SHOP WATCH: FAB FURNITURE PIECES FROM AN ALLURING ATLANTA STORE! COCOCOZY

All photos in this post courtesy Pieces Inc.

Exterior Pieces home furnishing and accessories store in Atlanta Georgia’s Buckhead. (above)

Can’t remember how I discovered it…but one day a few months ago I happened on the website for Atlanta based Pieces A fantastic website featuring vintage and antique furniture and accessories that are all very chic and traditional and have also been freshened up to look bright and new. The website is easy to manage because furniture pieces are organized by color, type and/or material. Looking for something in brown or white or metal or lucite or a sofa or a side table or a chandelier…it is easy to search through the store’s stylish selection on the website.

After browsing for about a half an hour on the website, I realized that Pieces is both a website and a store! An actual place with a real personality…a tangible building with a street address and everything (thought bubble: “Like the good old days”, she thinks but doesn’t dare to utter in hopes no one finds her old fashioned or figures out her age (hint “she” (me) is under 90 but over 25…hmmm….) as she hearkens back to the time before the internet…). I love the internet and the virtual world of home furnishings and all…but I also delight in finding a great store or shop and actually physically browsing through a space…touching, seeing and smelling the sights and sounds…hence the perhaps strangely overly exuberant reaction to Pieces actually being a website and a real furniture store (I should probably be over exuberant about a lot of other things happening in the world during this time…but for today my exuberance is about Pieces being a store…so there…)!

Anyhooo…love the Pieces website so much, I wanted to find out more about this southern store…my Los Angeles place of residence made it a little difficult to actually get to the store…so I decided to turn back to modern technology to investigate a bit further into this shop via the internet. What better way to find out more about a place than to ask…so I asked Pieces store owner Lee Kleinhelter a few questions about her amazing trendsetting store and website.

In today’s SHOP WATCH Q&A, Lee tells a bit about the store’s background and how she transforms and restores vintage pieces to bring them to life. Here’s what Lee has to say:

COCO: How long has Pieces been in business?
LEE: 4.5 years

COCO: Why did you decided to open Pieces?
LEE: I had a design and art history degree, worked for interior designers and loved the industry, but wanted to be more a part of a product. It was all timing and it kind of happened. I didn’t spend my life wanting a store, it was more of something that evolved and I love it. Its so much fun to find interesting pieces and update them and bring them back to life.

Inside Pieces furniture store in Atlanta (above)

COCO: Are you the only owner of Pieces?
LEE: Yes, I’m the only owner. I felt there was a need and a lack of interesting furniture available in the retail market. Everything was either very fine antiques or mass produced items that can be found everywhere. Both are great, but wanted to show customers there are other options. Its all about mixing and editing a space and using interesting pieces.

COCO: What is the store’s speciality (i.e. antique, vintage, reproduction)?
LEE: The majority of the items at Pieces are vintage. They range from the 40’s, lots of the 60’s and even 80’s. What sets us apart is that these items once we’ve upholstered them, wired or painted them in some way, makes them one of a kind. It’s a lot more work to find pieces and change each one of them, but it’s also the best part. You wont see them in every store. They are special! I wanted to offer items that are there and ready to go, you can touch them, experience them and take them home. Its not something that is ordered and the next week we’ll have five more. When sold, that’s it.

COCO: What do you look for in home furnishings that you find for the store?
LEE: I look for interesting lines in a chair or table. Something that could work in lots of spaces and its all about the shape. I really don’t worry about age, or where it came from. To me, its about finding things that are unique and functional for people to use. Like the great pair of white end tables we just got in. They are so versatile and could be used in a bedroom, family room or any space.

Front desk inside Pieces in Atlanta (above)

COCO: I love EVERYTHING on your website. What would you say is the store’s style…what “style” are you selling to customers?
LEE: I don’t want to sell a style or a trend. I think its about seeing things a little differently and more clean. Not be afraid to use color, or mix old pieces with new, but its all about editing. People tells us they are inspired when they walk in. It doesn’t take much to change a space. It could be some great pillows that completely change the direction of your space and that’s all you need. I believe in flow and that your living space should have some what of a clean concept and then add one fantastic piece here and there.

Pair of White Cane Chairs – $2700 (Carved faux bamboo legs painted white. Cane back. Upholstered in camel colored leather with nailhead trim)(above)

Trellis Pillow – $385 (Kelly Wearstler Imperial Trellis fabric covered pillow)(above)

White Tufted Sofa – $8200 (Vintage tuxedo style sofa with new white leather upholstery and diamond tufting. Wood base with existing finish. 29H x 79W x 32D) (above)

COCO: What is your favorite item in the store right now and why?
LEE: I have so many favorites. They really all are, since I get attached to so many pieces. I love the white tufted sofa. Its one of those that I almost took home with me, which can be an occupational hazard! Its a really clean line and the tufting on seat and back was worth the expense. Its beautiful and would look great in so many spaces.

COCO: Do you ever have sales? If so, what time of the year?
LEE: We do, but there isn’t any particular time of year.

French made fauteuil chair with white finish and brown upholstered fabric from Pieces

Louis XVI Medallion Armchair – $1942 (French made fauteuil with white finish on wood. Brown upholstered fabric on chair) (above)

Pair of Green Glass Lamps – $2700 (Green reverse painted glass with original gold details. New custom gold paper shade and gold ball finial)(above)

COCO: Your website is awesome…one of the best I’ve seen out there for home furnishings…how did you come up with the website concept?
LEE: Thank you, the website needs to be great and helpful b/c we do a lot of business with out of state customers that have never been in the store. We really worked with what we have. The design evolved from finding things we wanted to improve from the previous website and how to navigate more efficiently. The technology changes so quickly and we work with someone who has created a website that’s extremely easy for us to edit and use daily. A lot of the design stems from our logos we use in the store is continued in our business cards, stationary and matches. We really wanted people to get a feel of the store even when they can’t be there.

Lucite Desk – $4280 (30H x 42W x 24D. Original hardware, lucite sides and lucite pull. Desk surface newly painted white semi gloss inside and outside. One front drawer has three containers in drawer to accommodate smalls supplies)

Pair of Faux Bamboo Side Tables – $2600 (21.5H x 26W x 26D. Faux bamboo legs, base and doors with raised faux bamboo. Newly painted white semi gloss inside & out. Original round loop pulls with new dark finish)

Pair of Geometric Metal Side Chairs – $393 (above)

COCO: What is the best part about owning this store?
LEE: The best part for me is finding great pieces and seeing how great they look when we’ve changed them, then helping them find a great home!