Fresh air versus Times Square

City living hits a high note in Nashville

Published On: July 29, 2009

Life can be so complicated if we let it. Or not. Imagine leaving your car parked at home and walking to a local restaurant, a sporting event or a live concert in the park. No hassles. No worries. No stress. From brownstones to hi-rises, from studios to penthouses, Nashville's urban scene finally offers something for all ages and all lifestyles.

But we wondered, are urban dwellers investing in their homes? Are they planting roots in the city and infusing them with their own style? We think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what we found inside four urban homes.

When a bachelor relocates...

As expected, more and more musicians and entertainers are choosing the Nashville city life because it gives them the ability to close the door and leave. About 18 months ago, a bachelor moved here for the music biz and settled into the 8th floor of the Adelicia. For those who somehow missed the buzz, Adelicia is one of the hottest and most exclusive addresses in Midtown, located a stone's throw from the Bound'ry and with Miro District on the ground floor. To pull his nearly 2,000-square-foot two bedroom, 2-1/2 bath space together, he called on hot designer Jonathan Pierce of Pierce & Co. Inc. to spin his magic.

With just a glass-topped metal-based table, a Tibetan floral taupe and cream area rug, a modern upholstered bed frame, chest of drawers, two Cadillac chairs, some key pieces of art and one glass sculpture, Jonathan created timeless, contemporary quarters. His goal was to weave the owner's past into the present. "I find it very important to have a broader scope of who the owner is...I can tell their style by how they dress, what they like. This homeowner likes neutral, but wants it fresh. He likes a tailored house."

Inside the foyer, a moody Black Pear Omen wall covering from Donghia sets the tone. Just beyond, to balance the dramatic city views, Jonathan covered an entire wall with a grayish cream stagger-joint stone-looking tile. Against it, he hung the owner's art and a flat screen television flanked by unusual torch-style chrome lighting with shades that defuse the light against the wall. To add texture to the dining area, Jonathan chose an Andrew Martin faux snake textile for open-back upholstered chairs he designed and custom built.

Throughout, the floors' hard surfaces and bath tiles remained unchanged. With 5-inch plank wood flooring and tile, there wasn't a need to upgrade. In fact, the only change in the kitchen was to add a quilted metallic tile backsplash. The bedrooms' sculpted carpeting offered not only comfort but also visual movement and pattern without stealing attention away from the views. Inside the master bath, Jonathan selected Talisman wall coverings, a textured grass cloth with a hint of metallic threads in green umber from Elitis, to add balance against the stark white tiles.

While the main living area remains neutral, Jonathan used the owner's art for inspiration and a copper color to warm up the master bedroom walls.

As for plumbing fixtures, the only upgrade was in the powder room off the foyer. Out went the builder's commode and in came a sleek design to compliment a custom vanity area made using a narrow 1880s Asian chest, a black vessel sink, a modern Kraus water faucet and a medicine cabinet wrapped in Wenge wood.

"This owner had two priorities—the lighting and audio throughout the unit. Everything had to do with controlling the mood," Jonathan explained. "He was willing to pay the expense to have all the wiring running into one place."

That attention to detail is so subtle, we barely noticed the lights dimmed automatically as we closed the front door behind us.

Chicago-style brownstone attracts Chicago transplants

Over the last 15 years, Mike Martino and his partner Jeff Elliott moved six times, three into new buildings, one that they completely rehabbed and only one that wasn't urban. When they learned they were relocating to Nashville for Jeff's career, they began their hunt by checking out areas and homes on the market. They considered a home in an exclusive neighborhood near downtown, but once they saw The Acropolis, located at the corner of Parthenon and Avoca avenues next to Centennial Park, their search was over.

"It was the second place we walked into," Mike explained. However, they continued to look, just to make sure The Acropolis fit their needs. "We easily looked at 40 properties. By then, we understood the region and Nashville. If it wasn't going to be the city, we thought maybe a water or lake house or a gated property. In the end, we wanted to be close to everything in West End."

Because Mike and Jeff got in at the framing stage of the three-bedroom, four full bath, four-story nearly 4,000-square-foot brownstone, they were able to make changes to fit their lifestyle. "We liked the clean, simple, elegant lines," Mike said. But, in the kitchen, they added built-ins, another dishwasher, another oven and "super-sized everything."

And although Mike and Jeff always consider resale later on, they weren't afraid to add color throughout as well as built-in dressers and window seats in the master bedroom, a built-in desk in another bedroom, even a cubby for the litter box and a dog washing station in the oversized garage. "I don't believe in wasted space," Mike explained.

Since every square inch counts, Mike and Jeff decked out their roof with a hot tub and outdoor kitchen for the ultimate entertaining. Yard? Who needs it when you can look out and see the grassy lawns...that you don't have to mow.

Red Hot at Terrazzo

For 30 years, David "Boone" and Kathi Gregory, both commercial architects, commuted from their 40-acre farm in Sumner County down into Nashville 45 minutes each way. They'd always talked about moving into the city and when they learned Terrazzo would be the first LEED certified residential hi-rise, they put their money down on a three-bedroom, 2-1/2 bath unit on the 15th floor. Two years later, the couple, both 55 years old, was some of the first owners to move in.

"All of our friends were in the city and all we did at home was sleep, eat and cut grass," Kathi recalled. "We wish we had made the move sooner."

To personalize their 2,000- plus square foot home and to add equal balance to the 14-foot floor to ceiling window wall in the great room, Kathi redesigned the kitchen and made the back wall the focal point. Not hard to do when you use Glass brick-style "Red Hot Mama" tile with tan and silver accents and purple, yes, purple, painted cabinets. "I'm a purple fiend," Kathi admitted, giving credit to Integrity Millworks for the cabinets. "I kept saying eggplant to them and they got it." Paired with the builder's standard countertops, a neutral quartz, Okite (Oh-kee-tay) and upgraded stainless appliances, the combination is almost organic. The movement comes from the combination of colors and balances the bustling streets below. "Guests love it. Everybody has to touch it," she said.

Except for the open shelves with mason jars filled with flour, sugar, pastas and nuts, the Gregorys' kitchen doesn't have any hanging cabinets. That was on purpose. Instead, they increased the size of the island and outfitted it with drawers. "You can stick so much more in drawers," Kathi said.

In fact, storage inside urban dwellings requires homeowners to think outside the box. Recessed into the walls of their home office, custom-built bookcases from Integrity were designed to store CDs. Inside their generous walk-in closet, they captured unused vaulted ceiling space by dropping the ceiling and installing pull down stairs. While it's not tall enough for living space, it's perfect to store seasonal clothes, luggage and even empty pots from their wrap-around balcony.

Kathi admits that city living was an adjustment, not only for the couple, but for their two dogs and 20-year old cat. "The nearest house was a quarter mile away," she said. However now, she said, "We love it. I can see stars at night. I didn't expect to see them. And around 3 or 4-o'clock in the morning, suddenly everything's quiet in the city and you can actually hear the birds and the crickets and the frogs."

O.K., but how about sleeping?

"Honestly, I sleep better here. Sometimes I sleep all night on the balcony. It's so peaceful."Dollar General CEO likens living at The West End to life in a house

After accepting the position of chairman and CEO of Dollar General Corporation, Rick Dreiling and his wife Ellen psyched themselves up for the big move to Nashville. They kept their home in the bay area of San Francisco and choose to buy a condominium at The West End in order to be, as Rick says, "connected to the city without being in the city," and to have "a quality home without the day-to-day maintenance of a more traditional home."

They found happiness at The West End. Walking into the airy openness of Rick and Ellen's home, one immediately forgets that the space is actually a condo. With the exception of the stellar views of city skylines and wonderful outside balconies (which all the units have), the space feels more like a sturdy, traditional house in Belle Meade. The ebony maple hardwoods (hardwood and stone are standard) that cover most of the home stretch down lengthy halls to two bedrooms and two baths. The couple turned the third bedroom and bath into their media room which is off the main living area.

The simple and elegant yet comfortable furniture and design the couple chose showcases the inviting spaciousness of the home. The West End offers the largest condominiums in Nashville with the average residence exceeding 2,500 square feet.

"We look at things long-term, and we believe The West End is a good long-term investment," Rick says, noting the private nature of the complex—the intimate 72 units and the private garage. Plus, he adds, "A lot of condos feel like an apartment that you happen to own. Here at The West End, the condos are tailored to your wants as they are finished with painstaking quality and detail for the individual owner while still maintaining the original premise that it is a community of homeowners with a common goal of continuity."

At Ellen's behest, the couple hired the decorator who designed their California home to do their new Nashville abode. "My wife's idea was that by using her we would be able to replicate the feel of our California home in Nashville," says Rick. "In other words, making the two homes feel as if they were an extension of each other. What's great about our complex is that everyone was willing and I might add "able" to work with our decorator to translate our "wants and needs" into reality. The West End folks are all about, "'Sure, we can do that!'" EN

First time homeowner carves a grand life urban style

A few years back, Chris Tate felt the need to go for it, put his hard earned cash down and buy his first home. As a young bachelor who travels at least three days a week as the tour manager for a music group, Chris needed a central location, security, an affordable price and a complex with great amenities—including concierge service that will hold your mail and packages, water your plants, call you a cab, and even make dinner reservations. In 2006, during preconstruction, Chris put a contract on a 650-square foot studio on the 8th floor overlooking the city at the Icon. Last summer, he finally moved in. The long wait was worth it as it gave Chris time to buy furniture and figure out the look he wanted.

"I didn't want to just kick it. I'd done that in college. I wanted to pimp (my place) out, make it a rocking bachelor's pad. I wanted to do my own taste, but I also wanted to make it different so that when I sell it, my place will stand out. I tell myself I'll be here five years. Ideally, I'd like to rent it out, but who knows if I'll be able to afford to do that."

Here's how Chris dressed his new digs and kept his costs under control. To define the living area, he picked up a dark tan natural weave sectional on sale at West Elm. It's one of those sofas that friends can sink back in to watch watch sports or can even crash on overnight. Online, he found a store called Euraway in Austin, Texas. When the band he was traveling with just happened to be stopping there, he dropped in and ordered his sleek silver bed frame, the black and steel coffee table and burnt orange patterned rug. When he moved in, everything was shipped directly to his new place.

Through Ikea, he found a cool island with stainless legs that match the cabinet pulls in the kitchen. The bar stools came from—"no lie"—walmart.com, and his desk was on overstock.com. To tie it all together, Chris painted some walls gray and others, burnt orange. With grey polished concrete floors and concrete pillars, it works. Chris even made his own artwork by cutting up rug pads adhering them to canvases then painting. He's even hung light fixtures, including a drum pendant over the living area.

The time and effort has paid off. His buddies, who also travel, love to hang out at his new home. But, let's be honest, it's not the only draw. At The Icon, the pool scene up on the owners' deck may have something to do with it. "There's a lot of skin up there on the weekends," he smiled, referring to the girls in bikinis.

For more information on these and other urban communities, log on to these websites: nashvillescene.com; theadelicia.com, theacropolisnashville.com, terrazzonasvhille.com, www.iconinthegulch.com;thewestendcondos.com