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The last few months have flown by as we’ve worked to open our new store. And with so much support from family, friends, and neighbors, we wanted to do something special to celebrate! The day of our Housewarming Party arrived with a steady drizzle. The forecast predicted rain throughout the day, but right before the party, the clouds parted and the rain stopped. It felt like nature’s gift on our big day. After so much hard work, it was lovely to take a few hours and enjoy the energy of the store with our new community in Leipers Fork, Tennessee. SMALL BITES BY HENHOUSE FOOD TRUCK We were so grateful to have Henhouse Food Truck join us for the afternoon and offer their delicious goodies. Executive chef, Nic Jones, crafts incredible food that he calls “farm-to-truck dining.” We also collaborated with Henhouse to offer grab boxes in the store. Currently, we’re offering their Roasted Sweet Potato & Quinoa Bowl, an Apple & Butternut Squash Soup, a Mushroom Cream Soup (which was one of our most popular small bites at the opening), and an Orecchiette Pasta Salad. You won’t leave hungry when you come to see us at Patina Home and Garden! MUSIC BY THE DELTAZ The Deltaz, brothers John and Ted Siegel, performed in our Pickers Corner during the party. Their talented combination of blues, rock, and classic country created the perfect ambiance for the lively event. (More to come about the Pickers Corner soon.) John and Ted even brought along some of their musician friends and inspired a fun gathering. I love how music brings people together, which is the inspiration behind the new store. We want the store to be a comfortable place for people to gather, and The Deltaz helped us create that atmosphere right away. PATINA MEADOW HONEY Greenwood Honey Co. worked hard to make sure our honey collaboration was ready for our party as well! We are so thrilled with how it turned out. If you can't come see it in person, don't worry, it will be available on our online store when it opens very soon! OUR NEW FRIEND IN LEIPER'S FORK It was wonderful to celebrate the opening of Patina Home and Garden with a mix of our old and new friends. We even had a visit from Leipers Fork legend, Marty Hunt, who ran Leipers Fork Antiques out of the storefront long before we arrived. Marty was instrumental in creating the community feel of Leipers Fork today, and we felt honored to have her join us. The evening ended with a group rendition of You Are My Sunshine, and our friend Aubrey Preston joined in to sing along. It was the perfect way to mark this new beginning. We can’t wait to see you in person someday at Patina Home and Garden. Be sure you’ve signed up for Letters From Brooke, so you’ll know about events like this in the future! xo Brooke

Little things, put together, make up a whole. I mentioned this recently in one of my Letters From Brooke because I think it’s important to remember that even when you’re creating and building beautiful dreams, you can really only do things one step at a time. So when it comes to creating a new store from the ground up, there are so many details to consider — and all of those decisions add up to complete a story. THE PATINA HOME & GARDEN SIGN I knew the sign for Patina Home and Garden would have a lasting influence on the overall feel of the store, so I wanted to be sure we got it right. The building itself has been through many changes over the years and at one point was even a gas station. With history as one of our three core tenets, it means a lot to me that the frame of our sign is actually from that time. We love interweaving history with the present, so while the sign is new, we wanted it to feel like it had a patina from life and time. Like so many things, it will get better with age, as it weathers and rusts. Klint and Matt at Liquid Fire Vintage Neon, a local company with a skillful eye for restoring old signs to their former glory, helped us achieve this look for the base of the sign. They have an appreciation for antiques and history, so they understood what we wanted right away. The beautiful thing about recently identifying our core tenets is seeing them pop up repeatedly. Community has become so important to us over the years, so when we met Aubrey and Michele Preston here in Leiper's, we knew they’d connect us with so many other wonderful people. Another one of those wonders is Meghan Aileen, an amazing creative director, photographer, designer, and artist. Her talents have been instrumental in preparing the store to look and feel great. When we were choosing a font, she helped us find what felt right, hand drew it for our new logo — and then she used it when she designed and painted the sign! She used layers of different greens and browns to create the "patina" in the background. From afar it might just look green, but when you get closer you can see the variety of color and texture. The lettering got several layers of color as well in order to give them some depth and make them feel like they belonged on the background. So much of what has come together quickly over the past few months has been with Meghan’s talent. It meant a lot to us to collaborate so closely with two of our new neighbors as we settle into town. There are so many stories just like these throughout our new store — the stories that connect us to our history, community, and nature. We’ll continue to share these stories with you in the vignettes we’ve placed throughout the store, so be sure you’re following along with Patina Home and Garden on Instagram. As everything comes together in this new chapter of our lives, I’m so grateful you’re here with me on the journey. 🙏 xo Brooke

The last several weeks have been a whirlwind. With the move from Patina Farm to Patina Meadow, preparing to open Patina Home and Garden, and getting our online store ready for you again, I’ve noticed a need for more grounding in my life. With all the good things in motion, I’ve felt a little untethered. I’ve been sharing that experience with some of you in my Letters From Brooke (if you haven’t signed up already, you can do so here) but I wanted to offer a grounding exercise for you here on the Velvet and Linen Blog as well. Over the years, I’ve learned what helps me feel grounded during times like this. My doodles help me stay calm while flying, and walking barefoot through the Patina Meadow creeks helps ground me after a flight. But I thought I could share with you the grounding exercises I like to do on a day-to-day basis when things get busy at home and work. When I know I need a break, I’ll get up from my computer and walk outside. I’ll head into the pasture and watch the cows. Cows are masters of grounding. They’re doing it all the time! They’ll lie in the shade under an oak tree for hours, or slowly munch on the grass beneath their feet with all four hooves steadily rooted to the earth. So I’ll just sit there, chewin’ my cud, watching them from my spot in the shade. When you’re surrounded by a busy life and long to slow down, you can — even when you’re surrounded by cars, noise, and pavement. Before Patina Farm, and now Patina Meadow, I didn’t have cows to observe. We lived in Santa Monica and were surrounded by city life. So wherever you live, you can create a deeper connection to nature, but it may require a little more effort. Try this exercise and let me know if it helps. Find a 5 minute window in your day. Pull off your socks and shoes and step outside. If you can, let your bare feet connect to the earth through grass or dirt. Take a few deep breaths. Look around and notice a few small things — maybe it’s a bird on a balcony, a weathered crack in the patio where a tiny plant peeks through, or the warm rays of spring sun on your back. Use this time to reconnect with the present moment — as it’s truly the only moment you have. When life gets bumpy and you’re entire routine is upended, all you can do is search for whatever is left. You look for the constants. And for me, that’s Mother Nature every time. She’s always there for me when I need her. I love sharing tidbits and stories like this in more detail with you in my letters, so sign up to receive a note from me in your inbox each week. Until we meet again, xo Brooke

I’ve always hated flying. And over the past year, we’ve flown far beyond my comfort level. With so many trips across the country from California to Tennessee, I knew I needed to do something to quiet my mind and shut off my fear brain. The day after flying, I always feel a little light-headed and untethered. What helps me feel grounded once again, is stepping in the running water of Patina Meadow. But what about during the flight itself? When you’re married to someone like Steve, you never really think of drawing as an option. He’s the artist and the drawer — that’s his thing. I’ve drawn the same way since I was five years old — little stick-figure girls in triangle dresses. A while back, I was taking pottery classes with Leila and while she flourished in her pottery throwing at the wheel, I discovered that it hurt my back. So I began creating little pinch pots. And then I noticed someone else drawing on their pottery and I started thinking about my doodles from childhood. Instead of aspiring to become an incredible artist, I could start with my doodles. That’s when I began sketching different flora and fauna that inspired me from nature. And then I began sketching them onto the pottery as well. Rather than striving for perfection, I enjoyed these little representations of the plants and animals I’ve come to love so much. And soon, I realized that I would lose myself in the act of drawing. It felt like the reward was in the process of the art, rather than the art itself. So when we started flying back and forth to Tennessee, I began doodling during the flights. Soon, I noticed that hours would fly by and we’d be landing. Drawing became a meditation practice without me even trying. Isn’t it amazing — the things we can do when we just let go? I once heard someone giving a talk and they pointed out that if you ask a kindergarten classroom, “Who in this class is an artist?” almost every child will raise their hand. How many of us raise our hands now that we’re older? My doodles have now become the inspiration for the branding behind our new store, Patina Home and Garden. You’ll see them on our website, on the door to the shop, and in so many other materials. And it all began with a stick-figure girl in a triangle dress. What things have you thought about doing but haven’t done? Maybe it’s picking up the piano again, singing in a choir, or sitting down and putting pen to paper. I find that it’s often the things we think about periodically but quickly dismiss that may help us most. Often, we know what we need deep down if we just care to listen. Tell me in the comments below, what’s been speaking to you? What are you going to try? xo Brooke

Before our big move, we heard from so many people that fall in Tennessee is amazing. And now that we’ve arrived and are experiencing it for ourselves, we know just what they mean. Here in Leipers Fork, the temperature drops roughly thirty degrees from day to night, so when I wake up in the morning there’s a crisp feel to the air that means colder months are on their way. The colors are changing, and the gentle breeze catches the leaves that fall to the ground on the streets of our welcoming small town. I’ve always loved the shift in seasons, but this year we’re feeling the change from summer to fall more than usual. This is a big season of change in our lives, so it seems only fitting that the change in seasons happens simultaneously. Over the years, people have often asked me about how I decorate for different seasons. And as I do with so much of my design work, I do it by feel so I thought I would see if I can share that with you here on the Velvet and Linen Blog. PATINA STYLE - FALL COLORS When I decorate for fall, it probably won’t surprise you that I don't include many bright colors in my decor. While I love seeing what some people do with traditional pumpkins, I usually like to keep the traditional orange hues as accents. I tend toward the softer tones of the season like creamy off-whites, muted greens, and gentle yellows and browns. PATINA STYLE - LESS IS MORE I also tend toward the less is more approach when it comes to decorating for fall. While I love bringing the outside in, I don’t like having too much clutter in my own space so I try to be intentional with what I create. I’ll typically put together a few vignettes around the house, including a little something on the porch... a few items along mantles... and a collection or two on tabletops. PATINA STYLE - BRINGING THE OUTSIDE IN As I’ve mentioned before, nature inspires so much of what Steve and I do in our designs. We love to blur the lines between inside and out, and that goes for fall decorating, too. I love to use the soft yellows of dried grasses, as well as the warm browns of twigs, acorns, and leaves. The more subdued colors and shapes of gourds and squash are soothing, too As the natural world prepares for winter, flora and fauna all know what to do as if on cue. The season of harvest and turning inward is a great time to reflect on the lessons nature teaches us. Bringing a few of those natural touches inside serves as another reminder to slow down and settle in for fall and winter. FALL DECOR AT PATINA HOME & GARDEN We had the soft opening for Patina Home and Garden this weekend (more about that in this week's Letter from Brooke), so we wanted to create a welcoming storefront in our new town of Leipers Fork. We dressed things up with a few creamy and soft green pumpkins to fit with my natural color palette. We also added a gum tree, which is now showing its autumn colors and adds a variety of textures and heights to the display. Inside, I used dried hydrangeas to add interest and dimension. I love how the colors complement the tapestry. That’s how I love to decorate in our own home (and store), but I love hearing about how other people celebrate the change in seasons. Comment below and let me know some of your favorite ways to decorate for fall. I can’t wait to hear your ideas! xo Brooke

Things have been changing rapidly around the Giannetti household. (That’s quite an understatement!) We just made our big move across the country from Patina Farm to Patina Meadow. I know you are all curious, so I am happy to report that the animals did wonderfully and are settling in nicely. Everyone is loving their new home, especially the pigs. On top of the move, we’re preparing to open our new store, Patina Home and Garden. And we’re settling into life in our new town, Leiper’s Fork. All this change has led us to reflect on the past, and though I’ve already shared these topics with you in different ways, we felt compelled to clearly identify three core values come up for us again and again in everything we do. A house becomes a home from the stories and dreams of the people inside. We believe in connection and the power that comes from a comfortable place to gather. This tree with roots signifies this central tenet of ours — the natural world that we truly could not live without. The interconnectedness of our lives with the cycles of nature keeps us inspired each day. You’ll always find an antique Swedish clock like this in my home because I love how it represents the past while helping us keep time in the present. Objects that tie us to our life stories are central to what Steve and I do. These three threads seem to constantly weave together in our lives. And a braid is so much stronger when woven together than three separate strands are on their own. It took time for us to identify these three tenets. Through thirty years of designing together, we noticed several themes coming up repeatedly in our work — and lives. Just as we did for ourselves at Patina Farm and now Patina Meadow, we love designing spaces that help other people gather with their community, honor their history, and embrace natural beauty. Now that we’ve identified these values, I think you’ll notice them come up again and again in our work. They’ve always been there, but sometimes giving something a name or label helps give us direction in the pursuit of our dreams. We’re incorporating the three tenets into the new store in so many different ways and I can’t wait to share more of the shop with you soon. Enter your email at the bottom of this post to subscribe to the blog and stay tuned to see how things are progressing in our new home! xo Brooke

As we plan for the opening of our new store, Patina Home & Garden, there’s definitely a lot to plan. And isn’t it funny how sometimes the small things are what become incredibly important? Steve and I are big proponents of intentional living and I talk more about it in a blog post called Why We Do What We Do. And as we began working on a new logo with our designer Meghan Aileen, we began wondering, How do you tell a story through a font? HOW WE CHOSE THE FONT FOR PATINA HOME & GARDEN We started with a font that was similar to the one we use on the cover of our books. The font was very pretty, curvy, and script-like. After sitting with it a bit, I went to Steve and said, “Something doesn’t feel right.” He immediately agreed, so we began to think about it from a different angle. We realized that what felt off was that the pretty style was good for Patina Home & Garden, but it didn’t work with Leipers Fork. The building our shop will be in was the old general store and the place people came to for everything they needed. The historical feel and small town gathering place is a fundamental part of the inspiration behind everything we’ll be doing, so we wanted to honor the tradition. As we often do for our design projects, we began researching the history behind the subject matter. We looked at old fonts from apothecaries, pharmacies, and physicians. We started to come across fonts that reminded us of one that Steve uses in his architectural drawings. It’s a little bit Romanesque and fits well with our approach to design and creativity. As we narrowed the choices down, Meghan told me that it was surprisingly hard to zero in on the right option. If she veered just a bit, we ended up looking like Vogue — which doesn’t really match our style either! Ultimately, we all agreed that none of the fonts felt just right, so Meghan designed one that felt true to those old fonts we love! We used her design for "Patina", and used a font called Alchemist for "Home & Garden" to create our perfect logo. The logo for Patina Home & Garden now feels like it unites our hopes and dreams while honoring the history of our new hometown of Leipers Fork. Make sure you’re following along with us on Instagram to see how things progress as we get closer to the store’s grand opening! xo Brooke

As I’ve shared our life with you over the past few years, many of you have come to treasure our animal family. So when we announced our big move to Tennessee, the question I heard the most was — “Will you be bringing the animals?” The answer is most definitely YES, the Giannetti Animal Family will be joining us in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee. Rest assured, however, that we have done everything we can to ensure their move is as comfortable as possible. They truly have become members of our family, so I wanted to share a little bit about what the experience will look like. HOW WE'RE MOVING OUR ANIMALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY Because we want the animals’ journey to be as smooth as possible, we’ve hired a company called Brook Ledge to drive the animals across the country from Ojai to Leiper's Fork. Brook Ledge specializes in transporting extremely high-end show and racehorses, as well as other sensitive animals. After extensive research, we knew they were a perfect fit to entrust the animals with on the drive. All the animals will be put into large air-conditioned transport trailers and will have their own stall. Each trailer will have two drivers so they can take shifts driving and sleeping. The only required stops will be for mucking out the stalls to keep the space clean for everyone and get to Tennessee as quickly as possible. The journey will take between 24-36 hours, and when they arrive we’ll have everything set up to welcome them comfortably to their new home. We feel strongly that they will indeed love their new home. The rolling green pastures, trickling creeks, and wildflowers will all mimic the true landscape they’re meant to live in — more so than the dry landscape they’ve become accustomed to in Ojai. Our new neighbors surrounding our land all have similar animals and we know ours will thrive just as theirs do. Patina Meadow has more grass, more water, and more space for them and I can’t wait to settle into our new home together. THE PET PSYCHIC Even with all of that, I’ve had my own concerns about how they’ll feel about the move. So because we’re already “those crazy animal people,” we decided to enlist the services of Laura Stinchfield, The Pet Psychic. Laura has a unique gift in her ability to speak with animals, which I had heard about through a friend. The one missing variable I’ve felt in our well-thought-out plan has been whether or not to bring the cats along. Our cats are all animal rescues and creatures of comfort (and leisure!). We felt they might be best staying behind in their known habitat. But as the move got closer, I couldn’t really imagine life without them. Laura came to Patina Farm and spoke with all four cats. Each one of them wanted to come along with us to Patina Meadow, except Bonnie. Bonnie told Laura that she loves where she lives — and I think we can all relate to that! So many people are amazed by our choice to leave Patina Farm, and it brings up a variety of emotions for me, too. There was no way we could leave Bonnie behind, so we asked Laura to reassure her that she would love her new home, and after hearing about her new spot, Bonnie was excited for the adventure ahead. We’ve also prepared the transportation for the smaller animals. The cats will have their own carrier, complete with a cat hammock and access to a litter box below. Our cats have always been outdoor cats, so when they arrive in Tennessee, we’ll also have the porch of the cabin screened in so they can get accustomed to the house for several weeks while still being outside. Now that the socialites of our animal family know about the move, we figure they’re out in the pastures and pens spreading the word to all their friends. Which Laura feels will help them ease into the journey that much more. I’ll be sure to share more with you as things develop, so make sure you’re signed up for Letters From Brooke to get email updates on the animals, Patina Meadow, and our new store Patina Home and Garden. xo Brooke

Our move to Patina Meadow is almost here, and while we’ve been busy planning and designing our new home, I’ve also been designing our new gardens. To get started, we’re focusing on the space surrounding the 150-year-old log cabin that will be our home for the next year while we build the main house. The property itself already has a lot of maple trees, so we’re going to use those (as well as plant more) to create the framework of the landscape surrounding the house. We’ll also add some boxwoods between the trees, and a few hydrangeas for pops of color and texture. The greenery will help shade the west-facing side of the house and frame room-like spaces in the garden. One of the exterior rooms will have a hot tub and cold plunge enclosed by the plants to create a little green oasis. We’ve consulted with Andrew Beedy again to decide on a good spot for our vegetable garden, and I’ve been planning the cutting garden that will sit in the front of the house. DESIGNING A GARDEN WITH EMOTION Steve and I like to strike a balance between chaos and structure in our garden designs, so while the larger plants and trees will create a structural framework, I’m using the front cutting garden to add a little bit of creative chaos. When I’m designing a garden, I start by thinking about how I want to feel in the space. I’ll introduce a little disorder with different heights and textures, but I’ve decided to try planting just whites and blues to balance the chaos into a calming, beautiful space. We designed our front garden at Patina Farm with the same principles of structure and chaos. The structure for the cutting garden will start with a blanket of white flowers that will be mixed in with their greenery. But to balance that structure, I’m adding in different flowers at varying heights and different shades of blue popping through on top. Here’s a list of some of the flowers I’ve ordered from American Meadows: White Ipheion White Splendour Anemone White Thalia Daffodils White Mount Hood Trumpet Daffodils White Prince Single Early Tulips Allium Caesiums I know, it’s quite the list! 😄 Thank goodness, Leila will be joining us to help with all the planting! We’ll be living in a construction zone, so who knows how this will all pan out! But as you know, I’m a firm believer in living in the moment. So we’ll give it a try and see what happens. That’s what I love about designing gardens. It’s all a work in progress and if it doesn’t turn out feeling the way you want it, there’s always next season. This entire garden will be separate from the animals, so we don’t need to worry about anyone eating something they shouldn’t! I’ll be sure to post pictures along the way, so make sure you’re following me on Instagram for updates. xo Brooke

You know that feeling when everything just seems to fall into place? When every step of the way feels straightforward — even if the choices are big ones? That’s how things have been feeling for us over the past year. A lot of big things are happening at Giannetti Home, but they all feel like the perfect pieces to a complicated puzzle. And they’re coming together perfectly! As we plan our move to Patina Meadow in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, we’ve enjoyed meeting our new neighbors. And when we met Aubrey and Michele Preston, it was one of those moments that felt meant to be. The Prestons are Tennessee preservationists and owners of Fox & Locke, as well as what used to be the old General Store in town. Aubrey told us that the property was going to be available soon and our wheels started turning. This building has been a gathering place for the community since its construction, serving as the town's general store, post office, and more recently, an antique store. In a matter of a few months, Steve and I have created a dream together that would have probably taken us years to work out in the past. We’re thrilled to announce the next step in our Giannetti Home journey. Opening this fall in Leiper's Fork — our new brick and mortar store, Patina Home & Garden! If you read my blog post last week about The Feeling of Belonging, you read about a dreamy little shop in Leiper's Fork — our soon-to-be new hometown. The town and the building are there but the shop isn’t — YET! We’re getting everything ready because we plan to open in October and we can’t wait to see you in person someday. Patina Home & Garden will be so much more than a store. We are designing a gathering place for our community to learn, connect, and create. We’re going to offer classes, have a screened-in porch with a cold drinks cooler, and carefully selected products that mean so much to us AND the earth. The Picker’s Corner will be a reality, as local musicians come together to chat and pluck away. I hope you feel drawn to visit the store. I hope you’ll step inside, through the creaky door, and immediately feel a sense of welcome. I’ll be in the shop for a while each day, and Steve will be popping by, too. We’re so excited to meet you in person! See you soon, xo Brooke

Try something with me for a moment . . . Imagine the gentle late afternoon sunlight of a fall day in a small town. Pickup trucks are passing through on their way home from nearby farms or ranches, and you’re walking back to your car when a pleasant little building catches your eye. On a lark, you decide to make a stop. You aren’t exactly sure why, but the ceramic planters, greenery, and worn wooden bench that sit out front are calling to you. As you step into the shade of the porch, you feel a refreshing breeze in your hair. The wooden floorboards shift ever so slightly under your feet and the screen door creaks as you pull it open to step inside. Instantly, you feel a sense of calm. You hear a warm greeting come from the counter, where a few people are gathered, sipping iced tea and discussing the upcoming show at the local music venue, Fox and Locke. The soft color palette soothes your senses and the subtle ornamental plants, natural light, and small trickling fountain blur the lines between outside and in. You smell a light floral scent that you can’t quite place, but you can see that it comes from the flicker of a candle on a nearby table. You hear a group of musicians chatting over their guitars as they gently pluck away, and see a wooden sign above them with the words ‘Pickers Corner’ painted on it. A clerk, who greets you like a friend, asks if you’re just poppin’ in or if there’s anything you’re looking for today. You laugh at the surprise of it all, gesture around you with your hands, and say, “I didn’t know it, but THIS is just what I was looking for!” Wouldn’t you love to experience that place? It’s there for you, my friend. This is Leipers Fork, Tennessee, and will soon be our new home. A town full of warm people, with a rich history and slow pace. And it’s just what Steve and I were looking for — and we didn’t even know it. This sense of community and inclusivity is something I think we all yearn for, whether we recognize it or not. To me, the word community can mean so many things. I like to think of it as a symbiotic relationship between people, animals, and the land. A strong sense of community gives me a feeling of purpose and helps me find my place in the world. This fuels so much of my work and the way I try to stay connected with you here on the blog, as well as on Instagram (both via Giannetti Home and Velvet and Linen), and my Letters From Brooke. It’s also what’s fueling some exciting changes coming our way. We’ll be making a big announcement soon, so be sure you’re following along to find out! In the meantime, what does community mean to you? Where do you find inspiration? Comment below and tell me! xo Brooke

I recently shared with you about our new town, Leipers Fork, where we’ll be moving in the fall. Steve and I have spent a lot of time in Tennessee over the past few years because of the design projects we’ve been working on, and we began to realize how much we loved the culture, history, and people in the area. Amidst everything going on in our own lives right now with the move, I wanted to take a break and share one of those Tennessee design projects with you. We’ve been collaborating with Jim Mullowny from Mullowny General Contractor to bring our clients' dream home to life. The property is called Bliss Manor and we’ve been enjoying the project so much and everything the area has to offer. Drawing inspiration from a location’s history and charm is always an integral part of our process when we’re designing. And in Nashville, of course, there is no shortage of history or charm! At the beginning of any project, Steve and I have a conversation with our clients about their dreams for the home, and start with information gathering. For Bliss Manor, we researched the surrounding area and explored incredible Nashville architecture. The project will include multiple buildings and the home itself is 20,000 square feet. There will also be a carriage house, a 6,000-square-foot party barn, and a guest tower. When Steve and I work with clients to design their new homes, it’s about so much more than walls and furniture. We love to listen to our clients as they tell us about their family stories and dreams and then design a space that supports that vision of their future. Steve has an uncanny ability to absorb everything they describe and sketch out their desires on paper. I often say that Steve’s first language is drawing. As he’s working on the floor plan, Steve and I collaborate to imagine to flow of the home. We never want to design a room without a purpose, so a lot of work goes into this stage. With Bliss Manor, the clients are deeply rooted in the Nashville community and they plan to host a wide variety of events from formal high-society to relaxed and family-friendly. This meant it was important for the design to include rooms that could be flexible, with multiple uses. ...as well as a larger breakfast area that serves as a space for overflow when the house is full of guests. The family hosts multi-generational events with lots of children and laughter, so it was important to have a space like this where the kids could go while the adults were in the more formal dining room. Our clients love art and wanted to feature some of their favorite paintings throughout the home. In the husband's study, you'll find a stunning rendition of "Prayer at Valley Forge" done by our client's incredibly talented nephew, Cannon Clayton. Our clients also homeschool their children, so we needed to include a homeschooling room and we wanted it to naturally flow into the outdoor space. The design of an exterior space has such an impact on the feel of a home, so we always strive to create roomlike spaces in the gardens. Bliss Manor will also have a pool cabana that is an homage to the architectural history of the area. The pool cabana also serves as a gateway to the path leading to the tower. We’ve truly enjoyed immersing ourselves in the Nashville culture (clearly, as we bought Patina Meadow!) during this project and it’s been such a pleasure helping this couple with young children create a lasting legacy for their family. ___________ If you’ve enjoyed hearing about Bliss Manor, you can see more of our designs in our Patina Homes book. We sign each book with a personalized message and if you purchase the entire set, you’ll receive a discount. xo Brooke