Darion Barnhart
The Funny Library at Virgin Hotels Nashville.
Everything about the newly opened Virgin Hotel at the top of Music Row shouts whimsy and fun, from the bar that spills into the lobby area to the pet-friendly rooms.
Funny Library Coffee Shop, though, might be our favorite perch in the place. Set near the lobby, the small, quirky space is connected to a coffee shop—and it’s just the spot to sit, chill, and explore the fun and funky styling by interior designer Hannah Crowell.
Although she mainly focuses on residential design, Crowell was intrigued when the team from the Virgin reached out. She originally signed on to design the soon-to-open speakeasy, The Late Great (she also contributed the name), but soon, the team was asking for her to come on as a style director, and got her input on other elements, including the staff uniforms and main public spaces, as well as styling and adding art to Funny Library Coffee Shop.
Darion Barnhart
Hannah Crowell
“I think as everything began to take more shape, they realized they wanted something that was maybe a little quirkier and something that was just a little bit more Nashville,” Crowell says.
Just as Crowell was diving in, the pandemic put everyone into quarantine—so Crowell immediately turned to online sources like Chairish and Etsy, going down endless rabbit holes in search of the knickknacks, books, and paraphernalia that would line the shelves. It started, she says, with a Grand Ole Opry Barbie doll.
“It just started to come together in a very haphazard way. So I was focused on finding really weird things and just went out on a quest.”
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Darion Barnhart
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Along the way she came across several pieces by artist Jonathan Adler, a Hank Williams bobble-head doll, old Russian military hats, and more. The books, all focused on music, represent a range of diverse styles and voices.
“I wanted to be super intentional, to represent all genres of music. I probably spent [most of my] time on making sure that the library itself was inclusive and diverse,” she says.
As the collection grew, a guest room in her own house became the storage space.
“You could only crawl through it to find everything,” she laughs.
The final result is an eclectic mix of eye-candy, coupled with a high caliber book selection. It’s comforting and lounge-y, but also made for appreciators and seekers. If you sit there long enough, you’ll watch as other visitors stop, stare, and wander through to get a closer look.
“If you have the time to get lost,” Crowell adds, “you’re going to find so many great little treasures.”
Virgin Hotel, 1 Music Square W., 615-667-8000; virginhotels.com/nashville