FLOWER MAR•APR 2026
HOUSE l GARDEN l LIFESTYLE
The NASHVILLE SHOWHOUSE Issue
CON TEN TS March • April 2026
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Flower Show
A Nashville showhouse without fresh flowers? Not on our watch. We spotlight the nine floral artists who have arranged spectacular displays.
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Putting On a Show
With a star-studded lineup of design talent in tow, FLOWER goes to Nashville to create a showhouse filled with a medley of voices that combine in perfect harmony. Explore each room, discover the details, and meet the designers behind them.
ON THE COVER Welcome to the FLOWER Showhouse in Nashville, abloom with stylish spaces such as this colorful striped lounge designed by Janie Molster, with flowers by Anna Lisa Design. See page 30 to begin the tour. Photographed by Leslee Mitchell. ABOVE: An arrangement of David Austin roses enlivens a guest suite designed by Kim Scodro. Floral design by Floraison x Melanie Marshall. 12 F L O W E R M a r c h • A p r i l 2 0 2 6
PHOTO BY LESLEE MITCHELL
I N EVERY IS SUE 14 Watering Can Sources 174 What’s Online? 178 Floral Moment 184
The Other Elizabeth • 17 East Main Street, Boyce, VA Elizabeth Locke Jewels • 968 Madison Avenue, New York City 212-744-7878 Store Locations: 540-837-3088 or www.elizabethlocke.com
WATER I NG CA N A Note from the Editor
“Since I was a kid, I just wanted to be in Nashville.” —KEITH URBAN
THESE WORDS—SO PASSIONATE, PLAIN, AND SIMPLE —
This adventure has been shepherded and supported by a cadre of experts. We turned to FLOWER friends Alexa Hampton and Corey Damen Jenkins to fill the roles of Honorary Chair and Design Chair. Ariella Chezar donned the mantle of Floral Design Chair, and Ray Booth and Charlotte Moss rounded out the roster as our Showhouse Ambassadors. Wanting to contribute to the community, we had the honor of partnering with The Next Door Recovery, Nashville’s exceptional women’s treatment facility, with the invaluable help of their Director of Development, Susan Weathersby. NONE of this would have been possible without our sponsors, designers, and most of all, our amazing and tireless FLOWER team! Here’s hoping you have a rich and wondrous time in these pages and take inspiration and ideas away into your world. Love and SDG,
Margot Shaw EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Please send your comments, triumphs, challenges & questions to: wateringcan@flowermag.com OR Letters to the Editor I FLOWER Magazine I P.O. Box 530645 I Birmingham, AL 35253 Get the FLOWER email newsletter! Sign up at flowermag.com/news
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PHOTO BY DAVID HILLEGAS
reflect the spirit of this town. Of late, it seems more and more people from all over “just want to be in Nashville.” And the influx is undergirded by a welcoming population of native and longtime Nashvillians. The city is an effervescent cocktail of contrasts: the Schermerhorn Symphony Center filled with the strains of the Nashville Symphony; devotees of country music at its Mother Church, the Ryman Auditorium; gussied-up ladies and gents attending the Iroquois Steeplechase; Bridgestone Arena teeming with hockey fans decked out in “Preds” gear; and an all-ages audience at a Taylor Swift concert in Nissan Stadium. Look up to see sleek, sky-high buildings downtown and gracious old-world mansions and bungalows beyond. For nature and garden lovers, there’s the expansive, informal Warner Parks system, as well as the more contained, classical Cheekwood Estate & Gardens. Nashville has only grown more dynamic with the recent swell of arrivals. Our FLOWER Showhouse perfectly embodies the excitement, so we thought it only fitting to dedicate this entire issue to the spectacular property and all the talent that worked so tirelessly and beautifully together. A generous and handsome house with an eclectic sensibility, this project reflects the old and new of Nashville. Pfeffer Torode Architecture, Maker Construction, and Kaiser Trabue Landscape Architecture teamed up to reimagine and reinvigorate the property. We then invited 23 interior design firms from all over the South and beyond to bring to life their visions for each space. And we paired them with a curated gathering of floral designers from in and around Nashville to weave their botanical magic into each room.
Rewriting the Rules CHELSEAHOUSEINC.COM
@CHELSEAHOUSEINC
A Nashville showhouse without fresh arrangements? Not on our watch. We spotlight the nine floral artists who have put on a spectacular
FLOWER SHOW PHOTOGRAPHY BY LESLEE MITCHELL
Whether it’s a floral subscription, a clipping from your garden, or a bouquet from the farmers market, flowers do wonders for the heart and the spirit. —MELANIE MARSHALL, FLORAISON f l o w e r m a g .c o m
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FL OW ER SHOW
Is there anything that can transform a moment, a morning, a mood, or a space as instantly as an array of fresh flowers? Their color, fragrance, movement, ability to attract the eye (and distract it!), and the sheer sensual pleasure they give make them nearly miraculous. —ARIELLA CHEZAR, ARIELLA CHEZAR DESIGN, SHOWHOUSE FLORAL DESIGN CHAIR 20 F L O W E R M a r c h • A p r i l 2 0 2 6
Your Hartley, Your Space
Request a brochure 781 933 1993 | www.hartley-botanic.com Victorian Manor | Virginia, USA The only aluminium Glasshouses and Greenhouses endorsed by the RHS. ®The Royal Horticultural Society. Trade marks of The Royal Horticultural Society (Registered Charity No 222879/SC038262) used under licence from RHS Enterprises Limited.
FL OW ER SHOW
When beginning an arrangement, I have an idea of the story I want to tell. Often the flowers write their own script—I just help direct them. —ANNA LISA DOBBS, ANNA LISA DESIGN 22 F L O W E R M a r c h • A p r i l 2 0 2 6
Flowers really are the punctuation for any room. I strive to create a refined yet understated elegance in my designs, conveying an effortless beauty. —CHELSEA ROBINSON, CHELSEA ROBINSON INTERIORS
Flowers are present during life’s most important moments—helping to celebrate joy when happiness is all around and bringing comfort in our darkest hours. —RACHEL PENN, LILLIAN’S FLORAL STUDIO
FL OW ER SHOW
I never know what I’ll find in the flower market. It’s like a canvas—you start painting and things happen along the way. —ROBERT RUFINO f l o w e r m a g .c o m
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FL OW ER SHOW
My work is guided by presence over prescription, grounded in seasonality and creative freedom. —AVON LYONS, OSTARA GARDENS 26 F L O W E R M a r c h • A p r i l 2 0 2 6
I’m guided by scale, color, and light to create spaces that feel both personal and rooted in place. —MARK THOMPSON, SHOPPE
FL OW ER SHOW
Flowers can be storytellers—ever-inspiring opportunities to lend meaning, purpose, and style. —DAWSON DAVIDSON, THE TULIP TREE
A special thanks to our floral sponsors, Continental Floral Greens and David Austin Rose Bouquets
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AVAILABLE AT
Temple St. Clair Trunk Show ∙ April 16–17 155 King Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29401 (843) 723-3594 croghansjewelbox.com
putting on a With a star-studded lineup of design talent in tow, FLOWER goes to Nashville to create a showhouse filled with a medley of voices that combine in perfect harmony.
SHOW
Text by ALICE WELSH DOYLE Produced by KAREN CARROLL, AMANDA SMITH FOWLER, AND ELLEN PADGETT Photography by LESLEE MITCHELL
T
he FLOWER Showhouse nestles among 6 lush acres in Nashville’s Belle Meade neighborhood, only a hop, skip, and a jump from the bustle of Music City. “It’s almost like you hear the sound of trumpets as you drive down Belle Meade Avenue, go past the gates of Percy Warner Park, and turn into the stately driveway,” says Honorary Chair Alexa Hampton. While the setting was a wow, the original manor-style house, built in 1999, was more than due for a reimagining of its interiors. Enter architect Jamie Pfeffer of Pfeffer Torode who readied the house for the here and now with thoughtful and strategic renovations, working alongside Maker Construction. “We approached this house like an editor as we altered and refined it, looking at how we could customize the interiors for both family life and entertaining and create a better connection between the two,” says Jamie. “One major change was reworking the existing main stairway, which was basically hidden behind an imposing stone arch. We brought it forward and into the light, visually linking it to the rest of the home. We wanted everything to be more dynamic, more engaging, and brighter.” FLOWER enlisted 23 design firms from across the country to take the freshly updated rooms and transform them into spaces bursting with ideas and inspiration. Corey Damen Jenkins served as Design Chair for the project and also took on the study on the first floor. “The house had an established storyline with a former life in the television show Nashville, as well as having served as a venue for social and charitable events in town,” Corey says. “The scale and proportions were very large, and I’m happy to see how the architects and designers treated the spaces to make them feel more intimate and livable.” Ray Booth, Showhouse Ambassador and Nashville resident, recognizes “the love and care that has been given from ‘stem to stern.’ ” As he explains, “Nashville reflects a lot of personalities, and this showhouse became a canvas for the designers to paint with their own sense of style.” Fellow Showhouse Ambassador Charlotte Moss adds, “It’s also about the welcome you immediately feel upon arrival.” Join us for a tour on the following pages as the front door opens and the showhouse spills its stylish secrets room by room. PREVIOUS PAGES: A thoughtful renovation by Pfeffer Torode Architecture and Maker Construction, with landscape design by Kaiser Trabue, gave this Nashville house new life. THESE PAGES: In the back, a verdigris-bronze-and-gold-leaf sphere by David Harber rises from the pool to create a focal point. 32 F L O W E R M a r c h • A p r i l 2 0 2 6
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