If you have to choose just one shop for all of your home design needs, 14th Street Modern & Vintage Home in Atlanta is it. The range of furnishings, artwork and lighting under one roof can outfit an entire home. 14th Street’s curated collections of high-end furniture lines, designer fabrics, luxury lighting, art, rugs and accessories are paired with a splash of vintage and antique finds to fill a 65,000-square-foot showroom in Midtown. The best part about the treasure chest of luxury finds? They are all offered at discounted prices.
“We’re located in the iconic Georgia Lighting building, which has been an interior design hub for decades,” says owner Ken Knight. He stocks the store with furnishings in a range of design styles, from traditional to rustic farmhouse to mid-century modern. His career, which spans both the fine furniture retail industry and residential interior design, prepared him well to lead a design showroom that fills a niche in the Atlanta design market. Knight and general manager Lisa Thompson source inventory from connections they have established over many years in the luxury home goods industry. They keep the showroom overflowing with vignettes featuring closeouts, unique prototypes, floor samples, overstock and designer fabrics, furniture and accessories from luxury brands coveted by both designers and homeowners.
“Every day is a surprise; we never know what’s going to arrive in the showroom,” says Thompson. “I tell our customers that they need to stop in often to see what new luxury inventory we have on the retail floor. Sometimes it’s here today and gone tomorrow, so it pays to visit regularly.”
14th Street is the go-to location for both local interior designers and folks in the film industry, who enjoy shopping upscale furnishings at discounted prices in one place in a cash-and-carry format. Film and TV set decorators and buyers love that they can furnish their sets with both new and vintage high-end furnishings. Knight says his company is flexible to allow short-term rentals as needed.
“We love that set designers see us as their prop house,” Thompson says. “They get instant gratification by taking away their chosen furnishings the same day, just like our design clients.”
In addition to trade professionals, 14th Street is open to homeowners who want to bring high-quality furnishings into their homes at an affordable price point. Shoppers can choose from such venerable brands as Century Furniture, Theodore Alexander, Baker, Hickory White, Jonathan Charles, Arteriors and Lillian August for furniture and accessories. Designer fabric lines include respected vendors such as Schumacher, Cowtan & Tout, Kravet, Brunschwig & Fils and Holly Hunt. “Products come in from all over the country, so they reflect a wide variety of design styles. There really is something for everyone,” Knight says.
There is plenty of inspiration in the showroom. Visual merchandisers Marco Mendoza and Paul Litjens constantly rotate vignettes and displays to give designers and homeowners an idea of how to incorporate specific pieces into their homes. “The showroom look is always different, designed in our unique curated mix of furnishings,” Knight says. “We want our customers always to be inspired when they visit.”
Through his connections in the industry, Knight is able to source high-end products and bring them to homeowners at prices usually unheard of in the industry. “We are able to offer significant reductions off retail prices through our sourcing connections,” he explains. “Most of our inventory is at least 40% to 60% off retail.”
The deals continue with 14th Street’s high-end lighting inventory. Knight says designers are particularly interested in lighting products, much of which trades at less than wholesale price, for their homeowner clients. He has purchased the entire inventory of Myran Allan Luxury Lighting, which is sold both in the showroom and online. “Handcrafted chandeliers, sconces and lamps feature bronze, crystal and Italian Murano glasswork from a fine Italian lighting company. Since we are the exclusive distributor, if you want a Myran Allan chandelier, 14th Street is the only place you can find it now,” Knight says.
He finds that over the past decade, most vendors have moved their brands in a more modern direction. “Many of the traditional brands now have a transitional look,” Knight explains. “We have found that style to be more timeless. While major retailers may have a certain look for their brand, we have the flexibility to offer different styles. The eclectic mix we offer creates a worldly, collected look in a home, which is a style that homeowners seem to find the most desirable.”
While 95% of the inventory is home-centric, Knight also represents PerSé Boutique, a dealer that sells high-end vintage purses. “This fashion dealer is popular among customers and has been a staple in the store since the beginning,” Knight says. Shoppers can pick up a brightly colored clutch or a vintage linen handbag for a wedding or night out; like the other inventory, the stock constantly evolves.
While 65,000 feet of showroom space sounds like a lot of inventory, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Knight also owns a warehouse called Beaux Arts Home West, where he stores overflow inventory for 14th Street. It opens to the public on Fridays and Saturdays only. The warehouse is packed to the brim with new finds that have not made their way to the showroom yet. Every weekend, new arrivals are showcased in the warehouse from the same upscale design companies as those carried in the 14th Street showroom. “It’s an additional 30,000 square feet of inventory that the public can shop for two days every week, with special pricing on designer finds. We are able to offer even deeper discounts than on the showroom floor,” Knight says. “As a working warehouse, it is truly ‘shopping behind the scenes.’”
While both locations carry designer deals, they also offer unique prototypes. Securing one of the prototypes for your home means that no one ever will have one like it. “Sometimes companies create a furniture or lighting prototype that for some reason they decide not to produce,” Knight says. “We get these prototypes to sell as bespoke finds that you’ll never see replicated in anyone else’s home.”
Other unique offerings include antique and vintage finds that Knight adds to the showroom. “I don’t source just anything,” he says. “I only bring in antiques that are unusual and interesting, so collectors should check in frequently.”
“Regardless of the size of the purchase, we treat every step of customer service with the utmost care,” says Thompson. “We ship nationwide with white-glove delivery service through partnerships with vetted vendors. Like everything else we do, we create the experience of shopping and buying designer furnishings so it’s friendly and approachable. Investing in fine furniture is no small consideration; we want to provide the best value in a curated atmosphere.” *
Dana W. Todd is a professional writer specializing in interior design, real estate, luxury homebuilding, landscape design, architecture and fine art.
