Ndesign: Jason Grant, Cocoon

Walking into Color, a home accessories and gift shop tucked away in the Paddock Place shopping center, is a little like entering the literary Secret Garden when it’s in bloom. Beautiful white and pink dogwood blossoms, hydrangeas and cherry blossoms fill the entryway. And while they’re faux flowers, the effect is no less stunning. 

Owner Jason Grant says adding faux florals is an easy way to freshen up a space, as is the wide array of accessories — including throw pillows, lamps, baskets and ceramic vases — the store carries. For years, Jason has helped clients add finishing touches to their homes. Now, he will be helping them outfit those spaces from the ground up with Cocoon, his just-launched interior design business.

Jason’s penchant for design started when he was a child. “My grandmother was Japanese, and she loved fashion,” he says. “Every Sunday, she and I would watch the fashion runway shows, and she loved bright colors. … She was probably my biggest influence.”

In the East Nashville home he shares with his husband, Michael McKnight, and their two Yorkies, Matilda and Maisel, Jason’s style is eclectic and equally colorful. 

“I have a lot of colors in my house right now,” he says. “I have a blue velvet sofa. … I have orange velvet chairs. I have artwork that has pink and all the colors in it. And I love it.” Yet when someone requests a neutral palette, Jason is happy to oblige. His work is all about adhering to the client’s personal taste, honoring the way they live and making their space feel comfortable — hence the name Cocoon.  

“I want people to go into their family room, sit on the sofa, put a throw on their lap, and it be all cozy, no matter what time of year it is,” he says. 

Jason moved around a lot as a child and even lived in Japan when he was 6. His family settled in Knoxville four years later. After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a degree in retail and consumer science, Jason moved to Nashville and got an interior design degree from Watkins College of Art (now part of Belmont University). 

Along the way, he worked for an interior designer, The Bombay Company, and Ethan Allen — until that fateful day 17 years ago when he walked into Color, at the time located in Green Hills.  Jason left his number in case they needed any help. A year later, the store called him back and hired him after he exhibited his talent for visual merchandising. Just over five years ago, he bought the store and relocated it to White Bridge Road. 

Now that Color’s new location is established and its staff continues to grow, Jason felt it was a good time to launch Cocoon. “It’s my passion,” he says. “I went to school for it. I love it.”

One of his favorite parts of the process is space planning and placing furniture. When Jason was growing up, he’d rearrange the furniture while his mother was at work. Even now, when traveling, he’ll move around the furniture in a hotel room. “You can say ‘feng shui,’ but I just know when it doesn’t feel right,” says Jason. “People have to be comfortable in their space. If it’s not comfortable, then I change it.”