Tori Alexander knows her interiors (and a thing or two about how to style a bathroom with luxury bath towels). Hailing from one of our favorite cities, Nashville, she's an interior designer who combines a clean aesthetic with the warmth of the South. Here, we talked to her about her background and design inspirations.
Tell us a little bit about yourself! Where are you from, where do you live now, and how long have you been in design?
My name is Tori Alexander and I am the owner of Alexander Interiors in Nashville, TN. I earned my interior design degree from the University of Georgia and previously worked in an architecture firm and commercial design firm before starting Alexander Interiors in 2013. At the time my family was living in Northern California, where I still maintain a handful of clients. In 2015, my husband and I, along with our two daughters, moved back to our hometown of Nashville. I am currently working on 15 projects nationwide and expecting my third daughter in October, so it is quite a busy season of life!
Where did you start your career before going out on your own?
I spent the most time professionally gaining experience working at my father’s architecture firm.
What are your greatest sources of design inspiration? (Favorite designers, favorite Instagram accounts, favorite blogs).
Instagram and Pinterest are such helpful tools for design. I constantly find myself in awe of the creativity within this industry and I love the opportunity to communicate with designers in all locations through Instagram. I am a fan of the classics, so I am always studying past projects from Mario Buatta, Sister Parish and Albert Hadley. Current designers that I love to follow are Lindsey Coral Harper, Clary Bosbyshell, Ashley Gilbreath, Heather Chadduck, and Ashley Whittaker, to name a few. I am also incredibly fortunate that one of my dearest friends in Nashville is a very talented designer, Meg White, and we are constantly bouncing ideas off one another.
This bathroom is giving us major design envy! The wallpaper, the light fixtures, that tub… we love it all! Tell us a bit about your process. Where did you start and how did it all come together?
The clients were very clear about their vision for a bright and airy bathroom space. After looking at a couple of wallpaper options, they fell in love with the palette and design of the tree wallpaper and the space took shape from there. We kept all of our materials simple, but elegant and high end for a classic look. I particularly love the exposed brass plumbing fixtures in the shower. The final touch was pulling the blue tone from the wallpaper to paint all of the trim and beadboard in the room, which had such a lovely impact.
I love using the antique French armchair (fabric here!) next to the bathtub to hold your towel while soaking in the tub. I also love the Wedgwood Jasperware pieces on the vanity in green and blue. Other favorites include the Zoffany wallpaper and the Lucinda Bunching Table.
You designed the rest of this beautiful house. How does the aesthetic of the bathroom space compare to other rooms in the home?
The house itself drips with charm and the family living in it brings such vibrance to the home. There is lots of color and pattern, which perfectly fits their personalities.
On that note, what do you enjoy most about designing bathrooms? How is it different from designing other spaces?
I truly enjoy the architecture and finding the best use of space. It exercises my mind in a way that decorating does not. It is like having a puzzle that has multiple combinations of how it can be put together, and you are always searching for the best option.
Pick one: bathtub or shower? - they’re both SO good!
In this space I love the shower because of the gorgeous exposed brass plumbing. Typically, though, I am a bath tub girl! #enjoythestay
Tori used our new stitched towels in light blue in this beautiful bathroom space. She customized them with our "Prince" embroidery style using light blue thread. We love the way our luxury towels are right at home in this space. Thank you, Tori!
*All photo credit goes to @lesleemitchell
