Retropolitan owner Amy Heimermann makes interior space fresh, fun and personal.

AmyHeimermann has a gift; a talent for making a house a home. While her eye for design is unquestionably superb, her gift, really, is getting inside the heads of her clients and helping them define their own styles.

“The key is meeting with people and going through the process,” she explains. “I want my clients to feel connected with their environment. It’s much richer than just something here and another thing over there. I find out what they like, where they came from, what moves them. I hold their hand through the process of getting their space to feel like a home, a sanctuary.”

A petite blonde with a definite panache, Heimermann’s story is the American classic: a successful business growing from something she loves to do. Although not formally schooled in interior design, she’s always “done some decorating” for friends on the side. While hunting for vintage modern furniture for a “cigar bar-type den for a guy” a few years ago, she was frustrated by the difficulty in finding the pieces she wanted. So, she decided to start her own vintage modern furniture business.

Not wanting the overhead or risk associated with owning a retail store, Heimermann rented a booth at Gas Lamp Antiques and Decorating Mall at 100 Oaks. She started going to antique auctions, estate sales and other places all over the area, searching for the elusive vintage modern furniture and accessories that are so much a part of her own personal style.

“Vintage modern” is a somewhat eclectic mix spanning the Art Deco era of the 1920s through the 1940s, combined with the mid-century look of the 1950s and 1960s. “Both of these eras broke new ground,” she explains. “It was called ‘modern’ then, and it still is. That was in my head, and one day the word ‘retropolitan’ just popped into my mind. I thought it was a great description and would be the perfect name for my business.”

Retropolitan began placing furniture in trendy hot spots like Posh and Global Café. As she gained experience and confidence, Heimermann began incorporating newer-era accessories. People quickly took notice of her style, and soon she was being asked to design sets for photo shoots, record covers, videos, weddings and a host of other events.

An invitation to style a live/work space in the renovated historic Stahlman Building for the 2008 Downtown Home Tour marked a turning point for Retropolitan. Heimermann was allowed to design one floor in the completely Art Deco structure — and it met with rave reviews.

“I’m still at Gas Lamp, but the vintage modern furniture is more of a side thing now because I’m designing so much more,” Heimermann says. “The furniture piece was a way to get in, and now I’ve gotten my hands back into styling, which is what I really love to do.”

Although the retro vintage modern look is her favorite, “it’s not about me,” she says about working with clients. “It’s about finding what makes them feel good about their space.” This, she humbly acknowledges, is her gift. “It’s what I do when I don’t think about it. I just lose myself in their house and their things.”

After first talking on the phone to find out what the client is generally looking for, Heimermann gives them homework. They must go buy a copy of Metropolitan Home and another magazine of that type, then go through them and rip out pictures of things they like. At their initial consultation she puts that together with the things she sees in their space. Then she goes away and makes a style board that includes a room layout and samples of fabric, carpet, colors and any other ideas she has.

“Amy has a gift for combining personal style with what’s current,” note clients Wayne and Fran Kirkpatrick. “She spent a lot of time getting a feel for what we liked and disliked and what kind of atmosphere we wanted to foster in our home. We wanted an environment that was warm and homey without sacrificing elegance, and Amy did an excellent job of making that happen for us. She was also very good at incorporating our personal hobbies and interests into the details of her designs.”

Heimermann also believes that customer service is paramount. “Most clients want me to handle everything — from ordering fabric to choosing paint colors to finding the perfect accessory — so I’ve made it a point to find sub-contractors whose work I know and trust, and where to find the best deals. I want the whole process to be a good experience for everyone.”

Clients agree that some of the things they like best about working with the energetic stylist are her knack for using things they already own and working within a realistic budget. She’s doing “a little bit of everything” for Susan Masie, who says, “Amy took a confusing room that wasn’t working for some reason and simply rearranged the furniture, and … tah dah! The room works beautifully now!”

Masie further notes that Heimermann “does all the legwork. She goes out looking for furniture, art, lamps, knick-knacks, whatever, and then I can go check it out. It’s a huge timesaver for me, which is really important. And because she knows what I like, I truly trust her opinion. She knows where to go to get anything done and the people to do it — people who make window treatments, hang things, fix things, move things, whatever.”

Heimermann did a bath, kitchen and living room remodel for Anna Ortiz, who explains that “Amy worked with me from the initial concept for the design all the way through the final phase. She took my wishlist and added some suggestions and ideas that would bring my list to fruition while staying within budgetary constraints. I like to call it ‘decorating on a dollar.’”

Ortiz also says that “the thing that impressed me the most about Amy — besides her natural talent for style — was her customer service attitude and follow through. She gave me very detailed lists of each day’s agenda. She made sure contractors showed up, things were done, and I was happy with the results. She was very much an ‘above and beyond’ person throughout my home remodel.”

Heimermann points out that her business has grown primarily through word of mouth and referrals, saying, “I believe that’s where a good business is built.” She is passionate about style, obvious as she shows her boards and talks about past and upcoming projects. She is almost childishly amazed and delighted as she talks about “modernizing and re-inventing” the Nashville Visitors Center at the front of the Sommet Center, an upcoming job for the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Recent client Anna Ortiz perhaps sums it up best, saying, “I believe that design work is sort of an inherent thing — you either have it, or you don’t. I really believe Amy has a natural talent for envisioning something modern, stylish and fun for any home and can really take a person’s own personal taste to another level. She did that for me by taking what I like and bringing that out in such a great way in my home. She took all the different elements of my own style and brought it out. When you walk into my home, you really get a feel for my personal likes and a sense of who I am.”

And, after all, isn’t that what really makes a house a home?