About the Guild

Carder Design Guild is a Nashville based residential design firm specializing in custom homes, additions, and renovations. We take pride in our small firm culture and value engaged relationships with our clients. Affectionately referred to as “The Guild”, we are known for our rigor toward excellence and close-knit network of Middle Tennessee’s best craftsmen. Our aesthetic palette is broad and gives voice to each client’s vision of home, and our creative process is refined and pure with a notable sensitivity to lasting beauty. At The Guild, you will find that we do not simply provide a service for you but rather invite you to tell the story of your home with us.

"Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not." - george bernard shaw

Meet the Team

  • Shelly R. Carder

    PRINCIPAL DESIGNER

    Upon meeting Shelly Carder, you quickly learn he is a lover of all things beautiful—from nature and the outdoors to the flourish of a well-designed architectural detail. Carder’s gifted hand with a pencil led him to study architecture at Auburn University where he developed his visionary eye and learned to ask, “What if?”, a question that has become a sort of mantra to The Guild. Upon graduation, he moved abroad to the Renaissance capital of Florence, Italy where he worked with renowned architectural firm, Archea Assocciatti, fostering a growing appreciation for timeless beauty.

    Inspired to bring this newfound energy back to the States, Carder returned to Nashville, Tennessee and launched a design-build practice where his love of fine craftsmanship was truly born. The active jobsite/office, donned with a tool belt, became Carder’s proving ground where he garnered the skills and perspective that define his design sensibilities today: the true marriage of art and craft. Carder finds much delight in riding his mountain bike in the Tennessee hills and much purpose in his Faith. When asked what he truly enjoys most, “It’s the people and relationships…”

    “There are only two things in this world: Relationships & Junk” - jack thompson

  • Josh McClary

    HEAD OF PRODUCTION

    Josh McClary joined Carder Design Guild in the summer of 2023 and brings a wealth of knowledge in residential design and construction to the team. The combination of technical nuance and artistry in his role as Head of Production "scratches all the itches", but his favorite aspect of working at The Guild is helping clients realize their design goals. Perhaps his greatest contribution to The Guild is his ability to turn what is into what could be. Like seasoning with salt, Josh elevates the flavor of our work and takes pleasure in the details—even the hidden ones.

    Originally from Columbia, South Carolina, Josh started his journey in a millwork shop where he developed an interest in fine woodworking. After sojourning in several prominent cabinet shops, Josh started his own kitchen and bath design firm and custom cabinet shop where he worked with discerning clients all over the Southeast. Ever the consummate hobbyist, Josh is always expanding his repertoire of skills. Whether through drawing, photography, writing, music, woodworking, or even wrenching on bicycles, he is fascinated with the beauty and tactile nature of art and craft.

    “From the top of the mountain, you cannot see the mountain.” – maud’dib

Why “The Guild”?

The concept of the Guild refers to the ancient practice of artisans and merchants banding together to benefit from mutual aid. As the saying goes, no man is an island, and we at the Guild embrace the notion that we are but a small part of what it takes to bring a home to life. Like the guildsmen of the past, we have worked tirelessly to seek out and band together with the best builders, engineers, and tradesmen in the area to give our clients not only a well-crafted and beautiful home, but a pleasurable experience working with people of integrity and virtue.