“The pantry is amazing,” Rhodes gushes. “Organizing a pantry is an art and it’s been a huge part of Clea’s business.” To give the pantry the visual heft it deserved, Rhodes centered the space, which includes both drawers and glass-fronted cabinets, around a marble archway with open shelving for decanted dry goods. “I can’t even explain how many pantries I’ve been in. Thousands,” Shearer says. Some of those spaces, including those of her celebrity clients, are “huge, beautiful, state-of-the-art, gorgeous spaces.” Her personal directive? “I wanted a pantry that you could have a cotillion in,” she laughs.
The primary closet, where Shearer’s shoes and handbags are displayed in a nod to the Home Edit’s trademark color-coordinated system, required the same attention to detail as the pantry. But for Rhodes, the primary bedroom was the surprise star. It features the vibe of a luxury European hotel, with a calming monochromatic color palette, custom upholstered headboard, and midcentury-modern lacquered chests for nightstands. “It’s so special, and now she can relax in there,” the designer says of the suite. Creating a restful retreat was important, as Shearer’s breast cancer diagnosis coincided with construction on the house. “I was picking out plumbing fixtures with a scarf on my head,” Shearer recalls. Thankfully, her cancer is in remission. “This house doesn’t have the sickness that the other house had, and I can have a new chapter here.”
As the family settles in, the home has become a hub for gathering. The kids have free reign over the media room—complete with a double set of bunk beds and a candy bar—as well as a game room with a billiards table. Meanwhile, the adults take over the ground floor—where the dining room, formal living room, and kitchen are located. For Shearer, the process has not only been about building a dream home, but rather about crafting a space where new memories are made. As she embraces this next chapter, surrounded by loved ones in a home that truly feels like her own, Shearer’s Nashville sanctuary is a wellspring of possibility and renewal.
