With a penchant for all things personal and artistic, the Nudds have made a home that is a true reflection of their love of family, entertaining, and meaningful life moments. Garrett and Joy Nudd moved back to the Chattanooga area in 2007 and have since been growing not only their family, but their photography business, lifestyle blog, party supply shop, and inspiring, eclectic home.
By Candice Graham | Photography by Med Dement
One of the most vibrant rooms in the home is the purple dining room with white wainscoting (see previous page). “Joy told me she wanted to paint the dining room bright purple, and I said ‘OK, as long as we cover it with lots of pictures,’” Garrett says, laughing. And that’s just what they did. The next few weeks were spent scouring antique stores for frames and painting them a bright crisp white. The end result is a gallery of over 40 photos of their family and those closest to them, with a few reflective mirrors in the mix. “It’s a happy room and something that is extremely personal,” says Joy. The walls contain pictures of their daughters Graycen and Campbell as babies, pictures of the family on vacation, candid pictures of their daughters jumping on their beds, and even pictures of the family’s 13-year-old golden retriever (their “first child”) as a puppy.
Joy and Garrett Nudd with their two daughters,
Campbell (age 5) and Graycen (age 9)
“Even just walking through the room, you catch a picture of your daughter when she was an infant and you’re on the way to take her to school,” says Garrett. “It’s a reminder of just how fleeting the moments really are.”
Beyond the dining room, the open kitchen and keeping area serve as the main hub of entertainment and parties. Birthday parties for their daughters, small group for bible study, and a book exchange with friends are all hosted in the Nudds’ home. Creating a warm environment for guests was a major must when planning furniture and decor.
The large island is used for meal prep when cooking, and also serves as a dessert table and serving buffet to accommodate larger parties. As a storage space for Joy’s party planning, the inside of the island is filled with festive products such as sparkler candles, cupcake stands, velvet ribbon, and twine.
A small table with woven wooden chairs serves as the family’s day-to-day eating area, and in the center of the table Joy burns a candle during each meal. “When the candle ends, it’s sort of a reminder of how much we eat there as a family. It’s a little thing to measure how much quality time we’re having with the girls because they’re growing so fast,” Garrett says.
While the table and barstool area accommodate the family of four, a larger table option is used for bigger gatherings. When entertaining groups, the Nudds run two 8-foot tables end to end through their keeping area and kitchen, creating a 16-foot table that can comfortably accommodate all of their guests.
The Nudds’ family room is broken up into two sections, making it charming and cozy. In one section is the family’s reading nook, which features rows of bookshelves that house books they’ve collected throughout the years. “When we travel we try to go to local bookstores and support them. It’s sentimental when we see a book and remember where we got it,” says Joy. Before bed, the family frequently spends time together in the reading nook. “It starts out as a promise to read one book,” Garrett says.
“Then it turns in to two books, three books, four, five, six, and on and on.” Near the reading nook is an antique wooden piano that Garrett and their oldest daughter Graycen play as another bedtime tradition. “Graycen plays the violin too, so she’ll play that and he’ll play the piano and the reading nook is a great seating area for that as well,” Joy says.
The second section of the family room features a brown tufted couch with a smooth curvature. Above the living room hangs a rustic iron orb chandelier which fits with other natural elements in the home.
As a photographer, Garrett’s photos from their European travels hang on walls throughout the common area. A three-piece photo of Paris and the Eiffel Tower hangs in the living room, a cityscape of Milan hangs above the stairway, and a photo of Lake Como in Italy hangs above the piano. Black and white, the photographs are on masonite float mounts so that they hang with dimension on the wall.
A door in their living room leads to their screened-in back porch, which is also used for gatherings and parties. “We eat out there, and play games, and stay out there and talk when friends are over and the kids are in bed,” Joy says. The back yard is used for hosting parties as well, and a running creek nearby provides a tranquil sound after rainstorms.
The Nudds are looking forward to the future having added a third daughter, Spencer, a few weeks ago, and while they’re not sure what the future holds, they’re positive their home will always be a unique and personal space for their family to live and love.
