Story by Lee Rennick
Photos by Erin Kosko and Lee Rennick
Natalie Burt has designed her home with a focus on hospitality. She loves to create inviting spaces that create a feeling, in this case, elegant yet comfortable. She is influenced by Chip and Joanna Gaines, and Shay McGee of McGee and Co out of Salt Lake City, Utah.
“What resonates with me about both groups is that they have not only the gift of design, but the gift of hospitality, too,” said Natalie. “They are not just designing a room. You can see different ways they can make someone feel special. They can cook a meal and design a space. That is a gift”
The Gaines are, of course, best known for their Fixer Upper television series and their Magnolia brand. McGee and Co began as Studio McGee, an interior design firm, that has since grown into a multi-disciplinary design house creating furnishings and it is an interior design content hub.
While the Gaines and McGees inspire Natalie’s design style, she did all the interior design herself with the help of her sister, who owns Emily G. Designs.
Emily lives in Chattanooga and specializes in interior design, home décor and staging. She also does Christmas decorating, in Chattanooga, Murfreesboro, Nashville and the surrounding areas. That business is growing. And the two sisters worked as a team to decorate the Burt’s residence for Christmas again this year, always adding new things.
“My sister realized early in life she had a gift of interior design and decorating.” explained Natalie. “We both share this gift. I do all the interior design for our real estate. We completed the Greatness Factory in downtown Nashville, where our business is based, about a year ago. The fabric on the chairs, all the finishings were hand selected by me. It’s been a long project, but it is finally done, and that is where our coaching business is based now.”
The Burt’s Business
She is speaking of the business coaching done by her husband, Micheal Burt. He began his career as a high school girls basketball coach at Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro, becoming the youngest head coach in the state in 1999 at the age of 22. He left that behind at the height of his career to pursue his interest in human development. He is now known as Coach Burt, an international speaker, bestselling author and founder of The Greatness Factory.
The Greatness Factory is a three-level complex in downtown Nashville offering co-working spaces, private offices, a theater and other team meeting spaces.
As Forbes Magazine describes him, “Coach Micheal Burt is considered ‘America’s Coach,’ a unique blend of a former championship basketball coach combined with a deep methodology of inner-engineering people to produce at a higher level in the business world.”
Natalie is also a powerhouse. She is an author, business leader and has collaborated with her husband on projects such as the "Living with a Monster" Couples Retreat. It is based on a book she wrote about how to thrive in partnership when you’re married to a driven person. Natalie is also the founder of The Greatness Society - a faith driven community for women.
“Designing the Greatness Factory,” explained Natalie, “when you walk in I want you to feel energetic and creative. A totally different vibe from our home. There is music, the colors are more vibrant, but with this, this is my home, so I wanted it to be comfortable and calming.”
She is also responsible for all the food and hospitality for their business. Not just the design. In addition to their Nashville location, they also own a lodge in Christiana for business functions and event rentals.
“We have a 50-person training room, and we still do a lot of training there. It is a completely different feel from The Greatness Factory in Nashville,” she said. “Our clients will go out for a boot camp, and I’ll cook and serve lunch. It’s totally different from going to a conference in a hotel ballroom.”
Natalie was in sales before the Burts got married. Micheal asked her what her gifts and talents were before they began their life together. She had no idea, but he helped her discover them.
“I knew immediately after he asked me some questions that it was hospitality,” she noted. “I had collected serving trays and catered my own birthday parties for years. I just loved making other people feel special, even if it was on my birthday. After identifying my strengths, we went down the path of how we could incorporate my gifts and talents into the business. And so, I do all the design, the real estate and the hospitality. I set the tone for how we want the guests to feel, and what we want them to learn. We design the day around that.”
Natalie’s Style
She calls her home style traditional with lots of glam, but she wants everything to be nurturing for her family. She uses the interplay of textures and shading while employing a neutral pallet with warm, brownish tones and gray that has been dominating design in recent years.
“You can mix grays, browns and creams, all forms of neutrals, which I have done, but you have to go warm versus your cold tones,” added Natalie.
She starts with the end in mind and then builds backwards. Her home is imbued with a sense of welcome and warmth. She wants all who enter to feel cared for and well taken care of. Especially during the holiday season.
Jennifer at JD’s All About Home is a go to for Natalie. The desk, chairs and cabinets in her office, the dining chairs and all her living room furniture, including couches, chairs and accessories came from her store. She has also purchased most of her holiday wreaths, swags and florals from JD’s.
“Jennifer is excellent at creating custom pieces," enthused Natalie.
Other local businesses where Natalie has found inspirations include The Marketplace and The Back Door. When she was looking for a specific piece, she was in The Marketplace and described what she wanted to owner Melanie Davenport.
“Melanie took me to The Back Door and she had the perfect table for my entry.” said Natalie.
Kid’s Rooms and Guest Suite Upstairs
Each of their three children have their own unique personalities, and when designing their bedrooms, Natalie kept their individual personalities in mind.
Emmaline Rose, her three-year old, has a cheerful room full of flowers. Using pinks and energetic grays, Natalie has created a fun and warm space that is cheerful and bubbly. It matches Emmaline Rose’s funny and outgoing personality. The creamy rug is bordered with roses and other flowers with a matching runner on the window seat. On the wall above her bed is her name surrounded by floral cutouts.
The Burt’s five-year-old son, Eli, has a room featuring a barn wood wall. It was created by Tommy Miller of M & M’s Renovations.
“Tommy and Melissa have done a lot of amazing projects for us over the years,” noted Natalie.
Their oldest is Ella Grace, who is 13. She has a special feature wall behind her bed, and the room highlights shades of blue. It is perfect for a young teenager, offering lots of space to grow with her.
During the holidays, each room has its own Christmas tree that has been decorated to match the colors and the theme of the room.
Customizing the House to Their Needs
Having redone or customized most of the house to their tastes and needs, the last room on the list is the bonus room upstairs, which includes a kitchenette and a bathroom.
They moved into the place in 2016, and immediately added the pool, the pavers, Micheal’s office and the outdoor living spaces. All that was in their backyard when the home was completed was the patio, then there was a drop off. Kevin Sparks did the work for them on these additions. Their homebuilder was Southern Lifestyles.
During a 2022 remodel, they opted to create more of a blend between the inside and the outside of their home, opening up the space.
“We remodeled the kitchen, living area and added two sets of large glass accordion doors to the back patio. It can completely open the walls to the outside,” said Natalie. “We spend a lot of time out there, especially in the summer.”
When they remodeled the downstairs, Melissa Miller came in and repainted the house for them. Tommy Miller changed light fixtures and added several custom details.
“We upgraded things upstairs while the remodel was going on downstairs, like taking out the shower in Emmaline’s room and replacing it with a tub,” Natalie added.
As they were remodeling the kitchen area downstairs, they had to replace some hardwood and add in the same color and style. But the hardwood was no longer being manufactured. They couldn’t find a match anywhere, so Natalie called Andrew Young at City Tile. He was able to find the wood they needed from a source in China.
Natalie recently finished remodeling Micheal’s office and bathroom. She color drenched in Urban Gray and had Miller create the accent wall. Because the office is all windows and opens to the backyard living space, Natalie knew the space could handle the darker, saturated color. Here, she added a touch of mid-century modern furnishings.
“We will probably always stay here. It will grow well with our kids. They each have their own bathroom in their bedrooms. We have a guest suite. With our outdoor living area, there is a trampoline in the ground, and a rock waterfall and slide into the pool. It is a place that our kids will always be able to come back to, bring their spouses when they are older and their kids as well.”
Entertaining Is What Makes Natalie Happy
“My favorite is when my whole family comes together here for Christmas,” explained Natalie. “We usually spend a full day together, sometimes two. I’ll do all the food. That’s when I pull out my cloth napkins and my candles because I want them to feel special.”
Her favorite thing to serve her family is filet. She doesn’t cook it outside on the grill but makes it in a cast iron skillet inside with all the lovely smells of searing meat blending with the pine, subtle Christmas music playing in the background.
“I always get my filets from Tennessee Craft Butcher,” she went on to say. “I sear them in cast iron and finish them in the oven.”
Cooking can be learned, but a lot of it is hereditary, she feels. It is instinct. It is a gift, and she loves to use her gift to bake, too. Pies and cookies for her kids.
While she loves to cook from scratch, her biggest tip for the holidays is that not everything needs to be homemade to make someone feel special.
“It’s about deciding how you can give the same effect without exhausting yourself,” Natalie said. “Having people in your home and around your table is personal. We need more of that kind of connection. It is about creating an atmosphere where each guest experiences intentional hospitality.”