Some children love playing with building blocks, but Kimberly Handler was always more interested in the real thing. From a young age, Handler was fascinated with architecture and design. This past January, the interior designer brought those two passions together with the opening of her new store, Eclectic Home.
Handler’s view of design has always been to break the rules with something unexpected. She loves blending traditional East Coast looks with the relaxed, modern feel of the West Coast. Eclectic Home has that mix with vintage, modern and refurbished furniture, accessories and art—think classic wing chairs with colorful chinoiserie fabric or original artwork made from coco sticks mounted in Lucite. People who love to shop local will always find pieces they have never seen before.
With her extensive design experience, Handler can help customers make these unique treasures work in their homes. “People tend to get stuck in a branded ‘style’ of design, but what makes a home interesting is mixing things up,” she says. “Your home should really represent your life experiences and not what’s popular in a catalog.”
Handler, a Greenwich resident, graduated from Lehigh University. After attending the New York School of Interior Design and working for a Manhattan-based design firm, she launched Kimberly Handler Designs in 2003. She focuses on residential design, renovations and new construction. “I find it exciting to walk into an old home and imagine what once was and what could be,” says Handler. “Any structure can be amazing, and the challenge of bringing it back to life inspires me.” 1064 North Street, Greenwich; 203-340-9213; eclectichome.store