Today I'm thrilled to welcome Ally of From the Right Bank here to Odi et Amo. I've been following Ally's blog (and her many relocations) for a while now and I'm consistently amazed at her impeccable taste, which always manages to strike the perfect note between modern and traditional, American and European, so I'm not surprised that her favorite shopping destinations reflect that balance.
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Hi, I'm Ally of From the Right Bank and you could call me a serial mover. As an adult, I've lived in 10 homes, in 5 cities and in 2 countries (so far). Some people think it's whackadoo but I actually like moving. To me, moving means I get to decorate a new house and there's nothing I love more. It also means I get to scout out new local design resources and I'm happy to share some new local finds as well as some old standbys with you today. At the beginning of the year, I moved to Atlanta and before arriving, I had no idea how great the shopping is here! The antique malls alone could keep me busy for years to come. Aside from the antique malls, there are three stores that I'm mad for already:
Provenance. Stepping into Provenance, I almost feel like I'm at the Marché aux Puces in Paris. (By the way, that would be on the top of my source list, if we were going international.) As it says on their website, the owners "personally hand-select, pack and ship French, Italian and Spanish pieces to a 13,000 square foot warehouse in Atlanta’s award-winning Westside shopping district." It really does have the most special items; you can rest assured that you will not see anything you buy here in everyone's houses.
Providence. Not to be confused with Provenance, Providence is a pretty little shop that carries a mix of European antiques and new objects. All of the furniture, lighting and art is so tastefully curated that on my last visit, I didn't see anything in the store that I didn't want. There's also a French Bulldog in residence so of course, it got my seal of approval right away. (I have two.)
Pieces. I'm sure you already know about Pieces, the super chic boutique that everyone seems to be talking about lately. It's no wonder because it carries the most covetable things. Pieces focuses on repurposed vintage finds, giving them fresh new life. The good news for everyone is that its website has most (if not all) of the current inventory so you don't have to be in Atlanta to shop there.
With all the moving around, my source list is constantly changing, but one store that has stayed on my list is the Conran Shop. My homes have always been a mix of styles and I always turn to the Conran Shop to balance out all the antiques and vintage pieces. When I lived in New York, I used to love visiting the store under the 59th Street Bridge (it's recently moved downtown) and in Paris, I furnished half of our apartment with things from the Conran Shop there. Now that I don't have a local one to visit, I shop their website.
Another national store that's been on my list for years is Nordstrom. Not all of the stores have very large home sections but if you're lucky enough to have one that does, it's worth a regular visit as the inventory changes frequently. The website also has a limited selection. I have picked up a lot of stylish accessories over the years such as pillows, throws, candles, and vases and the quality is always great and the prices really reasonable.
Finally, in every city I've ever lived in I was thankful to have an Ikea. It's my go-to for all those miscellaneous things that we need: frames, hangers, storage bins, etc. It always comes through when I need something in a pinch. I also love that everything has a Scandinavian touch because that is definitely one of my favorite styles!
Thanks for having me here today, Averill!
Next Week's Guest Blogger: Tracy from Comfort & Luxury
