Nashville lawyer goes bold in her new-build Bordeaux home
Cynthia Lee attended law school in Nashville and always hoped to move back some day from her native Mississippi. Four years ago she was delighted to land a job in Music City. And though Lee had never worked with an interior designer before, she had been following Atlanta’s Amber Guyton of Blessed Little Bungalow closely on social media and was sure she was the right woman to turn her four bedroom, four bathroom space into the home of her dreams.
“What appealed to me was the boldness of it, how she uses a lot of color, and I love color” said Lee of Guyton’s style. “She’s a maximalist.”
“One of the things that I wanted was my home to be a reflection of who I am,” added Lee.
Lee’s home is nestled in the Bordeaux community, a traditionally African American neighborhood in northwest Nashville named for its resemblance to the southwestern French city.
Lee is the first owner of the 2,272 square foot home built in 2024. While Lee hopes to have her back to design more of her space, initially Guyton created designs for Lee’s living room, powder room, entryway and primary bedroom.
“When you come into my home, you may not know for sure, but chances are you’re going to think that, oh, a Black woman lives here, and this person values family. They love to travel, they love to read. They’re intelligent, they believe deeply in justice, and they love God, and they also have a love for art.”
“Like with many new construction homes, regardless of their beauty, they can feel a bit stale, cookie-cutter and lack character,” said Guyton. “My biggest challenge was adding color, art, and personal touches that would make the home better reflect Cynthia, her life and interests.”
Guyton leaned into the challenge by making the high ceilings in the living room into a unique design feature. She installed a board and batten design painted in Sherwin Williams Iron Ore from the fireplace to the ceiling to draw the eye upward. “This addition added character to the home without disrupting the design choices made by the builder.”
When she moved in, her home was a blank canvas said Lee. “It was just a big open space with a lot of white walls.” Guyton brought in rich neutral tones — mustards, moss and burnt oranges — to balance all those white walls. She blended much of Lee’s existing furniture like her couch and living room chairs, into her design, something Lee said she really appreciated about her approach.
“I pulled several colors from Cynthia’s existing belongings and global souvenirs when creating the color palette for her home. We wanted to keep things light and bright as intended by the builder with all of the windows and natural light beaming in, but we also wanted to give the home adequate pops of color that made the home unique and eccentric,” said Guyton.
Pure white kitchens may be a thing of the past as more designers incorporate organic shades rooted in nature like blue and green into the all-purpose gathering and entertaining space that is the modern kitchen. The design process entailed a mix of existing but also new items like the kitchen stools Guyton added here. Many of the accessories and furniture were sourced from West Elm, Wayfair, Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn.
“Because the house was tall and skinny, the entryway was very long and divided into three parts. For the first two sections, we intentionally added a patterned wallpaper by Nikki Chu that would give the home some personality and serve as an introduction to the pattern play and cultural details found deeper in the home,” said Guyton. Lee was slightly nervous at first about how much wallpaper was added to the hallways and entryway but ended up loving the result.
Black accents throughout the home add sophistication and continuity. “Work can be kind of demanding. I don’t always get to go everywhere I want to go, but I do try to take some time and travel when I can,” said Lee whose home is graced with mementos from her extensive travels to Ghana, Cuba, South Africa, London, Egypt and Paris. “One of the things that I wanted was my home to tell my story.”
Modern chairs with forest green upholstery offer a cozier take on the typical dining area that blends with the style of the open living room. The cozy dining area features a table from the L.A.-based online design brand specializing in “California cool,” Lulu and Georgia.
Guyton wanted her design to lean into her client’s love of family, travel and faith. “I wanted to celebrate this by displaying photos of her family in a gallery wall up the stairs, her favorite books and global souvenirs on the built-in bookcases, and colorful patterns everywhere from the wallpaper, rugs, and artwork included in each space. I describe my design style as ‘Soulful Maximalism,’ an interior design style rooted in joy, culture, layers, and intention, creating spaces that celebrate who you are and what you love,” explained Guyton.
A large wall leading from the main living area to the upstairs is broken up with a gallery wall of family photos in various sizes that Guyton pulled together with black frames. “That’s one of my favorite things about my home,” said Lee of the family portraits. “Family is big to me.”
A sunny shade of orange brings a feeling of vibrancy and light to Lee’s bedroom. The rattan bed is Lee’s but Guyton added a chaise in a corner where Lee could sit and read. “I think it’s a misconception that darker and bright colors don’t belong in bedroom spaces as they aren’t calming or tranquil,” said Guyton. “When balanced with the right amount of neutrals, softness and simplicity, an oasis can be created that’s Technicolor.” She used a multicolor, geometric wool rug for an additional layer of personality and an echo of the colors and feel of the newly designed first floor.
Guyton used her wallpaper Abstract Attraction from Mitchell Black in Lee’s powder room and entryway. “I knew that I wanted to incorporate that wallpaper before I even started working with Amber,” said Lee.
