THE CITY'S HOTTEST SALONS: OUR READERS' CHOICE WINNERS LIFESTYLES TOP DOCTORS 2014 150 PHYSICIANS IN 47 SPECIALTIES + PLUS A SPOTLIGHT ON SOME OF MUSIC CITY S BEST MDs July 2014 nashvillelifestyles.com
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A fresh START A BRENTWOOD COUPLE ENLISTS THE HELP OF REDO S LORI PARANJAPE TO DESIGN THIS GOVERNORS CLUB ESTATE. BY SUZANNE COREY. PHOTOS BY SHANNON FONTAINE. NASHVILLELIFESTYLES.COM 51 07.14 NL 49-64.indd 51 6/10/14 4:51 PM
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Earlier this year, Lori Paranjape, owner of Redo Home and Design in Franklin, had just wrapped up one of the most satisfying projects of her career a home inside The Governors Club, a gated country club community in Brentwood, for Jami and Michael Kaplan when she got a surprising call from the owners. Over the phone, Jami informed her that they were going to sell the home that Paranjape had just finished working on, after living there for only a few months. They were starting over by building a brand new house from the ground up, in a new location, she explained. It had already been a whirlwind year for Jami, a physical therapist, and Michael, who works in medical publishing starting when they took their newborn for a drive and ended up with a new home. They discovered a house that was already in the process of being built by Brandon Jenkins of Grove Park Builders. They acted quickly and hired Paranjape, who had been recommended by a friend. The connection was instant, and Paranjape masterfully turned the house I like [things to be] organized and clean and together, but if I had to worry about the kids messing things up all the time, my hair would fall out. When a [toy car] has made 100 trips around this wood floor and you can t tell, we did something right. Jami Kaplan into a home. Five months after the purchase, the family moved in. The 5,500-square-foot, five-bedroom, six-bath home is a fresh, crisp version of traditional. The mostly soft, neutral palette allows bright, bold corals and blues to grab the eye. The duo toed the line between being both traditional and contemporary. Every inch has wow factor, but taking center stage in the home are the glamorous light fixtures. They are big, bold, and beautiful; Paranjape calls them the Jimmy Choo of the home. (Her firm prides itself on what she calls the Target dress with Jimmy Choo shoes effect meaning she pairs high-end items next to low-end ones and dares you to figure out which is which.) There s no place where this is more evident than in the library, which happens to be Jami s favorite room. I wanted a room in the house where I could sit and look and say, This is pretty, she explains. So, Paranjape went to work, mixing in high- and low-end pieces as well as old and new to beautiful effect. The corner is dominated by a glossy coral armoire that belonged to Jami s grandmother; it sits next to two modern, sea blue chairs that Paranjape picked up last fall at High Point Market in North Carolina. Michael s parents are world travelers, so the bookshelves are dotted with artifacts as well as some of their favorite books. But the crowning jewel is Jami s first antler rack, from a deer she shot herself. Did I mention I m from southern Alabama? she says with a grin. We definitely debated on the rack, Paranjape chimes in. It s pretty whimsical for such a fancy room. But that s what makes this room special. It s them. We didn t just buy stuff to style up bookshelves it s personal. Underneath all the gorgeous glitz, Michael and Jami proudly consider the house hardworking. To them, it s not just about form, but function as well. I had to have a big open room, says Jami as she sits on the couch in the airy living space off the kitchen. The couple has two children, ages one and two, and the family spends the majority of their time in this room. These cabinets are full of toys and books, and they all come out at night, says Jami. I like [things to be] organized and clean and together, but if I had to worry about the kids messing things up all the time, my hair would fall out. When a [toy car] has made 100 trips around this wood floor and you can t tell, we did something right. But back to that surprising phone call. When the subject of selling came up several months after the couple moved in, Michael had to convince Jami. Everything went so well with our builder that when an opportunity came our way to be closer to my parents, we figured we could make it work, he explains He definitely loves projects, adds Jami The builder, it turned out, had just one lot left in a new development, and the Kaplans knew they needed to act on it sooner rather than later. The foundation for the new home was laid in April. Most people can t imagine doing it again, but we knew we would build with Brandon [Jenkins] again, for sure, Michael says. The couple and the builder have become friends. Plus, they add, it gives them a chance to bring Paranjape in at the very beginning of the process. Jami and Paranjape couldn t be happier. Their chemistry comes easily, and they even joke that sometimes they feel as if the Governors Club home is theirs and Michael just lives there. When asked what they ll do differently in the new build, Paranjape and Jami have a hard time coming up with anything. They agree that they will essentially re-create what was perfect, and the rest will just be fine-tuning. For Paranjape, the house is tip to tail spectacular and to be able to do it again with the Kaplan family feels like a fantasy. NASHVILLELIFESTYLES.COM 53
1 2 1. Lighting was everything in the foyer. We wanted to go with high impact, so we had the fixtu es custom made, says Paranjape. 2. The open floorplan didn t allow for much art. So, during construction, they scratched full built-ins in order to make more wall space for art. 3. The outdoor space was designed around these Low Country Originals Chippendale swinging beds. 4. For her son s room, Jami gathered these vintage letters at the Nashville Flea Market. 4 54 NASHVILLELIFESTYLES.COM
3 Local Resources Art by local artist Kaaren Engel (kaarenengel.com) Furniture from Nashville Flea Market (625 Smith Ave.; nashvilleexpocenter.org) Window treatments by Camille Moore Window Treatments & Custom Bedding (615-599-0995; camillemoore.com) Décor and select furniture by Redo Home and Design (300 Public Sq., Franklin, 615-790- 3989; redoyourhouse.com) Custom cabinetry by Opus Luxury Cabinets (7101 Sharondale Ct., Brentwood, 615-953-6276)