There’s one thing that you’ll never find in any of Tori Alexander’s interior design projects — a white linen sofa. A high-maintenance piece like that goes against her design philosophy. She follows a pragmatic approach and incorporates a classic approach, making her client’s homes beautiful yet livable. “My goal is to always make a client’s life easier,” says Tori, who launched her interior design firm, Alexander Interiors, in 2013. “I like to find that place where durability, practicality, and style all meet cohesively.” This was certainly the case when she designed multiple living areas in the sprawling and stately one-level home of her long-term client, who lives in the Hillwood neighborhood of Nashville.
Tori points out that this project is very client-driven and can be characterized as traditional and timeless, but also fresh and clean. “I like to build off of the client’s own taste rather than start where I want to start. [This client] is really great at expressing herself and steering the process, so this home is truly reflective of who she is,” notes Tori.
Original hardwood floors exist throughout the home.
The transformation of the 1954 home was inspired by antique nautical prints that the client owned, including one that hangs prominently on the wall in the foyer. It floats above an antique sideboard that the client procured. Although, it was a teal and white wallpaper with elegant floral vines that influenced the design of the entryway. “I love the curves and lines that you see in it. It promotes movement and lightness, and I think it just sets the right tone for their house,” Tori tells us.
She repeated that teal hue in the high gloss paint that coats the foyer’s wall trim. “I like that it’s similar to some of the coloring that you see in other rooms of the house, but you don’t actually see that color anywhere else, and so it treats the foyer as its own room,” she says.
The antique sideboard in the foyer was a perfect size, leaving just enough space to be flanked by a pair of side chairs.
Blue vine wallpaper brightens up the entryway and promotes movement.
A multi-color antique Persian rug unites the entrance, which opens up through a black front door original to the home, but the true launching point for the design of the house was the family room. Crisp white walls hug a vaulted ceiling accented with a relaxing color palette of green, blue, and tan. Natural light overwhelms the space, given the double French patio doors. Plus, there are tall windows wrapped in floral yet handsome fabric shades with an undertone of nautical Americana.
The black front door is original to the mid-century home.
Tori says her “favorite moment” in the room is a pair of traditional-style armchairs upholstered in a two-tone, green vine-patterned fabric. “I love that it brings in the natural elements of the outdoors,” she said. “I always think the perfect combination of patterns is if you have a floral and then something with a linear orientation, and the linear orientation is soothing and grounding to the room. And so that’s what that fabric accomplished.”
A pair of traditional-style armchairs upholstered in a two-tone, green vine-patterned fabric is the highlight of this room.
The light color palette in the family room reflects the natural sunlight beautifully.
Another seating moment in the room — two rattan chairs with blue and white cotton gingham seat cushions — is also special to Tori. After the chairs were installed, the client commented, “If I could summarize my personality in a piece of furniture, it would be these chairs.”
Tori says, “You can’t ask for any greater compliment than that.”
Anchoring the space is an indoor-outdoor, star-patterned rug Tori acknowledges as the hardest thing to incorporate. However, it is now considered “hands down the best thing in that room.” And even though it’s synthetic, she describes it as softer to sit on than most other indoor-outdoor rugs.
“I knew that was the rug a baby was going to learn how to crawl on, and then a baby was going to learn how to walk on, and then a baby was going to spit up on,” she said. “It was important to prepare something practical for every stage.”
Situated just off the family room is a wet bar area with an eye-catching green foliage wallpaper installed by the client. White shaker cabinets adorned with brass knobs provide storage. “Everything there is a nod to nature and trees and that natural surrounding of her home,” the designer notes.
The star-patterned, indoor-outdoor rug is practical yet beautiful and intended to withstand the everyday activities of a family.
“I knew from the minute I saw that room that it was the right chandelier for that space. It feels effortless and so natural,” Tori says when describing the antique brass light fixture that hangs from the vaulted ceiling.
The wet bar is decorated with a nature-inspired wallpaper that the homeowner installed.
Meanwhile, the living room maintains the home’s traditional aesthetic but with a darker color scheme. The silk blue and white check curtains are a conscious contrast to the high gloss finish of the rich equestrian brown painted on the room’s four walls. “That contrast creates brightness and pulls your eyes to the far perimeter of the room, which also helps enlarge the space,” Tori explains.
The centerpiece of the room is a rectangular, burl wood coffee table. A marble onyx chess board stays on the table because the client’s first-grader son loves the game; it’s also an activity the family often plays together. Surrounding the table are two green velvet custom chairs with traditional English turn-style legs and heavy detailing with the trim application.
“We’re a little richer here,” said interior designer Tori Alexander when describing the equestrian aesthetic for this living room compared to the family room. The burl coffee table is the “star” of the room, and the intention behind the design was for it to stand out.
Blue-and-white checked curtains offer a beautiful contrast to the equestrian brown wall.
A pair of custom green velvet chairs offer seating for the family when they play on their marble onyx chess board.
A cream-colored sofa that the client already owned provides additional seating. Bullion fringe was added to elevate its look. A chinoiserie panel that sits behind the sofa pulls together many of the colors — blue, green, and gold — in the space. In the corner of the room, an unexpected pop of color appears in the chartreuse silk lining on the back panel inside the antique wood secretary.
The design process for this home has been very collaborative, according to Tori. She is looking forward to completing more projects for the house in the future. “This is a really special client, and getting to know her and building her trust and seeing this whole process through together has been such a joy,” she said. “It’s an honor to get to work with her. She’s one of the most intentional people I’ve ever met, so I know she thought long and hard before reaching out to me. I’m so pleased that I’ve been able to please her in this process.”
All photos by Mary Craven Photography.
**********
For your daily dose of StyleBlueprint sent straight to your inbox every morning, click HERE.
