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House Beautiful has highlighted Portland, Atlanta, Santa Fe, New Orleans and the Nashville area as U.S. design destinations that may draw less attention from traveling shoppers than their design offerings merit. The recommendations come from designers describing local antiques, art, architecture and sourcing stops; the report does not rank the cities or compare visitor numbers.
House Beautiful has spotlighted five U.S. destinations that designers recommend for sourcing distinctive home furnishings and exploring design: Portland, Maine; Atlanta; Santa Fe; New Orleans; and the Nashville area. The report presents designers’ personal recommendations, pointing readers toward local antiques, art, textiles and architecture rather than claiming the cities are objectively overlooked or ranking them against other markets.
In Portland, Maine, designer Jennifer Hunter recommends looking for early American maritime memorabilia and folk art. The city’s coastal identity informs the sourcing appeal, while its nature-oriented surroundings provide another avenue for shoppers interested in locally resonant objects. The report does not identify particular Portland shops.
Atlanta is familiar as a design hub, but Laura Jenkins of Laura W. Jenkins Interiors says it is underrated as a destination for vintage and antiques. She recommends Westside Modern for mid-century pieces, Scott Antique Market for browsing a broad selection, and Peachtree Battle Antiques, where pieces are selected by Jenkins and her team through their firm’s auction house. In Santa Fe, Los Angeles-based designer Jessica Alpert points to a mix of vintage and Native American pieces, textiles, pottery and art. She says the appeal is in finding objects that feel handmade and individual, rather than widely available.
Designer Sarah Stacey says New Orleans offers more than its well-known restaurant and music scenes: she points to French Quarter townhouses and courtyards, Garden District mansions, and colorful Bywater homes, alongside shops selling antiques and contemporary art. Her recommendations include Consign Consign and Ferrara Showman Gallery; Fireside Antiques is in Baton Rouge, a separate city that the report suggests visiting as a day trip. Jenkins’s Nashville-area itinerary spans several communities: Copper Fox Gallery in Leiper’s Fork, Nashville shops including Schumacher Design Shop and appointment-only Eneby Home, and Franklin stops Gallery 2o2 and White’s Mercantile.
Where Designers Source Distinctive Pieces
The guide gives readers a practical alternative to shopping only in the largest or most familiar design centers. Its value is in the specific sourcing leads: a mid-century shop in Atlanta, art and antiques in Santa Fe, and separate neighborhood or small-town stops around Nashville. These pointers can help travelers plan around the kind of object they want, whether that is maritime memorabilia, pottery, vintage furniture or contemporary art.
The recommendations also connect design shopping with the places themselves. Architecture, regional craft and local history shape what visitors may find, according to the designers quoted. That makes the list useful not as a verdict on which city is “best,” but as a set of expert-informed starting points for travelers who want to bring home objects with a stronger sense of place.
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Five Cities, Different Design Strengths
The source is a House Beautiful report built around designers’ accounts of places they know or recommend. It does not provide a formal survey, visitor data, market analysis or consistent criteria for deciding what counts as “under-the-radar.” The phrase describes the article’s framing, not a measured finding about how many design travelers visit each destination.
The list also covers different kinds of experiences. Portland is linked to maritime material and folk art; Atlanta to vintage and antiques; Santa Fe to textiles, pottery and Native American pieces; New Orleans to architecture, antiques and contemporary art; and the Nashville region to galleries and shops across multiple towns. These distinctions matter for planning: the Nashville recommendations require travel beyond the city itself, while the Baton Rouge antiques stop is a separate excursion from New Orleans.
“Atlanta may be known as a design hub (we have ADAC after all), but I think it is often underrated in terms of people traveling here for vintage and antiques.”
— Laura Jenkins, designer at Laura W. Jenkins Interiors, as quoted by House Beautiful
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How the Destinations Were Selected
The source does not explain how the five destinations were selected, define “under-the-radar,” or establish that they receive less design tourism than other U.S. cities. The list is a collection of professional recommendations, not a ranking or independently tested comparison. It also gives no prices, opening hours, current inventory, or confirmation that every named business remains open or accepts walk-in visitors.
Some practical details may change. The report says Eneby Home is appointment-only, but readers should verify access and hours before visiting. It does not specify the timing of Scott Antique Market events or the current availability of particular objects. Shoppers should also check whether any desired pieces are available and ask sellers about provenance, especially for culturally significant items.
mid-century vintage furniture Atlanta
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Check Shops Before You Travel
The report does not announce a follow-up event or future milestone. For travelers using its recommendations, the next step is to confirm shop hours, appointments and locations directly with businesses, then group stops by city or neighborhood. Those planning a New Orleans trip should account for the separate drive to Fireside Antiques in Baton Rouge; visitors following Jenkins’s Nashville-area route should allow time for Leiper’s Fork and Franklin as well as Nashville.
Readers seeking a particular type of piece can use the designers’ suggestions as an initial itinerary and contact galleries or shops about current stock. The source does not report guaranteed inventory, prices or booking arrangements, so those details remain subject to confirmation with each destination.
antique French Quarter art New Orleans
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Key Questions
Which five destinations does the report recommend?
It names Portland, Maine; Atlanta; Santa Fe; New Orleans; and the Nashville area, based on designers’ sourcing and travel recommendations.
Where does the report suggest shopping for antiques in Atlanta?
Laura Jenkins recommends Westside Modern, Scott Antique Market and Peachtree Battle Antiques. The report describes Westside Modern as a source for mid-century pieces and Scott Antique Market as a place for browsing.
Are all the Nashville recommendations within Nashville?
No. Jenkins’s suggestions include stops in Leiper’s Fork and Franklin, as well as shops in Nashville. The report presents them as a regional sourcing route across distinct communities.
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.
Does the article prove these are the least-visited design destinations?
No. It offers designers’ opinions and recommendations, but provides no visitor figures, ranking method or comparison establishing that the cities are less visited than other design destinations.
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