20 must see Nashville murals

Nashville really is such a great city & I am thankful to have this gorgeous place to serve as the backdrop of many outfit photos for this blog. I used to plan my photoshoots around new murals (I need to get back to that) & always have to stop & jot down addresses when I spot a new one. There are so many amazing artists in this town & I am blown away by the dedicated individuals who place their art on our public walls. A huge shout out goes to the creatives at DCXV Industries (they are responsible for starting the "I believe in Nashville" motto), as I am certain that their many displays of public art have inspired others to share their work.

I was blown away by all the colorful murals that Studio DIY shared from Chicago, & wanted to follow it up with a guide to my favorite picture walls here in Music City. Below are my 20 favorite walls. If you visit, put these addresses on your itinerary. If you live here & have some secret murals to share, please let us know in the comments.

12th South, "I believe in Nashville"

Full outfit post | Also on Instagram 

2702 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204

Marathon Music Works, "I Believe in Nashville"

Full outfit post

1402 Clinton St, Nashville, TN 37203 

Center 615, "Stay Tuned Nashville"

Full outfit post | Also on Instagram

625 Main Street, East Nashville

12th Avenue South, Draper James

Full outfit post | Also on Instagram

2608 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204

12th Avenue South, Green Pea Salon 

Full outfit post | Also on Instagram

2900 12th Ave South, Nashville, TN 37204

East Nashville, Beauty Supply

Full outfit post | Also on Instagram

714 Gallatin Ave, Nashville, TN 37206

Germantown, Nashville

Full outfit post | Also on Instagram

Rosa L Parks Ave, Germantown (across from the Werthan lofts)

Germantown, Rolf & Daughters

Full outfit post

700 Taylor Street, Nashville (Germantown)

Hillsboro Village, Dragon 

Full outfit post | Also on Instagram

2102 Belcourt Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212

East Nashville 

Instagram post

Side of the Joyner & Hogan building at 600 Main St.

Charlotte Pike, Avo

Instagram post

3001 Charlotte Ave #200, Nashville, TN 37209

Sylvan Park, Import Flowers

Full outfit post | Also on Instagram

3636 Murphy Rd, Nashville, TN 37209

East Nashville, Little Octopus 

Instagram post

604 Gallatin Ave, Nashville, TN 37206

Downtown, Willie Nelson

Full outfit post | Also on Instagram

396 Almond St, Nashville, Tennessee 37201

If you are in the neighborhood of the Willie Nelson mural, you also have to check out another Nashville musician, Johnny Cash

300 Fourth Ave. S., downtown Nashville

West Nashville, The Dog Spot

Full outfit post 

5001 Alabama Ave, Nashville, TN 37209

East Nashville, Mas Tacos 

On Instagram here & here

732 Mcferrin Ave, Nashville, TN 37206

Hillsboro Village

Full outfit post | Also on Instagram

Corner of Capers Ave & 21st Ave South, 37212

8th Ave, Carter's Vintage Guitars

Full outfit post | Also on Instagram

625 8th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

12th South, "Believe" 

Full outfit post | Also on Instagram

2415 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204

Is it rare to have this many awesome photo spots in one city!? Us Nashvillians are so lucky with great public art!

Photos by Zipporah K & Kate Davis Photography

Nashville Spotlight: Masaya & Co

It thrills me to my core that conscious consumerism is becoming a greater part of our shopping options & even more so impressed by the dedication to supporting global artisans & fair trade practices that many businesses in Nashville have made (see all of my blog posts highlighting businesses that promote conscious consumerism).

When founder Aram of Nicaraguan fair trade furniture, Masaya & Co, reached out to me about their new Nashville showroom, I headed over in my car to visit!

The gorgeous showroom is housed in a lovely home along Music Row, here in Nashville. All of their amazing pieces are made by Nicaraguan artisans, using sustainable Nicaraguan trees. In fact, they plant 100 new trees for every piece purchased, to improve their own community & global footprint.

The Masaya & Co piece I most wanted to smuggle into my car? The unique hammock chairs - made by hand, using hand spun threads!

Read on for my interview with founder Aram + an awesome giveaway!

1. How did you get started in woodworking? Do you use traditional Nicaraguan practices, or is your work inspired by the country in any way?

I came to Nicaragua in 2002 as a Small Business Development Volunteer. We started our company to do reforestation on deforested cow pastures in 2007. This same year there was a hurricane in the atlantic coast of Nicaragua that knocked down 1,000,000 acres of forest. We started salvaging lumber and exporting. This grew over the years into production of finished products. I have always been intrigued by furniture making and they wood here is very beautiful. All our production is in Nicaragua so we use the local methods and everything is made by hand the old fashioned way. We like ornate joinery and contrasting wood details as the woods we have here are very colorful and have wonderful grain patterns. 

2. Why Nashville for your showroom? What is it about Music City that was attractive to you & your business?

I grew up in Nashville and my family still lives there. My father is the major investor in the company and he still lives there and oversees the us sales side. Its also a booming market with a lot of construction and a good central location for internet sales. 

3. The idea of "conscious consumerism" is definitely on trend these days, how has that effected the way you make and sell products? How do you stand out from the "trend”?

We don’t just talk green and sustainable, we actually plant trees. We are planting 130,000 trees this year in Nicaragua and will plant 100 trees in 2016 for every item we sell in 2015. The original goal of the company was to create a business that makes money by planting trees. This is still the goal and as we grow our sales in US we want to reforest as much as possible in Nicaragua. I think tying our tree planting directly to our sales will give the consumer a clear picture of the impact they can have. 

4. What is the future of Masaya? What can we look forward to seeing from you next?

We would like to expand sales nationally and increase our planting activities as much as possible. All of this will depend on our sales but responses have been good so far. Our Nashville showroom is a pilot retail outlet that we would like to develop and recreate in other cities once its up and running. We also intend to sell through other retailers and online.

Read more about the Masaya & Co history + mission on their website. 

All Photos | Kate Davis Photo

If you are in Nashville, you have to put visiting their gorgeous showroom on your to do list (see how you can get 10% off your in store purchase)! But don't stress, even if you are not a local, Masaya ships anywhere in the US!

But wait there's more! Masaya & Co is giving away the hand crafted cutting board, salad fork + spoon, & a sauce bowl pictured above. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter, a random winner will be selected next Saturday.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nashville Food Fan: Top 10

It is no secret that Nashville is currently having a moment. In the 6 years I have lived here, the growth has been non-stop & recently it feels exponential! In fact I have a running list of local shops & restaurants that I need to check out, that seems to be growing by the week!

In my time here I have been fortunate to connect with some of the amazingly creatives that call Music City home, people that inspire, collaborate, & remind me to get out & explore our local nooks & crannies. One of these talented individuals is not only my amazing photographer but also the human behind the successful Nashville food/restaurant Instagram account @NashvilleFoodFan. Whenever I am looking for a new place to try, I head to FoodFan first to see what new places she has visited recently.

If you are looking to travel to Nashville soon, or already call it home, below are the top 10 restaurants & what to order from the Nashville restaurant guru herself! When you travel to Nashville, you must plan your days around eating & drinking to fit it all in!

All photos: @NashvilleFoodFan // Find @NashvilleFoodFan on Instagram // Check out Kate's photography site too!

Is your mouth watering yet? But wait, there's more! Below are the @NashvilleFoodFan Runners Up (not pictured in the collage, but still excellent!):

- Chicken Noodle Soup at Thai Esane. If you're under the weather this amazing soup will bring you back to life, no seriously. It's a game changer.

- The tater tot nachos at The Flipside. The perfect group sized hangover cure.

- If you find yourself at a baseball game this summer at the new Sounds stadium you'll want to head straight to The Band Box for all of your food and drink needs. Specifically, the fried chicken sandwich has a surprising Asian flavor. Unexpected for ballpark food and SOO GOOD. Pair it with a whiskey coke slushy and you're hitting a homerun!

- Cinnamon Sugar donuts at The Patterson House. We all know to go there for the best speakeasy style cocktails in town but let me tell you these donuts alone are worth the wait and sometimes I will admit that they make appearances in my dreams :)

Thank you Kate for sharing all your insider tips! Don't forget to tag @NashvilleFoodFan & #NashvilleFoodFan when you try local Nashville restaurants/food trucks/bars as she loves to regram your culinary delights!

Nashville Shopping: Goorin Bros.

When I was an undergrad, I worked for a small boutique in my tiny Arkansas college town. It was my first exposure to most brands that can't be bought at Sears (the department store de jour in my hometown), & I adored getting to put together outfits for the windows, select something special for each customer, & most of all check out all the merchandise for myself when it first came in from the various vendors. The beginning of each month I would put a huge rack of items on "layaway", paying it off with my paycheck. I never made any money per se, but I loved those clothes so much!

One of the brands that has stuck with me all these years later is a hat maker - Goorin Bros. In college I had a straw fedora & a sunhat from them, but I never thought myself to be much of a "hat person". Almost 10 years later, I have now solidly attached myself to hats, almost never leaving the house during the Summer without one. About a year ago was interviewed for someone's blog, & when I hesitated after being asked "what is your favorite accessory", the interviewer laughed because they already knew that my answer was going to be my Panama hat!

I love that hats are making a comeback into mainstream fashion - & not the hats like the Backstreet Boys wore in the early 2000s - nope, I'm talking about stylish, well made, outfit making toppers! So when Goorin Bros. invited me down to their Nashville shop I was ecstatic!

This 120 year old company started in Pennsylvania, but they have since spread to both coasts, with many amazing shops in between! With many landmarks along the way, Goorin has a rich history (read all about it here), that they are now sharing with their renewed focus on reviving the local hat shop traditions. 

All Photos | Kate Davis Photography

As the Panama hat has been my go-to style for the past few years, learning more about its storied past was so interesting! Assistant Shopkeeper Iszy filled me in on all the details about how the "Panama hat" is in truth Ecuadorian, but rose to popularity in the early 1900s due to President Teddy Roosevelt's visit to the new construction on the Panama Canal. Teddy brought the style back home with him, and unfortunately the misnomer stuck. 

Goorin Bros. still sources their fine crafted Panama Hats from Ecuadorian artisans - hand-woven by generations of skilled craftsmen (and women!). It can take anywhere from 2 to 15 days to weave the full hat!

Pretty sure I took the liberty of trying on every hat in the store - especially these rich dark Panama style hats!

Trying on more of a sunhat style - that we decorated up with feathers, pins, and a silk scarf to get that Kentucky Derby look!

Unreasonably obsessed with this leather outback style hat! Would be so amazing for music festivals!

Learning how to jauntily tilt my hat to the side! Turns out, there really are no wrong ways to wear a hat, but I did learn that a properly fitting hat should allow you to reach down & touch your shoes without falling off!

Ding Ding Ding! Folks we have a winner. This pretty baby is coming home with me!

I am so happy that I got to visit the Goorin Bros. store in person, learning more about each hat, its history, & how it is made! The store was a piece of history & I couldn't believe how knowledgeable and friendly the staff were!

If you are looking for a summer hat, be sure to check out the amazing selection at Goorin Bros. (they ring in at all price points!)

And if you are lucky enough to have a Goorin hat shop in your town, please go check it out! This is such a neat trade that should continue in our communities.

The Nashville shop is located downtown, at 107 2nd Ave North (right next to Elvis!)

I received a complimentary hat, but all reviews and opinions are my own! I love checking out local shops & can't wait to share more with you this Summer!

Dinner Lab

I had one very "Nashville" night a couple of weeks ago - arrived at a converted warehouse, enjoyed yummy drinks, tasted amazing food that I had never even thought of before, made friends with strangers, loved every minute of it. I was thrilled to have been invited to try out Dinner Lab & am obsessed with their concept. 

Dinner Lab invites chefs to your town, hosts adventurous dinners in amazing locations, and without any frills or fuss of your traditional stuffy "fine dining".

I loved that the room was filled with interesting locals, most of them around our age, all enjoying such a unique social dining experience.

Looking for something like this? Dinner Lab is now in 30 cities around the US - check out if it is in your town here.

{ What I Wore to Dinner Lab: J.Crew Factory peplum top (shop similar striped styles below) // ASOS pleated maxi skirt (from last year - shop a similar style here) // necklace, earrings, ring ℅ RocksBox* // Clare V. leopard clutch // Old Navy booties }

*I was provided a complimentary subscription to Rocksbox, but am truly hooked! Sign up using my code and get your first month free! "HEREANDNOWXOXO"

(UPDATE: sorry if you tried to use the code & it was incorrect! All fixed now!)

all photos | Kate Davis Photo

Our Nashville Dinner Lab experience featured Chef Brian Jupiter from Frontier Chicago. It was so fun to know that we were trying prototype recipes, giving input to the chef directly.

Follow Dinner Lab online: Instagram // Twitter // Facebook