Text by Elizabeth Czapski
Recently single with her children just out of the house, Frannie Martin was ready to embrace this next phase of life in a new home she could make her own. “The market in Nashville at that time was extraordinarily competitive, and I was determined not to settle for something I didn’t really love,” she says. Knowing she wanted to be in the historic and quintessentially Southern Belle Meade neighborhood, Frannie rented in the area for two years until she stumbled upon the 1953 cottage-style abode that would become the perfect canvas for her late mother’s colorful paintings, passed-down pieces, and bold contemporary additions.
“I happened to catch a realtor putting a sign in the yard,” Frannie recalls. “I asked if I could see it and put a contract on it immediately. Having looked at many homes, the layout and light of this home stood out to me. You can see through one room to the next, and it feels warm and inviting because of that. My goal was to have a home that was light, colorful, and modern but also one that integrated family art and furnishings that were important to me. I wanted fun and whimsy, too.”
Frannie lived in the home for a few years until the restoration of a treasured heirloom sparked inspiration for a total revamp—from kitchen and bathroom renovations to wallpaper, furniture, lighting, and textiles throughout—and she enlisted the help of Jessica Davis of JL Design to bring her dynamic vision to life. “Frannie had an amazing antique mirrored coffee table that was broken and stayed that way for more than a year,” Jessica says of a circa-1940s piece that belonged to Frannie’s grandmother.
“Once she decided to look into having it properly repaired, it inspired her to do more,” Jessica explains. “I wanted to create a bright, updated space that housed a kitchen fit for a real cook and entertaining. I also wanted to celebrate the artistic family. The overall theme is sophisticated romance.”
This playful yet refined aesthetic is on full display immediately upon entry, where the beloved coffee table now anchors the formal living room and beige seating with timeless lines mingles with lively patterned accent chairs and pillows, along with a vivid abstract painting by Frannie’s mom above the fireplace. The room sets the stage for the rest of the home with an adept blend of vibrant colors and prints and just the right neutral grounding on the majority of walls and primary furnishings.
“The combination of old and new, along with traditional and contemporary and bold colors and patterns, is my favorite thing to do as a designer,” Jessica says. “For me, it’s all about training the eye to dance through the space the way I want it to. To achieve this, I try to combine a balance that creates a push and pull between all of the elements at once. I love to play with color relationships and patterns,” she continues, referencing how she first introduced blue with the lacquer entry console and then repeated the shade on animal-print slipper chairs and sofa pillows in the living room beyond.
In the connecting dining room, Jessica used a similar method with a classically neutral base and a seemingly unexpected—but carefully calculated—pop of color imbued through an orange-and-pink Lilly Pulitzer fabric on chairs that belonged to Frannie’s mom. “Orange is the color complement of blue—opposites on the color wheel—which we see a lot of in the adjacent living room,” Jessica explains. “Pink is an overarching theme of the entire space.”
And while a crisp and clean white kitchen, updated and equipped for an avid cook, was a top priority for Frannie, the design team also infused the open-concept space with points of interest, like decorative molding, sleek brass hardware, and a unique pendant light, to coalesce with the colorful den.
A spirited ambience unfolds in this area, where an accent wallpaper and a bright fuchsia armchair keep company with animated floral fabrics and artwork by Frannie’s mom. Many of these elements and motifs are echoed in the eclectic primary bedroom, which is also filled with sentimental heirlooms that make the retreat all the more special.
All throughout, this distinctive, personalized approach to layering continues for a collected yet polished and pulled-together look that bridges classic Southern with contemporary and one of a kind. “I hope my home has the welcoming feeling that is modern Southern style,” Frannie says. “The unique energy in this home, through the mix of color, pattern, unexpected accents, and art, is just what I’d hoped it would be when I started.”
