When you walk or drive around the streets of Edenton, you can’t help but marvel at the stately homes throughout town. Many are places that inspire feelings of sophistication and Southern hospitality and evoke romantic thoughts of earlier times. And if there’s a place that many of these homeowners trust to furnish, decorate and design their abodes, it’s Summerhouse of Edenton.
This Edenton shop is a boutique store for housewares and goods. It cultivates vibes reminiscent of country French cottages and cozy cabin resorts – you know: the sort of places where you dream of curling up in an armchair with a good book in one hand and cup of tea in another. Visit the shop, and you can’t help but crave that same welcoming and homey environment in your own home. Their cushions, throw pillows, rugs, candles, ceramic ware and other decorative items can help you craft a cozy look within your own home. And then, products such as knitted afghans, wall art, candles, essential oil diffusers and more bring warm touches and scents into any room. While decor dominates the store, some of the furniture, such as elegant armchairs, distressed chests of drawers, cabinets and end tables, are available to purchase too.
Summerhouse of Edenton dresses more than your home – they also can help tailor your style to match! (And don’t worry, I’m not talking about dresses made out of window curtains or anything like that.) They carry handmade jewelry, simple scarves, designer handbags and other women’s accessories. They’re the sorts of items and styles – from bold statement pieces to simple touches of elegance – that work for almost every fashion sense.
Just like there’s more to any home than what you see based on the outside alone, there’s more to the Summerhouse of Edenton than simply being a store. Summerhouse’s Design Studio offers interior design services and consultation to homemakers, fixer uppers and anyone looking to revamp their home but unsure where to start. Interior decorators Anne Farless, who owns the store’s retail side, and Cynthia Gandee manage the Design Studio, located in Summerhouse’s lower level. While she was studying interior design in school, Anne started working with Cynthia; after she graduated, the pair joined forces, drawn together by their shared sense of style and complementing ideas. Between them, they have more than 30 years of interior decorating experience, and the products within Summerhouse perfectly reflect their Cozy Minimalist Home philosophy.
Are you familiar with the concept of hygge (pronounced “hoog-gah”)? It’s a lifestyle philosophy that’s rooted in Danish culture. It emphasizes cozy qualities and those warm fuzzy feelings you get from spending time with loved ones. It’s become trendy in places beyond Denmark. And thanks to Summerhouse, it’s an aesthetic that Anne and Cynthia are bringing into Edenton’s homes.
Similar to the shop’s sophisticated and welcoming atmosphere, Anne and Cynthia believe that homes should have their own individual sense of style that serves the household, and the main focus is using only pieces and decor that the inhabitants truly love. That means less stuff, fewer knickknacks and thingamabobs and trivial tidbits that you kind-of-sort-of like but don’t necessarily love. Instead of prioritizing making a home perfect, these decorators care more about making it beautiful. They take clients individually as well as collaborate on other projects. Their service offerings are extensive: There’s an extensive fabric library, reupholstery services, lighting, flooring, paint selection, space planning and consultations.
Their simple goal for every client is a beautiful one: They want to help you create an environment that serves your household through grace, coziness, abundance, simplicity and functionality. Through their services they help turn your home into whatever you envision, whether it’s a modern country cottage, a nautical inspired living room or a bright and simply ornamented room full of natural light. It’s refined, it’s inviting, it’s classy, it’s casual – whatever you want your home to be, they can help make it happen. Visit Summerhouse of Edenton at their shop on 313 S. Broad Street.
All photo credits to Summerhouse of Edenton
About the Author Hannah Lee Leidy
Hannah Lee is a fiction and creative nonfiction writer living on the Outer Banks. She graduated from Kenyon College in Ohio with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. Traveling is her passion, but nowhere ever feels as much like home as the Outer Banks. When not planning her next trip or adventure, Hannah Lee loves aimless drives down the Beach Road, spending copious amounts of time in coffee shops and reading every short story collection she gets her hands on. 