It Takes a “Local” Village

Left to Right: Stacy Kunstel, Justine Sterling, Holly Gagne, Phoebe Russel

One of the major benefits of hiring a Full-Service Interior Designer is their deep knowledge of products. They know how to make your home customized with interesting ideas you’ve never seen before. Most often, the success of these interiors is not only the designer and tradespeople but also the incredible team of makers they surround themselves with. 

As a local Boston designer, I was lucky enough to visit Dunes and Duchess (located close by in Connecticut) with two of my designer friends (Holly and Phoebe) in December. We toured the Dunes and Duchess warehouse, showroom, and facility where they make “Made in the USA” bespoke pieces. Here are my takeaways…

Buying Local is Personal

Why buy local? There are many reasons, from carbon footprints to social responsibility, but my biggest reason is connection. Although you can find beautiful designs in many places, when you meet the people creating those pieces, the product means so much more, right? 

Detail of unfinished (raw) spindle before finishing

Local Talent Creates Beautiful Pieces

My furniture and lighting maker in Connecticut sent me a video of the light fixture we had custom-made for our client’s home. Our concept was to add a coastal flair to the ship's wheel fixture by adding a wrapped rope stem. The video (see below in the blog) immediately made me think of how many talented hands this fixture had been through. 

Bespoke Items are a Team Effort

It is not just the owner or maker cutting, assembling, and finishing the beautiful product. They employ talented craftspeople to create these bespoke pieces also. For example, at Dunes and Duchess, the wood is laminated together by one person, then hand-turned (wood turning, a real art in itself) by another to meet exact specific requirements. Only then can the wood turned pieces become a light, mirror, accessory, or piece of furniture.

Here’s a quick video from Stacy, co-owner, showing the light before it left for shipping. 

My client recently took a photo of the installed ship’s wheel fixture. It looks so perfect for the space, and I can’t wait to see this all complete in March!

In progress project image of the pendant installed (Project Coastal in Cohasset)

In the theme of products made locally, but more importantly the many hands that our products touch before they get into OUR hands, this book resonated with me after listening to a few excerpts: “Thanks a Thousand,” written by A.J. Jacobs, just arrived on my doorstep, and I cannot wait to fully dig in. "The idea was deceptively simple: New York Times bestselling author A.J. Jacobs decided to thank every single person involved in producing his morning cup of coffee. The resulting journey takes him across the globe, transforms his life, and reveals secrets about how gratitude can make us all happier, more generous, and more connected.” NOTE: The link takes you to a local bookstore near me, not the big store, keeping true to keeping it local.

Seems like a perfect read to recommend after reading the “It Takes a (local) Village” blog, right?

Want to stay informed and see the progress on this Cohasset project posted here? Our instagram, is a perfect place to follow along in posts, stories and reels when we are out and about on job sites, photo shoots, travel, or discovering inspiring content to share with you.

Until next time, 

Justine