Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1110892
64 E very so often, an arbiter of taste will emerge with enviable style: She makes old-school classics feel new, and she counts design-world tastemakers as close personal friends. These are the people to whom we turn, covertly asking where they purchased the caftan they're wearing — and, by the way, can they offer design advice for the home. By definition, this is Amy Berry, the Dallas interior designer who is as action-oriented as she is a master of taste. Days before opening her first boutique, Amy Berry Home, she slipped us into her calendar for a chat. We get straight to the point about what's in store. The 3,000-square-foot space is a treasure trove of Berry's heavily edited go-tos, many of which she designed herself, including a darling wicker collection of children's play tables and chairs — something she originally crafted for a client. This happens frequently for Berry, sparking rapid growth in the custom-design aspect of her business — and justifying her need to finally open a shop of her own. "A lot of the reason I was brave or crazy enough to do this," she says, "was because I felt there was a need at the end of a project for something that seems relatively basic, but is always hard to find." In fact, good classics can be surprisingly elusive — something Berry hopes to change with the store. "It's the things that I end up repeating. The little drinks table. The really good little chair that has great proportions and everyone is really happy sitting in it. It's all classic; I'm not trying to be trendy. I think trendy is actually the best word for what it is not." The Oak Lawn Avenue storefront was formerly home to The Collective Residential, the real estate firm co- founded by Berry's mother-in-law, Christy Berry, before the company was sold to Compass. Berry, who designed the interiors when it was an office space, was right in her element when it came to reimagining the environs for retail. She installed white latticework to separate the front of the store — primarily furnishings arranged in living-area vignettes — from the back, which houses two more distinct sections. One is for tabletop and gift items, including her friend Mark Sikes' line of spongeware for Blue Pheasant, and is set up as a mini pop-up for various exclusives and collaborations, the first of which will be a collection of caftans Berry designed with Dallas–based La Vie Style House. The final section is dedicated to all things nursery — an area of expertise for the mother of two — and is stocked with a wide selection of children's clothing, storage ottomans, and custom swivel chairs. "So many clients would tell me, 'I got so excited when I got pregnant, I went and bought a La-Z-Boy,'" she says. "Stop buying La-Z-Boys!" While the store's traditional-leaning inventory will appeal to design lovers of all ages, Berry, in her early 30s, saw a lack of options for younger shoppers who were outfitting their homes. "I see so many people buying homes that, when it comes to design, don't really know where to go or where to start. I wanted to give them a place that is hopefully a little more approachable," she says. Everything in the store is available to purchase straight from the floor. As far as the feel of the store, she's approaching it the same way she does a design project. "It's a mix of one-of-a-kind and classic things I can buy over and over again," she says. "At the end of the day, that's the way the best houses come together." Amy Berry Home, 4012 Oak Lawn Ave., amyberrydesign.com. QUINTESSENTIALLY AMY BY LISA COLLINS SHADDOCK. PORTRAIT NATHAN SCHRODER. DESIGNER AMY BERRY OPENS HER BOUTIQUE OF TIME-TESTED CLASSICS FOR HOME AND BEYOND. Amy Berry in her store, Amy Berry Home