Many interior designers make the leap to retailer. Several of our 2025 Retail Stars fit into this category:
Bountiful Home, Easton, Md.
Located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Bountiful Home is the retail arm of Jamie Merida Interiors and a reflection of proprietor and interior designer Jamie Merida’s design philosophy of “traditional made modern.” Founded in 2000, Jamie Merida Interiors and Bountiful Home now encompasses a team of 28 professionals, including five full-time interior designers, retail specialists and an installation crew. Bountiful Interiors has expanded under Merida’s direction to include a kitchen and bath design center as well as flooring and framing divisions. Merida, whose store has been recognized as either a finalist or a winner at the ARTS Awards for many years, is also well-known in the industry for the lighting collections that he designs for Chelsea House. The business will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a month-long celebration that will include giveaways and a celebratory bash in September. – Allison Zisko
Christopher Todd Design, Nashville, Tenn.
Founder Christopher Todd relocated his retail store from Las Vegas to Nashville in 2024. The interior designer still has a design office in Las Vegas, and he splits his time between the two cities. Christopher Todd Nashville had been a thought for a long time, and when Christopher Todd has a thought for too long, it probably gets done, the designer said on Instagram when he announced the new store opening.
The store is more than just a design business; it is an extension of Christopher Todd’s personal values and offers bath and body, home fragrances, holiday, floral design and men’s products. It also has an extensive online presence. —Lauren Roses
D’Amore Interiors, Denver
Frank and Marilyn D’Amore began their retail and design journey in 1980 selling handcrafted bedding and pillows in Florida. After the birth of their daughter, who is now in business with them, they visited and then moved to Colorado. In 2013, D’Amore purchased its own building in the Denver Design District where it continues to serve the home furnishings and design needs of its clientele. Through the years, the company has grown its showroom and client base via a passion for furniture and design. This family affair has proven successful for the D’Amores, with Marilyn and daughter Gina receiving accolades for their design aesthetic through magazine articles and awards, including several NKBA Design Competition Awards and an ARTS Award nomination for furniture retailer, single location.
D’Amore is known for its ability to handle design projects large and small, as well as delivering a comprehensive and beautifully merchandised retail showroom in Denver’s Design District. — Diane Falvey
Embellish Home, Bowling Green, Ky.
Interior designer Lisa Marshall along with Natalie Hughes, who had many years of experience as a retail store manager and yearned to open a store of her own established Embellish Home in 2016. It is an interior design studio and home décor boutique whose assortment includes unique furniture, rugs, luxury bedding, art and decorative accessories – something for every room of the house. The store offers in-stock and custom options for all its merchandise. “Not only do we provide unique items, but also a unique personal experience where customers feel right at home in our showroom … they can look, get ideas, shop and talk with us about the complexities of making a house the home of their dreams,” Hughes told Bowling Green VIP magazine last year. – Allison Zisko
House and Home, Dover, N.H.
Christina Van Blake is the owner of House and Home, which is based in Dover, N.H. and currently has two locations with a third location opening this month. The first shop is called Home and is more interior design forward. Van Blake then added House & Home to include more decorative accessories as well as gifts. The third location includes 9,000 square feet of furniture and décor that includes rugs, upholstery, case goods, lighting, art, botanicals, window treatments and accessories. The store offers vignettes that have distinct styles from coastal to urban to provincial, and everything in between. All locations also host events for their local communities and recently had a locally famous cookbook author come in to promote her latest book. They also host candle making, floral bouquets and calligraphy workshops. Van Blake said she makes sure the staff is fun, talkative and helpful, so whether a customer buys anything or not, they are sure to leave happy. —Anne Flynn Wear
Interior Illusions, West Hollywood, Calif.
Based in West Hollywood, Calif., Interior Illusions also has showrooms in Palm Springs and Palm Desert, an outlet in Cathedral City, and an indoor/outdoor showroom, called Exterior Illusions in Rancho Mirage. The company, which offers both retail stores and design services, said its primary aesthetic is derived from the mixing of proper stylistic ingredients and correct proportions to create a uniquely storied design flavor that offers hints of modern, contemporary, regency, rococo and even organic styling. Owner Mike Valles started as a designer and solo proprietor in 1999 and now employs a staff of 20. The National ART committee has awarded Interior Illusions with its “Best in The West” award and Valles is known as the go-to business for all of Hollywood, from the set designers to celebrities. Interior Illusions is also known as a product outlet and is on every major network list of places to visit for set design. —AFW
Kenneth Ludwig Chicago, Chicago
Independent retail store Kenneth Ludwig Chicago kicked off its 10th anniversary earlier this month with the relaunch of its online store, the arrival of more Le Cochon Royal antiques this summer and expanded offerings in its KLC To the Trade division.
The online shop, relaunching June 1, will feature all the small items carried in the store — things like candles, cocktail napkins, guest towels and gourmet food —as well as hundreds of decorative accessories that will be drop-shipped from about six vendors. Its website will continue to promote its assortment in tandem with its successful Chairish Shop that Ludwig has operated for several years.
A new installment of Le Cochon Royal vintage and antique pieces is scheduled to arrive early this summer, probably in mid-July, according to Ludwig. Le Cochon Royal owner Jody Ossman will bring in more vintage bread boards, glassware, barware and confit pots.
In addition, KLC To the Trade, the division that sells to designers, will expand its fabric and wall covering offerings, adding four major lines in the industry. It has also added six new case goods and upholstery resources. — AZ
Lee Douglas Interiors, Omaha and Lincoln, Neb.
“Exceptional space design should create a feeling. It should tell you something about the person who inhabits the space.” Design is personal according to Lee Douglas Interiors. That sentiment has proven successful for the interior design firm/home furnishings showroom, which has two Nebraska locations — Omaha and Lincoln.
Taking on projects from new builds to remodels and merchandising its showrooms to help clients envision the company’s aesthetic has helped Lee Douglas Interiors to inspire its clients as well as its peers. The retailer won the ARTS Award for Furniture Store, multiple locations, this past January.
Lee Douglas carefully selects its knowledgeable staff to ensure projects and purchases are seamless for its clients. Co-founder Lorele (Laura ‘Lee’) Lesoing credits her staff for the company’s success. With her husband, Doug Dittoe, the couple has built a design and home furnishings firm that will continue to enthtrall its clientele. —DF
Megan Molton Design Studio, Charleston, S.C.
Interior designer Megan Molton, the founder and chief creative officer of Megan Molton Design + Shop, is based out of Charleston, S.C. In 2022, the Megan Molton shop opened its doors to the Mt. Pleasant, S.C., community and has become a destination for local lovers of modern coastal design to shop for everything from furniture, home accessories and more.
The shop’s goal is to be a space for people to shop but also be inspired. The retailer offers accessories, art, mirrors, bed, bath, furniture, kitchen, lighting, local vendors, pillows, rugs and Molton’s personal designs and collaborations. If you can’t make it to the store in person, the retailer offers a virtual shopping concierge with a dedicated Megan Molton stylist who will help find pieces to elevate any space. —LR
The Atelier Home + Design, Winter Park, Fla.
The Atelier Home + Design, founded by Christina Marie Kairis, is a premier full-service boutique design firm and luxury home décor shop, based in Winter Park, Fla. Kairis began her design firm journey as Tina Marie Interior Design in 2009, rebranding as Atelier Home & Design when she opened her shop on Winter Park’s Designer Row in 2022.
With a focus on blending styles from diverse areas to produce bespoke and expressive designs, Kairis’s work has been featured in multiple interior design publications. Her home décor retail showroom, with a brick and mortar and online presence, provides a diverse mix of décor and gift items that reflect her aesthetic.
The Atelier Home + Design has several designers on staff, but perhaps her most well-loved employee is Teddy, her VP of “Pup-Lick Relations,” aka her English Cream golden retriever, who offers up some canine comfort. —DF
