The Historic Midtown Setting: A Penthouse with Bones but No Atmosphere
Central Gardens is one of Memphis’s most iconic historic neighborhoods—celebrated for its mature tree canopy, dogwood-lined avenues, and stately historic architecture. Perched atop a Midtown building, this penthouse enjoyed rare assets: generous ceiling height, classic built-in bookcases, a plaster-and-brick fireplace, and broad sweeping vistas across the treetops to the downtown skyline.
Yet when the homeowner first reached out, the penthouse lacked soul and warmth.
Stark, builder-white drywall bounced echoes through the living room. The built-in bookshelves sat hollow and bare. The passage from the front entry directly into the living salon felt abrupt, stark, and acoustically harsh. And outside, a private rooftop terrace sat exposed—raw concrete pavers and utilitarian black iron railings that felt more like an unfinished catwalk than a penthouse sanctuary.
The client didn’t need an expensive contractor crew to knock down walls. They needed atmospheric warmth, acoustic comfort, scale-matched art, and thoughtful hands-on curation.
The Transformation Strategy: High/Low Soul, Acoustic Portières & Layered Lighting
To honor the historic Midtown architecture while giving the homeowner an intimate, modern sanctuary, we developed a four-pillar transformation plan:
1. Acoustic Buffering with Heavy Architectural Silk: Tall ceilings and polished hardwood floors meant footsteps and voices echoed. We introduced ceiling-height chocolate brown silk portière drapes with traditional bullion rope tassel tiebacks in the threshold archways. This classic architectural device softened the acoustics immediately while establishing a dramatic sense of arrival.
2. Bespoke Fabric Canvases Tailored to the Room's Scale: Rather than sourcing small, disconnected catalog prints, Stevan designed, printed on waterfast textile, and hand-stretched custom scale-matched fabric canvases—most notably the focal red-crested herons canvas anchoring the primary bedroom.
3. Curated Salon Built-Ins & Fireside Art: We curated the built-in shelves with art monographs, vintage pottery, and layered ambient lamps. Over the hearth and across the salon, Stevan anchored the room with a plush gray Chesterfield-style diamond-tufted sectional beneath his original Tina Turner art print on fabric, flanked by a pair of leather-wrapped brass wall torchères and a vintage 1988 Scalamandré leopard stool with bullion rope fringe.
4. Elevating the Rooftop Terrace into an Outdoor Living Room: The bare concrete balcony was transformed into an elevated garden retreat. We laid an all-weather Greek key runner, added privacy railing panels, potted sculptural Southern ferns, and suspended a weather-treated landscape canvas against the exterior brick.
Room-by-Room Evidence
Before · Stark Drywall
After · Daylight Reveal1. Living Salon: Daylight Reveal & Tina Turner Fabric Art Print
Vast empty white walls and polished parquet floors previously bounced echoes through the space. Stevan anchored the primary salon with a plush gray Chesterfield-style diamond-tufted sectional centered beneath his original large-scale Tina Turner art print on fabric. Flanked by Karl Lagerfeld fashion portraits in gallery frames, a pair of leather-wrapped brass wall torchères, an emerald green leather wingback armchair with nailhead trim, a vintage 1988 Scalamandré leopard stool with bullion rope fringe, and a gold geometric glass cocktail table, natural daylight pours in through the sliding doors to create a warm, layered sanctuary.
Before · Empty Hearth
After · Fireside Salon2. Fireside Salon & Classical Hearth Curation
Empty built-in alcoves and a stark white chimney breast previously felt cold and unfinished. Stevan balanced the hearth by mounting an antique oil painting in an ornate gilded frame above the white mantel, pairing it with an intricate scrolled iron fire screen, a green marble urn lamp, and floor-to-ceiling gold silk drapery pooling softly onto the parquet floors. Built-in shelves were curated with art monographs, pottery, and low-glare accent lighting.
Before · Bare Drywall
After · Bedroom Sanctuary3. Primary Bedroom Sanctuary & Red-Crested Herons Fabric Wall Art
Stark drywall and cold acoustics made the bedroom feel drafty and cavernous. Above the upholstered headboard, Stevan installed his original oversized fabric art canvas of red-crested herons against soft atmospheric earth tones. Paired with a tailored black duvet printed with soaring white swallows, a whimsical harlequin figurine lamp with fringed shade, twin sage green swivel club chairs, and a Greek key area rug over parquet wood floors, the room became a boutique hotel retreat.
Before · Bare Concrete
After · Terrace Oasis4. Skyline Balcony Terrace: Outdoor Lounge & Railing Art Panels
A barren concrete terrace with industrial green railings was reimagined as a lush open-air penthouse living room. Stevan laid an all-weather navy and white Greek key runner across the concrete deck, layered comfortable grey woven wicker modular lounge seating, a hammered silver cocktail table, custom weather-treated fabric art panels mounted to the perimeter railing, cascading Boston ferns, and a classical maiden statue on a vintage plant stand overlooking the Midtown tree canopy.
Before · Raw Walkway
After · Bistro Garden5. Skyline Balcony Terrace: Covered Walkway & Bistro Garden
The reverse angle of the terrace walkway previously ended in utilitarian concrete and stark exterior stucco. Stevan activated the covered corridor into an intimate morning garden, placing white bistro armchairs cushioned in vibrant flame-stitch chevron upholstery around a round marble-topped cast-iron bistro table, grounded by a carved stone pedestal planter with cascading Boston ferns and a potted tropical monstera.
Revival Reveal · Foyer Portières6. Formal Entrance Foyer & Chocolate Silk Portières
A harsh, direct transition from the entry hall directly into the living salon previously offered zero acoustic or visual buffer. Stevan hung ceiling-height chocolate brown silk portière drapes with heavy bullion rope fringe and massive braided tassels, anchored by custom bronze tieback hardware. An antique marble-topped cream buffet cabinet, twin sage candlestick lamps on stacked books, and a gilded heraldic crest mirror establish an immediate sense of quiet arrival.
Revival Reveal · Music Foyer7. Music Foyer & Vintage Upright Piano Vignette
Transforming an awkward transition zone into an acoustic and visual jewel, Stevan positioned a vintage upright piano featuring a carved filigree music stand, flanked by twin mercury glass spherical lamps with gold silk drum shades. An ornate gilded rococo crest mirror reflects the living room, while hanging acoustic instruments (banjo and mandolin) and curio display cabinets bring personal musical history into the architecture.
Revival Photo Album: Central Gardens Penthouse
Explore the complete 13-photograph collection: authentic high-resolution captures of custom fabric wall art, curated salon lighting, acoustic silk portières, and elevated terrace living.
1. Daylight Living Salon: Tina Turner Fabric Art Print & Chesterfield Sectional
Natural daylight flooding the main salon, highlighting Stevan's original Tina Turner art print on fabric, plush gray Chesterfield-style diamond-tufted sectional, pair of leather-wrapped brass wall torchères, Karl Lagerfeld portraits, emerald green leather wingback armchair, vintage 1988 Scalamandré leopard stool with bullion rope fringe, and gold geometric coffee table.
2. Skyline Balcony Terrace Lounge & Suspended Canvas Art
Looking out across the Central Gardens tree canopy toward downtown Memphis: Greek key runner, grey wicker lounge seating with neutral cushions, hammered silver pedestal table, red-and-white graphic railing panel, tropical wall mural, and cascading Boston ferns.
3. Terrace Bistro Garden & Cascading Ferns
Reverse balcony view showing white bistro armchairs with vibrant flame-stitch chevron cushions, round marble-topped cast-iron bistro table, carved stone planter with lush Boston fern, and potted tropical monstera.
4. Railing Mural & Historic Midtown Overlook
Weather-treated landscape canvas mounted directly to the balcony railing, framing the sweeping green lawn, historic columned red-brick mansion, and Central Gardens dogwood canopy below.
5. Twilight Sunset Horizon & Bass Pro Pyramid
Sunset vista from the penthouse terrace capturing the orange, pink, and indigo twilight glow over the downtown Memphis skyline and Bass Pro Pyramid.
6. Primary Bedroom Sanctuary: Red-Crested Herons Fabric Mural
Stevan's original large-scale waterfast fabric art canvas of red-crested herons mounted above the headboard, styled with a black duvet printed with soaring white swallows, harlequin figurine bedside lamp with fringe shade, sage green swivel club chairs, and a Greek key rug on parquet floors.
7. Formal Foyer Portières & Bullion Rope Tassels
Ceiling-height chocolate brown silk draperies trimmed in heavy bullion rope fringe with massive braided tassels, custom bronze tiebacks, marble-topped cream buffet, and an antique gilded rococo crest mirror.
8. Fireside Salon & Classical Gilded Framing
Antique oil painting in an ornate gilded frame mounted over the white mantel, scrolled iron fire screen, green marble urn lamp, vintage 1988 Scalamandré leopard stool with bullion rope fringe, gold velvet armchair, and pooling gold silk drapes.
9. Evening Fireside Salon & Pop Iconography
Intimate evening lighting highlighting Stevan's original Tina Turner art print on fabric, a pair of leather-wrapped brass wall torchères, Karl Lagerfeld portraits, cut crystal decanters, and vintage art monographs (KILL CITY, DISCO) on the brass cocktail table.
10. Music Foyer & Vintage Upright Piano
Vintage upright piano with filigree music stand, twin mercury glass spherical lamps with gold drum shades, gilded rococo mirror, emerald leather wingback armchair, black leather ottoman, and curio cabinets.
11. Acoustic Soul: Hanging Banjo & Mandolin
Close-up vignette of the vintage piano, carved music rack, mercury glass spherical lamps, framed oil paintings, and acoustic banjo and mandolin mounted on the wall by the doorway.
12. Twilight Salon Glow & Cobalt Terrace Accent
Evening living room ambiance framed by sliding glass doors glowing with cobalt blue terrace night lighting, creating an atmospheric indoor-outdoor contrast.
13. Full-Depth Evening Salon & Glowing Hearth
Panoramic evening view showing the full depth of the penthouse salon: glowing hearth, sleeping cat curled by the coffee table, writing desk vignette, tallboy chest, and downtown night lights through the balcony doors.
The Outcome: Historic Character Meets Modern Soul
The Central Gardens Penthouse proves that transformation doesn't require tearing down walls or spending six figures on structural renovation. By focusing on scale, acoustic comfort, bespoke fabric art, and deliberate curation, we took a stark top-floor space and gave it warmth, texture, and lasting dignity.