A Photographer & Musician Share a Serene Nashville Nest
A Photographer & Musician Share a Serene Nashville Nest
Name: Lisa Diederich and Samuel Stephenson
Location: Inglewood — Nashville, Tennessee
Size: 1,248 square feet
Years lived in: 6 months, renting

Can't-Miss House Tours Straight to Your Inbox
Keep up with our latest house tours each weekday with our House Tour of the Day newsletter
Sam and I recently moved from Sydney, Australia to Nashville, Tennessee and have spent the past few months settling into our home and our businesses here in Music City. After five years in Sydney, we both felt it was time for a new adventure, and Nashville was calling! Sam is a musician and composer and I am a photographer, so this creative city seemed like the perfect fit for us.
Moving overseas was a big logistical challenge and we spent months purging and selling our Sydney belongings. In the end, a small shipping container full of artwork, books and kitchenware made it over to the US and we got to work combining the old and new in our three-bedroom, ranch-style home.
Our style is minimal, mid-century with a little Scandinavian influence, plenty of comfort and a few too many plants. A bright, open space is important to both of us in order to feel creative, so we keep the windows open and the decor simple. I love shooting in our home (as you can probable tell from my Instagram gallery!) and Sam’s music is always floating through the house.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: Minimal, mid-century with a simple color palette throughout the house. We love using plants as an accent color!
Inspiration: We started with a minimal, vintage-inspired style, but hope to add cozy/homey touches the longer we live here. Our first piece of furniture was this gorgeous couch from Article, so we designed the rest of the room around it.
Favorite Element: Our favorite room is the dining room, where we sit each morning and chat over coffee. It’s such a nice place to start the day!
I also love our home studios. It’s where we spend most of our time and we’ve both made the rooms our own. Sam’s studio is perfect for writing, with a big comfy couch, guitars on the wall and a standing desk. My office is bright white with framed photos, scattered succulents and twinkle lights above the desk.
Biggest Challenge: Moving from overseas, we had to start from scratch! Having a blank slate was exciting, but also really intimidating. The possibilities were endless and it was difficult to stay focused on our ideas.
What Friends Say: It’s so Instagrammable!
Biggest Embarrassment: I had a beautiful fiddle leaf tree that made such a statement in the living room, but it’s lost so many leaves and I don’t know if it will survive much longer.
Proudest DIY: I’m not much of a DIY’er, so the hanging leather shelf was my proudest piece. Sam did so much of our DIY though — he refinished two mid-century dressers, built our bedroom nightstands and bench from scratch, and is putting the finishing touches on his custom standing desk, too.
Biggest Indulgence: So. Many. Plants.
Best Advice: Patience! It’s so easy to get overwhelmed and rush to “fill” a room or house. But don’t stress…choose pieces that you really love and don’t settle.
Dream Sources: Restoration Hardware, West Elm and vintage finds
Resources:
LIVING ROOM
Couch: Article
Coffee Table: Article
Lamp: ATG Stores
Rug: Rugs USA
Mid-century planters: Modernica
Record Player console: Vintage find on Craigslist
Small hide: GasLamp Antiques
Skull: GasLamp Antiques
Artwork: Kareena Zerefos
Poof: Homegoods
Windsor Chair: Vintage store
Plants: HomeDepot
DINING ROOM
Rug: Randolph Street Market, Chicago
Table: Homenclature, Valparaiso, IN
Chairs: Amazon
Light fixture: GasLamp Antiques
Leather Shelf: DIY
Succulent Planters: Light and Ladder
Books & leather shelf decor: Homegoods
Mirror, table & white shelf ladder: Homegoods and personal collection
Ice Bucket and table decor: GasLamp Antiques
Cactus and Planter: FLWR Shop Nashville
Pineapple tumbler: W&P Design
LISA’S STUDIO
Desk Chair: Vintage, gifted
Shelf: HomeDepot
Shelf frames and decor: Various antique stores
Wicker basket: Homegoods
TV Console: Amazon
Dresser: Vintage, refurbished
Antlers: GasLamp Antiques
Acrylic and Brass frame: Artifact Uprising
Artwork: Lisa’s photography
Calligraphy: Kylie Letter Company
Framed Calligraphy: Too Wordy
Rug: Rugs USA
BEDROOM
Bed: Craigslist
Bedding & throw: Boll and Branch
Throw Pillow: Serena & Lily
Bench and Nightstands: DIY
Hanging Planter: DIY
Mirror: Goodwill (the most incredible find!)
Plants: HomeDepot
Basket Planter: Homegoods
Lamps: Homegoods
Hats: Yellow108
KITCHEN
Shelving: Already installed
Baskets: Goodwill
Water carafe: Soma Water
Cake Stand: A Heirloom
Jars and other decor: Vintage stores and Goodwill
PATIO
Couch and table set: Carson Prairie Scott
Rug: Rugs USA
Chairs: Craigslist
Share Your Style:
See More:
⇒ Recent House Tours
⇒ House Tours on Pinterest