Back in June, we moved our studio from our little Design Speakeasy – hidden in Downtown New Bedford inside @theindigospacompany, without a sign or even a clearly marked entry, to a more prominent and visible location at 130 Main Street in Fairhaven.
Growing up in town, I remember the building back when it had a light blue exterior and there was a bait shop located on the first floor. It has been great hearing what everyone remembers being there – a candy shop, a convenience store, a wedding planner’s office, and many remember it as the bait shop. The current owner and my new landlord went through the entire place and renovated it into the blank slate that we found when we moved in, and it is perfect for us.
The reason I’m telling you this is because soon, our sign will go up outside and anyone who drives by (which is a lot…Main Street, people) will know who has set up shop. We love it when people beep when they drive by – my parents, our contractors, friends, and family so far are the only ones who know we’re here.
It is us…Tapper Richards Interiors. I, Allison, Liz and Marilyn all work together to serve our clients and provide Full-Service Interior Design from the renovation planning phase to the last light bulb and pillow. We don’t have a store; we don’t have a cash register or a check-out counter. What we do have is a collection of samples we use to pull together design schemes for our projects, and a library of accessories to put finishing touches on those projects.
We love to shop locally and to amass a cache of beautiful things to use in our installations. It helps our projects to feel curated, and it supports our fellow local businesses. Also, many clients are busy and don’t have time to trek to boutiques, galleries, and shops on their own. Once they get the time to shop, they might fall in love with something, but not know how to use it or if it is right for their space. So, we do the work for them.
Truthfully, it is easier to just have these smaller items on-hand as a project closes and bring a carload with us on installation day and try things out. Sometimes, I even think a certain piece will be perfect in a space and when we get there, it just doesn’t seem to work. So, we will continue to shop and to fill our space with beautiful things we have collected. Having some of our favorites out on display helps bring a little personality to our studio.
We’re calling it the Styling Library. We have plants, books, lamps, throw pillows, picture frames, prints and other smalls that will make it look like you spent your weekends shopping, but really, we did it for you. Our current collection has items from @surroundingshome, @anthi_drawing_room, @detailsdesignma, @touchofgraceflorist, @acushnet.river.antiques, @foundtreasuresco, @brimfield.antique.flea.market, @etsy
If you have the time, consider checking out these beautiful local boutiques on your own! You won’t be disappointed. If you get stuck, and don’t know what to buy for your own space, let us know and we can help you to do just that.
We won’t have set Open Hours, but if you’re in the neighborhood and want to stop by or honk that car horn when you drive by, we’d truly love it.
See you soon!