Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/205356
ABODE & BEYOND Modern Vintage Georgia Brown has a loft-style interior that is separated into three levels, housing a wide selection of home décor, antiques, and textiles. One-of-a-Kind Finds Aspenites adore furnishings with a backstory; luckily for us, new resources have come to the rescue at the Georgia Brown boutique. by dalene rovenstine W hen passing the windows of Georgia Brown and seeing a 1950s submarine movie prop, it's immediately clear that this design store is unlike any other. Created as a smaller version of his Big Daddy's Antiques showrooms in LA and San Francisco, Georgia Brown was opened this summer by Shane and Christine Brown (and named after their 5-yearold daughter) to fulfill a need they saw in Aspen. The 3,200-square-foot store features highend, Western-chic décor—both new and old—perfect for filling a winter home. "When you walk in, you feel like you're at home... at your grandma's maybe," says general manager Amy Mottier. "Everybody says, 'Oh, my grandma had that,' or 'This reminds me of my great-grandmother.'" Antiques from the 1800s and vintage pieces from the 1900s stand alongside replicas by artisans in the Browns's LA warehouse. Custom reproductions include dining room tables in restored vintage wood, zinc, metal, and glass; crab cages with light fixtures installed inside; gilded birdcages with two doves perching; dressing-room mirrors; and rustic bar stools. Some pieces are made completely anew, whereas others—like an 1800s carnival wheel with working lights—have been reconstructed for modern homes. "We've been getting shipments biweekly because we just sell everything," says Mottier. "It's ever-changing merchandise." With each visit, it's like shopping in a new store. Recent finds—such as a 1932 MGM movie light, a 10-foot-tall French hutch, faux-vintage leather couches, turn-of-the-century Louis Vuitton trunks, a miniature rocking horse, 1940s and '50s footballs and basketballs, and an 1800s drafting table—are highly coveted among locals. Kevin Costner stopped by and purchased items (presumably for his Aspen home), and Melanie Griffith bought a hutch from Sweden. In addition to offering made-to-order wares, Georgia Brown will also send a designer into a space to help a client build a room from scratch. "If we don't have what you need," says Mottier, "we get it from another store or make it." 217 Galena St., 970-429-8216; bdantiques.com AP Gathered from around the world, the new Kenworthy Collection at Chequers Antiques offers antiques, custom furniture, and one-of-a-kind décor curated for an Aspen home. "It's about luxury, without a doubt," says Chequers owner Becky Dumeresque. She enlists "foragers" from across Europe to help her gather a variety of vintage pieces—such as hand-thrown pottery, wooden vessels, and bronze candlesticks—that she then combines into vignettes in the store. Smaller items are mixed with upholstered pieces such as sectionals, sofas, chairs, ottomans, and benches. For further accents, she works with artisans to handpick leathers and shearlings to make custom pillows and throws. "Shearlings are absolutely perfect for winter in Aspen," she says. "They're warm and have that great mountain look to them." Dumeresque will also work with clients on made-toorder items to help create custom interiors using Kenworthy Collection pieces that can't be replicated anywhere else. 520 E. Cooper Ave., 970-925-7572 photography by brooke casillas A new line at Chequers Antiques adds unique accents to Aspen décor. 196 aspenpeak-magazine.com 196_AP_HP_AbodeBeyond_WIN13_SPR_14.indd 196 10/30/13 3:34 PM