We just returned from the first ever Coastal Living and Southern Living Designer Network conference in Nashville!  We were among the first design firms to join The Designer Network, a group of editorially recommended designers for readers of the magazines. What a weekend filled with some amazing talent!

The editors of both magazines were gracious with their time. It’s always interesting to see the “behind-the-scenes” work that goes into the publications. Meeting the other amazingly talented designers (and new friends) was a highlight!

The conference was a joint conference with the Southern Living Custom Builder Program. We are in the middle of designing two (yes, TWO) Southern Living Showcase Homes with Whitney Blair Custom Homes. It was great fun to have project meetings (and a lot of laughs) while in Nashville with our longtime buddies, Jeff and Lisa Sanderson.

The conference concluded with a fantastic evening with Nashville’s Finest Singers/Songwriters! Hearing the stories about how and when these songs were written and who decided to record them was so interesting. These songwriters have such passion for their work and somehow that passion tugged at the heartstrings of the entire audience (Allen Shamblin performed his song Send ‘Em On Down the Road that was recently recorded by Garth Brooks…an anthem for empty nest parents that perfectly sums up the past few years of my life and yes, brought me to tears).

Great things are happening and we’re thrilled for each opportunity! Look for more information on The Designer Network when it is announced in the April issues of the magazines. Special thanks to the Southern Living team that put together the conference (and Misty who went the extra mile to make it all happen)!