Atlanta-based Domestic Comfort offers sophisticated and stylish (not trendy) products for your home in an unpretentious atmosphere.
The store: Domestic Comfort opened in 2009 in a small, 2,000-square-foot showroom with the mission of selling better-quality, mostly American-made furniture, with extensive styling and fabric options. Four years later, the store expanded to its current 10,000-square-foot showroom in Ansley Mall. It offers an extensive array of furniture, custom rugs, original artwork, home accents and lighting fixtures.
Owners: Cliff Zeber and Rick Hamilton
CZ: Grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. A member of ASID (American Society of Interior Designers), I worked for several furniture designers, focusing on merchandising and interior design. In 2000, I moved to Atlanta to work for Beverly Hall Furniture Galleries. Prior to opening Domestic Comfort, I operated Atlanta-based Altered Spaces, a store planning and design firm.
RH: Grew up in Philadelphia and lived in Washington, D.C., for more 20 years. I have a bachelors and an MBA from George Washington University. I owned an AutoCAD dealership and a database consultancy. Since 2004, I have also worked as an intown real estate agent in Atlanta.
The main brands: Hickory Chair, Vanguard and Century furniture; Lillian August; and Tamarian hand-knotted rugs.
Services: Interior design services (we have three designers on staff); delivery and installation of furniture; custom draperies and bedcoverings; and made-to-order upholstered furniture, many with options for styling, sizes and more than 10,000 fabric and leather choices.
What makes our shop different: In addition to our offerings, we hope, as active owner-operators with a presence in the store, to offer customers a better shopping experience.
Popular gift items: Mercury glass candle stands (set of two, $149); hinged mother of pearl clad boxes ($269); decorative pillows ($69 to $299); and original oil abstract paintings (from $499).
People would be surprised to learn: We offer sofas and sectionals that can be made by the inch.
Claim to fame: Named best Modern Furniture Store by Atlanta Home Improvement magazine in 2015.
Favorites
- Blogs & websites: LillianAugust.com; MichaelWeiss.com; Thomas O'Brien; and aerostudios.com.
- Movie or TV interiors: The beach house in "Something's Gotta Give."
- Atlanta area home/design stores (other than our own): Kravet and Grizzle & Mann at ADAC (Atlanta Decorative Arts Center); Antiques & Beyond; and Ferguson (for bath and kitchen products).
Design pet peeves: Matched furniture sets.
Current design obsession(s): Classic furniture using fine materials like mahogany, teak, walnut, but with updated, cleaner designs.
New (or re-emerging) looks we like: The return of color.
… and looks we are glad to see go: Over-scaled and sloppy-looking sofas and sectionals that overtake entire rooms.
Most unusual request: A client wanted half of a round dining table – instead of a built-in counter — for a Midtown condo.
Biggest designs mistakes we have made: Selected a strong a pattern in granite countertops that has been hard to live in the long term. Also installed microwave at an under-counter height, where it was hard to see and program.
… and mistake homeowners make: Buying small and under-sized furniture for large rooms.
Latest project (s): A luxury townhome in historic Savannah; a new apartment complex in Virginia Highland; and a luxury condominium in Midtown.
Dream project: A large old villa in the South of France.
Up next: A new, more interactive store website. In early 2017, adding several new departments, including in-stock linens and a larger assortment of table-top accessories.
Find Domestic Comfort at:
• website: www.DomesticComfort.com
• Facebook: Domestic Comfort
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