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House Beautiful has published a guide to five U.S. destinations designers recommend for design-focused shopping and inspiration: Portland, Atlanta, Santa Fe, New Orleans and Nashville. The article draws on designers’ opinions and suggested places to visit; it does not rank the cities or provide comparative travel or sales data.
House Beautiful has published a guide to five U.S. design destinations that designers say deserve more attention from travelers looking for antiques, art, textiles and distinctive interiors. The report features Portland, Maine; Atlanta; Santa Fe; New Orleans; and Nashville, with recommendations from four designers; it is a curated set of suggestions, not a ranking or an independently measured assessment of each city’s design scene.
In Portland, Maine, designer Jennifer Hunter points to early American maritime memorabilia and folk art. The recommendation draws on the city’s coastal culture and its appeal to visitors interested in objects connected with local history and nature. The source does not name specific shops for Portland, so readers will need to research current dealers and opening hours before planning a visit.
Atlanta is the destination Laura Jenkins of Laura W. Jenkins Interiors recommends for vintage and antiques. She suggests Westside Modern for mid-century pieces, Scott Antique Market for browsing, and Peachtree Battle Antiques for a selection she says includes finds chosen by her team. For Santa Fe, Los Angeles-based designer Jessica Alpert highlights vintage, textiles, pottery, art and Native American pieces, describing the appeal as handmade and distinctive. Her comments reflect a designer’s perspective rather than a catalog of verified inventory.
Designer Sarah Stacey says New Orleans merits attention for its architecture, boutique hotels, antiques and contemporary art, including areas such as the French Quarter, Garden District and Bywater. Her suggested stops include Consign Consign and Ferrara Showman Gallery; she also recommends Fireside Antiques, which the report notes is in Baton Rouge, a separate city. Jenkins identifies three sourcing areas around Nashville: Leiper’s Fork, Nashville proper and historic Franklin. Her cited stops include Copper Fox Gallery, Schumacher Design Shop, appointment-only Eneby Home, Gallery 2o2 and White’s Mercantile.
Design Finds Beyond Major Hubs
The guide gives design-minded travelers a practical starting point beyond the best-known shopping centers and destination districts. Its recommendations span different kinds of sourcing: maritime objects and folk art in Portland, mid-century furniture and antiques in Atlanta, and art, pottery and textiles in Santa Fe. New Orleans combines architecture with shopping, while the Nashville-area itinerary crosses several communities with distinct retail offerings.
That range matters to readers who plan trips around more than one category of interest. The article links suggested shopping stops with the character of each place, rather than presenting the cities as interchangeable retail destinations. Still, the descriptions of what makes a city special are designers’ judgments. The report supplies no visitor figures, price comparisons, market data or evidence that these destinations are less visited than other U.S. design centers.
The recommendations may also help travelers organize a trip around specific goals: locating vintage furniture, seeing regional art, or experiencing architecture and interiors. Readers should treat the list as inspiration rather than a complete directory. Inventory, business hours and access can change, and some suggestions require planning, including Eneby Home, which is by appointment.
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How Designers Chose Each Stop
The House Beautiful report is built around comments from four design professionals: Jennifer Hunter, Laura Jenkins, Jessica Alpert and Sarah Stacey. They discuss places they favor for sourcing or visual inspiration, and in several cases identify individual shops or galleries. The article presents recommendations, not a formal survey of designers or a scored comparison of destinations.
Its five locations offer different kinds of design context. Portland’s maritime history and coastal setting inform Hunter’s interest in memorabilia and folk art. Jenkins frames Atlanta as an antiques and vintage destination, while Alpert emphasizes Santa Fe’s mix of art, textiles, pottery and Native American pieces. Stacey broadens the New Orleans recommendation to include architecture and hotels alongside shopping. Jenkins’s Nashville-area suggestions extend into Leiper’s Fork and Franklin, not only the city itself.
The supplied report does not state its publication date, and it gives no information about how the five places were selected beyond the designers’ recommendations. Readers should check current details directly with businesses, especially for appointment-only access and for stops outside the city they are visiting.
“Atlanta may be known as a design hub (we have ADAC after all), but I think it is often underrated in terms of people traveling here for vintage and antiques.”
— Laura Jenkins, principal of Laura W. Jenkins Interiors, as quoted by House Beautiful
What the Guide Does Not Measure
The source does not provide a publication date, a ranking methodology or evidence showing that these destinations are objectively “under the radar.” That description is the framing of the guide, not a conclusion supported by visitor statistics or other comparative data. The report also does not compare prices, the scale of each city’s design market, or the availability of goods.
Recommendations and inventory can change. The article does not confirm current opening hours, stock, appointment policies beyond noting that Eneby Home is by appointment, or whether every named business still offers the items described. It also does not provide details about the provenance of specific objects. In particular, readers interested in Native American art or cultural items should ask sellers about attribution, origin and documentation rather than assuming those details from the general description.
Check Shops Before You Travel
The report names places to investigate but does not announce a follow-up event or future milestone. Travelers can use the list to build a route, then confirm business hours, appointments and current inventory directly with shops and galleries before setting out. This is especially relevant for Eneby Home, which the article says is open by appointment, and Fireside Antiques, which is in Baton Rouge rather than New Orleans.
For a more focused trip, readers can match the destination to what they hope to see: Portland for maritime memorabilia and folk art; Atlanta for vintage and antiques; Santa Fe for art, textiles and pottery; New Orleans for architecture and layered interiors; or the Nashville area for a mix of galleries, antiques and eclectic shops. The source offers no guarantee that any specific item will be available, so checking with businesses remains the next practical step.
Key Questions
Which five U.S. design destinations are featured?
The guide names Portland, Maine; Atlanta, Georgia; Santa Fe, New Mexico; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Nashville, Tennessee, including nearby communities in its Nashville recommendations.
Who made the recommendations?
House Beautiful attributes suggestions to designers Jennifer Hunter, Laura Jenkins, Jessica Alpert and Sarah Stacey. The article presents their professional opinions rather than survey findings.
Which destination is recommended for vintage and antiques?
Laura Jenkins recommends Atlanta for vintage and antiques, naming Westside Modern, Scott Antique Market and Peachtree Battle Antiques.
Does the article rank the five cities?
No. It offers a curated list of designer-recommended destinations and does not rank them or provide comparative data on visitor numbers, prices or inventory.
Are all the recommended shops in the cities named?
No. The article says Fireside Antiques is in Baton Rouge, although Stacey considers it worth a day trip from New Orleans. Jenkins’s Nashville-area suggestions also include Leiper’s Fork and Franklin.
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