5 favorite Home Decor Stores in Montclair, New Jersey

UPPER MONTCLAIR -

Ampersand Interiors and Garden is still fairly new to the area yet not sure where Upper Montclair (or we!) would be without it. The owner Polly has curated the store choosing beautiful and unique pieces, with an emphasis on one-of-a-kind objects made locally, and carries everything from ceramic and glass vases and dinnerware, to throws and original art. The shop also carry a variety of rug and flooring options, and Farrow and Ball brand paint and wallpaper, making it an asset to home owners and interiors designers alike. The staff could not be more friendly and there is parking behind their shop, making it an easy and enjoyable home decor destination.

Photo of the many vases and ceramics I have been coveting in Ampersand Interiors

Howell, just a block over is a jewel box of wonderfully curated home decor items. Their plush velvet pillows are perfection, as are their whimsical trays and colorful glassware. You will always find something unique here, and a favorite area is their jewelry selection toward the register, specially their necklaces hand-made by women in Kenya. Walk to the back to the sweet children’s decor area and I dare you to not grab something for the little person in your life! There is plenty of parking in the lot on Bellevue Ave by the train, or behind their shop.

Their colorful tableware, perfect for an holiday or hostess gift, and i’d mix and match the drinking glass colors for fun. *Photo by other.

Moss and More - What’s a home or space without plants and greenery? Also fairly new shop to upper Montclair, this beautifully-curated bouquet is a tranquil oasis of green, where you feel better just stepping inside. Their terrariums are blissful, I’d admired them around town wondering where I could find one until someone pointed me to Moss and More. Not to be missed are their succulents which subtly add color and life to a room. Just around the corner from Howell, with plenty of parking in the lot across the street.

Just love their creative potting options like this beautiful classical bust. *Photo by other.

DOWNTOWN MONTCLAIR -

Tableleg Home - Downtown Montclair just wouldn’t be the same without this wonderfully curated shop. Once described as a mini-ABC Home it has a tightly curated selection of home decor items from mirrors and table lamps, to whimsical art and their famous “Montclair” coffee mugs. Zac has rounded up the best for the home, some of our favorites include their crystal pitcher and matching glasses, the John Derian items they stock, hand-towels and lighting. There are 2 parking decks near the shop, one on North Fullerton and the other right off South Fullerton.

The charming facade of Tableleg Home shining in downtown Montclair showcasing some of their fabulous home decor finds.

Swoon - Though their much-loved brick and mortar store has closed, all of the same global treasures are available at their online shop, and you can find Radika the owner, at various pop-up shops around North Jersey. Some of our favorite global finds are the festive juju hats perfect for just about any wall, as well as her silk hand-stitched quilts that are great for guest rooms or the foot of your bed for an extra pop of color. Also dont miss their woven baskets perfect for toy storage, another boutique carrying something for everyone!

Yours truly stocking up on home decor items like their fantastic hand-made pillows and ceramics.

Upper west side apartment renovation

While this particular project was completed over 5 years ago, we get asked about it so often that I thought Id share a bit about how it came to be, my inspiration for the design and color selections, and some fun before and after shots.

My clients were getting tired of their all-white prewar apartment and were entertaining the idea of moving around the time I emailed them mentioned that i’d decided to go out on my own starting my own design firm (this was back in 2013). I had known the family for years while putting myself through interior design school (and juggling multiple interior design internships and jobs). We began working together right away taking the project a few rooms at a time, planning all renovations and installs when the family was away on work trips or at their second home.

Living room before photo

We were able to open up the space by using the entire room adding a credenza and TV area.

The wife, a best-selling author (and fashion icon in her own right), and her husband had a great collection of mid-century antiques and artwork which I had free reign of. I knew they were open to color, recalling the couple's former upper east side apartment dining room had purple dupioni silk dining room walls, red Murano glass chandelier, and royal blue goatskin Karl Springer table. For the living room, I suggested using a mauve color pallet inspired by the historic weathered red brick museum across from them and seen from every window in the apartment, which they were instantly on board with. Flat Vernacular in Brooklyn had just come out with this fabulous watercolor-like design resembling clouds which was a natural fit for the ceiling, while we used Farrow and Ball’s Calamine for the walls, and Benjamin Moore Super White for the trim, the perfect backdrop for their gallery wall. 

Entry and dining area before photo

We moved the sofa to the LR to create the dining room.

I should mention that the whole apt, with special emphasis on the children’s sleeping room and lounge, were designed in an uber eco-friendly way where every piece of furniture or material used was researched (sometimes to the point of finding out what type of furniture glue was used) in order to avoid VOCs, fire retardants and harsh chemicals. For this reason I opted for wool rugs and toy bins, as well as fabrics made using dyes safe enough for an infant to eat (I’m not making this stuff up…!!) made by Oecotextiles, a fabulous company owned by 2 sisters out of Seattle, WA. I also designed the children’s sofa using a natural latex rubber filling opposed to traditional foam cushions which are oftentimes sprayed with retardants as per state requirements. 

Kids room before photo

We repurposed the room and were able to add an extra bed for both boys. We focused on designing the room the kids could grow into.

Kids room/lounge before photo

We lined one wall with bookcases and designed a custom sofa that kids could play on, or overnight guests can use.

In the dining room the clients requested an extra long table flanked by floor to ceiling bookcases yet within that vision there was so much room to play. While I'd envisioned the backslash of the bookshelves to be antique mirror, I opted for a metallic Winfield Thybony wallpaper that had a similar effect. We used a metallic leather and jute area rug, and the client's original Emil Stejnar Sputnik chandelier, which combined with the understated walnut table tops and Prouve dining chairs, make the room really shine. For the modern, all-white kitchen the clients had these fantastic mid-century barstools which I had redone in a zebra print cowhide, naturally, as an ode to our clients wardrobe. And while we’d agreed on floor to ceiling subway tiles to achieve a classic look, I choose a glass version instead to carry that thread of understated elegance throughout the home. 

Now the clients no longer want to sell their upper west side home, they hardly want to leave it.

Dining room before photo

We added custom floor to ceiling bookcases and room length dining tables, while lightening and brightening the room.

Photo Credits:  Joseph Keller

Upper west side kitchen renovation - Before and after

For this upper west side kitchen renovation, our clients wanted (needed!) more room to move around and also wanted the kitchen to feel more bright and have a modern aesthetic. Galley-style kitchens like this one are long narrow rectangles with a hopeful window at the far end, and are just a few feet width wise. This job sounded run yet challenging, thinking of how we would get our client’s a few more feet, let alone inches to make the kitchen wider. We started by demoing the existing cabinets on each side which made the kitchen instantly more spacious, without the heavy wall to wall cabinets. To make it less heavy feeling, and more open we replaced cabinets with custom floating shelves on both sides of the kitchen, and opted for a floating stone countertop instead of more rows of cabinets. I chose glass subway tiles which we did from floor to ceiling on the left side to keep it classic and in line with the style of their prewar building, yet giving the space an elegance feel. We used a clean white paint color for the floating shelves and cabinets, and added a Wolfe stove with fun red knobs as a pop of color. By adding marble countertops and updated fixtures we really brought the space to a new, more modern level. Of course we couldn’t resist adding the zebra cow hide stools for touches of color, and our clients’ lovely antique runner was right at home after the reno. This upper west side kitchen renovation was so much fun, and hope you enjoy the before and after photos!

7 Throw Pillow Sources For Your Home

Dont get me wrong, there is nothing quite like custom-made pillows that you've painstakingly measured for, specifying the exact size, style, edge detail and trim for - in the fabric that goes perfectly with your room scheme. But I've learned that's not always necessary as there are so many great ready-made pillow sources out there, seemingly more each day. In a perfect world you would use a combination of ready-made and custom pillows, but there is no reason to panic around installation week, or while prepping for a photo shoot, if you dont have all the pillows in order. Here is a round up of our favorite stocked and ready-made pillows we love:

Anke Drechsel pillows are a long-time favorite I first learned about seeing them at Gracious Home on the upper east side many years ago. While their velvet pillows with metallic fringe trim are a favorite, their floral patterns are just as on point and elegant. Head over to John Derian or ABC Home if you're in NYC, or check their website to see their nearest retailer near you.

John Robshaw is known for his vibrantly-colored hand block prints that work in a beach bungalow just as well as in an eclectic urban living room, or my favorite, in a child's bedroom. His neutral-colored patterns like this one would be perfect year round for a sofa or chaise.

Aviva Stanoff pillows just speak for themselves like a couture gown. They are so elegant, have a hand-made quality and the perfect anecdote to a formal living room, or a master bedroom to take the decor a step up. The icing on the cake is they are now available at Barney's, ABC Home and Gracious Home, or online.

Seville Bouclé Pillows are the perfect layering pillows. Boucle is not going out of style anytime soon, and with the fun matching fringe, they can work on their own, or with a pattern pillow in front of it. It comes in 3 neutral colors and 3 sizes, and you can find them online or at L'Object and Gracious Home.

Velvet Throw Pillows from World Market can be a lifesaver and are perfect pillows for layering in literally any room. They are polyester velvet meaning they can come in saturated colors, and are soft and stain-resistant. I have used these in several projects with pretty floral or texture-rich pillows in front of them, and their lumbar shape is perfect for tough sofa corners. Their $9.99 starting price cant be beat and World Markets are seem to be popping up everywhere, or you can buy online.

Hudson Park Collection, Bloomingdales own brand, is a collection of subtle, understated while sophisticated textured pillows in neutral colors. As Hudson Park is their house brand, there's no hefty price tag and they are made to last. Perfect for fillers before a photo shoot, but you'll want to keep them for good. 

The Rome Pillow collection from Ann Gish is perfection in beautiful soft jewel tones. I first learned about the brand when I found myself in need of luxurious bedding for several projects all at once, and fell in love with this line that while having linen and silk content, is machine washable. Im not sure if Ann's other patterns are washable but wouldn't be surprised, and its a huge selling point. I cant think of many fabrics as luxurious and elegant, that can be tossed in a washing machine, and you can find them in their showroom, Gracious Home or online.