Like so many others, Turner Binkley has fond childhood memories of tagging along with his father to the office. He would borrow colorful markers to create his own “renderings” while his dad, Ed Binkley, worked on a variety of new projects.
“My dad is a very talented architect,” says Binkley. “He was, and still is, a rockstar to me. When I was in fourth grade, he won a design competition for Habitat for Humanity and appeared on 'CBS This Morning' with Bob Vila. I remember the teacher stopping class so we could watch him on TV.
“He’s done some big projects for Darden restaurants and designed homes for high-profile clients like Barry Bonds and Tiger Woods. Whenever there was a new restaurant opening or a big star was building a new house, he was the guy who made it come to life.”
Born in Nashville, Turner’s family moved to the Orlando area when he was three so that Ed could start a new job with a major national firm. His formative years coincided with the proliferation of computers at home and at school. “By the time I was in seventh grade, we were no longer learning to write in cursive; we were learning to work on computers,” he says.
Binkley entered the architectural arena at the age of 14 when his dad placed him under the supervision of a colleague. Despite his lack of experience, or maybe because of it, he was among the first in the firm to apply computer-aided design technology to a centuries-old craft.
“A new software application was introduced around 2005 and the firm tasked my father and myself with testing it to determine if it had any merit in the industry,” he says. “I took it home, and it was like a light switch was turned on. It started with shapes, then evolved into posting renderings on Instagram. It could make designs look like they were alive.”
The software was SketchUp, which now is as essential to the modern architect as drafting boards were to previous generations. But the old guys at the firm were not quick to embrace the new fad.
“There’s a saying that architecture is an old man’s game, and a lot of firms still struggle with {software} because of that,” says Binkley. “I was told it didn’t have a place in architecture, but I kept using it. Now it’s standard within the industry for 3D design and modeling.”
Binkley was so far ahead of the game that his college architecture courses were behind the curve. Instructors would call on him for assistance. So with a large and lucrative professional portfolio already in hand, he made the decision to leave school. To be clear, Binkley is not an architect, because he lacks a formal degree. Rather, he likens
himself to an athlete that left college early to turn pro.
“I got drafted as a sophomore into the big leagues,” he says. “Early on I met with big builders and high-profile developers and learned how numbers and design correlate with each other. It was a crash course in development.”
That led to stints with a variety of well-known firms and architects here and in Florida. By the time he was 21, he had worked with the developer and owner on the initial designs for what is now Harpeth Square in historic downtown Franklin. Binkley began working on that project, “when it was just a blank piece of land.”
“I am blessed to work with some notables such as Mark Mitchell at BSB Design, Greg Gamble of Gamble Design Collaborative, and Mike Hathaway of 906 Studio Architects, just to name a few,” says Binkley.
“My point is not to drop names, but to point out that I’ve had some really good mentors. I embraced the traditional approach to learning architecture by apprenticeship under some very talented architects and designers.”
In 2019, he opened Binkley Designed, his first foray into running his own design firm. He’s teamed with Steven Edwards to create a small but powerful company that’s driven not by men in their 50s, but a group of “young guns” in their mid-30s with young families. They’ve designed hundreds of homes in developments like Troubadour, Oman, Governors Club, Kings Chapel, The Mill at Bond Springs, The Grove, and Natures Landing. They’ve even done in-
fills in Nashville and historic remodels in Franklin. “While the majority of our designs reflect more contemporary and modern elements, we have worked on a wide range of styles that have been developed throughout our projects. Whether it’s a modern infill, or a historic remodel, our focus is on designing projects that will withstand the test of time, not just what is popular at the moment."
“We know what’s going on trend-wise throughout the country,” continues Binkley. “Architects are typically two years behind what we’re doing now. Steven is super talented and understands construction. I work on the creative side. We listen to the client and take notes so that we understand their thoughts and emotions and how that relates to their individual lifestyle.”
From there, it goes on paper, into the computer and is brought to life as they partner with many of the area’s leading builders. “We’re not out to conquer the world and that’s by design,” says Binkley. “We like operating from behind the curtain.”
Like father, like son.
BinkleyDesigned.com
Binkley Designed is a boutique, residential architectural design firm that has mastered projects ranging from custom homes, multi-family, mixed use, renovations, spec housing, show homes, and community development and planning. With beautifully bold and refreshing takes on residential design, Binkley Designed blends contemporary style with accents of a historical aesthetic to create homes that are original, timeless, comfortable, modern and distinctively regional.
“Early on I met with big builders and high-profile developers and learned how numbers and design correlate with each other. It was a crash course in development.”
