A visit to Urban Home & Garden requires you to wander the store slowly, taking in every nook and cranny of the wonderland of comfort and cottage-style charm. Birdhouses nest alongside cookbooks, garden tools are tucked into rustic wooden drawers, and patterned pillows lean against painted canvases of cows.
Despite the overwhelming variety, each piece inside the Beachwood and Rocky River locations was purposefully picked by owner Tom Paghi to reflect his design philosophy. "Don't separate your landscape from your interior designs," he says. "Both can become living spaces and through a few simple touches, you can bring unity to them."
He stocks his shelves with hard-to-find European brands, such as Scheurich's indoor ceramic plant pots (starting at $5.95). Thick cloth napkins in a bloom of vibrant colors spill out of drawers while hand soaps in floral scents swim in a vintage sink. Live, potted ferns and blooming violets ($4.50-$29.85 each) are paired with whimsical signs that read, "Garden As Though You Will Live Forever." Rows of candles, such as Produce's line of carrot, melon and kale scents ($22.50 each), fill the stores with a potpourri of outdoor gardens and greens.
"We're inspiring homeowners to create a look and carry it all the way inside and out," Paghi explains. The store's rope-woven lampshades, crustacean serving platters and vibrant striped doormats translate from your home to an outdoor patio space.
"Your home and garden should be a haven," Paghi says. "It's where you play, dine, work, sleep and dream."
When You Go: Urban Home and Garden 19356 Detroit Road, Rocky River, 216-292-1455 urbanhomeandgarden.com
Get Glow
Lanterns add instant ambiance to any summer setting - and last longer than floral arrangements. "Use them to set the stage for magical nights," says Tom Paghi, "out on your patio, [lining] a walking or ... in repetition down the dining table."
Seed Need
Toysmith's 6-inch-tall pine Paint-a-Birdfeeder ($19.95) comes with four paint pots so you can choose the best pops of color to enhance your backyard decor — and attract feathered friends, of course.
