Nashville Design Collective aims to be a community center for the design-minded

By Hollie Deese
Photography by Nathan Kirkman

When you first walk into the two-story Nashville Design Collective building in Wedgewood-Houston, it is hard to envision it as the mop factory that it once was — until you look up and see large-scale art inspired by the textile.

The partnership of the NDC is between Anne Puricelli and Matthew Quinn, and the result is a one-stop shop for luxury builders, homeowners and designers to get everything they need for home renovation.

Before the NDC partnership, Puricelli’s background was in sales and marketing in the design world, running a French brand of artisan kitchen ranges called La Cornue. Quinn, owner of Atlanta-based Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio, was a client.

“I’m used to working with designers and architects, and Matthew was one of my clients for years and years and years,” she says.

A San Francisco native, she was moving back to Nashville for the second time when Quinn approached her about opening their second showroom here as Design Galleria was ready to expand.

She took that idea and pushed it further, suggesting that Nashville was ready for a design center. After the two talked about it more, they decided to partner on the Nashville Design Collective, which would be home to the Design Galleria’s new showroom.

Initial thoughts were rather small scale — maybe something with room for four showrooms, tops. But once they started putting feelers out to their contacts, they realized they had tapped into something much bigger.

“Then we happened to find the building that we’re in, which was almost 50,000 square feet — much bigger than we wanted,” Puricelli says. “But, it’s a great building in a great location. We didn’t know exactly that it was this great at the time. So we bought it and kind of just jumped in and got to work.”

Converting the warehouse of the second-biggest mop manufacturer in the country into a luxury design space took vision, though, and lots of work. Then a pandemic added more stress to the situation. But today, the 15-showroom space is nearly booked, and tenants have been in place for months seeing clients and addressing a nonstop housing market.

“The new construction alone is off the charts, but there’s also so many people moving in from out of state that are buying older homes and redoing them,” Puricelli says. “So you’ve got this perfect storm of population growth with new money coming in, new to Nashville, and some old homes that are really outdated in either construction or styling.”

That’s what makes the NDC singularly poised to explode with activity once COVID-related restrictions are relaxed. That, and community.

Andrew Denny of Textures was one of the first showrooms to open in the space, and he says that is exactly why he wanted to be at the NDC — connecting with others in his field and finding ways to best support each other and their clients.

“Being in community with other folks who are serving that luxury market, and able to support our clients, is really first and foremost the most important thing to us,” he says. “And it’s been absolutely unbelievable. The traffic has been people that are really excellent at what they do — the best interior designers, luxury home builders, architects. It’s really been phenomenal.”

And it’s exactly what Puricelli hoped would happen.

“The camaraderie that’s already come out among the showrooms is so nice,” Puricelli says. “We are watching this magic happen, and it’s been fun to see because that was always our goal — to walk the hall and everyone’s doors were open and it was a big community. And it’s happening.”

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The NDC has state-of-the-art lighting, textiles, flooring, furniture, cabinetry, appliance, stone and design.

Christopher Peacock
Circa Lighting
Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio
Francois & Co.
Kolo Collection Outdoor Furnishings
Peacock Alley
Renaissance Tile and Bath
Robin Rains Interiors Design and Antiques
Textures Nashville

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