When Jordan Chatham and her husband bought the old Brendle home in Elkin, North Carolina, locals remembered the headlines about demolition threats. The 1939 historic landmark, once slated for destruction before community intervention saved it, now serves as both residence and laboratory for a decorator whose own family helped build the town.
Chatham’s path to interior decorating and design services started unconventionally. After studying journalism, advertising, and art history at UNC-Chapel Hill, she launched as an antique dealer in Asheville in 2019. Her design career evolved organically through hands-on work—first renovating her 1920s bungalow in Asheville, now tackling the Brendle house restoration that has captured local attention.
For many Southerners, the name Brendle still carries the weight of memory — a reminder of a time when its catalog showrooms and department stores stood as familiar landmarks across the Southeast. From its headquarters in Elkin, the Brendle’s company rose to become a regional retail powerhouse before its decline and eventual bankruptcy in the 1990s.
Design With Deep Roots
The connection between Chatham’s family history and her design philosophy runs deeper than geography. Her ancestors, the Gwyns and Chathams, founded Elkin and operated the Chatham Manufacturing Company for over a century. At its peak, the company became the world’s largest blanket and textile manufacturer, producing everything from U.S. Army blankets to automobile and furniture fabrics for major corporations.
That textile heritage surfaces in Chatham’s approach to interiors. While completing her design education at the New York Institute of Art + Design, she developed a style she describes as timeless, traditional, and southern with a touch of whimsy. Her work emphasizes antiques and color—elements that create what publications and heritage interior brands have noticed. Country Living, Home Beautiful, Brunschwig & Fils, Lee Jofa, Valspar, and Kingston Brass have all featured her projects.
Building a Practice on Personality
Chatham’s client base consists primarily of families seeking that specific aesthetic—colorful, rooted in southern tradition, but not stuffy. Her approach to designing functional spaces centers on what she calls “sentimental detail,” working to reflect each client’s personality rather than imposing a signature look.
The Brendle house restoration represents both personal and professional ambitions. Living there with her husband and three young children while renovating gives Chatham credibility with clients facing similar projects. The house also positions her for the national recognition she’s pursuing—not just for her decorating work, but for preservation efforts that resonate beyond design circles.
Chatham is currently working on projects throughout North Carolina and in other states. The trajectory from antique dealer to interior designer working across the region happened quickly, but the foundation—that eye for history, understanding of textiles, and connection to place—took generations to build. In a field often dominated by coastal markets and urban aesthetics, Chatham is making the case for southern interiors informed by genuine regional history and decorative nostalgia.
