My Houzz: Colorful Boho Home for 2 Nashville Entrepreneurs
This bright and bold Tennessee space brims with vintage treasures
Allison Holley moved into Nate Bagby’s newly built home two years ago and has been blending together their styles ever since. “The house has a mix of the two of us — it has a Nate foundation with Allison final touches,” says Holley, who describes her style as “Barbie-boho and super feminine.”
Holley is the owner of Apple & Oak, a home decor shop in East Nashville whose signature items are vintage rugs from Turkey. Many of the rugs from her shop are used throughout this house. Bagby owns The Centennial, a bar in Nashville. “I don’t want our house to look like anyone else’s,” Holley says.
Holley is the owner of Apple & Oak, a home decor shop in East Nashville whose signature items are vintage rugs from Turkey. Many of the rugs from her shop are used throughout this house. Bagby owns The Centennial, a bar in Nashville. “I don’t want our house to look like anyone else’s,” Holley says.
Pictured at their dining table are Holley’s two miniature dachshunds, Bridget, left, and Leo.
Dining table: Wyatt dining table, World Market
Dining table: Wyatt dining table, World Market
Bagby likes industrial and traditional decor, which Holley has tried to balance with her love of pink and softer pieces. His only rule was no yellow.
Previously, the decor included a lot of red accents, which Holley was quick to edit out. The coffee table shown here is one of the few items she left that Bagby had purchased before she moved in.
Coffee table: Southeastern Salvage; rug: Apple & Oak; find more rustic coffee tables
Previously, the decor included a lot of red accents, which Holley was quick to edit out. The coffee table shown here is one of the few items she left that Bagby had purchased before she moved in.
Coffee table: Southeastern Salvage; rug: Apple & Oak; find more rustic coffee tables
Holley cites Elsie Larson and Justina Blakeney as two of her biggest design influences. “I try to incorporate plants now because of Justina, and I’m not afraid to take chances and mix styles because of Elsie,” she says.
Holley’s mother gave her this tufted pink armchair, and her sister gave her the wood cabinet. A lot of the furniture pieces Holley added to the home are either vintage from an antiques store or a hand-me-down.
Holley’s mother gave her this tufted pink armchair, and her sister gave her the wood cabinet. A lot of the furniture pieces Holley added to the home are either vintage from an antiques store or a hand-me-down.
“I love collected and found items. Nate likes new things,” Holley says, “and if we both love it, it’s a miracle!” Holley enlisted the help of friend and interior designer Rachel Fogarty to edit the space. “I love to have a lot of things, and Rachel has a beautiful minimalist style. I’ll never be a minimalist, but I also don’t want clutter in our home,” she says.
Theater seats: vintage
Theater seats: vintage
The kitchen gets the least amount of natural light, but white paint, a bold vintage pink rug and other pink accents brighten the space.
The dining room is Holley’s favorite room. It gets the most natural light in the house and embodies her style. “The dining room is my favorite because it’s so rarely used it stays perfectly styled,” she says. The ombré-painted sideboard was a DIY project.
Sign: Phoenix Flea Market; cactus: FLWR Shop
Learn how to paint your own ombré piece
Sign: Phoenix Flea Market; cactus: FLWR Shop
Learn how to paint your own ombré piece
The chandelier in the dining room is one of Bagby’s favorite pieces. It took up nearly the entire lighting budget for the house, but the couple agree it was well worth it.
Gold chair: Golden Mermaid chair; chandelier: Hermitage Lighting Gallery; find chandeliers
Gold chair: Golden Mermaid chair; chandelier: Hermitage Lighting Gallery; find chandeliers
Tucked away in a corner of the dining room is a tall buffet filled with fine china that belonged to Holley’s mother and grandmother. She covered the top shelf with solid white candles, which are beautiful and peaceful when all lit at the same time.
The vintage bar that sits across from the kitchen is flanked with tall, vibrantly colored lights that Holley found at Antique Archaeology in Nashville. The lights were originally part of a traveling burlesque show.
The master bedroom includes a king-size bed. Holley even uses the bed as her office on occasion because she loves how comfortable it is. The white dresser beside it belonged to Holley’s grandmother. The art above the bed was purchased at a flea market and depicts pin-up girls painted by Alberto Vargas.
Rivulets quilt in arctic ice: Anthropologie
Rivulets quilt in arctic ice: Anthropologie
Holley splurged on this oversize floor mirror but says it brings her joy every day. The blush pink wall hanging was a DIY project, and the peacock chair is by Justina Blakeney.
Chair: Peacock Chair, Apple & Oak; mirror: Gleaming Primrose Mirror, Anthropologie
Chair: Peacock Chair, Apple & Oak; mirror: Gleaming Primrose Mirror, Anthropologie
The master bathroom features another vintage rug from Holley’s shop and a light pink chandelier that was a gift from her mother.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Allison Holley and Nate Bagby, plus their two miniature dachshunds, Bridget, 15, and Leo, 3
Location: McFerrin Park neighborhood of East Nashville, Tennessee
Size: 2,700 square feet (251 square meters); four bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Year built: 2013
Leather sofa: Sprintz; rugs: Apple & Oak