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House Beautiful published a guide to five U.S. destinations that designers recommend for sourcing distinctive home decor: Portland, Atlanta, Santa Fe, New Orleans and the Nashville area. The article draws on designers’ recommendations, not a ranking or a survey, and spotlights local antiques, art, architecture and regional craft.
House Beautiful has highlighted five U.S. destinations that designers say merit attention from travelers interested in home design: Portland, Maine; Atlanta; Santa Fe; New Orleans; and the Nashville area. The guide points readers toward each place’s antiques, art, regional craft or architecture, presenting the selections as designers’ recommendations rather than a ranked list or independently measured trend.
The recommendations cover a range of design interests. In Portland, designer Jennifer Hunter points to early American maritime memorabilia and folk art, drawing on the city’s coastal setting and connection to nature. Atlanta, according to Laura Jenkins of Laura W. Jenkins Interiors, is often overlooked as a destination for vintage and antiques despite its established design scene. She recommends Westside Modern for mid-century pieces, Scott Antique Market for browsing, and Peachtree Battle Antiques for finds selected by her team.
Designer Jessica Alpert, founder of a Los Angeles-based firm, describes Santa Fe as a place to find vintage objects, textiles, pottery and art, including pieces tied to Native American traditions. Her description emphasizes handmade and distinctive items. In New Orleans, designer Sarah Stacey recommends looking beyond restaurants and music to the city’s architecture, boutique hotels, antique furniture, contemporary art and colorful interiors. Her suggested stops include Consign Consign and Ferrara Showman Gallery; she also recommends Fireside Antiques in Baton Rouge as a day trip.
Jenkins’s picks in and around Nashville span multiple communities. She recommends Copper Fox Gallery in Leiper’s Fork for artwork, Schumacher Design Shop and appointment-only Eneby Home in Nashville, and Gallery 2o2 and White’s Mercantile in historic Franklin. The guide frames the area as several distinct sourcing stops rather than a single shopping district.
What Designers Find Beyond the Usual Hubs
The guide offers readers a practical alternative to planning design-focused trips around the best-known retail centers: it identifies specific places and types of finds that local or visiting designers value. That can help travelers match a destination to a particular interest, whether it is maritime memorabilia in Portland, mid-century furniture in Atlanta, or regional art and textiles in Santa Fe.
Its value is also in showing that design travel can involve more than shopping. Stacey’s New Orleans recommendations include architecture and boutique hotels, while the Nashville suggestions cover several towns and distinct retail settings. These perspectives may help visitors build an itinerary around local character and sourcing, though the article does not compare prices, inventory or access across destinations.
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Five Cities, Different Design Strengths
The source is a House Beautiful guide based on designer interviews and recommendations. It does not report a new opening, policy change or formal ranking; its development is the publication of an editorial list. The designers identify places they personally value or suggest visiting, so the recommendations reflect professional experience and individual taste rather than a representative survey of designers or travelers.
The destinations also differ in scale. Portland, Atlanta, Santa Fe and New Orleans are presented as city visits, while the Nashville section includes nearby Leiper’s Fork and Franklin. Some suggested businesses have specific visit details: Eneby Home is appointment-only, and Fireside Antiques is in Baton Rouge, not New Orleans. Those distinctions matter when planning a trip, particularly for visitors working with limited time.
““Atlanta may be known as a design hub (we have ADAC after all), but I think it is often underrated in terms of people traveling here for vintage and antiques.””
— Laura Jenkins, founder of Laura W. Jenkins Interiors, quoted by House Beautiful
What the Guide Does Not Establish
The article does not say that these are the five best or most popular design destinations in the country, nor does it provide a ranking methodology, visitor figures or a survey of designers. Its claims about what is overlooked or distinctive are attributed opinions. The source material also gives no publication date, current store hours, inventory details, prices or confirmation that every business remains open and accessible.
Visitors should check individual businesses before traveling. In particular, Eneby Home requires an appointment, while Fireside Antiques is in Baton Rouge and would require travel outside New Orleans. The guide does not specify whether any recommended shop has changed its policies or offerings since the article was published.
Check Shops Before You Travel
The next step for readers is to use the guide as a starting point, then confirm hours, appointments, location and current stock directly with the shops and galleries they plan to visit. Those details can change and are not supplied in the source material.
For a trip built around sourcing, travelers can also narrow the list by interest: maritime objects and folk art in Portland, antiques in Atlanta, regional art and textiles in Santa Fe, architecture and layered interiors in New Orleans, or a multi-stop itinerary around Nashville, Leiper’s Fork and Franklin. The source reports no follow-up event or further announcement.
Key Questions
Which five destinations does the guide recommend?
House Beautiful names Portland, Maine; Atlanta; Santa Fe; New Orleans; and the Nashville area, based on recommendations from designers quoted in the article.
What can design-focused visitors look for in Atlanta?
Designer Laura Jenkins recommends Atlanta for vintage and antiques, including mid-century pieces at Westside Modern and browsing at Scott Antique Market. She also points to Peachtree Battle Antiques.
Are all the Nashville recommendations within Nashville?
No. The guide includes stops in Leiper’s Fork and Franklin, as well as Nashville proper. It describes them as distinct places with different sourcing options.
What should travelers confirm before visiting a recommended shop?
Check current hours, appointment requirements, location and inventory directly with the business. The guide says Eneby Home is appointment-only and places Fireside Antiques in Baton Rouge, outside New Orleans.
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