Nashville kitchen renovation runs the full spectrum, from Belle Meade and Forest Hills luxury overhauls to East Nashville bungalow rework and Wedgewood-Houston condo refits. The three practices profiled below all hold deep Middle Tennessee tenure, publish design-build capability under one contract, and carry National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) affiliation at either company or principal designer level. Each entry reflects content published on the firm’s own site, verified on 2026-05-11.
Quick Comparison #
| Firm | Operating Since | Headquarters | Primary Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hermitage Kitchen Gallery | 1944 | Nashville, TN (Wedgewood-Houston) | Luxury kitchen and bath design-build |
| Hantel Kitchens and Baths | 1979 | Nashville, TN (Berry Hill) | In-house design-build kitchen and bath remodels |
| Trace Ventures | 1991 | Nashville, TN (Midtown) | Kitchen and whole-home design-build remodels |
1. Hermitage Kitchen Gallery #
- Address: 517 Merritt Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203
- Phone: (615) 988-5988
- Principals: Terri Sears, Allied ASID, Co-Owner and Principal Designer; Trisha Galbreath, Co-Owner; ownership transferred to Sears and Galbreath in January 2023
- Operating Since: 1944, formerly a division of Hermitage Lighting Gallery
- Credentials: NKBA Tennessee chapter participant with documented 2024 Design Competition wins in largest kitchen and largest bathroom categories; Allied ASID member through principal designer; full turn-key delivery model with in-house designers, contractors, and project management
- Service area: Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, and Middle Tennessee
- Specialties: Luxury kitchen design, luxury bath design, cabinetry, secondary-space renovation
- Website: Hermitage Kitchen Gallery
Wedgewood-Houston design district showroom #
The practice operates from a Wedgewood-Houston showroom in the Nashville Design District, the same corridor occupied by other interior trades and material suppliers. That clustering shortens material selection trips for clients and keeps the design team in walking distance of cabinetry and finish suppliers used across multiple projects.
NKBA Tennessee 2024 Design Competition wins #
The team carried two top honors at the NKBA Tennessee 2024 Design Competition, taking first in the largest kitchen and largest bathroom categories. Principal Terri Sears holds a published NKBA profile and contributes to chapter activity. The competition is judged by NKBA-certified peers, which makes the recognition a credential signal rather than an in-house marketing claim.
Eight-decade brand continuity through ownership transition #
The Hermitage name traces to 1944, and the kitchen and bath practice operated as a division of Hermitage Lighting Gallery before the 2023 transfer to Sears and Galbreath. Continuity of the operating brand through ownership change preserves portfolio access and client references that predate the current owners while putting day-to-day design under named principals.
Three-phase published process #
The firm publishes a three-phase delivery model: project discovery, design development and selection, and project coordination and management. Each phase is staffed by in-house personnel rather than outside consultants, which keeps a single point of accountability across design through construction completion.
https://www.designsbyhermitage.com/
2. Hantel Kitchens and Baths #
- Address: 2914 Berry Hill Drive, Nashville, TN 37204
- Phone: (615) 570-2614
- Founder: Ed Hantel, a former university professor who started weekend kitchen and bath renovation in 1979
- Operating Since: 1979, second-generation family operation since 2020
- Credentials: NKBA member firm; principal owner is NKBA-certified designer; Home Builders Association (HBA) of Middle Tennessee affiliate; Laura Duddy from the team serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the NKBA Tennessee chapter
- Service area: Nashville and Middle Tennessee with documented familiarity across multiple Nashville neighborhoods
- Specialties: Custom kitchen renovation, bathroom remodel, historic home renovation
- Website: Hantel Kitchens and Baths
In-house crew rather than rotating subcontractors #
The published model centers on trained employees handling each project from design through installation, in place of rotating subcontractor crews. That structure aligns design intent with field execution because the same group draws the plan and builds it, reducing translation loss between drawings and built result.
Six-step published delivery sequence #
The site lays out a six-step path: complimentary showroom consultation, in-home measurement and system assessment, material selection at the Nashville Design District showroom, proposal creation with labor detail, complete material sourcing before construction starts, and supervised construction with quality control. Securing all materials before demolition begins is a documented scheduling practice that limits mid-project stalls waiting on backordered cabinetry or tile.
Single-room remodels typically four to eight weeks #
The practice publishes a typical single-room renovation timeline of four to eight weeks, anchored to the materials-first sequencing above. That window applies to kitchen-only or bath-only scopes; whole-house programs run longer per the published service description.
Second-generation family operation with NKBA leadership #
Founder Ed Hantel brought his son and wife into the operation, with the next generation taking the helm in 2020. Team member Laura Duddy serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the NKBA Tennessee chapter, which puts active chapter governance inside the practice rather than only company-level dues membership.
3. Trace Ventures #
- Address: 1900 Church Street, Suite 511, Nashville, TN 37203
- Phone: (615) 292-7354
- Operating Since: 1991, with 250 years of combined design and construction tenure reported across the current team
- Credentials: NARI, NKBA, NAHB, and GuildQuality affiliations per the published profile; five-phase design-build process with 12-month warranty on all delivered work; award recognition cited on the company site
- Service area: Nashville, including high-rise condominium addresses and Davidson County residential neighborhoods
- Specialties: Kitchen remodel, bathroom remodel, residential additions, whole-home renovation, high-rise condominium buildouts, light commercial remodel, custom homes
- Website: Trace Ventures
NARI, NKBA, NAHB, and GuildQuality stack #
The published profile lists four national affiliations in parallel: NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry), NKBA (National Kitchen and Bath Association), NAHB (National Association of Home Builders), and GuildQuality. GuildQuality is a third-party customer-survey program, distinct from the trade associations, that publishes verified client feedback. Stacking trade-association membership with an independent survey platform supplies two different verification angles on the same firm.
Five-phase published process with 12-month warranty #
The site documents a five-phase sequence: connect, consult, design, build, and finish, paired with a 12-month warranty on all delivered work. The warranty clause is published at the company level rather than left to per-project negotiation, which sets a baseline post-completion follow-up window the client can reference.
High-rise condominium buildout capability #
The published specialty list names high-rise condominium buildouts alongside detached residential remodeling. Condo renovation in Nashville carries condo-association approval steps, freight-elevator scheduling, and noise-window rules layered on top of the Metro Codes permit path. A practice that publishes condo work as a named specialty signals familiarity with those layered constraints.
Midtown Church Street office #
The Suite 511 office at 1900 Church Street sits in Midtown Nashville, central to Belle Meade, Hillsboro Village, Green Hills, and downtown high-rise corridors that anchor Davidson County kitchen and bath renovation demand. The address keeps the design team and field oversight close to the practice’s most active geography.
Reference Notes #
The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors administers two relevant credentials for kitchen renovation. The state Building Contractor (BC) license is required for any project valued at twenty-five thousand dollars or more, inclusive of materials and labor, with subcategories for residential (BC-A) and combined work. For projects valued from three thousand dollars to twenty-four thousand nine hundred ninety-nine dollars, a Home Improvement (HI) license is required for residential remodeling, which is the category most kitchen-only single-room renovations land inside before scope grows. License lookup is available through the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance contractor license search portal.
Inside Nashville, the Metropolitan Government Codes Department reviews building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and gas permits for Davidson County residential renovation. Kitchen renovation that moves plumbing, alters gas service, modifies load-bearing structure, or rewires panels triggers plan review under the 2018 International Residential Code as adopted by Metro. Inspections are scheduled through the Metro Codes online portal, and properties inside designated historic overlays additionally require a certificate of appropriateness from the Metropolitan Historic Zoning Commission before permits issue.
National-level credentials commonly held by Nashville kitchen design practices include NKBA membership at company or designer level. The NKBA issues two senior individual designations relevant to kitchen and bath work: Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD) and Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer (CKBD), each requiring documented design experience, examination, and ongoing continuing education. NARI publishes a parallel set of designations including Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler (CKBR) for builders specifically focused on kitchen and bath delivery, and the newer Certified Remodeling Designer (CRD) launched as a remodeling-design designation. ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) Allied membership appears among design-led practices.
Selection Methodology #
Each listed practice publishes a physical Nashville address, a working phone number in the (615) area code, and named principals or founders. Each operation has documented tenure of at least 34 years in Nashville-area kitchen and bath work, with one practice tracing its operating brand to 1944. NKBA affiliation was cited as published on each company’s own site and cross-referenced with the NKBA Tennessee chapter page where available. Listings reflect only information published as of 2026-05-11. Exact Tennessee state license numbers are not reproduced because the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance license search portal is the authoritative source and license status can change between publication and reader review.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Does a Nashville kitchen remodel require a Tennessee Building Contractor license? #
It depends on project value. A kitchen renovation valued at twenty-five thousand dollars or more requires a Tennessee Building Contractor (BC) license held by the contractor. Projects in the three thousand to twenty-four thousand nine hundred ninety-nine dollar range require a Home Improvement (HI) license. Full-scope kitchen remodels with cabinetry, counters, appliances, plumbing, and electrical typically push above the BC threshold, so most design-build kitchen projects in Nashville fall under the BC requirement.
What does NKBA Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD) mean? #
The Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD) and Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer (CKBD) are senior individual designations issued by the National Kitchen and Bath Association. Both require documented design experience, passing a written examination, and ongoing continuing education to maintain. These are credentials carried by the individual designer rather than the company, so a firm may employ both certified and non-certified designers on a single project.
Do I need a Metro Codes permit for a kitchen remodel that does not move walls? #
Often yes. Permits are triggered by what gets touched rather than by whether walls move. Relocating a sink or dishwasher pulls a plumbing permit, adding circuits or relocating outlets pulls an electrical permit, and moving or adding gas appliances pulls a gas permit. Cabinet swap and counter replacement without any plumbing, electrical, or gas alteration may proceed without a Metro Codes permit, but most full kitchen renovations touch at least one regulated trade.
How long does a typical Nashville kitchen remodel take from contract to completion? #
Timelines vary by scope and finish level. Single-room kitchen-only renovation in Nashville commonly runs four to eight weeks of construction once materials are on hand, though design, selection, and lead-time procurement push the contract-to-completion window to four to six months on average. Whole-home renovation that includes the kitchen alongside other spaces typically runs six to twelve months from signed contract through final punch list.
Editorial Note #
This guide was published on 2026-05-11 and reflects research current as of that date. Verify licenses, phone numbers, and current business status before engaging any firm.