TL;DR
House Beautiful published a guide to five U.S. destinations that designers recommend for design-focused shopping and inspiration: Portland, Atlanta, Santa Fe, New Orleans and Nashville. The recommendations reflect designers’ personal experiences and preferences; the report does not rank the cities or compare their visitor numbers.
House Beautiful has published a guide to five U.S. design destinations recommended by interior designers for their antiques, art, architecture and distinctive local character. The list names Portland, Maine; Atlanta; Santa Fe; New Orleans; and Nashville, offering travelers alternatives to better-known design-shopping stops and ideas for sourcing pieces with a stronger sense of place.
The recommendations come from designers quoted in the House Beautiful report, not from a comparative ranking or a survey of travelers. Each city is associated with a different set of design interests: Portland with maritime memorabilia and folk art; Atlanta with vintage and antiques; Santa Fe with Native American pieces, textiles, pottery and art; New Orleans with historic architecture, antiques and contemporary art; and Nashville with neighborhood-specific shops and galleries.
In Atlanta, designer Laura Jenkins points readers toward Westside Modern for mid-century pieces, Scott Antique Market for browsing, and Peachtree Battle Antiques for items selected by Jenkins and her team. She describes Atlanta as a place that can be overlooked by visitors seeking vintage and antiques despite its broader reputation as a design hub.
Other recommendations include designer Jennifer Hunter’s Portland focus on early American maritime material and folk art, and Los Angeles designer Jessica Alpert’s interest in Santa Fe’s mix of vintage, textiles, pottery and art. For New Orleans, Sarah Stacey emphasizes both architecture and shopping, while Jenkins describes sourcing across Nashville, Leiper’s Fork and Franklin.
Design Finds Beyond Major Hubs
The guide is useful to travelers who want their shopping and sightseeing to connect with a city’s local character. Rather than naming one dominant style, it presents five distinct sourcing trips: coastal and folk-art references in Portland, mid-century and antique hunting in Atlanta, handmade and regionally rooted work in Santa Fe, layered interiors and historic buildings in New Orleans, and a spread of galleries and shops around Nashville.
For designers and homeowners, the suggestions also point to ways of finding pieces that can make a room feel collected rather than assembled from widely available trends. That is a matter of the designers’ stated taste, not a guarantee that visitors will find a particular object or price. The report offers starting points, while availability, opening hours and inventory can change.
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Five Cities, Different Design Traditions
The report frames the destinations through interviews with working interior designers, pairing broad city-level impressions with specific shopping stops. Its focus is not a general travel ranking: it explains what each designer seeks in a particular place and, in several cases, gives readers names of shops or neighborhoods to explore.
In New Orleans, Stacey draws attention to the French Quarter’s townhouses and courtyards, the Garden District’s mansions and Bywater’s colorful houses, alongside antique furniture and contemporary art. One suggested shop, Fireside Antiques, is in Baton Rouge rather than New Orleans, making it a separate day-trip option. In the Nashville area, Jenkins distinguishes between Leiper’s Fork, Nashville proper and historic Franklin, each with different stops, including Copper Fox Gallery, Schumacher Design Shop, Eneby Home, Gallery 2o2 and White’s Mercantile.
The source identifies Santa Fe as a place for pieces connected to Native American traditions, but does not name specific businesses or provide guidance on provenance. Visitors interested in Indigenous art should seek clear information about makers, origin and ethical sourcing rather than assume every item has the same history.
““I think it is often underrated in terms of people traveling here for vintage and antiques.””
— Laura Jenkins, interior designer
Native American Art from the Thomas W. Weisel Family Collection
- Condition: New Store Stock
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What the Guide Does Not Establish
The article is a set of expert recommendations, not an independently verified ranking. It does not provide a methodology for calling the destinations “under-the-radar,” visitor data, comparative prices or evidence that the listed shops are less known than alternatives. The supplied material also gives no publication date, so the recommendations cannot be dated more precisely here.
Store inventories, business hours and appointment requirements may change; the source specifically says Eneby Home is by appointment only but does not provide booking details. It is also not clear whether each named business remains open or carries the same kinds of items described. Readers should check directly before planning a trip, particularly for out-of-town stops and galleries.
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Check Shops Before Traveling
House Beautiful’s guide offers a starting itinerary rather than a fixed schedule. Travelers can use the city and neighborhood recommendations to plan, then confirm current hours, appointments, locations and inventory with individual businesses before visiting. Those seeking specific antiques or art may also want to ask shops about provenance, condition, shipping and return policies.
The supplied report does not announce a follow-up ranking or additional destinations. Any further development would depend on updated guidance from the publication or the businesses and designers featured.
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Key Questions
Which five U.S. destinations are in the guide?
House Beautiful names Portland, Maine; Atlanta, Georgia; Santa Fe, New Mexico; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Nashville, Tennessee.
What kinds of design finds are associated with each city?
The designers point to maritime memorabilia and folk art in Portland; vintage and antiques in Atlanta; textiles, pottery and art in Santa Fe; antiques, architecture and contemporary art in New Orleans; and galleries and shops across the Nashville area.
Which Atlanta shops does Laura Jenkins recommend?
Jenkins recommends Westside Modern for mid-century pieces, Scott Antique Market for browsing, and Peachtree Battle Antiques for finds selected by her team.
Is Fireside Antiques in New Orleans?
No. The report says Fireside Antiques is in Baton Rouge and describes it as a possible day trip from New Orleans.
Should travelers confirm details before visiting?
Yes. Shop hours, inventory and appointment rules can change. The report says Eneby Home is by appointment only; visitors should check directly with businesses before making plans.
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