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Italian luxury leather brand Peter Nappi has become one of Nashville's premier artisans. Housed in the remodeled boiler room of a former meatpacking warehouse in Germantown, the massive showroom opened in 2011; besides showcasing fine footwear and bags, it offers an entire lifestyle experienceincluding the furnishings to go with it. And those handpicked vintage finds that pepper the showroom, which visitors can touch, feel, and relax in, are also available for purchase.
Owners Phillip and Dana Nappi love anything to do with design and décor. After selling Phillip's companyand all of their possessionsthey moved to Italy to pursue the art of shoemaking. During that journey, they also began collecting European treasures for both their home and the showroom.
'We needed the [showroom] to complement the old-world, European aesthetic of our designs,” says Dana. 'We heard about the Les Puces flea market in Paris and started there.”
Since then, the couple has made several sourcing trips to cultivate a collection that's completely unique to Nashville. Their running joke is that everything from the chandelier to the rugs is for sale. On a wooden stage in one corner of the store sits a pair of tufted leather chairs by famed Swedish designer Arne Norell. Also from Sweden is a commanding 250-year-old banquet tableat $12,000, it's the most expensive item in the store.
In the women's shoes area, it's all about France. An oversize ottoman made from vintage gymnasium leather is one of Phillip's favorite piecesthat and a giant Parisian cathedral mirror and four-foot melting pots, which the couple found during their original trip to the Paris flea market. Across the way in men's shoes, a 1950s Chesterfield sofa from the Netherlands and an 1800s chest make for a comfortable and stylish fitting experience
'We've had a few Chesterfields,” says Phillip. 'But that one is pretty special.”
In addition to furniture, there are also smaller findsbread bowls from France, leather notebooks Phillip discovered this past February in Italy, oil-on-canvas paintings, and framed vintage European sports jerseys. So whether you're there on a mission to find great shoes or simply to experience the space, take note: Your seat might just be for sale, too.
1308 Adams St., 615-248-3310; peternappi.com