It seems like Ashley Binkley was destined to become an interior designer. At an early age, she discovered the wonder of color and textiles through shoes, clothing, and ribbons, which set her on her future career path. “I have always loved textiles and details from an early age but little did I know that would be my career path later in life,” says Ashley, who studied interior design at Auburn University. She apprenticed at Marc-Michaels Interior Design in Winter Park, FL, and then under Richard Keith Langham in New York before moving back to Memphis and working under Rhea Crenshaw. Ashley launched York Binkley Interior Design in 2014 and occasionally works with her husband, Les Binkley, a real estate developer. Today, we’re excited to get a little one-on-one time with our newest Interior Designer Crush. Welcome, Ashley Binkley!

Where do you get your inspiration?

I get my inspiration from the hidden beauty found in everyday life and the nuances of how we strive to improve the way we live each day.

How do you determine “the soul of a home?”

I feel the soul of a home lies with its owners and think the soul of a home isn’t as much a physical place as much as it is an outward manifestation of those who dwell in it. So I, of course, draw from the house itself and its unique characteristics but I tend to focus more on the owner’s personality and the lifestyle they live or aspire to live.

The Stratton House entry table and seasonal arrangement provide a welcoming focal point that seamlessly draws you into the surrounding rooms of the boutique B&B in Collierville.

What influences you and how does that get translated into your design?

I’m influenced by all my observations throughout life, whether physical or emotional … observations of true beauty, as well as those in life that are not so beautiful — all of which shape my perspective of design. These observations hone my eye, which reinforces my ability to discern enduring beauty from fleeting fads in design.
I’m also influenced by colors in nature and the local vernacular of the agrarian South.

What has been your most challenging project to date and why?

Ha! That’s easy … any of my husband’s projects. He is my biggest critic but also my best encourager. His eye for design always impresses me.

This cozy library just makes you want to grab a cocktail and have a seat. The layering of textures and centering of chairs and ottoman on the fireplace create warmth and ground the room.

In the same room, the addition of custom-designed millwork opposite the fireplace adds greater depth and subtle richness to the room.

What is your design aesthetic and how do you translate that to a client/homeowner?

I agree with (interior designer) Miles Redd: “Buy the best and you only cry once.”

How does Memphis’s design scene differ from that of the rest of the country?

I don’t feel it differs much. We have many talented designers in Memphis, each with our own unique approach. I always enjoy seeing work from our local design community. It’s inspiring in and of itself.

The clubhouse within the residential community of Schilling Farms shows a fresh approach to a classic design, which sets the tone throughout the entire project.

Mixing in a few modern elements into the design gives this traditional space new life.

Share one design secret with us regular folk.

I’ll share two. One: Buy the best windows you can afford … never skimp on them. Second: Strive for a balanced mix of old and new … layer, layer, layer.

Who have been your industry role models/mentors and why?

Everyone I’ve studied under has influenced me in ways they will never know. I’m certainly grateful to each of them and the positive impact they have made on my career.

It’s important to show a little leg, which offsets skirted furniture and helps keep an appealing rhythm in the room.

Do you have favorite local spots to hit as a resource?

Recently, I have had surprising success late-night rummaging through Sheffield Antiques for an eclectic find or two.

Thanks to Ashley for sharing her insight, tips, and expertise with our readers. And thanks to Julie Wage Ross for her beautiful photos of Ashley’s projects.

Article originally posts on Style BluePrint.

This new Class A office building at Schilling Farms in Collierville offers 25,000 SF of ground floor Class A space. Ideal for insurance agencies, banks, attorneys, or real estate agents.

Call Kathy Pampuro at Boyle at 766-4272 to discuss moving your company to this new office building, where Helena Chemical Company will occupy the second floor.

Schilling Farms Middle School (SFMS) STEM Coordinator and STEM Innovations and Inventions Teacher – Mr. Erik Shoemake – is a recipient of a generous donation from Schilling Farms, LLC, which is a joint venture between Mr. Harry Smith and Boyle Investment Company.

Through Schilling Farm’s generous donation to SFMS’s STEM Program, Mr. Shoemake was able to procure necessary “real life-engineering” tools and equipment for hands-on learning and exploration. Mr. Shoemake used his donation to purchase several 3D-Printers, where he not only uses them for his STEM classes but for his competitive robotics teams as well.

Mr. Harry Smith and Mr. Gary Thompson, Vice President of Boyle Investment Company, had the opportunity to see Schilling Farms’ investment in 3D printers “in-use” while visiting Mr. Shoemake’s STEM and Robotics students at SFMS recently. Some examples printed from the STEM Classes were card holders, mini cones, spheres, and pyramids. Mr. Shoemake’s FTC Robotics Team successfully printed game elements, supportive wheelbases, phone clips and phone holders for use with their competitive robot.

Mr. Shoemake, his students and robotics teams sincerely thank Schilling Farms for making his donation available to them through SFMS’s STEM Program.

The connector between 6305 and 6325 Humphreys Boulevard is now open at Semmes-Murphey, providing added convenience for patients, doctors, and staff.

Leasing has been brisk at Boyle’s new multi-family community in Collierville, The Carrington at Schilling Farms. The grand opening at the corner of Winchester and Schilling Boulevards was held in June with Collierville Mayor Joyner in attendance. The project, which consists of 111 boutique flats and townhomes, is quite small compared to the ordinary suburban project. The market is responding well and all 3-bedroom units have been leased. According to Les Binkley, Vice President of Boyle who oversaw development of the project, “We have created a great public realm with buildings that provide a high level of architectural detail and interior design. We avoided creating a monoculture that is found in so many parts of suburbia where you see sprawling multi-family communities behind gates with buildings endlessly repeated. The Carrington at Schilling Farms counterbalances this type of development and offers unique, refined living typically not found in multi-family communities.” Amenities include an outdoor pool, 24-hour fitness center, a business center, and secure parking. Call Etta Johnson at LEDIC for information about leasing. (901) 854-0111.

Looking for the perfect gift for a baby shower or sip and see? RSVP Baby in Regalia shopping center at Poplar Avenue and Ridgeway has the perfect thing. Since 1994, Memphians have turned to RSVP for the highest quality stationery products and gifts, and now the same is true for baby apparel and accessories at RSVP Baby. You’ll find the same personal service you have come to expect from the staff at RSVP. So stop by today to find one-of-a-kind items for baby!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since Lori James opened at Boyle’s Regalia shopping center in East Memphis at Poplar Avenue and Ridgeway. This upscale contemporary fashion boutique has a wide variety of inventory of the latest in ladies’ fashion including tops, pants, blazers, scarves, and handbags. So stop by and meet Lori the next time you’re at Regalia. You’ll be glad you did.

The popular DeltaCappella performs at Regalia’s Festive Night Out on December 5.

On December 5, Boyle hosted its first ever “Festive Night Out” event at Regalia shopping center at Poplar Avenue and Ridgeway. All of the shops of Regalia stayed open late to accommodate the holiday shopping needs of their clientele and each store and restaurant offered an in-store special sale, drawing, or refreshments. Boyle provided Godiva hot chocolate and cookies from Paradise Cafe. Christmas carols were performed by the popular DeltaCapella, which strolled throughout the center providing festive entertainment for customers in the stores and restaurants. Santa also made an appearance at Regalia handing out candy canes. At the conclusion of the evening, Boyle held a door prize drawing and one lucky winner was the recipient of the $250 gift certificate valid at all stores and restaurants at Regalia. Despite inclement weather, a good time was had by all who attended. Stay posted for future events at Regalia, including a spring event on the patio with live music!

Rusty Bloodworth, EVP of Boyle, was one of the presenters at last week’s MAAR Commercial Council seminar, Mid-South Update: Which Way Are We Growing. Rusty’s presentation was entitled “MAAR Pushes Complete Streets for Memphis.”

View Rusty’s Presentation

Rusty Bloodworth remarks

Greetings from our West Tennessee region which spans across the Mississippi River into Arkansas and southward into northern Mississippi. Middle Tennessee’s initiative to create a statewide regional roundtable has been bearing a lot of fruit in our area. To build regionalism, several of our lead organizations (ULI Memphis, Community Development Council, and Livable Memphis) felt that it was important to choose a common initiative that all of our communities could get behind. We worked with the recently formed Office of Sustainability to pitch a broad-based greenways project to
HUD.

This came on the heels of a wildly successful Rails to Trails project called the Greenline that runs through the heart of our metro area.

Much to our glee, Shelby County has received a $2.6 million HUD Regional Planning Grant to develop the first regional Greenprint and Sustainability Plan. We are about a third of the way through the initial process of identifying a regional network of greenways, blueways, bike paths and open spaces to connect four West Tennessee counties, Crittenden County. Ark. and Desoto County Mississippi into one cohesive and continuous network of trails that will eventually exceed 400 miles in length.

Over 80 partner organizations are involved as well as ten municipalities. An incredible, interactive web-based map has been created, and the project is moving forward at warp speed.

Simultaneously with the Greenprint effort, a grassroots spin-off of the Greenline rails to trails project spawned a regional vision of connecting walking and bike trails from West Tennessee to Arkansas across the Mississippi River using the active but aging Harrahan Bridge that carries rail traffic between the two states.

The heart of the project is an 18 million dollar pedestrian and bicycle boardwalk on the side of the bridge which almost a 100 years ago carried primitive automobiles. Boyle Investment Company, the firm I have been with for more than forty years, is making a major donation to the project.

Other efforts are ongoing to connect this project to the existing and active Greenline that would carry visitors and residents to our world-class green hub, the 4,500 acres Shelby Farms. Shelby Farms lies in the heart of Shelby County and is administered by a public-private Conservancy.

Working with Cumberland Region Tomorrow and the Surdna Foundation, ULI Memphis has also been advancing closer collaboration between the various municipalities in our region. Historically, there has been little positive interaction between the larger municipality of Memphis and the surrounding townships. Further, Memphis is bordered by three states, confounding cooperation. But it is a new day in our region, and a Surdna grant is helping us convene mayors from all three states. An important meeting of Mayors will be held at our new Kroc Center in just nine days, and the meeting is being led by mayors from all three states. We are especially grateful for your Mayor Ken Moore and his willingness to lend a hand at a follow-up meeting in June. We have great hopes for this initiative.

On the regional transportation front, someone has pointed out that the West Tennessee region “has the fastest, most agile and arguably the most connected airport on the globe.” This is partially due to the main FedEx hub being located in Memphis. From 1993 to 2009, Memphis had the largest cargo operations by volume of any airport in the world. Our airport fell into the second position worldwide in 2010, following Hong Kong; it remained the busiest cargo airport in the United States. Plus, the region is served by five Class I railroads, a distinction few other major cities in the nation can boast. Coupled with river and barge traffic, this makes the area around our airport of special significance. Our chamber is leading a drive to revision this critical area as an Aerotroplis – a high-powered, multi-modal logistical center of national significance, and a visioning plan are near completion.

Finally, in collaboration with Cumberland Region Tomorrow, The City of Memphis and with help from the Knoxville region, ULI Memphis, our Community Development Council and Board of Realtors have been pushing forward a Complete Streets agenda to serve all municipalities in our region. I am happy to report that Mayor Wharton signed a Complete Streets policy a month ago, and we are working on the development of a Design Manual with the hope that it can be a model for other municipalities in our region.

Summing up, we are excited about the opportunities for regionalism in our area and congratulate all of you here in Middle Tennessee for all you are accomplishing to move your region forward.

Our very own Berry Farms Town Architect, Historical Concepts, a Georgia-based architecture firm famous for southern vernacular architecture with historical precedent, will be in Franklin on May 3rd to sign copies of their new book, Coming Home: The Southern Vernacular House.

The event will be hosted by Redo Home & Design, on the Franklin Square, on May 3rd from 6 to 9 p.m.

The book signing will take place during the Franklin Art Scene, a monthly “art crawl” event that event that includes tours of more than 30 galleries and working studios throughout downtown Franklin. Redo Home & Design is located at 300 Public Square adjacent to various participating art galleries.

Kevin Clark, from Historical Concepts, will answer attendee questions about how to continue Tennessee architectural traditions, while simultaneously designing and building homes that accommodate the needs of today’s 21st-century homeowners in communities such as Berry Farms. Attendance will be free for the public, and books may be purchased on site to be signed and personalized.

We hope to see you all there!

Rusty Bloodworth of Boyle is a member of the Mid-South Regional Greenprint Consortium. The Greenprint Consortium would like your opinion on developing more Greenways in our region. Please click on the link below and take the survey. Below is more information on the purpose of the regional Greenprint.

Mid-South Greenprint & Sustainability Plan (Survey 1)

In November 2011, Shelby County Government was awarded the HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant in the amount of $2,619,999 for the Mid-South Regional Greenprint & Sustainability Plan. The plan is designed to enhance regional livability and sustainability by establishing a unified vision for a region-wide network of greenspace areas, or Greenprint, which serves to address long-term housing and land use, resource conservation, environmental protection, accessibility, community health and wellness, transportation alternatives, economic development, neighborhood engagement, and social equity in the Greater Memphis Area.

What is a Greenprint?

The regional Greenprint will include parks, greenways, bike trails and walking paths, byways, blueways, conservation lands, natural areas, wildlife management areas, open space areas, community gardens, stormwater management areas, and other similar spaces. The scope of this plan is defined geographically by the boundaries of the Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and West Memphis MPO, including jurisdictions in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

The development of a Regional Greenprint & Sustainability Plan will address the need for initiating long-term comprehensive land use planning in the Greater Memphis Area.

HUD’s Six Livability Principles

The plan and its implementation by collaborating groups throughout the region will focus on alignment with HUD’s six livability principles by:

• Providing more transportation choices through increased greenway, multi-modal, bike and pedestrian routes and greater connectivity within and between communities;
• Promoting equitable, affordable housing by improving environmental conditions and amenities for urban neighborhoods adjoining greenways and open spaces, and planning land use and zoning changes to promote affordable housing;
• Enhancing economic competitiveness by improving quality of life in the Mid-South region thereby attracting/retaining businesses and residents;
• Supporting existing communities by providing new or improved greenway and open space amenities and access to economic or employment opportunities connected to greenways and open spaces;
• Coordinating policies and leveraging investment related to greenways and open spaces across the region; and
• Valuing communities and neighborhoods by enhancing and providing access to greenway and open space amenities and employment opportunities and improving residential property values.

Proposed Outcomes

Over the grant period of three years and beyond, the expected results of the plan include:

• Increased participation and decision-making by traditionally marginalized populations;
• Increase in access to greenways, bikeways and other modes of alternative transportation or fuels throughout the region, including low-income and minority neighborhoods;
• Reduced social and economic disparities for disadvantaged populations in the target region, including a gradual reduction in poverty levels and a measurable increase in essential goods and services within low-income neighborhoods;
• Decreased overall combined housing and transportation costs per household;
• Increased proportion of affordable housing units that have high access to quality fresh foods;
• Increased proportion of affordable housing located close to walking trails, parks and schools; and
• Improved public health outcomes that result from creating safer, more walkable neighborhoods.