The Studio of Lori Putnam

Nestled on a five-acre plot of land in rural Charlotte, Tennessee, Lori Putnam is living the dream in her 1,800-square foot studio. The open design of the studio’s structure also boasts a 700-square-foot loft that serves as living space for Putnam and her husband Mark. Looking at the building from the outside, you would assume it’s just another house but, once you walk through its doors, you realize how wrong that assumption is. The openness of the home and studio gains perspective when Putnam says there is only one door inside: the one that leads to the bathroom.

Putnam and Mark wanted to build their home and studio outside the city but no more than an hour from a major airport. During a scouting trip in 2013, the Tennessee natives circumnavigated the Nashville area, looking for the ideal spot. As they were driving around the countryside, Mark recalled that his grandfather had lived in a small house in the area, so they set out to find it. “We stumbled upon these five acres and bought it on the same day at a real deal,” Putnam says. “Now, my studio is a sanctuary for me to work. I can be as quiet as a mouse or sing and dance and go wherever the day takes me.”

Read the full article in the November/December 2024 issue.