Brooke Giannetti is widely recognized for her design influence, lifestyle brand, and much-loved Instagram account. But did you know she makes her home (and has an incredible retail shop) in Leipers Fork, TN? Recently relocating from Ojai, CA, to the Nashville area with her husband, architect Steve Giannetti, the Patina Home & Garden owner has brought her unique style, brood of animals, and design savvy to the South!
Please welcome author, designer, and store owner Brooke Giannetti, our newest FACE of the South.
Meet our newest FACE, Brooke Giannetti!
Can you tell us about your background? What inspired your love of interior and architectural design?
I’ve always had a love for beautiful interiors. When I was young, my parents let me decorate my room; I was constantly moving the furniture around. It wasn’t until I married Steve that I realized I could design for a living. He’s an architect and artist, and he taught me to enjoy the very nonlinear process of designing.
What prompted your move from Ojai to Nashville, and how did you choose Leipers Fork?
Seven years ago, Steve began designing a home for a client on 450 acres just outside of Leipers Fork. During the construction of the project, he fell in love with the natural beauty and the tight-knit community. I started joining him over the years, and we both felt drawn to become part of the community. In October 2022, we found a gorgeous 100-acre property comprised of pasture and forest. We started dreaming of what we could create and couldn’t resist any longer. At that point, moving to Leipers Fork felt like it was our destiny.
“Steve and I have the desire to slow things down,” Brooke says of her move from the West Coast.
How would you describe your design aesthetic?
In 2011, Steve and I wrote our first book that described our design aesthetic. We called the book Patina Style because of our love for natural materials and how they beautifully age over time with use. I still think that describes our look the best. We love incorporating antiques, natural textiles like linen, velvet, and leather, and natural/reclaimed building materials that bring a depth and sense of history to our projects.
Patina Home & Garden is a highly curated retail experience — what are some of your favorite pieces or wares that we should come in for?
Rustic European antiques from Sweden, France, Belgium, and England set the tone in our store. All the home goods I curate are inspired by the antiques I love. I have filled the store with unique items that range in price so everyone who visits can find something beautiful to add to their home, no matter their budget. My favorite pieces right now are our AquaVireo Belgian Linen napkins and placemats. They have a charming frayed edge detail and come in several nature-inspired colors.
I also believe that scent is important in any interior space. We carry the entire Linnea soy candle collection. Owner Laura Cler uses only the most natural ingredients to create her fragrances. I’m also excited about all of the healthy food offerings we have in our Farm Shop. We carry produce and provisions from local farms and vendors, including baked goods from Sage from Scratch, pasta sauces and salsas from Gardner’s Farm, and goat cheese from Noble Springs Dairy.
At the Patina Home & Garden market, even much of the takeout packaging is corn-based and compostable.
You’re renovating an 1850s cabin on your property. What can we look forward to once it’s finished?
When we first purchased Patina Meadow, our plan was to renovate the existing log house so we could live in it while we built our new home. When we moved into the cabin, we fell in love with it! The 175-year-old log walls are filled with a personality we could never replicate. The location of the log house is also perfect. We can see our animals in the pasture behind our little cabin, and we are building our greenhouses, flower gardens (the Bloomerie), and event barn (that will include the Potterie, our pottery studio) in the area in front of our home.
“I don’t really get attached to anything other than animals and people. We left our house; we brought our animals,” Brooke says of leaving Ojai in exchange for her new life in Tennessee. “They were the soul of that place. They left Ojai the day before we did, and it was a very loud stillness.” She poses here with her cow, Beatrice.
“They teach us how to live in the moment,” says Brooke of her animals (pictured here with her Sicilian donkeys, Buttercup, Daisy, Blossom, and Huckleberry). “You have to be in the moment when you’re in a pasture with an animal that weighs a ton. You have to be present.”
What else is on the horizon?
Once we are done with the construction of our event barn, we look forward to welcoming visitors to our home for classes ranging from pottery to homesteading practices, forest forages, and much more. Our hope is that people will leave Patina Meadow with an amplified appreciation for the natural world and the abundance it provides.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
My first design job was for one of my husband’s projects. I remember feeling insecure about not being classically trained, so I considered going back to school for design, and that is when I received the best piece of advice from my husband: don’t go to design school. I think a lot of the time, we doubt ourselves and our skills and look for outside validation to feel like we are good enough. The truth is the style that I had been curating my entire life was the reason that people wanted to work with me; a piece of paper would not improve that. I had to trust my gut and design from the heart.
Outside of faith, family, and friends, what are three things you can’t live without?
My morning walks in the woods, my natural skincare routine from EarthTonics Botanical Skincare, and fresh-cut flowers.
“The more we get to know this area, the more it informs what we build,” says Brooke.
And, our final lightning round of questions!
Favorite perk of relocating to the South? The friendly community.
Favorite spot in Leipers Fork to sit and relax? The back porch of Patina Home & Garden.
Favorite boutique you’ve stumbled on? That’s a hard one. In California, I would say Beautiful Mess. Here in Leipers, it is David Arms Gallery.
Best recent meal in Nashville. What was it, and where were you? Our best recent meal was at Circa in Thompson’s Station, TN. We shared every kind of potato they had and an incredible rib-eye steak.
Favorite place to travel? The Cotswolds in England.
Favorite design project thus far? Patina Meadow is my favorite, but if it can’t be my own home, I would say Bliss Manor here in Nashville. It is a beautiful home we are currently working on for a wonderful family.
Thank you, Brooke, and welcome to Tennessee! All photography by Meghan Aileen.
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Nashville women are doing inspiring work. Meet more of them over at our FACES archives!
