Nest by Tamara's Six Favorite
Home Stores
in Westport, Connecticut
My business partner Susan Young of Root Cellar Designs has lived in the area her entire life, and on a crisp, Autumn day she gave me a tour of the design shops in Westport. I was pleasantly surprised to find a full design community cropping up with home stores catering to a sophisticated crowd of both design lovers and to-the-trade options for the local interior designer set. The growth in Westport is not surprising considering the surrounding neighborhoods in Connecticut offer up some of the most beautiful homes in the country.
six favorite design shops in Westport:
Dovecote
56 Post Road East
Westport, Connecticut
Dovecote was the first in this genre, and for many years the shop has set a stylish tone in Westport while providing beautiful and unique furniture and accessories. Owner Sarah Kaplan curates these items from all over the globe. Kaplan began her career as a buyer for Neiman Marcus and Barney's Private Label Collection, and she certainly has an eye for quality design. They sell a medley of 19th century furnishings with modern day items while creating interesting vignettes throughout the shop. They offer lighting, furniture, accessories and a fine selection of gift ware and jewelry to boot. The day we visited the shop was overflowing with exceptional flower arrangements after a book signing the night before hosted by local interior designer Sam Allen who brought in designer Michelle Nussbaumer to showcase her newly published book, Wanderlust.
Serena & Lily
35 Elm Street
Westport, Ct
203.635.8000
I have long loved Serena & Lily since they began their company in Sausalito, California in 2003. Owners Serena Dugan and Lily Kanter take a California point of view and make it their own. I usually frequent their Beach Market shop in East Hampton near our weekend cottage, but the Westport store is brand new and stunning! The shop is on the edge of town and set in a recently relocated historic home showing Queen Anne architecture, the former Kemper Gunn House. The house combines beautiful old-world charm with fresh Serena & Lily products, and it works well. During our visit, tabletop company, Hudson/Grace was hosting a month-long pop-up shop combining their wares with Serena & Lily.
books to furniture/art--one-stop shopping at Serena & Lily
HB Home
1 Sconset Square
Westport, Ct 06880
203.226.8777
HB Home's newly launched Fall fabric collection
I am most familiar with HB Home's smaller, cozy shop in my neighborhood on the Upper East Side, but the Westport shop is expansive and chock-filled with an array of eclectic furniture and accessories as well as home to their interior design studio. We met with owner, Rena Barsanti who gave us a tour of her showroom/design store and showed us their newest fabric collection, a lovely array of sheers and neutral linens.
Swoon
9 Sconset Square
Westport, CT 06880
203.557.0997
We popped into the newly opened store, Swoon to find a cornucopia of antiques set in a fresh, bright space. Owner Sue Appleton-Webster was the former manager over at Dovecote, and she has plenty of experience in the industry. This is not your grandmother's antique shop, but a white oasis filled with well edited, finely curated antiques and fine art, as well as customizable furniture.
White Birch
3 Sconset Square
Westport, Connecticut 06880
203.556.9137
Owner Susan Anderson believes a home should be your sanctuary, a place to shut out the world while surrounding yourself with all things beautiful. Judging from the zen-like feeling in White Birch, goal accomplished. In addition to the items in the shop, they also offer full-service interior design services and furnishings and accessories online.
Bungalow
4 Sconset Squre
Westport, Ct
203.227.4406
Since 1996, owner Wende Cohen has combined her passion for travel, antiques, and home design into her shop, Bungalow. She travels extensively to Europe to fill and ship home containers of unique finds, which gives the store an exotic flair. One-of-a-kind pieces can be found throughout the shop, and we can see why Bungalow has become a"go-to" spot for discerning clients.
Happy Nesting
XO Tamara
