Drawing inspiration from the human form, culture, and color, Sarah Ruth's work spans from figurative pieces to bold, organic shapes and vibrant palettes. You can see that so clearly in her collaboration with AJ Capital and Haustile. The partnership delivered Memoir May Hosiery, part of AJ Capital’s branded residential platform that combines hospitality and design expertise, where she created a custom tile mural that brings life, movement, and storytelling to the hotel's pool deck.
Located in Nashville’s vibrant Wedgewood Houston neighborhood, Memoir May Hosiery is a ground-up property, designed to complement the unique brick industrial buildings that have defined the texture of the neighborhood since the early 1900s. May Hosiery Mills, just across the street and the inspiration for Memoir May Hosiery’s architecture, was largest hosiery mill in the South, making waves in not only the manufacturing world, but business innovation as a whole. To learn more about the history of May Hosiery Mills visit here.
AJ Capital approached Haustile wanting a permanent piece of art that would tell the story of the neighborhood, its history, and those who came before us. Staying true to the Nashville community, native artist Sarah Ruth was the perfect person to bring this vision to life.
Meet Sarah
Born in Nashville, Sarah was surrounded by art and artists from the very beginning. During the first seven years of her life, while living with her grandparents, she spent countless hours in the home studio of her grandmother, Shirley Flamming, a ceramic artist. Working alongside her grandmother, learning ceramics, glazing, and painting, instilled in Sarah a love for creating. It's in the blood, you could say.
Her childhood travels abroad further shaped her as an artist, cultivating a deep appreciation for how culture influences art. She later graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Interiors, where she developed an understanding of form, color, and space, and how art and interior design naturally go hand in hand.
For Sarah, art is everything. It's in her soul. There is a need to paint, whether there's a project or not. Whether she's creating for herself, a design project, or a collector, art serves as both a creative outlet and a source of healing. As a cancer survivor and mother of two, Sarah works closely with interior designers and local craftsmen. Whether taking on a solo project or collaborating with other artists, she enjoys the design process and studio time just as much as the finished work.
"Tile work is a little different and a lot of fun. Learning to paint with underglaze for
ceramic tile is a new obsession. Haustile being porcelain gives my art a chance to
live outdoors and bring life to those spaces." 
It's a Process
Paying homage to the May Hosiery Mills factory became the starting point for Sarah to work her magic. She and AJ Capital explored botanical concepts while weaving in the building's history and the story of the women who once worked there.
As the collaboration evolved, the vision for a figurative pool scene inspired by vintage bathers and colorful umbrellas came to fruition, creating a mural that feels nostalgic while remaining fresh and playful.
Sarah shares:
"The tile mural with Haustile was all about scale. Since we were creating a scene, it was all about getting the scale, proportion, and color right. Haustile was a dream because there were very few restrictions, and as an artist, making sure my work booked authentic on the finished product was such a delight. The sky is the limit with Haustile, so I look forward to doing something bold and funky with them in the future. As an artist, it's a dream collaboration."
Saturated blues and warm hues of orange bring the mural to life. Sarah's expressive
brushstrokes are just as visible as they would be on canvas, only this time they're preserved on durable porcelain. She even told us that the mural looked better on tile at this larger scale than she had imagined. From scanning and mapping the original artwork to creating prototypes and producing the final tile, every step of the process was carefully crafted to ensure the finished mural remained true to Sarah's original vision while standing up to years of outdoor use.
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Art is a process. It is inspiration and history. It takes time, conversation, collaboration, and the right materials.
It is always worth the wait, and we were so delighted to combine our expertise with Sarah's vision to create something truly memorable that will stand the test of time.
Haustile is so much more than creating tile.
It's about creating feeling, telling stories, and making spaces come alive. Take a splash this summer and experience all the emotion, beauty, and history this custom tile poured into Memoir May Hosiery.
