7 min readIt’s common for designers to find inspiration in the mundane: the way light reflects off a pond, the crazy color combination their toddler haphazardly put together, the flooring in an unassuming restaurant bathroom. There’s no limit to a creative’s inspiration—and no telling when (or where) it will strike. For Amy Mobley and Katie Norrid, the sister duo behind City Hill Design, the scheme for this Tennessee new build actually started with a trip to Texas.
After returning inspired by the way limestone and plaster were used throughout the Lone Star State, the pair set out to bring that same patina to a ground-up build in Collierville, Tennessee, that would allow it to feel far more storied than its fresh drywall might suggest.
“Natural materials are always at the center of how we design,” Mobley says of the firm’s guiding principle, which is written onto every surface of the home through rich woods, textural plaster, timeworn stone, and unlacquered brass. To take it even one step further, the duo eschewed stark white paint to make the rooms feel softer, moodier, and more inviting. “We challenged ourselves not to use a single white paint and instead focused on tones and materials that would make the house feel cozy, welcoming, and easy to live in.”
That lived-in ease was a North Star from the start. Rather than imagining the home as a showpiece, the team pictured the commonplace scenes that it would hold—“kids doing homework, people gathered in the kitchen, and spaces that still feel beautiful even in everyday moments,” Norrid adds. It’s that balance of polish and practicality that gives the house its quiet confidence, poised to act as the backdrop to whatever unfolds within its walls.
Still, creating a home with soul from scratch required a bit of sleight of hand. At the fireplace, the team worked to make a new limestone mantel feel as though it had lived centuries within the home already.
“After a few rounds, we landed on a stone that felt weathered, pitted, porous, as if it had always belonged there,” Mobley explains. That same thoughtfulness shows up in the smaller moments, too, from the chamfered edges that replaced traditional casing, to a leather-wrapped stair rail devised with help from a contractor who once wrapped bike handlebars, to art that layers in meaning at every turn. “Since most of the art throughout the house is original, we wanted it to follow a congruent ‘theme’ of legendary people, places, or things, without being too obvious about it,” says Norrid. “Walking through the house, the art almost became its own layer of storytelling,” adds Mobley.
That sentiment is, ultimately, what makes the home so successful and compelling. It may be built anew, but that’s not the only story it looks to tell—instead, it feels ready to hold generations of them.
FAST FACTS
Designer: Sisters Katie Norrid and Amy Mobley of City Hill Designs
Architect: LRK
Builder: Albertine Company
Location: Germantown, Tennessee
The Space: A four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom new build across 4,750 square feet
MEDIA ROOM
Inky walls are a bold backdrop to custom art.
Rug: Eliko Rugs. Armchairs, coffee table: Four Hands. Wall paint: Tavern Charcoal, Benjamin Moore.
Though the media room acts as an undeniably cool backdrop for the family’s art collection, the scheme didn’t start with those pieces as the inspiration. Rather, it was a 1970s Milo Baughman curved sectional that acted as the impetus for the moody retreat. “We found it in beautiful condition, but recovered it in a rich tweed that gave it a little more weight in the room,” says Norrid. A commissioned triptych by Katelyn Roebuck picks up those same rich tones and adds energy to the space, while a collection of basketballs brings dimension.
GREAT ROOM
A large-scale painting of The King adds a touch of playful personality.
Paint: Accessible Beige, Sherwin-Williams. Rug: Eliko Rugs. Art: Megan Hurdle.
Coffee table: Century. Bench: custom, in Schumacher fabric.
In an effort to promote conversation and easy entertaining, the designers focused on creating moments of connecting in the great room, arranging smaller group seating to make it easy to gather. “We imagined a warm space by the fire, sitting down for a game, or working on a puzzle near the sunny window,” says Mobley. “We liked that the room could hold several moments at once without feeling overly formal.”
KITCHEN
Graphic touches help the space read as both modern and timeless.
Cabinet paint: Accessible Beige, Sherwin-Williams. Stools: Four Hands. Pendants: Visual Comfort & Co. Sink fixtures: Pfister.
Materiality was the main focus of the kitchen, and a standout slab of quartzite made choosing the rest of the finishes a cinch. “We had a vision for the countertop, backsplash, and vent hood to be created from the same material,” says Norrid. “When we found Fusion Quartzite, a stone with both movement and warmth, it immediately felt right for this kitchen. It almost looked like a painting, and once it was installed, it became an element that naturally draws your eye the moment you walk into the room.”
BUTLER’S PANTRY
The functional space also holds a well-disguised wet bar.
Cabinet hardware: Rejuvenation.
In what the team calls the “boldest moment in the house,” the pantry pays homage to both the dining room and kitchen, uniting the two spaces through an atmospheric House of Hackney wallpaper and rich aubergine paint (Carnelian by Sherwin-Williams). “We wanted the space to feel layered yet memorable, but it also had to work hard,” says Mobley. To help, they tucked an ice maker behind a cabinet panel and concealed the microwave so it could function without taking up valuable counter space, which doubles as a bar.
BREAKFAST NOOK
Paneled wood walls and ceilings lend a rustic Southern touch.
Rug: Eliko Rugs. Table, chairs: Four Hands. Pendant: Ochre Silk.
Tucked right off the kitchen, the breakfast nook was begging for an identity all its own, leading Mobley and Norrid to clad it entirely in rich wood paneling. “It feels like a cozy little retreat,” says Norrid.
HALLWAY
The narrow breezeway offered the perfect opportunity for an impromptu art gallery.
Art: Slim Aarons Archival Slides by Soicher Marin.
To bring personality and visual interest to this hallway, which connects the foyer to the great room, the pair chose a selection of slides by famed photographer Slim Aarons. “We have always loved pieces that come with a story, and there is something about sitting on those stairs, looking at those images, that makes you want to imagine yourself in the places they captured,” says Mobley.
PRIMARY BEDROOM
A four-poster bed lends a sense of classicism.
Wall paint: Pashmina, Benjamin Moore. Chairs: Lee Industries. Bed: Brownstone. Bedding: Pom Pom. Rug: Nashville Rug Gallery. Nightstands: Four Hands. Lamps: Visual Comfort & Co. Drapery: custom, in Schumacher fabric. Landscape art: Caroline Gray. Art over bed: Richard Bowers.
In the primary suite, a serene palette of greige, white, and black lays the foundation for rest. “The four-poster bed helped anchor the scale of the room, especially paired with the darker wood nightstands and the contrast of the white lamps with their volcanic finish,” says Norrid. “It’s a quiet place to retreat, especially with the view out to the courtyard fountain.”
PRIMARY BATH
An arched tub niche and modern art bring the drama.
Wall paint: Accessible Beige, Sherwin-Williams. Sink fixtures: Pfister. Drapery: custom, in Schumacher fabric. Chair: Brownstone.
Runner: Eliko Rugs. Stool: Vintage. Art: Sara Ella Cole. Paint color: Tavern Charcoal, Benjamin Moore. Tub: MTI.
“One of our favorite things about the bathroom is how quietly simple some of the details are,” Mobley says of the layered space, which pairs gray limestone floors with Tempest Green quartzite counters and an inky black tub niche. “It makes the whole room feel calmer and more grounded.”
DAUGHTER’S BEDROOM
Dusty tones soften the sweetness of a color-drenched pink bedroom.
Bed: custom, in Kravet fabric. Bedding: Pom Pom. Nightstand: Madegoods. Rug: Nashville Rug Gallery.
To help the homeowner’s daughter’s bedroom grow with her over the years, the design duo drenched the space in a muddy pink (Dead Salmon by Farrow & Ball), adding furniture and accessories that helped to show off her personality. “We wanted it to feel like a space she could enjoy now, but still settle into the space as she gets older,” explains Norrid. “The purple bed became such a focal point, and the canopy felt like a fairytale, adding just enough softness.”
GUEST BATHROOM
A stacked-edge profile makes the marble countertops feel even more sculptural.
Paint: Carnelian, Sherwin-Williams. Flooring: Urban Living. Mirror: Four Hands. Sconces: Visual Comfort & Co. Sink fixtures: Pfister. Art: Lyne Millar.
Pulling a paint color from one part of the house into another—in this instance, from the butler’s pantry—helps the guest bath feel bold while still staying connected to the rest of the home. “The paint picked up the deeper tones in the Calacatta Viola marble, which we used on top of the ribbed oak vanity and carried into the shower details,” adds Mobley.
TWINS BEDROOM
Americana nods and a trio of beds gives this room summer camp vibes.
Rug: Eliko Rugs. Wall paint: Magnetic Gray, Sherwin-Williams. Trim paint: Sage Light Green, Sherwin-Williams. Shades: custom, in Fabricut fabric. Beds: Crate and Barrel. Trunks: Blue Ocean Traders. Sconce: Visual Comfort & Co.
Instead of opting for classic bunk beds, Norrid and Mobley positioned a trio of Jenny Lind-style twin beds in the sons’ bedroom. “The room naturally leaned into an Americana feeling, especially with the vintage flag and the leather camp chests placed at the foot of each bed for storing all the little treasures that seem to collect there,” says Norrid. “We wanted it to feel collected, comfortable, and ready for all the rough-and-tumble energy that comes with a room like this.”
TWINS BATHROOM
Striped shower tiles make for a playful backdrop.
Flooring, shower tile: Fireclay Tile. Wall paint: Sage Green Light, Sherwin-Williams. Shower and sink fixtures: Pfister. Vanity paint: Evergreen Fog, Sherwin-Williams. Vanity hardware: Rejuvenation. Mirror: Cooper Classics.
“One of our favorite moments in the house ended up being in the en suite boys’ bath, where we color-drenched the walls in the same green used on the bedroom millwork so the two spaces felt connected,” explains Mobley. “We loved the stripe in the shower tile too much to hide it behind a closed curtain, so instead we hung simple cream side panels at the arched opening and let that detail stay visible.”
About the Designers
Founded in 2017 by sisters Katie Norrid and Amy Mobley, City Hill Design is a full-service design firm specializing in interior design, new home construction, and renovations. Together, they create spaces that are as unique as their clients by deeply understanding their lifestyles and personal aesthetics.
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