Our “Follow This Tastemaker” program brings you closer to your favorite designers than ever before. Our latest tastemaker is Nashville-based Gen Sohr, founder of the uber-popular Pencil & Paper Co. Her brand is known for blending contemporary and traditional, high and low, and every color in the rainbow with a never-saccharine dose of cheerfulness. In developing the company, Gen found a way to create a unique shopping experience that blends fashion, decor, and DIY finds in a one-of-a-kind way.
Gen Sohr started her career in retail, spearheading launches for several major brands like Old Navy, The Body Shop, and Victoria’s Secret. After returning to her hometown of Nashville in 2012, she and her husband Benjamin decided to take the creative plunge and co-found their own company, Pencil & Paper Co. The brand’s mission was to create cheery, welcoming spaces that blend everyday purchases with special vintage and antique finds. Her work has been featured in most of the major shelter magazines out there, including Southern Living, House Beautiful, Better Homes and Gardens, Domino, and on HGTV.
As part of Pencil & Paper, Gen Sohr also created her own product lines, Color Studies, Alphabet Art, Signature Totes, and her P+P Dress Collection, along with collaborations with Anthropologie. All are marked by a commitment to color and whimsical, joyous patterns, just as with her own interior design work. Whether it’s a kid’s room or a log cabin, Gen finds a way to bring a sense of wonder and charm to all her spaces. It’s no wonder, coming from a creative spirit whose email newsletter is slyly called “Happy Mail.”
With Chairish, Gen Sohr has selected some of her favorite colorful products across many different categories, both vintage and newly made, with a special focus on tabletop pieces and decorative accessories. Keep watching this page for her updated favorites as they come. To receive all of Gen Sohr’s product picks and design tips directly to your inbox, be sure to follow her for ongoing updates on all the things that are catching her eye. And be on the lookout for the other tastemakers we’ll be launching as well.