The secret in travel is that it is much harder to know the house, restaurant, shop or hotel that is delicious, small, well-run, character-filled, well-priced and under the radar than to know the 5-star alliance institutions, the celebrity chef restaurants and the branded shops.
Which is one reason – but only one reason – why those in the travel industry don’t make the effort. The other reasons are obvious…to find them takes real digging and to sell them is a financial disaster.
They are not always safe bets.
Which is why, therefore, we spend so much time on the back roads, so many hours trolling the web looking for what we think is special. And why those overheard conversation snippets in the airport lounge are worth remembering, and why those expensive European magazines are worth purchasing.
The finds we look for – and find – are not always perfect, we know. But we believe that imperfection, within limits, has its own charm.
And we thrive on the search.
John Derian is a treasure. It's not that there aren't many with talent and vision because there are, the world over. But Derian has other attributes that make him so beloved. His eye is unerring, his sense of scale is perfect, he layers cultures and eras seamlessly in a room. And he is accessible in brick and mortar. His two shops on East Second Street have been haunts for years. One carries the decoupage he designs and constructs locally (and that make the best gifts ever) along with the coveted ceramics of Astier de Villatte. The second Dry Goods store next door showcases quirky antiques, an assortment of vintage furniture, stacks of heavy french linen, Moroccan rugs and soft cotton Indian clothing. Both are small, but intriguing and interesting enough to seduce you on a journey of the senses.
And now, Derian has opened on Christopher Street in a double-windowed storefront of a two-story 18th century house. It's like walking in to another world. Traditional Astier, and the later Derian/Astier collaborative pieces, line the walls from roof to floor of the front room. The back room, wallpapered in his new cabbage rose design and lit by beautiful Balthus-designed standing lamps with parchment shades, offers a living room in which to settle in, thumb through books and albums, and rest the soul.
So, go to shop, or simply go to travel in spirit to another place and time.
https://www.johnderian.com/pages/our-locations"
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