In Conversation With Mason Herron

The independent furniture scene in Nashville runs deep, with many thoughtful curators doing incredible work. And though Herron Home has had an official showroom for just over two months, Mason Herron has been a part of this community for years.

Though the space is filled with various pieces to sit—and even lay on—it’s not just the furniture that makes it feel like home. Being new and still very low-key, I found myself at Herron Home alone with owner Mason Herron. We lit some incense, lounged on his ever-popular Ligne Roset Togo sofa, and talked as if we were in his own living room.

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mason herron

Would you describe your curatorial lens as more aesthetic, conceptual, emotional — or a mix?

I would definitely say emotional mixed with aesthetic. When we’re shopping for new items for the shop, it’s hard to explain, but typically as soon as I see something, I immediately know it has value or doesn’t. It’s always been hard, even impossible, to explain to others how I choose, but I just usually am immediately drawn to an item and it is usually selected! Obviously, aesthetic is a big part; I’m definitely drawn to very specific types of pieces, typically of things I love or feel. When buying, I usually bring my wife along, who has a great eye for the unique and different. She’s definitely my secret weapon when it comes to items that are unique or one of a kind!

From our previous conversations, this is exactly the answer I was expecting from you — especially since this all began with collecting pieces for your own home, some of which you simply had to have because you saw value, even without a clear place for them. Your personal eye is definitely reflected in the pieces you’ve gathered. At what point did that personal passion start to shift into a business?

I always loved mid-century and modern furniture and design. Whether it was watching Mary Tyler Moore (who I was in love with as a child) with my late father or going around thrift stores as a kid, I always loved anything vintage, retro, or beautiful. Lots of times I’d be drawn by primary colors or cool patterns, but sometimes just a simple, clean wooden piece would make me feel something of another time. In 2010, my wife and I got married at 22, and we moved to Nashville and got our first place. Obviously, when you’re just starting out, you have nothing. So occasionally we’d find a cool piece here and there in a thrift store or estate sale, and that would become our thing — maybe not exactly what we wanted, but something we loved. Then, fast forward many years, we would finally have extra money to buy a piece that we always wanted and would exchange that for an older item, and then sell the old one on Craigslist or eBay, over and over. Or we’d find the Eames lounge chair I always dreamed of at an auction, and over and over, the next thing you know, you have pretty much every piece you’ve wanted, and you have no more space! But you don’t stop finding the items. Early on, selling those first few pieces we sold, I realized I could make money — and several times, significantly more than I paid for it. And that was always the fun part. So even though, in theory, we had most of the boxes checked of items we wanted, we kept finding things, and so if we didn’t want to keep it personally, I’d just put it online and sell it — until it became something slightly bigger than a hobby!

Though it’s become almost second nature for you to repeat the cycle of buying and selling, there’s another side to it: becoming attached to certain pieces you come across. We’ve spoken about the challenge of letting go of items in the showroom. How do you find balance between personal attachment and the need to keep the business moving?

It’s a tricky thing. In my journey, a lot of times the choice is made easy because although I love this at a deep spiritual level, I still just have to provide for my kids, pay bills, drive a car, just like everyone else. That need alone sort of creates a boundary you have to stay in a lot of times. However, I try not to view life through that lens entirely. We only live once, and I decided a long time ago that it’s not worth living life if I’m not being inspired every day. And in my life, my house, my art, my furniture are all little tools or reminders when I’m home of things I’m moved by or inspired by. They keep me creative and thinking. So when one of those pieces does come along, sometimes you just have to sell four pieces you already own to keep the one.

Building on the idea of balancing personal attachment with running the business, can you talk about a piece you sourced that carries a particularly sentimental or personal significance for you?

Yes, almost 10 years ago my wife and I were on the hunt for a Ligne Roset Togo sofa. I reached out to a few dealers, pickers, and shop owners I knew to let them know what we were looking for. One of my good buddies said he had a lead on one, so we drove out of state to meet them and pick it up. When I bought it, I actually got to meet the husband and wife who bought it originally, and I bought it from them. He told us the story of how he was working in Cleveland, Ohio, in the late ’70s, early ’80s as a crane operator. On his lunch break, he walked into a store that turned out to be a Ligne Roset pop-up. He was just looking around and saw this specific Togo. When he saw it, he said he had an emotional reaction that he couldn’t explain. He was moved by it in a way he didn’t understand. He went back every day to look at it for the week to come. He ended up feeling like they needed to buy it! For him, it was so much money — I believe $28k back then. But he said he remembers all their memories, parties, and get-togethers always revolved around the Togo. So many good memories — a piece went to live with one of his sons at college as well. The sofa grew up with them. And he felt it was time to sell, so he did. I was honored to be able to buy it — that they trusted us to build on the memories they had made. My kids have grown up with this now; family and friends have used it at many movie nights, parties, sleepovers, etc. And someday the time will come to sell it, and we have to trust the next owner will do the same!

What many people don’t always realize is the role furniture can play in our lives beyond mere functionality — something you just expressed in your own personal sentiment. How do you see furniture intersecting with other creative disciplines, like fashion, art, or music?

I think it’s all the same spirit behind it. Someone having an idea, being moved by something bigger than themselves, sharing it, and hoping someone is moved by that same thing in some way — even if small — that makes them want to do something bigger than themselves! I think it all goes together. Sit on a sofa you love, feel safe or inspired in — if you’re a musician, maybe you write a song while it’s making you feel that way; maybe you write a poem or a book, or paint a picture. I really think it all comes from the same place — somewhere bigger than us!

Do you find yourself inspired by mediums outside your own? For instance, does a fashion collection or a piece of music ever influence how you style a room or select pieces?

I’m inspired by everything, truthfully. But as someone who’s never really done music, music is the most important thing to me in the world — whether it’s a song bringing a flood of memories back, good or bad, or just something to get you through the day. Anyone who knows me knows that on any given day, from morning till night, I will have my phone or a speaker next to me playing music. As well as that, I’ve always loved clothing — it inspires me in a lot of the same ways furniture does. It’s something you know when you see it, feel it, wear it — that it’s something you want to convey or experience every day, so you do what you can to get it!

So then, If Herron Home had a soundtrack, what would be playing?

Like I said, from morning till night, anyone who knows me knows I will be playing music, even if it’s just my phone annoyingly in my pocket blasting. It all depends on what time of year, day of the week it is, what the weather’s like, or what time of day. I have a soundtrack for every occasion. I grew up listening to a lot of classic soul with my dad — Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, The Drifters. But I love it all — from The Grateful Dead to Pete Rock and CL Smooth. I think because Herron Home is me and my family, the soundtrack will change day by day, sometimes minute by minute.