Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville, 2012

One of the most anticipated February events in the Mid-South is the annual Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville, starting this year with the Preview Party on Thursday evening, February 9, and continuing on through Sunday, February 12, 2012.  Advance notice is being given because the tickets to the special events of the show often sell-out.

Barry Dixon

The Collectors Party on Friday evening features a tour of the vendors' booths by Carolyn Englefield, Editor at Large for VERANDA magazine, and interior designer Barry Dixon of Warrenton, Virginia.  Barry is the author of BARRY DIXON INTERIORS and BARRY DIXON INSPIRATIONS.  (All books and magazine subscriptions are available at a considerable discount with the option of free shipping by clicking on the title).

Miles Redd

Nancy Goslee Power

The Devoted Classicist is acquainted with both of the February 10 lecturers and predicts that each of their presentations will be well-received.  Miles Redd is an Atlanta-born and raised interior designer now based in New York City.  Formerly employed in the to-the-trade decorative furnishings shop of John Rosselli and then as an asssistant to Bunny Williams, Miles Redd is known for bold color combinations and reinterpretations of classic traditional design.  Nancy Goslee Power is a Santa Monica landscape architect known for her contemporary gardens utilizing spatial experiences and visually striking palattes.  Nancy is author of the book POWER OF GARDENS.

Eddie Ross

A Lecture and Demonstration will by given by Eddie Ross, former food editor for Martha Stewart Living and an Associate Decorating Editor at House Beautiful.  His topic will involve giving new life to antique china by using it in fresh and inventive settings.  With partner Jaithan Kochar, he operates a design studio and creative marketing consultancy based in northwest Connecticut.  The Devoted Classicist is a fan of Eddie's always interesting and inspiring eponymous blog.

Suzanne Rheinstein

David Kleinberg

Another feature of the show is Ask-An-Expert, two separate on-the-floor complimentary talks with book signings on that Saturday.  Suzanne Rheinstein, an interior designer and owner of the Los Angeles home furnishings shop Hollyhock, will present her book featuring her own residences and as well as some projects AT HOME: A STYLE FOR TODAY WITH THINGS FROM THE PAST at 11:30 on February 11.  David Kleinberg, my former co-worker at Parish-Hadley who now has his own successful interior design firm DKDA, will present his book featuring his firm's projects TRADITIONAL NOW: INTERIORS BY DAVID KLEINBERG at 1:30 on February 11.  David's own apartment was featured in a previous post here.

There are always a good selection of antiques dealers, including Memphis-based Thomas M. Fortner Antiques and Simmons-Leonce;  be sure to stop by their booths and introduce yourself to Tom Fortner and A.W. Simmons if you go.  Half of the exhibitors are horticultural or garden-related vendors, and those are often interesting as well.

But the most exciting aspect of the show is the competitive exhibition by Nashville garden designers, landscape architects, hard-scapers, and nurserymen.  Planned months in advance but installed in only a day or two, this a judged display and the results are usually imaginative and inspiring, especially given the time of year.

The beneficiaries of the show's proceeds are Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art (featured in a previous post here) and The Exchange Club Charities.  For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the website www.antiquesandgardenshow.com.