Behind The Design of The Songwriter's Studio...

Inspired by the Southern Living home’s location near Nashville, this space plays homage to the musicians and artists who have made this area so special…from the Fisk Jubilee Singers and Willie Nelson to Dolly Parton and Muddy Waters.

Located on the lower level of the house, the Songwriter’s Studio (along with the adjacent rooms) is purposefully darker and moodier. One of the first design selections we made for this room was inspired by my visit to the Fibreworks workroom in Louisville. Here, I discovered that their beautiful sisal wallcoverings were also sound absorbing…perfect! This deep charcoal color was so indulgent and inspired the moody vibe for this space.

Greeting you as you enter the space, we curated a wall of framed black and white photographs showcasing the wide range of musicians who have made this city so important over the years. Of course, the studio needed musical instruments and we were honored to borrow several vintage guitars for this space from Fanny’s House of Music and show support for their new nonprofit, Fanny’s School of Music, an inclusive space for music education, music therapy, community programs and performances. To complete this space, we designed a wall of angled shelves to display icon album covers from various musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Sinatra, Tina Turner, and Ray Charles.

We loved being able to imbue the entire lower level of the Idea House with a speakeasy vibe, filled with deep rich colors and textures. Made for entertaining, this lower level was designed with intentionally low, layered lighting that accentuates the wood and original artwork.

While the downstairs level of the Idea House sways to a moodier feel, the upper levels feel much more light and airy. Stay tuned for our next blog + newsletter, when we share more from the design of our kitchen at the Southern Living Idea House!

Be sure to follow along with us on Instagram @laurahodgesstudio to see even more behind the scenes glimpses and design inspiration from the Southern Living Idea House – for even more styling inspiration from the Idea House, follow along with us @domainbylaurahodgesstudio!

xx. Laura and the LHS Team