Paige Hill and Dawn Looney, this year’s Co-Chairs of the 35th Annual Antique and Garden show, have been attending the Antique and Garden show since they first moved to Nashville. Considering this is like the grand finale of everything Antique and Garden, they flourished in spending this time connecting with vendors and serving in various volunteering roles throughout the years.
Honored by their extraordinary lineup this year, so much passion love and hard work have gone into weaving together some incredible people and industries to marry the 35th annual Antique and Garden show. With Bunny Williams and Elizabeth Lawrence as their Honorary Co-Chairs, Hill and Looney are elated to bring you some of the most notable influencers around the world. From Sheryl Crow to our very own, April Tomlin and Willow Crossley you are in for an absolute treat.
In this three day event with over 150 vendors from around the country, some of which have been a vendor at the Antique and Garden show for 35 years, you will find talent, from gardening, art and beyond.
Hill and Looney have thoroughly enjoyed working diligently behind the scenes and truly seeing how brilliantly talented, creative and visionary the creative teams bring together this incredible event. “From the vendors to the gardeners to the host of volunteers, the show would not happen without each of them.” Says, Hill and Looney.
“In honor of our 35th Anniversary, we will have a few fun surprises to see! It is our hope that people leave the show having felt welcomed, inspired and enchanted.” – Hill & Looney
Key Note Speakers:
Brooke Shields
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31: 11 A.M.
Actress, model, author, and entrepreneur Brooke Shields began her accomplished professional career at only 11 months as the Ivory Snow Baby. She was a runway model by age three and has since graced the covers of hundreds of magazines and was recently honored as one of Glamour’s Women of the Year for 2023. At age nine, Brooke began her extensive and critically acclaimed acting career spanning film, TV and theater. Brooke is the bestselling author of numerous adult and children’s books, hosted her podcast,“Now What? With Brooke Shields,” and recently unveiled her latest entrepreneurial project, Commence, a digital platform that inspires women over 40 to live their best lives. Brooke’s next book, “Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed To Get Old,” will be released in January 2025. Brooke was also recently elected president of the Actors’ Equity Association. In addition to her professional career, Brooke continues to be a strong advocate for women’s issues and keeping the arts alive in schools. She is a happily married mother of two strong and intelligent daughters.
David Flint Wood
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31: 11 A.M.
Born and raised in London, where his two childhood distinctions were getting the worst exam results in his school’s history (which was founded in 1509) and winning the final of the Schoolboy Eights at Henley Royal Regatta, David Flint Wood’s path to interior design was a winding one, including various occupations ranging from Christmas present wrapping and hamper sales to smoked salmon slicing and restaurant food delivery. David’s big break came in New York working for a tiny advertising agency – a job he sadly lost due to a sailing trip he neglected to mention to his boss. Back in England, he reentered advertising and in 1994 won the Marketing Society Ad Campaign of The Year. He left the next year to run an eight-room hotel, bar and restaurant in the Bahamas and in 1996 started a family with India Hicks. The couple continued to purchase and renovate homes and hotels that caught the attention of international design magazines. Notably, David’s decoration of the New York home of Brooke Shields was on the cover of Architectural Digest. David and India married after being together 25 years and have five children. Since then, David has also launched a premium rum brand called Idle Assembly.
Keynote Moderator
India Hicks
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31: 11 A.M.
Humanitarian, designer and author India Hicks was born in London to David Hicks, famed interior decorator, and Lady Pamela Hicks, the daughter of the last Viceroy of India. Throughout India’s bold and multifaceted life, she’s authored four design books, been an on-air personality for major networks and had her hand in the design world for over two decades. India lives on a small island in the Bahamas where she raised her five children and works on the fringes of fashion and the frontlines of disaster relief. She is a patron for The King’s Trust, raising awareness and funding to help young women who face disadvantage and adversity transform their lives, and works for Global Empowerment Mission, a disaster relief agency most significantly traveling into Ukraine every couple of months in her role as an executive board member.
Sheryl Crow
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31: 2 P.M.
Songwriter. Activist. Rock star. Woman. Champion. Mother. Nine-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow is many things. But at the core, she remains a creative spirit channeling her talents into music that lifts people up, brings them together, and speaks to the truths on the horizon. The documentary film based on Sheryl’s life and career, “Sheryl,” premiered to critical acclaim at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival, and in 2023, the Missouri-born guitarist and vocalist was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Sheryl is also known for her passionate support of worthy charities, including The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Feeding America, ADOPT A CLASSROOM, Elton John AIDSFoundation and MusiCares, among others.
Designing Music City:
Lauren Akins
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31: 2 P.M.
Lauren Akins is a devoted mother, wife and philanthropist who lives in Nashville with her husband, country superstar Thomas Rhett, and their four girls, Willa Gray, Ada James, Lennon Love and Lillie Carolina. Her memoir, “LIVE IN LOVE: Growing Together Through Life’s Changes,” (Ballantine Books) became an instant New York Times bestseller, which led to her breakout podcast, “Live in Love With Lauren Akins,” now in its third season with 1 million downloads. Lauren has been a passionate supporter and active volunteer for years and is enthusiastically continuing to support children in Uganda through her efforts with Love One International.
April Tomlin
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31: 2 P.M.
The essence of an April Tomlin Interiors home encompasses her welcoming, laid back, and creative way of living, and her passion for recreating this feeling in every home she touches has attracted a roster of A-list clientele over her 14 years in the design industry. She aims to enhance both people’s homes and their lives through her distinctive use of clean and simple palettes, organic materials, sourced antiques, mixed patterns and textures, and artistic, natural plays on design. She and her team are redefining Southern style, and their work has been featured in publications such as Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, and The Wall Street Journal
Floral Lecture:
Shane Connolly
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1: 11 A.M.
Shane Connolly is a renowned floral designer and ambassador for sustainable floristry. His clients range from major public institutions to a veritable who’s who of the great and good of British life. Though he is perhaps known best for his public work for the British royal family. Shane approaches his work with respect for nature, season and setting and always with the same aim: to leave the smallest footprint behind and be led by what is local and available. He has written five books and teaches his approach to flower design all over the world with roots and ethos firmly in sustainability.
Willow Crossley
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1: 11 A.M.
Often dubbed the U.K.’s ‘Queen of Flowers,’ Willow Crossley is a florist, author, designer, stylist, entrepreneur and influencer. She is best known for her innate floristry skills and knowledge of botanicals, and her eponymous brand now spans global events for brands and private clients in phenomenal spaces in Britain, Europe and America. Willow lives in the Cotswolds in the English countryside with her husband, Charlie, and their three boys, where she is hugely passionate and curious about sharing the uplifting power of nature, living life well, and inspiring her highly engaged audience to create and nurture themselves through nature.
Floral Lecture
Margot Shaw
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1: 11 A.M.
Margot Shaw is the founder and editor-in-chief of FLOWER Magazine. Now in its 17th year, the magazine has grown to include features on homes, gardens, entertaining and lifestyle. Margot is a sought-after speaker at antique and garden shows, museums, botanical gardens, interior design centers and more. She is the author of the newly released book, “Living Floral: Entertaining and Decorating with Flowers.”
Design Lecture
Rita Konig
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1: 2 P.M.
Rita Konig has worked as an interior designer and design journalist for over 20 years in both the U.K. and the U.S. Known for her fresh, traditional style with a crisp and relaxedair, she is regularly included in Architectural Digest’s annual AD 100 and ELLEDECOR’s prestigious A-List. In 2024, Rita received the Condé Nast House & GardenDesigner of the Year Award.
Veere Grenney
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1: 2 P.M.
Veere Grenney is widely considered one of the most important interior designers of his generation. In 2024, he was inducted into theAD 100 2024 Hall of Fame, as well as declared an ELLE DECOR A-List Titan.
Dara Caponigro
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1: 2 P.M.
Dara Caponigro is the chief creative officer of FS&CO, where she also serves as Schumacher’s creative director and FREDERIC magazine editor-in-chief. Dara is known for her ability to develop and invigorate brands, her discerning eye, and her uncanny skill for knowing her audience.