Each year Southern Living builds one spectacular Idea House in the nation which showcases the best and latest in building, design and gardening. This exciting project returned to the Nashville area after over a decade to the beautiful Fontanel property, former home of country music legend Barbara Mandrell’s family.
Award-winning, Nashville-based Castle Homes was chosen to build the charming farmhouse surrounded by four additional guest retreats and over 2,800 square feet of porches.
As a home industry marketing specialist, FHM partner Nancy McNulty is serving on the public relations team for the Southern Living Idea House while representing FHM client Castle Homes and producing blogs for their website on the build. The exciting project was featured on the cover of the August edition of Southern Living magazine and the July/August edition of Greater Nashville House & Home. Your Williamson magazine will have their own cover featuring the project in September.
Led by Castle Homes Founder/President Alan Looney, the Idea House has been an incredible collaborative effort leveraging traditional and new media throughout the process.
“Castle Homes is one of Nashville’s top custom home builders and it’s exciting seeing the results of their hard work. This team was awarded in 2012 the coveted Southern Living Custom Builder of the Year – one of the deciding factors in choosing them to build the Idea House at Fontanel,” McNulty said.
McNulty is partnering on the project with Jennifer Zawandaski, Time, Inc. Lifestyle Group Public Relations Director, and Zan Martin, president/owner Martin & Company Advertising. The PR team has coordinated extensive coverage for the project with newspapers, magazines, television outlets and bloggers.
McNulty said it has been a dream and incredible experience working with such smart, innovative, encouraging and kind PR partners!
Mentoring was another element of the PR project. Forest Home Media had a college intern this summer – Miles McNulty (yes related). In addition to helping SL prep for the huge Preview Party, he assisted with on-site stories with NewsChannel 5’s Talk of the Town Host Meryll Rose and live shots with Fox 17 Tennessee Mornings’ reporter Justin McFarland.
Here’s a great overview of the project in an interview with One One 7 Host Jennifer Vickery and Southern Living Editor Lindsay Bierman coordinated by McNulty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utq2FN2ICDo
The Idea House is open Wednesdays through Sundays with a portion of the proceeds benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Click here for ticket information. Be sure and visit Southern Living’s site for great details on the house including a creative series of videos.
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