The first Tennessee location of Earls Kitchen + Bar arrived at Nashville Yards this spring with all the polish and energy expected from a North American hospitality brand with 70 locations. But rather than importing a one-size-fits-all concept, the design team approached Nashville as something far more nuanced — a city balancing heritage and rapid evolution, craftsmanship and modernity, intimacy and spectacle.
Basically all the things. And that tension became the foundation for the restaurant’s interiors.
“We were really inspired by the craftsmanship,” said Jennifer Hoffbeck, who leads Earls’ in-house team of 15 designers. “There’s a warmth, a Southern warmth and history and culture the city is steeped in, but then also this vibrant, emerging cityscape. We were trying to find that duality in this space.”
The result is a richly layered, 8,200-square-foot restaurant that feels sophisticated without tipping into formality — a space intentionally designed to evolve throughout the day, from business lunches and happy hour cocktails to late-night dinners beneath ambient lighting and glowing antique mirrors.
At the center of the restaurant, sweeping wood arches frame the dramatic back bar, one of the most defining architectural elements in the space. Designed specifically for Nashville Yards, they serve as a subtle nod to the design and detailing the team noticed while exploring the city doing recon during the design process
“I was blown away by Nashville,” Hoffbeck said. “It’s such a beautiful city because there’s this incredible duality between historic character and all of this modern architecture and growth happening at the same time. I loved places like 1 Hotel because they have such a strong identity but still feel connected to the local market and culture.” .
Warm wood tones, natural stone, antique mirrors and darker material palettes soften the massive amount of natural light pouring through floor-to-ceiling glazing. Strategic lighting became one of the project’s biggest technical and atmospheric challenges, particularly with a large LED screen illuminating the exterior plaza outside the restaurant.
“We pay a lot of attention to lighting,” Hoffbeck said. “It’s not just a means to illuminate a beautiful space. Your food has to look incredible. You have to look incredible while you’re dining there.”
That guest-centered thinking shapes every design decision inside Earls, from how seating is arranged to how materials absorb light and sound. Even within the restaurant’s expansive footprint, the layout avoids feeling cavernous thanks to intentionally carved-out lounges, layered seating moments and intimate pockets throughout the dining room.
Art also plays a defining role. Earls maintains a corporate collection of roughly 700 pieces, with each location sourcing work from local artists to create a stronger connection to its community. They then feature each and every one on their website, shining a light on the creatives in each city they open.
In Nashville, work from more than 20 different creatives are represented, including Shabazz Larkin, Amanda Woods, Paz Suey, and John Paul Kesling.
“Art is such a personal way to create that connection,” Hoffbeck said. “To resonate with the local guest, the spaces have to be a reflection of the personality and culture of the community.”
Perhaps most surprising is that nearly all of the restaurant’s furniture — from booths and banquettes to bar stools and patio seating — is designed entirely in-house by the Earls design team. Each location pulls from a broader suite of custom furniture designs while still tailoring fabrics, finishes and materials specifically to the city and project.
“We have no boundaries on that,” Hoffbeck said of the material selections. “All finishes, all stones, all fabrics — everything is chosen specifically for the location.”
For a city increasingly defined by elevated hospitality design, Earls feels less like a chain arriving in Nashville and more like a reflection of where the city’s restaurant scene is headed: luxe, art-forward, intentionally designed, and deeply aware of the entire experience of eating out.
The Art of Earls
Earls Kitchen + Bar’s Nashville Yards location features a curated collection of local and regional artwork integrated throughout the restaurant, reinforcing the brand’s focus on connecting to their communities. The collection spans painting, sculpture, woodworking, mixed media and photography, showcasing a wide range of our city’s creative voices.
Amanda Woods A multi-disciplinary artist whose layered paintings incorporate weaving and sculptural construction using recycled and found materials to explore emotional memory and connection.
Susan Elizabeth Jones Middle Tennessee painter known for warm, impressionistic landscapes and architectural scenes inspired by the region and American Impressionism.
Lindsy Davis Nashville artist working across painting and sculpture, creating tactile abstract works informed by sustainability, memory and material experimentation.
Kevin Bate Chattanooga-based artist, muralist and sign painter recognized for playful mixed-media works and unconventional sculptural projects.
Caroline Creson Contemporary painter whose abstract botanicals and landscapes explore texture, color and the relationship between organic and interior spaces.
Shabazz Larkin Visual artist known for expressive portraiture and figurative works layered with cultural references and movement.
Melissa Ellen Mixed-media collage artist using repurposed magazines, maps and vintage paper to create nostalgic, layered compositions rooted in storytelling.
Jennifer Bezaire Painter blending contemporary landscapes with antique framing traditions and textured handmade surfaces.
Andrew Combs Musician and visual artist whose work explores “tangible surrealism” through abstract sculptural forms.
John Beach Tennessee fine woodworker specializing in handcrafted intarsia wood murals made from carefully selected domestic and exotic wood species.
Táhila Moss Indigenous Yaqui multidisciplinary artist and National Geographic Explorer whose work centers on ancestry, land, water and community storytelling.
Taylor O. Thomas Abstract painter using gesture, texture and material experimentation to explore embodiment and perception.
Richard Bowers Portrait and landscape artist known for highly detailed graphite drawings collected by musicians and athletes nationwide.
Scott Coats Multidisciplinary artist creating sculptural works from salvaged musical instruments and organic materials inspired by rhythm and resonance.
Ash Atterberry Ceramic artist whose hand-built pottery and sculptural forms feature playful surface decoration and organic motifs.
John Paul Kesling Painter exploring intimacy, loss and nature through layered abstract compositions rooted in personal experience.
Hayley Morée Contemporary painter known for vibrant, texture-rich abstract works inspired by nature, travel and design.
Ginny Elder Artist whose colorful abstract works reflect a deep connection to nature, emotion and community.
Trent Boysen Works at the intersection of photography and glass, blending fine art printmaking with sculptural warm-glass processes inspired by astronomy, transformation and the observable universe.
Curator: Grace Zeppilli / GZ Art Co. Art consultant Grace Zeppilli brings a background in fashion merchandising, business and art history to hospitality, corporate and residential projects, curating artwork and accessories that create emotionally resonant, highly layered spaces.
