcel Skirted Sofas and Durant Chair—all from Bungalow Classic—converse with a French tapestry from Garden Variety Design.
Julie Neil Designs’ Bonbon chandelier presides over the living room. Highland House’s Gallas swivel chair, dressed in Rogers & Goffigon’s Biarritz velvet in Fountain, mingles with a circa-1790s settee from Jacqueline Adams Antiques.
Hickory Chair’s Amsterdam Counter Stools line the kitchen’s French oak island by Gaston & Wyatt. Antique lanterns from Artifacts hang above a Calacatta Gold marble countertop and backsplash from Indigo Granite & Tile, LLC.
A weathered oak counter from M. Fowler Antiques anchors the bar room, providing a buffet-style serving spot beneath a Jamb globe pendant. The custom Gaston & Wyatt cabinet is painted Farrow & Ball’s Pavilion Gray in a striated finish to give the illusion of patina.
Hickory Chair’s Amsterdam Counter Stools line the kitchen’s French oak island by Gaston & Wyatt. Antique lanterns from Artifacts hang above a Calacatta Gold marble countertop and backsplash from Indigo Granite & Tile, LLC.
Maria Trimbell Murals painted a custom pastoral scene for the dining room, which includes depictions of local flora and even the Curtis family entering their nearby church. Draperies of Holland & Sherry’s Wool Challis in Azzurro accompany a Baguès sconce from Dawn Hill Antiques.
Discover the delightful details in this new country estate for a Tennessee family, designed by Steve and Brooke Giannetti.
This guest bedroom charms in Sanderson’s avian-print Tuileries wallcovering and trim painted Farrow & Ball’s Cooking Apple Green. A Lee Industries rocker in Rosemary Hallgarten bouclé rests atop an Elizabeth Eakins rug from Holland & Sherry.
Farrow & Ball’s Pink Ground and Middleton Pink were blended to paint the walls of one daughter’s bedroom—a perfect match to custom bed canopies of Rogers & Goffigon’s Cumulus linen in Rosebud. The carved Chelsea beds and benches are by Mimi London, Inc.
Polished nickel Classic Brass hardware adorns the primary bathroom’s bespoke Gaston & Wyatt vanity, joined by a Swedish side chair from Patina Home & Garden. 1stdibs-sourced Baguès crystal sconces flank the reproduction 19th-century French gilt mirror by Eloquence.
In the same space, a classic undermount tub and Etoile tub filler—both by Waterworks—sit beside Marvin windows and Riviera Bronze doors that look onto the private walled garden. Charles Edwards’ Hanging Ophelia Lantern highlights honed limestone flooring from Higgins Stone.
Panels of Rogers & Goffigon’s Meltemi linen in Avorio and Libeco bedding from The Iron Gate dress Rose Tarlow Melrose House’s Oppede Bed in the primary bedroom. A lantern from Foxglove Antiques & Galleries hangs above.
The home’s quiet color scheme centers on soft neutral tones shot through with a range of blues, the owners’ mutual favorite hue. Likewise, general contractor Jim Mullowney adhered to a similarly restrained material palette of stucco, limestone and white oak to affirm a clear flow between rooms. When spaces do deviate from this simplicity, it is to signal their specialness. The dining room, for example, adopts a more formal attitude with its French parquet floors, dramatic crystal chandelier and a scenic mural personalized to echo the view. The family room, meanwhile, feels more casual thanks to its wealth of oak—seen in wide-plank floors, vertical paneling and ceiling beams and trusses. “This room was partly inspired by a barn, so we wanted to give the impression that it could have been added over time,” Steve notes. Adds Brooke: “We remained aware that—although formal—this is a family home. So, we played with rusticity as well.”
The Giannettis hold tight to the thesis that interiors should be in constant conversation with exteriors; to that end, Steve also addressed the landscape design. Large windows and pocket doors open to reveal the pool, courtyard and garden from multiple points within the U-shaped rear of the residence. Back indoors, Brooke followed suit with a bevy of botanical prints and garden-inspired cement urns while Steve designed a powder room sink that looks plucked from an English potting shed.
Considering how beautifully the home’s refined design and grand scale support entertaining, it’s notable how well it equally fits the casual rhythms of modern family life. “People always remark how peaceful our home is. The colors are easy and natural, and nothing is too fussy,” Dana notes. “It truly is a place of bliss.”
Anchoring the dining room is Rose Tarlow Melrose House’s Regency Dining Table in Tipperary mahogany, which is lit by a Fontaine Chandelier and encircled by St. Pierre Dining Side Chairs, all by Dennis & Leen. The latter don Holland & Sherry’s Rambouillet velvet in Millpond.