Ralph Pattillo Cadenhead died October 6, 2023, after a brief illness, at Ascension St. Thomas Hospital. He was 62.
A prominent interior decorator, known for his clutter-free, sun-filled designs, Ralph worked with clients in Nashville, New York City, Chicago, Florida, and Palm Springs, California. His brother, William Ray Cadenhead, Jr., remembered Ralph’s early love for all things beautiful: As class president in high school, Ralph designed homecoming floats; even before that, he developed a love for garage sales. In the words of his brother, “His love of old things, collecting, and selling began early.”
Ralph graduated from the University of Alabama with a business degree in 1983. He arrived in Nashville to attend Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Business, but he quickly figured out that business was the wrong business for him. He went on to the O’More School of Design, in Franklin, Tennessee. In short order, he worked at Bradford’s, and then worked for Erwin White Interior Decorators, before forming his own design company, Cadenhead Designs.
Ralph was born July 3, 1961, at Eliza Coffee Hospital in Florence, Alabama. He inherited his lifelong passion for Alabama football from his father, William Ray Cadenhead, Sr., who played both offense and defense for the Crimson Tide. His mother, Rachel Pattillo Cadenhead, was a junior high school English teacher. He is survived by his brother and by his partner, Sean Lopano.
Among Ralph’s other passions were antique automobiles. He was a driving force in the Lambda Car Club International. In his garage were a 1984 Mercedes 380SL, a 1984 Jaguar XJ-6, and a 1967 Mustang fastback, which he had bought for himself as a sixtieth-birthday gift. In the downstairs hall of his house, he displayed a collection of hood ornaments.
In 1995, he was co-chair of Artrageous, a fundraiser for Nashville CARES. He was a member of the American Society of Interior Designers Tennessee. He participated in numerous designer showhouses and other fundraisers.
Ralph had a big heart and a kind one, too. Because he’d worked for a short while at a Red Lobster in Nashville, he’d learned that waiting tables was a tough job. He never forgot that, and remained a heavy tipper to the end.
His eyes could grow teary at the mention of anyone’s tough times or good times. He was particularly kind to strays of any kind, especially the four-footed sort. His brother, Bill, recalled the day when Ralph, at age six, brought home from camp a “small, flea-ridden puppy”; and he remembered the “cold winter night” when Ralph, leaving the Nashville YMCA, “found a shivering, stray kitten and took him home, where he remained for over 20 years.”
A private memorial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Nashville CARES, 633 Thompson Lane, Nashville, Tennessee 37204, or to the Nashville Humane Association, 213 Oceola Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee 37209.
