Inside Jana Kramer's New Nashville Home with Husband Mike Caussin — Why It's a 'Fresh Start'
Jana Kramer and her family’s recent move from Los Angeles back to Nashville marks a new beginning after a tumultuous few years.
The singer, 35, tells PEOPLE all about her new home in Music City, which was a passion project for her and husband Mike Caussin. Not only was building and furnishing the five-bedroom, five-bathroom property a collaboration for the couple, but it was also a “fresh start” after news of his infidelity in 2016.
“We moved to L.A. a couple years ago from Nashville because there were so many triggers in Nashville,” Kramer says of the locations where Caussin cheated. “We were like, all right, we just need to move away from this place and just kind of recharge, see where things are heading and then we’ll kind of go from there.”
While L.A. proved to be a getaway — and the place where their second child, son Jace Joseph, was born in November 2018 — ultimately, it was not where Kramer and Caussin wanted to raise their children. (They also share 3½-year-old daughter Jolie Rae.)
“Once we had our second [child] and we were doing awesome work, we decided that we wanted to move back to Nashville. We thought that we were ready to come back,” Kramer says. She also wanted the kids to have “the upbringing that we knew. I’m from the Midwest. My husband is from Virginia. We wanted our kids to be playing in the backyard,” the country star explains.
There were also practical considerations. “We couldn’t really and truly afford what we wanted in L.A. And all of our friends are here in Nashville, and it just felt like it has always felt like home to us. Now that we’re back, it just feels right,” she says, adding, “We’re so solid now as a couple and as a family that this just seemed like the best thing for us.”
So they set out to build a family home that would stand the test of time.
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To ensure the move was truly a new beginning, the couple, who wed in 2015, chose to build “literally from the ground up.”
Such a massive undertaking may bring out the worst in some relationships, but it was the opposite for the parents of two. “You know, it was a little stressful at times. But I love the fact that we did it together and now we’re probably never going to not build again,” Kramer says.
Inside, they were able to hand-select every last detail, from finishes to furniture. “We picked out everything. To us, it makes it feel like that’s our space,” says Kramer, who worked closely with the Joss & Main team to outfit every room. (Shop pieces inspired by her makeover here.)
And while a few sentimental heirlooms did make the trip back to Nashville, the singer notes, “We really wanted new things because, again, out with the old, in with the new.”
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On the second night after moving into their new home, however, things were less than perfect. She and Caussin slept in separate beds following a tense argument — an anecdote she shared on her Whine Down with Jana Kramer podcast in June.
The former One Tree Hill actress tells PEOPLE that she and her husband don’t want to set a precedent and aim to follow the age-old marital advice: Never go to bed angry.
“We definitely talked about that and were like, ‘You know what, we don’t want this to be a regular occurrence,’ and it hasn’t been since,” Kramer says. “I think it’s normal that couples fight and sometimes you can’t make up at the end of the night. For me, I don’t like to go to bed angry. But sometimes I have to sleep in the other room. Because if not, I won’t be able to sleep. I’ll want to talk it out.”
Kramer adds, “To be honest, I love our guest rooms. They’re so damn comfortable. Sometimes I’m like, ‘I’ll sleep in the other room. I’m good.’ “
In addition to the guest quarters, Kramer is particularly fond of one sentimental space in the home.
“We have a family wall, that’s probably my favorite room in the entire house. It is just my favorite, with our favorite photos of the family from when Jolie was born to when Jace was born and just us together,” she gushes.
“Every time I see that I’m like, ‘Wow, we’ve worked so far to get here.’ That wall is great. That’s for sure my favorite part of the house,” says Kramer, who ordered Joss & Main frames that “tie it all together with our look.”
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Another favorite element for Kramer is her outdoor area.
“My screened-in porch is my oasis,” she says. “It’s just my place to unwind at the end of the night and have my glass of wine. It’s super comfortable. It’s super cozy,” she describes.
“It just feels right. Every time I go out there, I just feel like myself and it’s my peaceful time when the babies go down. Mike always knows where to find me,” Kramer says.
