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Ever wanted to peek inside an artist’s home? Here, 5 Chattanooga artists open theirs.

Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Beverly Hayden has spent a lifetime curating the collection of art that spills from every corner of her home. And that, she says, is what makes it an artist's home.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Beverly Hayden has spent a lifetime curating the collection of art that spills from every corner of her home. And that, she says, is what makes it an artist's home. Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Beverly Hayden has spent a lifetime curating the collection of art that spills from every corner of her home. And that, she says, is what makes it an artist's home.

By Dana Shavin 13 min read

What makes a house a home? Well, that depends on whom you ask. So we retooled the question and narrowed the scope:

“What makes your home an artist’s home?” we asked a few local visual artists. “Is it simply the fact that an artist lives there? Is it the decorative, original art that hangs on the walls? Or the functional art you make or collect – ceramic dinnerware; wooden serving pieces; hand-woven rugs; dyed silk clothing – that you press into service day in and day out? Is it the home itself, made artistic by architectural design flourishes or decorating choices?”

And, since we already had their ear, we went ahead and asked them for their best decorating advice. For no matter what you believe elevates a house to a home, it comes down to what’s inside.

Beverly Hayden is a photographer and mixed-media artist who has literally filled her house with art.

“Certainly it’s on the walls,” she says, “but it also hangs over doorways, above the faucets of my bathroom sinks, in the little narrow crevices between doorframes, or between the doorframe and a corner. Five inches of space? I have the perfect piece to go there! I even have an art quilt on a slanted gable ceiling/wall in my library.