“What if we left Manhattan? What if the kids could grow up in an actual house? What if we decided on Nashville?”
Finding yourself at the “turn” of summer in need of some pool-side reading? The latest July/August 2014 issue of Elle Decor magazine will inspire you! “Heading South”, written by Julia Reed with photography by William Waldron, features a re-design and remodel that The Wills Company is particularly proud of. Grab a glass of sweet tea and enjoy. Want more photos of this project? Click here.
“When Jon and Keith Meacham move their family from Manhattan to Nashville, they can’t help bringing a bit of urban panache.” – Elle Decor, July/August 2014
“For Southern natives Keith and Jon Meacham, the idea of moving their family from Manhattan to Nashville suddenly becomes a reality when they discovered the perfect house…The fact that the house needed work was OK, too…there was time to finesse the details of the move and plot a thoughtful renovation. On the ground in Nashville, that meant hiring architect Ridley Wills. Wills is from Nashville and had known the Belle Meade house growing up.”
“Since Jon, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and executive vice president at Random House, had decreed early on that there would be no additions to the footprint, the first order of business was to get maximum functionality from each room.”
“The result is a charming collection of distinct rooms that flow easily and are constantly put to maximum use.”
“The sunroom off the living room was transformed into a library and office for Jon.”
“To create the large kitchen Keith had forever dreamed of, Wills stole space from the formerly grand dining room. The new round dining room can still seat a dozen, while the kitchen is now the bustling center of family life.” 
“The kitchen, filled with books and dogs, children and drop-in visitors, is the gathering spot that all had hoped for.”
“Best of all, the house’s inhabitants are thriving in their adopted city- and there’s plenty of grass right outside the door.”
Architecture: Ridley Wills, The Wills Company
Contractor: The Wills Company
Landscape Architecture: Gavin Duke, Page Duke Landscape Architecture
Interior Design: Bill Brockschmidt and Courtney Coleman, Brockschmidt & Coleman, NYC
Photo credit for Wills Company photos: Wiff Harmer Photography