East Nasty

This weekend I ventured out to East Nashville, which some folks lovingly call East Nasty.  That was really my first true visit there.  I'd eaten a meal or two across the bridge, but Saturday my pal Emily B. and I took our sweet time.  Below are some photographic highlights.

Perhaps my favorite stop was Wonders on Woodland, which is an excellent antiques store on Woodland Street.  Unfortunately, they do not have a website.  What I liked most was that this shop was highly curated.  It is not what Barb (my mom) would call a dig store.  I had office supply envy just inside the door.

Upstairs was this mantelpiece with artwork.  The one in the middle reminded me of Joni Mitchell.

Don't these chairs fulfill your every Mad Men fantasy?

This was a nice deco installation.

This pillow pretty much says it all, no?  It's an item at Old Made Good on McGavock Pike.  At this store, they take vintage items and often rework them to be quite whimsical.  They had a whole men's room, full of old hunting memorabilia, vintage gentlemen's magazines, and lots of plaid work shirts.

And it wouldn't be a complete post without a specs shoutout.  This was a super charming necklace on display at OMG.  (Isn't that clever?)

We also visited Eclectic Design + Boutique on Porter Road, where I picked up a candle from local Etsy seller Oil & Wax.  Hint: there's a great chance you'll see more on this soon.

I hope you enjoyed this min-tour through the East Nasty.  And I hope you're gearing up for eating turkey, giving thanks, and spending some monies.  Mazel!

The Things That Matter

Nate Berkus is having a big fall.  I guess I should say autumn.  The other way sounds ominous.  His new home line launched at Target a couple of weeks ago, and then his new book debuted. 

In The Things That Matter, Nate takes us on a textual journey through the living spaces of tweleve of his friends/clients and then brings it on home (whoops) with a final chapter on his own apartment.  Oh, and there are lots of photos.  Great photos. 

This is by no means an original formula for a design book, but I love the message here.  If you happen to have watched any of The Nate Berkus Show (which ended its two-season, Emmy-winning run earlier this year), then Nate's touchstones are not new for you.  He is a strong proponent of having your home "rise up to greet you" with objects that are "collected over time."  He loves framed photos and African beads and books.  He believes that a home should tell the story of who you are.

I like the distinction he makes in the book that loving these things does not make us materialistic.  On the contrary, they connect us to our past, to our loved ones, and to our vision of what we want our lives to be.  Often the objects have little to do with the amount of money that was spent on them.  Some of the subjects' favorite things are simple family heirlooms, childhood artwork, and thrift store furniture.

But there's something else at play here, and that is Nate's ability to tell a story.  He begins (and ends) with his own, which includes exhilirating highs and excruciating lows, but he always deftly ties the action back to design.  I wanted to get to know all of the people he features in the book--and not just because they tend to have successful careers or blogs or whatever else.  They genuinely interested me, and each space is a different expression of who they are.  A nice way to sum up these themes is from page 19:

For me, the most successful interiors in the world are put together by people who surround themselves with objects that bring them joy.

Well, for me, this book has been added to that list.