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Eclectic Yet Sophisticated, Nell Hills Is A Living Room Decorator's Dream!
Nell Hills is our favorite home decor store, period.
There are home decor stores and then, there are home decor stores. Many we've been in are just the same thing over and over again. Not Nell Hill's, though. This place is different...it's the charm, the casual sophistication, the packed aisles and displays, and the attitude that make it such a special place to shop.
These very special stores are located primarily in Atchison, KS and we can best describe them as a home decorator's dream. These stores are brainchild of Mary Carol Garrity. Here's what the press has said about her...
"One of the country's hottest young retailers," - Fortune magazine
"One of the midwest's premier interior design consultants," - The Kansas City Star.
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A Regional Sensation
95% of her customers visit from more than 50 miles away. In fact, her 75,000 annual visitors come from, on average, 90 miles away. Atchison is close enough to Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka, Wichita, Omaha, Lincoln, Columbia, Des Moines or St. Louis to make a great day, or weekend, trip.
Her stores are a sight to behold...imagine wall to wall furniture, framed art, accessories, fabric, and more!!!
If you're not within driving distance, that's OK. Mary Carol has published a popular series of home decorating books that provide us with inspiration, great photos and great ideas.
Interior Decorating Books
NH Style At Home is one of her classics. This book gives an introduction to her signature design principles, getting the point across with many, many photos.
One signature secret is to match your accent colors to the season. For example, your fall decorating would incorporate ambers, greens, and browns.
Another one of her popular volumes, NH Decorating Secrets features decorating tips for a variety of different rooms in your home along with 100 plus color photos to stimulate your inner designer.
If you're looking for great interior decorating resources for your entire home, you cannot go wrong with either of these books.
For a book that helps you "build your nest twig by twig" try NH Feather Your Nest, inspired by Mary Carol's transformation of her 130 year old Greek fixer-upper.
This book literally teaches you how to "feather your nest", building your look, like a bird would build it's nest, one twig at a time. You'll learn that it's the little things that make a difference.
There's alot more we need to tell you about this fantastic company, so let's keep going...
Nell Hill's Christmas!
We always make a point to visit Atchison when we're back home in Kansas City at Christmastime. There's nothing quite like walking the packed aisles of her stores and marveling at the great Christmas decor, while mingling with shoppers from all over the Midwest.
Mary Carol Garrity also offers NH O Christmas Tree for those who want a great reference for holiday decorating. Mary Carol's unconventional wisdom is never more apparent than in this volume.
This past holiday season we picked up some great discounted garlands, some new framed art, a small angel sculpture for our flowerbed, and some new ornaments.
Jen's mom also picked up a great framed art print to send as a wedding gift to Ireland.
So what makes Mary these stores so special? We're glad you asked...
Eclectic...
Mary Carol's stores features a mix of styles, textures, and colors that take their cues from all over the spectrum of interior design yet unite into displays and rooms that dazzle the eye and stir the imagination.
Bookcases brimming with aged texts, urns, and decorative plates on stands. Tables with earthy-toned runners, bowls filled with apples, decorative balls, and greenery. Traditional and casual furniture coming together in perfect harmony.
Walls filled with mirrors, sconces, and framed art prints. Incredible lamps and artificial flower arrangements blending together. There's just so much to see.
Check out NH Entertaining in Style.
Sophisticated...
Nell Hills stores are definitely grown-up. The look is, by and large, classic with traditional overtones. Mary Carol makes great use of color in her design style, so much so that she's created her own line of interior paint colors, Mary Carol Artisan Paint.
Her stores offer a wide variety of European antiques, with great shapes and textures. The framed art prints are worldly, the lamps chic, and the furniture dignified.
What's even more special is how Mary Carol combines sophistication with warmth and a casual feel.
Enjoy NH Stylish Weddings.
Casual...
To us, the warmer a room is, the more casual it is. Nell Hills definitely sells warmth...with color, texture, and shape.
The one thing you feel when visiting Mary Carol's stores is relaxed. The atmosphere she's created makes you feel like you've stepped into a sanctuary of design. We could literally shop all day.
Earth tones predominate, but you also see her keen sense of color with blues, reds and light greens mixed in perfectly.
Picking up and examining Mary Carol's accents is especially fun as there is such a variety of textures. Wicker baskets, decorative balls, and statuettes are special items of interest to us.
Shape is also something you notice immediately in her stores. You don't see a lot of oversized pieces, which predominate the furniture stores of today. Mary Carol has her own line of furniture, called "Mary Carol" and the one thing you notice is that her sofas, chairs and ottomans don't have to be gigantic to give off that casual vibe.
The Stores...
Mary Carol Garrity operates three stores in Kansas City, MO and Atchison, KS.
Nell Hill's Atchison – The Flagship Store
Nell Hill's Kansas City - At Briarcliff Village in the Northland
Garrity’s Encore Atchison – “Mary Carol” furniture line and antiques
We've been to all three. Wow! Our visits never disappoint.
For all the latest updates, visit their homepage... Nell Hill's
The Last Word...
Every visit we make to Nell Hills is more special than the last. We look around our house, see the furniture and accents we've purchased there, and the fond memories come rushing back.
Nell Hills is a special place, staffed by special people, who are all committed to helping you design the perfect home. If you're in the midwest, make plans to visit Mary Carol, and the gang, soon.
You won't regret it!
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