It’s built on a simple idea: exceptional design is not coming to Knoxville. It’s already here.
The inaugural Knoxville Design Summit, November 13-14, brings together local designers, architects, builders and other industry professionals with homeowners and other decision-makers actively investing in their spaces. The weekend of curated events, held at RT Lodge in Maryville, is designed to foster connection, education and collaboration.
The summit opens with a welcome cocktail reception Friday evening for panelists, sponsors and guests. The program continues Saturday morning with a networking breakfast, followed by a ticketed panel discussion series for homeowners and buyers conducted by leading members of Knoxville’s design and build trade. A Q&A session follows the afternoon’s panel discussions.
Co-founders of the summit are Natalie Clayman, Natalie Clayman Interior Design (NCID), a Knoxville-based full-service interior design studio known for its refined, layered approach to residential and commercial spaces; and Brittney McIntyre Barb and Courtney Lee Martin, Lee McIntyre Art Advisory (LMAA), building unique art collections by helping clients and designers navigate the process of collecting art. LMAA partners with worldwide institutions, galleries and artists to actively advance the arts through meaningful engagement, conversation and discovery.
Friends, colleagues and creators of this joint design venture, Clayman, Barb and Martin, are excited about the opportunity the summit offers to connect the homeowner community with the creative community of industry professionals who are shaping Knoxville’s built environment.
All three design and art industry professionals are passionate about educating and empowering clients, which is a goal of the summit, while also fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and elevating Knoxville’s creative identity as a design-forward city.
Q. What inspired this event?
Clayman: “One motivating factor for me came from driving past extraordinary estates being built in Knoxville today, the kind you’d see in Belle Meade in Nashville or Buckhead. Knoxville has amazing designers, architects and builders, but people aren’t really aware of the elite-level talent and resources we have here. They assume they must go to a bigger market to find the expertise we have in our professional community.”
Barb: “I’ve known Natalie for five years, as friends and collaborators on several personal projects of mine. I’ve moved several times in our market, and Natalie has been that go-to design person for me. We trust each other completely and, through working together, developed this concept. Courtney and I agreed it would be a great partnership and fit and would complement both our businesses.”
Martin: “The three of us are very like-minded, and the relationship Brittney and Natalie have built provides an incredible foundation for the summit. We immediately saw an opportunity to create the kind of meaningful engagement and exchange that is so important to Knoxville’s arts and design community.
The Knoxville Design Summit is designed to give people an insider’s perspective on the design talent and resources available in Knoxville. Brittney brings a uniquely valuable perspective—she works within the industry, but she has also experienced firsthand what it means to assemble a team and navigate a major renovation as a homeowner.”
Q. How else can homeowners benefit?
Martin: “When you are talking about elite or high-end design services, whether it’s landscaping or building a home, or filling that home with artwork, it can all feel very intimidating. But connecting with people who know their craft so well provides education and helps clients understand how very approachable it all can be.”
Barb: “So many Knoxville neighborhoods are older now, even in West Knoxville. Homeowners want to put their own stamp on their individual spaces, so it speaks to who they are. The summit can bridge the gap if they aren’t sure how to start, and educate them so they’re aware of resources at their fingertips. We’ll cover how all the vendors link together–when does one start and the next follow. Panel discussions will help clients feel confident about a project they perhaps didn’t feel was possible unless they hired someone really expensive from out of our market.”
Clayman: “There are so many layers of talent in each professional trade. With builders, there are so many customer-facing positions. They’re all gifted in highly specialized areas of expertise. The summit will be an educational forum for clients and homeowners to learn how to put together and work with a customized team.”
Q. What is the focus of the panel?
Martin: “The panel will address the impact and long-term value of thoughtful design decisions, the design process and how to engage the right project team and get an overview of what to expect when working with a design professional and building or renovating in the Knoxville market, from permitting to craftsman resources.”
Barb: “We’ve put together a well-balanced panel from some of the leading firms in our professional community, acknowledged for their expertise, experience and standards of excellence. The networking opportunity for our audience to hear from these experts and have a transparent Q&A session is a natural outgrowth of building relationships with clients, getting to know them, learning how they want to express themselves and understanding what they want to get out of a project.
Clayman: “By creating a direct connection between professionals and clients, the panel discussions and networking opportunities will empower homeowners to engage local firms with confidence. Raising the awareness of the caliber of talent in the market strengthens Knoxville’s design community as a whole, and affords the opportunity for greater continuity and collaboration and better projects.”
Q. What are creative and economic goals?
Barb: “For industry professionals, the return on investment will be cultivating new clients who might never have known about their level of services and offer long-term project opportunities. We are intentionally keeping the debut summit small and very intimate with the right clientele in the room—people who may be seeking, but not be aware of the high-end creativity we have right here, rather than assuming they need to go to Nashville or Atlanta.”
Martin: “We want the summit to pull back the curtain and illuminate all of the layers that go into creating a beautiful space—from architecture and designed interiors, to art, craftsmanship and the people behind it all. Ultimately, we hope attendees leave inspired, informed and empowered to approach their own projects with a greater understanding of the possibilities and the process.”
Clayman: “We are positioning the Knoxville Design Summit as an event that brings awareness to people who are new to the community, as well as those who have lived here longer, who are looking for the upscale services we offer as a professional community. We’re all on the same team, and we want to see Knoxville be the best it can be, to grow, develop and build beautiful projects.”
Knoxville Design Summit Panelists: Natalie Clayman, Natalie Clayman Interior Design (NCID); Samantha Feuer, Norris Studio; Colton Thomas, F.E. Trainer Construction; Johnny Rhodes, Schmid & Rhodes; Rob Purvis, Purvis Builders; Sarah Martin, Open Door Architecture.
Knoxville Design Summit Corporate Sponsor: HomeChoice / Sierra Pacific Windows.
For information on the program, tickets and a full list of sponsors: Instagram.com/KnoxvilleDesignSummit
“Raising awareness of the caliber of talent in the market strengthens Knoxville’s design community, affording greater continuity, collaboration and better projects.”—Natalie Clayman.