By Karen Talbot

Apr. 26, 2017:  Spring is here and it's a great time to brighten your home. Below is information about eight local home decor companies that can help make your home beautiful.

Amy Interiors:  Amy Interiors specializes in custom upholstery and window treatments.

It was started as a business sixty-two years ago by Eugene Amy and is now owned and operated by his son Dwight and his nephew David Amy. This well-established family-owned interior design store has been in the same location for fifty-five years. The Amys work with homeowners and try to incorporate newer designs with the likes of their clients.

Dwight and David create the upholstery, window treatments, bed skirts, etc., all in-house and on the premises. They will custom make headboards and furniture and will use fabrics from their well-stocked in-house library, which represents a lot of established fabric houses in the D&D Building in New York.

Clients can come to their store or they will come to a client's homes for an initial consultation at no charge to the client. They also work with a lot of interior designers in the trade who need Amy Interiors expertise on a project.

Right now in home decor, the trend is a neutral theme in color palettes, with greens emerging paired with jewel tones. The organic natural look is in with straight lines dominating furniture instead of curves, all of which promote a neat and clean look.  

Geometric patterns are also popular and antique pieces can be re-upholstered in new fabrics for a more contemporary look. Both assorted nail heads and contrast welting are being used for a two-dimensional look in furniture and decorative pillows.

Compartmentalizing furniture with storage units is also a trend, as it saves space and is totally versatile. 

Amy Interiors Contact Information:

295 Main Street, Eastchester, NY 10709
914-779-1265
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www.houzz.com/pro/amyinteriorsltd
Store Hours:  7:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, and by appointment on Saturdays.

Chapin Interiors:  Bronxville resident Sarah Chapin has been designing interiors for nearly 30 years, with the last three from her studio/office on Pondfield Road. 

She began her career working for the renowned decorator, Mariette Himes Gomez in New York City. Since then, Sarah has been working with clients and architects in Bronxville, Scarsdale, New York City, and New London, NH. Currently, she is working on the renovation of a lakeside house in Sunapee, NH, and a townhouse on Beacon Hill in Boston.

Sarah's approach to decorating includes multiple styles from traditional shingle, Tudor, and '80s A-frame to the more "modern" by using a creative mix of furniture, lighting, and accessories. It is important for her to balance the "new" with the "old" by mixing antiques with more modern pieces. She is glad to see color coming back, whether a beautiful ceramic lamp, a cobalt blue carpet, or apple green walls after a decade of neutrals dominating the decorating scene. Above all, she strives for "each home to be relaxed, yet sophisticated, comfortable, and always unique."

While she does shop online, Sarah prefers day trips to antique centers and shops to find decorative objects with history and patina. Among her favorite haunts are the Antique Centers in Stamford, CT, and the eclectic shops in Hudson, NY.

Sarah takes pride in every home she designs. One of the greatest compliments she receives is that after she has designed a client's first home, Chapin Interiors is commissioned to design a second home for the same client.

Chapin Interiors Contact Information:

81 Pondfield Rd, Studio 1, Bronxville, NY 10708
914-361-1157
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www.chapininteriors.com

Decora:  Decora is known for its fine furnishings and interior design with Nancy Reicino at the helm. Nancy has been in business for over thirty years and had a shop on Kraft Avenue in Bronxville for four years. 

Nancy's design philosophy is to decorate homes that are beautiful in design but also comfortable, whether a client's style is traditional, contemporary, eclectic, or a combination. She likes to "balance elegance with comfort and practicality." Nancy works with a client's budget to get the best value for the money. Her specialty is window treatments, and clients come from all over to work with her on this aspect of design.

In home décor this spring, the color green in all shades and hues is very popular, and Nancy suggests using this color to freshen up your home. You can also lighten up your home by replacing heavier drapes with sheer or light linen ones and also take up area rugs and show more wood floors. Another idea is to decorate a small room or entry foyer where guests are welcome if you can't afford to redecorate a whole house.

Decora Contact Information:

914-793-4444
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www.nancyinteriors.com

Hunt Woods Manor Design:  Fran Smith and Diana Lapins founded their interior design company in 2013 after working together at a corporate interior design firm in New York. They have both residential and commercial clients.

Their design philosophy is to let the client and its needs direct them in a project. The master plan is very important to them and it consists of using and placing architectural pieces and creating a furniture plan and a lighting plan. They help the client walk through the entire process and, as Fran says, "Plan the Work and Work the Plan."  

Today's clients are leaning toward a transitional style, a cross between Traditional and Modern. They view interior design as a "collaborative service":  We work "with" our clients as well as "for" our clients.

For ideas in home décor this spring, they suggest lightening and freshening things up.  

This can be done by changing your winter throw pillows and duvet covers to softer, lighter colors and by mixing contemporary with traditional furniture. Another example is to change your brass or silver candlesticks to white porcelain. Fran also said, "With good design, there is a reason for everything." Their projects can include a single room to an entire house.

Hunt Woods Manor Design Contact Information:

171 Central Parkway, Mount Vernon, NY 10552
914-523 -2480
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www.huntwoodsmanordesign.com 

Madeline Eckett Oden Interiors:  Madeline came from an advertising background and for the past fifteen years, she has been an interior designer in Bronxville. She describes her interior design business as "Life Reflected in Design." Her goal is to create environments for each client that are unique and reflect their lifestyles and personalities.

"A good designer should be able to work in any style," said Madeline. Her strong suit is "balancing the essence of yesterday with today's clean, edited look." She likes to create a flow from room to room using color and space planning. Artwork is very important to Madeline, and she believes that it greatly enhances one's home. She encourages her clients to invest in artwork, as it never goes out of style.

Right now in home décor, younger homeowners are combining the kitchen and dining rooms in traditional homes to accommodate a multitasking, relaxed 21st-century lifestyle. The challenge for the designer is to integrate this new space into the home's existing architecture and vibe. Some empty nesters are embracing a crisp, contemporary design in downsized homes and apartments, keeping only those pieces that define their lives. Mid-century furniture continues to hold sway with classics such as the Eames chair and ottoman and the Bertoia Bird chair retaining their reputation and popularity. In terms of color, gray is the new beige.

"Your home is your haven and it should reflect who you are and not what you see in a magazine," said Madeline.

Madeline Eckett Oden Interiors Contact Information:

61 Beechmont Avenue, Bronxville, NY 10708
914-779-3595
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www.MEOInteriors.com 

Patricia O'Shaughnessy Design:  A full-service interior design firm in Bronxville managing long-term projects as well as smaller targeted projects, Patti O'Shaughnessy is a 30-year industry veteran with deep knowledge of high-end sources and equally facile with retailers who have made it easier to be stylish. The goal is to have your surroundings be a form of self-expression. Your environment should be fresh, personal, and unique. 

Its specialty is decorating: Layouts, color schemes, furniture selection and all furnishings, lighting, window treatments, carpets, accessories, and art. "I like rooms with classic furniture mixed with eclectic details." The British magazine World of Interiors is a favorite. Patti is particularly adept at weaving color and pattern through an interior and believes every space should have some objects, furnishings, and artwork made by hand to give a room texture providing comfort and interest. 

"The current trend is a return to color and pattern. The challenge of putting a room together with sophisticated, patterned fabrics and unusual accessories is back. Neutrals have been done to death in the last decade and I am not sorry to see them go." 

"Every space reveals a story." Patti honed her storytelling on the national scene in the beginning of her career, styling and writing for decorating magazines and co-producing two successful style books, Formal Country and Formal Country Entertaining, both published and reprinted by Viking Penguin. She hosted a local radio show in Connecticut and more recently has frequently contributed to Westchester Home magazine.  

For more on her story, visit her website, www.pattiohome.com, and her Houzz profile, www.houzz.com/pro/pattiohome.

Patricia O'Shaughnessy Design Contact Information:

67 Kensington Road, Bronxville, NY 10708
914-346-8786
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www.pattiohome.com 

Salisbury & Manus:  This husband-and-wife interior design team, Alexander and Tracey Furman, owned a store in New York on the Upper East Side for fourteen years. Following that, they had a design studio on Kraft Avenue for six years, and for the past year they have been at their present location on Parkway Road and have offices in Manhattan. Their mantra is: "Traditional Elegance Redefined."

Alexander and Tracey Furman have the answer to all your home design questions and needs. Focusing primarily on the English classical style, the Furmans advocate comfort manifested in sophisticated furniture shapes, color schemes, patterns, and "elegant formality." 

They are known for their full service of a project from the inception to its completion, and they work hand-in-hand with architects and contractors. Most of their work is for residential clients, but they have also designed offices for doctors and other professionals and many Fifth and Park Avenue lobbies in Manhattan.

They see a new trend in home décor of more color and patterns in fabrics, wall coverings, carpeting, and artwork. A new popular color is Peacock. Lots of historical colors are also coming back into style. Brass fixtures in bathrooms and kitchens are the latest trend. They feel that people are very focused on both interior and exterior unusual lighting right now. They carry Visual Comfort and Christopher Peacock lighting and English accessories from London.

Their store is an inspiring oasis that beckons visitors to relax, explore, experience, and indulge. You may just find the perfect piece of furniture, accessory, or hostess gift. Tracey Furman explained, "We've designed the store to feel like a home. Our hope here is that people come into the store and feel immediately welcome. We want them to sit on the sofas, to ask questions about our new products or design trends, and, of course, to run into their friends." Check out their window displays, which are changed once a month. 

Salisbury & Manus Contact Information:

139 Parkway Road
Bronxville, NY 10708
914-222-9479 or 212-794-3044
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http://www.salisburyandmanus.com/ 
Store Hours:  10:00 am to 5:00 pm Tuesday to Saturday or by appointment Sunday and evenings

Savanna at Home:  Frank and Patty Canale, owners of Savanna at Home, worked with many clients for over 15 years from their storefront in Bronxville. They are now on to a new chapter and are pleased to announce the completion of the new Savanna at Home design studio.

They have over 10,000 fabric samples, 140 vendors of fine furniture, and their own private label upholstery. They have shortened their lead time for window shades and roller shades (including shutters and wooden blinds), as well as their reupholstering services. They are also offering full in-home decorating services to you. Call for your complimentary consultation.

Patty's design philosophy is to be original and to do things a little differently so that the homes they work with have their own unique style. Upon meeting a new client, she listens and helps to incorporate the client's wants and needs into the design. The client is a large part of the process. The final result is the client's vision, because it's the client's home. 

To read more about Savanna at Home, click here.

Savanna at Home Contact Information:

SAVANNA AT HOME
914-337-9400
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www.savannaathomeinc.com