A Nashville Midcentury Home Blends Vintage Artistry with Modern Minimalism
Antique dealers Doug and Carina Jenkins transform a 1970s property into a curated gallery.
1Curating a Living Gallery
Doug and Carina Jenkins, founders of Eneby Home, transformed their 1970s Nashville property into a personal gallery. The four-acre site, originally featuring Tennessee Fieldstone and a copper fireplace, was renovated to showcase their extensive collection of vintage European furniture, including rare pieces by Borge Mogensen and Serge Mouille sconces.
2Architectural Renovation Strategy
Architect Greg Dutton led the renovation, which involved moving walls and updating floor plans to create a minimalist backdrop. The team stripped away early 2000s kitchen elements and black toilets, replacing them with clean lines and white walls to ensure the antique furnishings remain the primary focus of every room.
3Materiality and Inherent Imperfection
To balance the minimalist white walls, the design team utilized materials with natural character. This includes locally sourced white oak flooring and reclaimed European bluestone in the primary bath that is over 100 years old. These choices add warmth and ensure the home ages gracefully, feeling permanent rather than recently staged.
4Integrating Historic Artistic Elements
A standout feature is a rainbow-hued mosaic window, sourced from a building in Bologna and stored for five years before installation. The couple also integrated a 2,000-year-old Roman stone sculpture. These pieces are strategically placed to interact with natural light, creating dynamic visual effects throughout the home’s interior spaces.
5Functional Kitchen Design Choices
The kitchen features a commercial-grade stainless steel Vipp island sourced from Denmark, which the owners describe as a piece of jewelry. Architect Greg Dutton reconfigured the floor plan to open the kitchen to the dining area, embracing a compact European living model despite the home’s expansive 4,500-square-foot footprint.
6Lighting as a Curatorial Tool
Doug Jenkins treats the home like a professional gallery, manually adjusting ambient lighting every evening. The collection includes rare 1970s Marika Carniti Bollea Nautilus lamps and Biny sconces. Because the couple frequently acquires new pieces, the artwork and lighting arrangements are swapped out regularly to keep the space feeling fresh.
7Balancing Old and New
The home represents a constant push-and-pull between distressed antiques and modern, clean architectural lines. By pairing items like a 250-year-old Italian mirror with contemporary Miele appliances, the owners achieve a lived-in aesthetic. This deliberate contrast prevents the house from feeling like a sterile museum, instead creating a comfortable family environment.
8Legacy of a Designed Home
The project succeeds by prioritizing character over perfection, with the owners noting that flaws make the house feel better. The couple’s daughters have expressed a desire to keep the home in the family for future generations, signaling that the renovation successfully balanced professional design standards with a genuine, lasting sense of home.