Trading spaces: Austin’s Nannie Inez concept shop settles into a new home

When Texas natives Deeyn Rhodes and Lonzo Jackson opened Nannie Inez - a design-focused concept store stocking homewares by emerging and hard-to-find designers from around the world - in 2012, they knew that the location was temporary. ’Our first space gave us confidence to move into a larger location when the perfect space finally presented itself,’ says Rhodes. That eventual venue ended up being on South Lamar Boulevard in Austin, amid a growing community of independent boutiques.

The move became an impetus to reinvent the shop’s design and explore some ideas inspired by the couple’s travels abroad. ’[In Tokyo], we kept noticing shops that had these temporary spaces or structures built within the space - spaces within spaces, houses within the shop,’ Rhodes explains. This concept became the guiding idea behind the new Nannie Inez. The walls are strategically painted to designate different areas throughout the store - one for textiles, another for planters, and so on.

Nannie Inez’s singular design aesthetic, which carries through the custom-built display cases (designed in conjunction with architect Craig Hoverman of Dig:A) to its foil-stamped business cards, is rounded out by a highly curated selection of goods. The store stocks contemporary designs from brands like Hay, Umbra Shift and Menu, with an emphasis on beautiful form and high function that stays true to the original intentions for opening the store.’Our aspiration is mainly to expose others to thoughtful, quality design that maybe improves their quality of life, if even just a little, says Rhodes.

The expanded space is also filled with new additions to behold, including prints from Kristina Krogh, bike accessories by Bookman and Nannie Inez’s new proprietary collection of apothecary goods which include a ’Wake Up’ face mist—one of the items Rhodes is most excited about.