Studio Four Design, an architecture and design firm based in Knoxville, Tenn. that specializes in retail design, has won a 2016 Knox Heritage “Fantastic Fifteen” Award for their collaborative design efforts with Jeffrey and Patricia Nash for the preservation rehabilitation of the Patricia Nash Designs corporate headquarters and flagship showroom at 1132 North 6th Avenue in downtown Knoxville. 

The award, which is given annually to 15 construction, design and rehabilitation projects within Knox County that have contributed significantly toward a preservation effort, was presented at the Knox Heritage Annual Meeting and Preservation Awards in early November. 

“This award was a great honor for us,” said Greg Terry, principal and design director at Studio Four Design. “We originally nominated Jeffrey and Patricia for the award, and didn’t imagine we were going to be included. Jeffrey has done so much for this community over the years restoring unique, historic structures all over Knoxville. This building is no different, and we are honored that we were able to collaborate with them on the interior design of the building.”

Originally built in 1928, the building was used as a manufacturing facility and warehouse for various woodworking companies and sat empty for about 12 years before it was purchased by Nash in 2015.

“Originally I wanted to renovate the building and turn it into four leasable units,” said Jeffrey Nash, owner of The Courtland Group. “Patricia and I talked about using two of the units for corporate offices, distribution and outlet stores for her business, but once we started doing space planning on those two bays, everyone started to realize really quickly that what we build out right now may work for the next six months, but not for the next six years. That’s when it dawned on us that the whole building was perfect for the future of the Patricia Nash brand.”

From there, Jeffrey, Patricia and Studio Four Design worked to blend the Patricia Nash brand with the character of the historic building that features exposed wood decking and steel windows.

“Patricia’s designs are high end and very artisan,” said Terry. “The challenge we had was taking all of the best things about her eclectic and rich look and feel and incorporating that into an old manufacturing warehouse. Our lead interior designer on the project, Jenna Wise, and interior designer Katie Schulz, worked closely with Patricia and the team to create a cohesive brand image. Jeffrey’s construction team also did an amazing job of cleaning up the building shell, which gave the design team a lot of nice features to work with including an atrium in the center of the building.”

The Nash’s incorporated several custom features including workstations from Heuristic Workshop, and chandeliers and a handrail in the atrium stairs created by a local metal fabricator Preston Farabow. 

“I’m so pleased with the way the building came together,” said Patricia Nash, CEO and president of Patricia Nash Designs. “It’s a wonderful representation of who and where we are. It pays homage to the industrial history of the building while fitting in perfectly with our brand.”

For more information about the Knox Heritage 2016 Preservation Awards, visit knoxheritage.org.

For more information about Studio Four Design, visit studiofourdesign.com.