Inside My Latest Design - AirBnb's in McMinnville, Tennessee

Hi there and welcome back to the channel. My name is Jennifer and I'm an interior designer, store owner, and educator and in today's video I'm going to be sharing my latest project with you as well as give you some design tips at the end of the video so make sure you stay to the end. This design project was in a little town in Tennessee called McMinnville and I can't wait to share it with you. Before we get started, make sure you subscribe and follow me on Instagram at jenniferdecorates. Welcome to McMinnville, Tennessee, a charming small town nestled in the heart of the Cumberland Plateau. It's known as the nursery capital of the world thanks to its lush rolling hills and thriving plant industry. McMinnville is full of southern character, natural beauty, and rich history. It's the kind of town where time slows down just a bit, where historic buildings tell stories, and where hospitality is abundant. And right in the middle of it is their historic building which is a landmark that's been lovingly brought back to life by my client and his company, Kirby Real Estate and Kirby Group. This building, which has been both a schoolhouse and a police station in the past, has now been turned into apartments, nine Airbnbs, and soon a coffee shop. I had the absolute pleasure of designing the Airbnb units inside, blending modern comfort with the building's original charm. The project started in the renovation phase and I visited the site with the new owners and we went room to room measuring the space and chatting about the potential furniture layouts. No two rooms were exactly alike and they required careful measuring to ensure that our furniture fit properly. The next phase of the project was selecting furniture. Since these rooms are Airbnbs, it was important that I selected furniture that was durable and comfortable for guests. So delicate white sofas, they were not on my list. Real quick, let me tell you about my home accessorizing e-book, Styled to Perfection. I created this e-book because most people do really well with the big furniture pieces in their homes, but it's the accessorizing that gets a little tough. This e-book is packed with information on how to style any room. In fact, I go room by room, so be sure to check it out. I've got a link in the description of this video. While I was looking for furniture for the Airbnbs, I looked for stain-resistant and cleanable fabrics like performance fabrics and leather. I also chose rugs that were washable. Once the mood boards were created and I had presented them to the client, it was time to order everything. And I mean everything. We didn't just order furniture, but mattresses, light bulbs, extension cords, kitchen essentials like flatware, dishes, pots and pans, and most importantly, a coffee maker. Finally, it was time to bring the designs together and install them into the nine Airbnbs. McMinnville is over an hour away from my store JD's, so we packed up the boxed rugs and made our way there. All the furniture, textiles, artwork, bedding, and kitchen essentials had to be unboxed and assembled, so it was all hands on deck. And finally, after many long days of work, everything was in its place and we were able to make the final touches. Once all the furniture and larger decor was in place, I was able to take a look at my remaining budget and select a few more accessories. Now of course, this is an Airbnb, so we wanted to be pretty minimal in our accessorizing to keep things simple. I went to antique stores and found some super cool antiques to bring a really unique style and character to the bookshelves in several of the rooms. And finally, the project was complete. In my selections, I was intentional in choosing items that played well with the industrial nature of the building. In selecting more modern pieces, I created a vibe juxtaposed with the history of the building. With muted color and soft fabrics comes comfort. While the wood and leather offers a cool style and the pairing of these concepts creates a gorgeous environment. Each room has its own design identity and special touches, making the rooms just as unique as the location. I was so thrilled with how each room turned out, but more importantly, so are my clients. They are ready to have guests visit this charming little town and stay at their newly renovated historic building that they have dedicated so much heart to restoring. If you're ever looking for a relaxing vacation in a rural area of Tennessee, this is the place you need to stay. In fact, you could have the whole family reunion here in one building. Plus my store, JD's All About Home, is only an hour away and there are tons of antique shops along the road. This was a super fun project and I want to thank Kirby Real Estate for entrusting me to furnish your Airbnbs. Alright, let's dive in to a few design tips. Tip number one, finding your path. As I was designing each room, I had to be very particular about what furniture I chose because of the pathways in the rooms. When you're designing or furnishing a room, one of the most vital things to consider is the pathway people will take through the space, especially if you have an open concept space. So if you have existing furniture you want to rearrange or you plan on purchasing new furniture, I recommend measuring it and using painters tape on the floor to represent each piece. This tip will save you the effort of moving furniture around the house or even purchasing a piece that won't work. Now as a designer, I have programs that I can input measurements and digitally insert furniture into. So that's what I did for this project, but painters tape works great if you're doing it yourself. Tip number two, function first. When you're selecting furniture or textiles for your home, I highly recommend you shop for designs that work for your unique lifestyle. For this job, I needed to select durable and washable fabrics and also furniture that was beautiful. Style is very important, but it'd be pointless if it doesn't suit your needs first and foremost. Lastly, tip number three, foundation first. And what I mean by that is, don't decorate backwards. Everyone has a budget and it would be a shame to go over budget because you didn't purchase the things that will anchor the room first. Start with the staples, then accessorize. Because you can always add accessories at the end of the project with what's left over of your budget, which is exactly what I did on this project when I looked at my remaining budget and was able to incorporate more accessories. I hope you enjoyed this video and found the design tips helpful. Make sure you're subscribed because holiday videos are just around the corner and you won't want to miss them. I'll see you in the next video and have a great day.