Shop Visit at Elizabeth Home Decor & Design

Paper depicting Andy Warhol’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II lines the wall behind the coffee counter in Elizabeth Home Decor & Design’s shop within a shop, Petal & Press.

Paintings by Connecticut artist William McCarthy, Elizabeth Home’s artist in residence last fall, hang in the coffee/flower shop.

Shop owner and interior designer Elizabeth Benedict says the gallery wall is her favorite spot in the space. “I love to include mirrors and baskets to add dimension and break up the art,” says Benedict. The gold-framed painting to the left of the round mirror belonged to Benedict’s mom.

A dining table that Benedict regularly resets greets visitors when they walk in, while an étagère showcases everything from books to vintage items Benedict sources from her travels. The abstract paintings are by Linda Donohue.

A collection of ginger jars surrounds a cushy chair in front of the gallery wall. Fabric from Design Legacy by Kelly O’Neal, available through Elizabeth Home, wraps the pillow and ottoman.

First there are the neighborhood regulars who pop into Elizabeth Home Decor & Design’s shop within a shop, Petal & Press, for a cup of Illy coffee. They browse for hostess gifts or perhaps choose stems of seasonal flowers for a burlap-wrapped bouquet, while the baristas work their magic. “After all, it takes time to make the perfect cappuccino,” says shop owner and interior designer Elizabeth Benedict with a knowing smile.

Then there are the interior designers who congregate around the island in the studio portion of the space, pouring over fabric swatches and perusing brands like Charles Stewart, Miles Talbott, and Made Goods.

Finally, there are the in-the-know design afficionados, the ones who travel to Chestnut Hill only to discover the corner shop behind the plate-glass windows is never quite the same place twice. The linens and accessories that adorn the dining table in the front portion of the space might skew blue-and-white vintage ginger jars one time and candy-colored Dunes and Duchess candlesticks the next. The gallery wall in the living room area, Benedict’s favorite place to play with styling, might spotlight colorful abstracts one season and gilded mirrors the following.

There are a few things that don’t change at Elizabeth Home, though. The mix of vintage accessories and new objets d’art, for one. The cheeky Queen Elizabeth II wallpaper behind the coffee bar for another. And if you sense an overarching Far East influence, it’s not your imagination. Benedict’s interior design career began when she was living with her husband in Hong Kong. Two years later, the couple was back in the U.S., this time in Boston, and, as a Christmas gift, Benedict’s husband enrolled her in the New England School of Art & Design. Not long after, in 2005, the New Jersey native founded Elizabeth Home Decor & Design. Its slogan: live royally.

Benedict operated out of her house for ten years before moving into her current Comm. Ave. space in 2016. Petal & Press, the coffee/flower shop, opened in 2020. Not only does it serve as a gathering spot, but it also hosts upwards of a dozen visiting artists each year.

Benedict readily admits she wants the shop to offer a little bit of everything. “I’m trying to foster a sense of community here, especially for designers,” she says. And though client work still makes up eighty percent of her business, the shop satisfies Benedict’s love of vignettes, upcycling, and sourcing. “I plan to pitter around here until the end of days,” she happily declares.

Elizabeth Home Decor & Design, Chestnut Hill, Mass., elizabethhomedecor.com