Story by Lee Rennick
Photos by Erin Kosko and Lee Rennick
Sisters Terra Jackson and Tabatha Shea live in two very different styles of home, but their backyards sit back to back. And their families are as close as their backyards.
Terra’s style is a sleek and minimalist study in black and white. Tabitha’s has lots of repurposed wood and Western country charm, complete with two horses and a mule who wander the property looking for a loving ear scratch.
Jackson’s Modern Minimalist
“We previously lived across the street from each other for 14 years before moving to our current homes,” explained Terra. “We were the first house in the neighborhood. Our girls were three and six when we moved there in 2006.”
The couple bought the lot across the street planning to build a speck house, because her husband owns Jackson Construction. Then they ended up liking it. They moved into their new home in 2020, just as their daughter Shelby was graduating from high school and Savannah was a junior in college. The new house was modern not traditional, and it offered much more natural light.
“As we were getting older,” said Shelby, now married to Jacob Reed and working with her mother, “we were moving out of the traditional ways we used the house…We were graduating and ready for the next step.”
Being in the building industry, Terra’s husband, Jeff, found an architectural plan and the couple “tweaked it” to make it fit their family and their lifestyle. It also gave their daughters an opportunity to create bedrooms of their own design.
Terra’s Design and Decor
Kristen Finney of Finney Interiors helped with some touches. Terra knows her from her own business, Savvy Shel Designs, a custom window treatment business.
“I can be pretty stubborn. There are things I like in my home that make it feel like mine, so I always gave Kristen push back,” Terra noted with a laugh. “Like my grandbabies’ art. It might not be esthetically perfect to a designer, but it is to me. I never wanted our house to feel like a showcase or a museum, I wanted it to be esthetically pleasing, but very functional because we live in our house. We entertain. We like to have spaces where conversations can just flow. Where everyone feels comfortable, not like they can’t touch anything. Relaxed.”
Terra’s design inspiration often comes from her customers. Going into the amazing homes of those for whom she designs and creates unique window treatments, she sees lots of new ideas and concepts from all over the country.
“You know when something feels like you,” commented Terra.
Much of the furniture came from Sara Sells. The couple could take the furniture with them from Sara Sells. Since they were building during the pandemic in 2020, they rented a warehouse to put it in. Purchasing items they needed as they could, any time they saw something they wanted, they grabbed it because of the shortages and breaks in the supply chain on furnishings and other household goods during that time.
Four Hands, out of Austin, Texas, was another source of furnishings. They are known as “the biggest furniture brand you have never heard of” because they work directly with interior designers and large furniture brands. Terra also got furniture from FMO and Refresh Home in Franklin.
There are a few heirloom pieces handed down from family scattered about the space. In Savannah’s former bedroom are two heirloom tables that once belonged to Terra’s grandmother. In the main bedroom there is an armoire that once belonged to Reba Jackson, Jeff’s grandmother. And there is a massive gold mirror in the foyer that is more than 100 years old that has been in his family for years, belonging to Jeff’s great aunt. Jeff’s family has a long history in Rutherford County.
“I have always cherished things like that because you can’t make something old,” said Terra. “It has its own story. And here it gets to live another life. I love the new, the clean, but I feel incorporating both gives what matters to me, which is family. Bringing a little bit of the past into the future.”
“The décor has come from all over,” added Shelby. “It is a very curated home. Not every piece is from the same place. We just go into a variety of home decor stores, like Snooty Fox in Brentwood, and over the years it has allowed the home to grow with bringing in new accessories. And that is an important part of making a home and making it your own -- not just going to one place and buying everything, but growing with the home and how you use it.”
Artist Mother’s Creations Fill the Walls
Terra’s mother, Patty Lamb, is an extremely talented artist. Any time she can get her mother to make a piece verses buying one, she will do it. In fact, Terra’s living room is built around a piece of her mother’s art – a black and white side view of a woman throwing back her luxurious mane of hair.
“It is by far my favorite piece,” said Terra.
“A lot of times we’ll get inspiration for an art piece we want from a magazine or home we have been in and then she’ll take it and make it her own,” Shelby noted.
Home as Showroom for Window Treatments
All the drapes and window treatments were made by Terra’s company. Since her home is her showroom, she wanted to have a variety of different things to show her customers, displaying what she can create for their homes. For example, in her bedroom there are seven windows and a slider. Having to close those down every night by hand would be tedious, so all the window covers are motorized. All of the shades are room darkening, and they are layered with drapes to add warmth to the space.
“In my living room, I have added some warmth with drapes that the light filters through, because we get the sunsets, which are amazing, but that also means that the sun will be blazing in on the sofa on a Summer evening,” Terra explained.
Jeff’s Office and Mancave Contain Family History and His Collections
Upstairs is Jeff’s office, he showcases photos, letters and memorabilia documenting his family’s history. His love of cars comes naturally, as his family once owned Jackson Brothers Chevrolet, which was founded in 1926. A pioneering business once located on Broad Street, it is the inspiration behind the name Jackson Brothers Contractors, which is owned by their daughter, Savannah Jackson Hartline. She is married to Jonah Hartline.
History of his maternal grandfather, Leslie Smith, hangs over a storage cabinet. Smith was on the USS Lexington during the Battle of the Coral Sea on May 8, 1942. More than 2,700 crewmen were forced to abandon ship after a deadly attack by Japanese bombers during World War II. He survived and received honors for his valor.
Downstairs is Jeff’s “Man Cave,” and his collection of Corvettes sit in the garage. He also has other collections, of the smaller variety, in his man cave. These collections include sports memorabilia, a guitar formerly owned by Ozzy Ozborn, and a fiddle that once belonged to Charlie Daniels. Terra’ sister, Tabatha, and her Mom used to team rope with Charlie in rodeos, and Tabatha still loves horses.
Tabatha’s Home Reflects Her Love of Wood and Horses
Tabatha Shea is a maker, a designer and a real estate agent. She and her husband Mike built their house 11 years ago with plenty of room for a barn and space for their two horses and donkey to roam. It was built by brother-in-law Jeff Jackson. Kristin Adcock of NHC interior design helped her pick out colors.
“I guess I would call my house style farmhouse chic with the horses and everything,” said Tabatha. “I do a lot of woodworking and make a lot of things for the house.”
Upon entering the home, the first piece of furniture seen was made by Tabatha. It is the black accent table placed against the white and bare wood staircase. She gave it a natural edge, then paired it with a textured woven basket vase on the top, and a vintage metal storage container with a lid and wood handles tucked underneath. This table display reflects her blend of woods and textures found throughout the home.
Point of fact, Tabatha doesn’t just like to do woodworking, she LOVES it. Just as she loves her horses. The barn was built first and then the fence so they could have 16-year-old Spotted Saddle Horse Rooster, 26-year old Tennessee Walker Gray and donkey Percy close by during construction of the rest of the house, and she put her wood shop out in the barn.
“For my 50th birthday Mike got me a wood lathe instead of jewelry,” laughed Tabatha, “but I love it!”
Antique doors used to enter the pantry were found in a store that was once on the Square in Murfreesboro. The store carried an eclectic group of things, including vintage and antique furniture, and home goods. The doors came out of the old Todd house. Chad Haynes of Haynes Lumber let her use their mill room to sand the doors down, after which she put new knobs on them, and painted polyurethane over the top.
One unique piece she didn’t make is a fish sculpture created from driftwood hanging on the wall near the entry that was found by Tabatha’s husband. It came from Nadeau’s in Nashville. Another nod to her love for rough wood.
“The wood floors were non-negotiable,” Tabatha emphasized. “I didn’t care how much I had to pay for them, I was getting these floors. They are reclaimed barn wood that came from all over the United States made into flooring by Eagle Reclaimed Lumber. The guys laying the floors did not like me because I told them they were laying them wrong. They told me that they were laying them correctly, that there was only one way. I had to say ‘un-uh, it is not right,’ and I had to bring the person who sold them to me out so she could to tell them I was right about how to lay them.”
Choosing Colors and Lighting
All of the walls are painted alabaster as a contrast to the dark wood, and to reflect the natural light coming in through the many windows, as Tabatha, like her sister, loves natural light. Also painted alabaster are the walls, doors and even the cabinets in the kitchen.
“I need bright, bright light.”
Rough-hewn iron light fixtures throughout the house, which came from Team Electric, add warmth, style and shape to every room while bringing a sense of flow.
“I just painted my office a deep olive green at Terra’s suggestion,” shared Tabatha. “I love it. It adds a color splash.”
All of the distinctive art in her office, and most of the art in her home, was painted by their mother. The most recent addition was painted in September. Tabatha and Mike left on Sunday to go to Colorado Springs, when they got back on Saturday, she had it done.
“Thank goodness she is retired because we all keep her busy painting stuff for us,” added Tabatha.
Tabatha’s Creative Talent Comes from Her Mother
Patty is not only a great artist, but she also knows how to sew. She taught Tabatha how to sew when she was a little girl.
“I have a whole upstairs craft room,” said Tabatha. “I have six different machines up there that all do different things. And I make jewelry. Being a big fan of Mahjong, I make a lot of Mahjong jewelry for people. And I knit. And I have a monograming business.”
“She makes just about everything,” exclaimed Shelby. “She can make something out of anything. If you brought her a plastic bag, she could make it look like something.”
Tabatha gets lots of natural inspiration, however, she might also see something someone else has made on Instagram or Pinterest, then she will add her own flair to make it look different.
Once her son’s bedroom and sitting room, Tabatha has turned the space into a massive craft workshop with shelves filled with tons of patterned fabric, multiple colors and thicknesses of yarn and items she is making for a holiday market she sponsors every December. Taking place at her home, they remove all of the furniture in her kitchen, office and living room and fill it will goods made by her and a select group of other crafters. From 10:00 until 2:00 p.m. each year the market is “boom, boom, boom busy.”
“I make padded bags for computers, storage baskets from yarn and a lot of different things,” she notes. “My company is called The Glitter Donkey, after Percy.”
Opening Her Home to Others
This is the gathering place for family and friends. Terra and Shelby both note that Tabatha is an amazing hostess and cook, making the best desserts.
“She’s that girl,” said her sister. “Her door is always open and she will feed you. She’ll drop everything for you if you have an art or craft. Kids will show up and want a Halloween costume and she’ll go whip one up in 30 minutes. She’s just the best.”
“This is such a warm and inviting home,” added Shelby. “It reflects the warm and inviting people that live here. When my husband and I talk about our dream house, this home will be part of the discussion.”
“We are home bodies,” said Tabatha. “We love to be comfortable. And we like to let people feel like our home is their home.”
When Mike’s mother showed signs of dementia, they built what is now the pool house as a home for her with a full bedroom, sitting room and bathroom. Tabatha was her caregiver for three years, until her death.
Hanging over the fireplace in the pool house is a memento of one of the trips on which Tabatha took her two daughters-in-law – a large barracuda.
“Every Christmas I take my daughters-in-law on a trip somewhere as their Christmas present,” Tabatha shared. “We go the following January, February or March. This particular time we went to Fort Lauderdale. We were at breakfast and were like, ‘what do you want to do today?’ ‘I don’t know.’ Then Megan said, ‘I’d like to go deep sea fishing.’ So, we found a captain and a boat and took off. Caroline hooked that barracuda. She reeled, I reeled and we finally got it in. That thing was four inches shy of the record that they caught out there!”
The entire family is close. Their two sons, Connor and Brennan, work with their father in wealth management at Baird Financial. Daughter-in-law Carolyn works with Tabatha in real estate. And they all enjoy spending time with Megan and Connor’s daughters Blakley who is nine and Charlie Bell who is seven.
Tabatha and Mike are known to invite Terra and Jeff, their daughters, sons-in-law and grandkids Harlow and Cove, as well as their own sons and their families for pizza and pickle ball on the weekends.