Hunt + Gather

Born out of a love for design and a passion for a well-collected life, Hunt + Gather focuses on creating curated spaces of any size that truly reflect the style and character of their inhabitants. Exhilarated by the “thrill of the hunt” and inspired by unique or vintage finds, Wesley Stanley’s design philosophy is grounded in thoughtful regard to an individual’s existing personal aesthetic. Whether she’s styling a client’s shelves, revamping an interior, or designing a full scale renovation, Wesley is guided by her belief that a space is far more interesting when the objects within it can tell a story through their collective mix of old and new.

photo by Allison Elefante 

photo by Addie McAbee

SPACE

photo by Allison Elefante 

Sometimes art is the jumping off point that sets the tone for a room, and other times it’s the icing on the cake, coming in to play once the project is nearly complete. Regardless of the order, I like to incorporate a variety of mediums and a mix of original art, both on canvas and behind glass, into a room. Without art on the walls, a house is just a place to sit, to eat, and to sleep. Art is what tells the story of the home’s inhabitants. The layers that art or decorative objects provideare the key to making any house a home.

I also think original art is one of best investments you can make for your home at any age. Unlike upholstery which can wear or even larger scale pieces of furniture that are space-specific, art can travel anywhere, be used in different rooms, or handed down to future generations. I wish my younger self could have heeded my own advice and purchased more original art. Whether small and purchased on the spot because it speaks to you, or large and thoughtfully commissioned to fulfill a specific vision, original art is something you’ll treasure always.

SPACE

photo by Allison Elefante

I love a good “before and after,”so I’d have to say my dream project is one that starts with an older home that needs reinventing and is taken down to the barest of bones and revitalized from the inside out. I recently completed a renovation project that fit this bill and it brought me such joy. It was my client’s first “real” home, the one they’d brought their first child home to, and although they had outgrown the house itself, they loved the house’s charm and the neighborhood. So, with the help of an amazing Nashville architect, we set out to keep the integrity of the house they first fell in love with, but reinvent it to reflect this new chapter of their life with growing children. In addition to creating plenty of additional square footage and reinventing some of the home’s existing spaces, we also enjoyed repurposing some of the client’s furniture and art. I am a big believer in a mix of old and new; just because you create a new home, it doesn’t mean you must start from scratch with regard to its contents. Family heirlooms, as well as art, can feel reinvented with fresh fabric and framing. One of my greatest achievements on this project was welcoming them back into their newly renovated space whose walls felt brand new but whose furnishings felt collected and truly reflective of this family.

photo by Addie McAbee