A Design Lover's Guide to Asheville, North Carolina

Known for its access to the great outdoors and the majesty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, its long tradition of craftsmanship, and a thriving culinary scene, Asheville, North Carolina, has long drawn creatives seeking a connection to nature. Stroll the streets of the Appalachian city, and you’ll find a rich architectural heritage ranging from the Art Deco City Hall, to the French Renaissance Biltmore Estate, to Arts and Crafts-style homes that paved the way for more modern and contemporary styles. 

Similarly, Asheville’s contributions to craft and design—from pottery to basket weaving to woodworking and beyond—can be traced back centuries, and a new wave of makers and entrepreneurs have settled in to carry on the legacy. "The enticing thing about the Asheville scene is that there is space to develop one’s own design practice, and access to a lineage of craft history," says Karie Reinertson, who runs the local design studio Shelter Collective with Rob Maddox. 

In Asheville, reverence for heritage and hunger for innovation have created a je ne sais quoi that’s earned it the nickname "The Paris of the South"—though you won’t find any pretension among the locals. "Asheville was living out so many of today’s trending diversions not just before they were cool, but when they were decidedly uncool," says Gillie Roberts, owner of the city’s low-waste shop Ware. "Microbreweries, Tevas, farm-to-table restaurants, acupuncture, stores decked out with a small jungle of plants—all of these things were alive and well in Asheville long before they found their way into square images on the Internet."