Curated, a selection of stylish and bespoke home and personal accessories, is offering homeowners access to unique and beautiful items not available in traditional retail channels.
When Kiki Shilling and Melissa McCray met at their sons’ school nine years ago, they never would have imagined that they would be in business together. But with their shared love of shopping coupled with Melissa’s business acumen and Kiki’s design expertise, Curated seems in retrospect the natural culmination of events. And design enthusiasts everywhere can be grateful for the pairing.
“We talked about it forever”, says Kiki an interior designer and mom of three. Both women speak enthusiastically about how they love to uncover unique and stylish products and share these finds with friends. Indeed, the shopping experience is more like a visit to your best friend’s house than a store. And that’s how the women want it. Melissa, a mom of two and former owner of an on-line apparel company, says they wanted to create a relaxed and welcoming environment where people can experience the products in person.
The duo have selected home and personal accessories through Kiki’s to-the-trade-only relationships as well as directly from manufacturers, many of whom they work with to create designs exclusively for Curated. “Our bags are from Mexico, our baskets from Columbia” explains Melissa, and a gorgeous blue and white ceramic line is hand-made in the United States. There are no strict criteria for sourcing product, only that it be unique and something the women would love to have themselves.
Worthwhile to add, the brand is committed to supporting the artisans responsible for crafting many of these custom products. Says Kiki, “we didn’t set out to do that, but in choosing relationships, as women and mothers, we both felt good about paying a bit more to support our craftspeople.” We couldn’t agree more.
Curated opens a shop periodically through the year to share their finds. They can be found year-round online at @curatedfinds on Facebook or curatedfinds2016 on Instagram. Sign up for their mailing list to access upcoming sales and new products here.
