secrets to redecorating a grown-up nashville home

Colleen Locke seizes the opportunity to reinvent her new Southern surroundings.

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Though always passionate about architecture and design, it wasn’t until 1993, when Colleen Locke redecorated her family’s farmouse, that she truly fell in love with the process. So when her husband’s job was transferred from Cleveland, Ohio, to Nashville, Tennessee, the move meant the chance to design a “grown-up” house.

Brown and White Living room
Photography by BRITTANY AMBRIDGE

With her three children no longer living at home, Locke’s domestic focus shifted to entertaining. “We wanted this house to be an adult space where we could host a decent amount of people,” she says.

Brown and White Entryway
Photography by BRITTANY AMBRIDGE

Though the home boasted tasteful design before they moved in, Locke had big plans for its decor.

Black and Red and White Living room
Photography by BRITTANY AMBRIDGE

A painting by Brother Mel Meyer hangs above the family room fireplace.

Brown and White and Wood Living room
Photography by BRITTANY AMBRIDGE

The family dog ripped the living room settee’s previous upholstery to shreds, so this time Locke had it covered in white cowhide. “Now it’s truly indestructible,” she says.

Brown and White and Wood Dining room
Photography by BRITTANY AMBRIDGE

Locke wanted an older dining table, but her husband was reluctant. This one, made from salvaged wood by Nashville’s Woodstock Vintage Lumber, represents a compromise.

Brown and White Dining room
Photography by BRITTANY AMBRIDGE

Designing a grown-up house with lots of entertaining areas was this homeowner’s dream.

Photography by Brittany Ambridge

Locke knew she wanted to use a herringbone pattern somewhere in her new home; she eventually decided that it made the greatest impact in the kitchen.

Brown and White Dining room
Photography by BRITTANY AMBRIDGE

The Oushak rug and gateleg table were discovered at an antiques store in Nashville.

Clear and Gray and White Bedroom
Photography by BRITTANY AMBRIDGE

Neutral tones and textures subdue a whimsical canopy bed and an outsize chandelier.