I hopped on a plane with my friend for a long weekend in Nashville this past week, and while we were there to shoot a wedding, I’ll be sure to share more on that later, we did manage to squeeze in some of our own fun. I got a lot of recommendations over on Instagram and Facebook – too many to get to in a day – but Laura and I did our best to see, taste and shop as much as we could. Here are a few of my favorites!
STEADFAST I’m told by Laura that not a lot of places serve great food AND great coffee, that you usually only get one or the other. I don’t drink coffee, so I don’t know these things. Steadfast has both. The space is clean and minimal and the food and presentation were really thoughtful. I think that’s something I noticed about almost every place we ate – the attention to detail. Form and function seem to be equal in terms of priority.
HERO Of any store, this one felt the most inspiring to us. Not just the clothes but the design. The moment we entered my eyes went right to these…
The most beautiful velvet drapes. They found the fabric on eBay and had them made for the space. I couldn’t keep my eyes or hands off the rose-colored beauties.
A bar from the 80’s functioned as their counter.
This front seating area was a bit more relaxed, but the color palette kept it feeling fresh.
The shop wasn’t decorated with anything I’d never seen before, but it was just a really interesting mix. I loved the feminine pastels with the muddy blue walls and all of the black to ground it. Hero is located in the 12SOUTH NEIGHBORHOOD. It’s the cutest little street filled with shops, restaurants and even a lot filled with pumpkins. Very idyllic. WHITE MERCANTILE felt quintessentially Nashville.
And we had the most delicious Lebanese food at EPICE.
PINEWOOD SOCIAL I really loved this place. Along with food and drink there’s bowling, a swimming pool, bocce ball…it’s more of an experience than a restaurant – a club that anyone’s welcome at. It was super cool but didn’t feel “too cool.”
When you don’t drink coffee you have a reason to drink mimosas.
GASLAMP ANTIQUES TOO This antique mall is the second to Gaslamp Antiques and they’re practically right next to each other, but if you only have a little bit of time I’d recommend this one. It was really well laid out and curated. So many beautiful things that I couldn’t afford or take home on a plane but loved looking at!
This little piece has me concepting our next project: floor to ceiling bookshelves.
I never knew I needed a lavender sink until I saw this one!
FRANKLIN is about a 30 minute drive but filled with quaint shops and traditional homes.
I was stopped in my tracks by this one. You know I love sophisticated Halloween. Now, where do I get giant spiders?
We had really hoped to have dinner at MAS TACOS, but they weren’t open. PHARMACY across the street was delicious. I’ve been eating plant-based for a few months now, and I was really pleased with the options at each place we ate. Laura always got her protein and I always got my plants. It was a running joke, as her plate was usually filled with meat, and mine was usually filled with fruit.
We finished the day at BARISTA PARLOR and then headed to the airport to get back to our babes. I was amazed at how much we could see in such a short amount of time, but I think that’s what I loved about Nashville: everything seemed to be about 15 minutes away from everything else. It made it easy to take a lot in.
What did we miss? I know we didn’t even touch on the music scene. Have you been to Nashville? What are some of your favorite spots?
Gauri Mitbander says
Gwen!!! It was a pleasure to meet you, it's a small world after all ;)!! You did manage to fit in quite a bit of sight seeing :)! Looking forward to seeing the amazing wedding pics! Take Care!
Zandra Zuraw says
Oh my gosh! EVERYTHING looks so beautiful…the little details and the unexpected surprises. And those rose colored velvet drapes. Whoa. I've been wanting to go to Nashville. It's just moved up to the top of my must-see list. Oh, and that photo of you with your mimosa is soooo lovely!
themakerista@gmail.com says
If you drink coffee, are a foodie, or love country music, you'll love it even more than I did! 🙂
Gauri Mitbander says
Gwen!!! It was a pleasure to meet you, it's a small world after all ;)!! You did manage to fit in quite a bit of sight seeing :)! Looking forward to seeing the amazing wedding pics! Take Care!
themakerista@gmail.com says
Gauri! I still can't believe we got to meet. You are so beautiful inside and out. It was such a pleasure to be a part of your families big day. Hope you made it home safe and thanks so much for your kindness!
tnic says
These pictures are so great. I lived there for 5 years (10 years ago left) and never went to any of these. We want to take our daughter there to see where we live, and I will definitely try some of these places. By the way, I am surprised to see you are wearing a sweater in Nashville in October. That was one of the reasons I wanted to come back to the Northeast. It was too hot for too long for me in Nashville. We were usually still wearing summer-ish clothes at this time of the year. Lucky you…would have loved a Nashville fall with sweaters and antiquing 🙂
themakerista@gmail.com says
It was surprisingly cool, everyone was in shock! The high was 60 all weekend, so I finally got to wear some things it's been too hot in Kansas City to wear which felt kind of strange! 🙂
hollarbackhouse.com says
I've lived in Nashville/the Nashville area for 10 yrs now and I think you visited more places then me, ha! Now that we don't live downtown anymore we never get down there and so much has changed. Yet we are always in Franklin, it never loses it's charm.
Krystle @ hollarbackhouse.com
themakerista@gmail.com says
Ha. I feel the same way about Kansas City. 🙂 I did love Franklin!
Sarah Cook says
I thought I was the only person in the world who didn't drink coffee! I absolutely love Nashville. I lived in Brentwood/Nashville for three years when I was a teenager and I long to go back. I remember hitting up the local thrift stores often with my mother and sister. One time I found the most beautiful velvet Victorian gown. I wanted it so badly but my mother couldn't afford to buy my sister and I anything other than "sensible" clothes that we could actually wear to school. I'll never forget that gown.
It's great says
I am the new one