by Kathleen Artiglier

Nestled into a beautiful new location on Broadway is a family owned business that will be on the top of everyone’s list for stopping in.  The new Butter and Velvet Home and Design in Denville is a unique and friendly store that is filled with charm, eclectic pieces, colorful works, whimsical items and home decor.

At first glance, it’s very appealing to the eye.  A customer could spend hours browsing and picking pieces or ask the knowledgeable owners, Kelly Daab and Michaeline Fernandez.  From picking out furniture to jewelry to one of a kind show pieces for any size or style home, they have it.

Sisters from New Jersey, Daab and Fernandez both developed a keen eye and taste when it came to decorating.  They admit they got their flair from their mother.  Fernandez is a certified ASID interior designer and also owner of Create Your Space Design.  Daab has always had a love of design and they joined artistic forces to open Butter and Velvet Home & Design.

How did they come up with such a cute name for the business?  Daab gives the credit to her sister. Their love of butter and cooking as they were growing up evokes a great memory and said it’s warm like their family.  The velvet is the equivalent fabric and soft, so they combined the names into one amazing name for their business.

When Fernandez decided that she wanted to bring her accessories and her expertise to a retail location, she asked her sister to join in.

“Denville is such a warm and welcoming downtown,” she said. “We love that it is a walking town with a community feel, welcoming many surrounding towns who do not have their own downtown.”   They agreed it would be a positive addition to the many wonderful restaurants and existing businesses that they already grew to love. They also enjoy sponsoring and supporting events downtown, which are vital to the community and are looking forward to being a ‘must see’ location in town.

With their interior design services, they can customize any ideas that customers can visualize.  Butter and Velvet offers furniture, art, window treatments, lighting, gifts that are unique, jewelry, wall coverings and more.  The location showcases items of all kinds to give customers an idea of what style they would like to decorate with.  They can help customers redecorate, update or add pieces.  They also know that sometimes customers are looking for special gifts for occasions and want to give their friends and family pieces they can cherish.   Gift giving is personal when browsing through their shop.  Personal touches are all about the store.

They can transform any living space in any home and decor into a personalized and comfortable room.  Bringing a current photo of the space a customer is updating or decorating from scratch is also helpful to Butter and Velvet.  They have a large design studio to work with clients, choose fabrics, develop ideas, and choose items to help build that into a reality.

What does Fernandez suggest when starting out decorating a new home?

“I truly believe that two heads are better than one and that collaborating with a designer not only creates unique and functional areas, but also prevents the new homeowner from making costly mistakes.”   Those are excellent points in keeping their customers happy and returning clients.  Accessories, throw rugs, pillows, and other small touches can make a home more beautiful and bring an entire room together.

“My favorite way to make a home feel comfortable and appealing to the eye is to purchase quality upholstery that is family friendly, but soft to the touch and then is adding unique art,” she said.

They work well with customers that have a ‘wish list,’ especially if a client is not sure whether to start with one room or the whole home.  They keep in mind the budget that the client brings with them to ensure that the realistic budget sticks to the numbers.  Keeping it simpler and beautiful is not a problem for these professionals.  They offer ideas for the home from the ceiling on down.  From flooring to ceiling lights, they have it all covered.  They will design a floor to ceiling plan and everything in between.  Making lasting memories of rooms that the family will remember for years to come is their main concern.  They focus on what makes one comfortable and what the family needs.  Butter and Velvet creates rooms that are livable and lovable.

What do they suggest when a client wants to come up with ideas before coming to Butter and Velvet?  Poke around the internet, why of course.  Browsing sites that offer ideas such as ‘mantel displays’ or furniture styles or any home decorating tips can be helpful.  Customers should know whether the room or pieces will be for entertaining, gifts, furnishing family areas, a new home, and so on.  A new home is a virtual blank slate for a decorator.  There are things to consider for older homes, such as salvaging pieces like architectural mold that can be turned into an interesting wall piece or adding to other pieces of art.

Butter and Velvet make the process of updating, decorating or redecorating a painless one.  From fun designs and professional opinions to budget friendly advice, they are making a name for themselves with their new location.

When viewing Butterandvelvet.com people can see the furnishings, home decor, artwork, flooring, and all of their pieces.  Their gallery is rich with designs and colorful ideas.  The owners will help clients with design tips, go over personal styles, and even draw storyboards of how the end results will look.  They don’t just sell pieces.  They discover likes and dislikes of their clients.  Butter and Velvet is a full service gallery with a large selection of products, art, and unique treasures to fill either a room or an entire home.  Custom designs are their business.  They also have an extensive list of contractors they work with for all home projects and timely completions.

Looking forward to being Denville’s choice for personalized design needs, they are committed to the community and the family oriented atmosphere that the town evokes.  Making families happy in their homes and helping them achieve beauty in those surroundings make them a happy pair of sisters.

Denville is proud to have them as a new and thriving downtown business, as well.  Dorothy may have said “there’s no place like home,” but Daab and Fernandez will make sure there is no place like home once they decorate it.

Stop in for gifts, pieces, artwork, jewelry, or call for an appointment for consultation for the entire home.

Butter and Velvet is just as warm as the name implies.  Located at 11 Broadway in Denville, go to www.ButterandVelvet.com for a preview of its pieces and more information on services.