Luxe | R. Higgins
Travel The World Through Art And Antiquities In This Tennessee Home
While they ultimately spent 17 years overseas, one worldly couple had already thought far ahead, building a Forest Hills, Tennessee, home they planned to eventually come back to. When their return to Nashville became reality, the pair began formulating ways to reinvent the residence. Designer Roger Higgins emerged as the perfect partner on that journey. Over the course of seven years and even a visit to Asia, he helped his clients distill a distinct design vision. Higgins’ creativity was thus fortified by the rare fortune of time, allowing ideas to gradually evolve and refine. And the uniqueness of that opportunity was much of the appeal for the designer. “For years, my clients were in a glittery high-rise in Hong Kong,” Higgins shares. “They were fortunate enough to travel the world, to see the best of design, and to collect serious art and antiquities along the way. They wanted this Tennessee home to be an expression of those experiences while serving as a gallery for their incredible collections.”
Though the house boasted plentiful living space, the owners still wished to reconfigure portions of it, particularly on the lower level. The couple had already retained architect Steve Durden for an earlier phase of their home’s renovation, and midway into Higgins’ contributions, Durden came on board to reinvent the residence’s ground floor. His revisions produced a wine room, a spacious study and wet bar for the husband, plus a luxurious salon and dressing space for the wife. Just off the kitchen on the main level, the architect also fashioned a porch that features a pyramidal skylight reminiscent of the Louvre, a feature that floods the home with natural light.
