The downtown Los Gatos retail scene has some new additions that suggest the brick and mortar retail sector is making a comeback.
The newly opened Design by Mish, 143A E. Main St., employs a strategy that owner Mish Chadwick says is popular in her native Australia: she restores and modernizes vintage pieces, giving them new life and uses.
For example, an upside down feeding trough becomes a kitchen chandelier and old veranda posts make rustic table legs.
Chadwick moved to Los Gatos from Australia nearly eight years ago. The move came after she had completed building her “dream home.”
“So, I had to create a California dream home,” Chadwick said. “I found a dilapidated property on Bonnie Lane and restored the original farmhouse and barn. That was a big project and now I’m looking to help other people create their dream home.”
The barn that served as Chadwick’s studio has been cleared out and those items are now featured in Chadwick’s shop.
“When people come into my home, they want to talk about all the pieces I’ve collected,” she said. “A lot of people saw the trough and said, ‘I love that, I want one of those.’ I just look for unique things that become talking points.”
Chadwick uses five specialty painters who transform old furniture into a modern style—everything from small side tables to large kitchen tables, buffets and dressers.
“My sofas and chairs are all newly made in Santa Clara,” Chadwick said. “So I’m supporting local craftsmen there and in Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and Santa Cruz. I support local.“
She freely admits that the look she tries to achieve may at first seems like a “mish-mash” but says, “It’s not a negative if it doesn’t go together—I’m blending the old and new in a way that feels warm and cozy, and family-friendly, so it communicates the right amount of old and new.”
She describes the look as modern farmhouse.
“It’s currently the most popular decorating style, but it can be very sterile,” Chadwick said. “That’s why it’s important to introduce items with character that help create a warm and cozy feeling.”
Design by Mish is across the street from the Hotel Los Gatos. It’s open Tuesday-Thursday from 11am to 4pm. Evenings and weekends are by appointment.
“I’m hoping to be open one evening a week for special shopping nights with wine and cheese tasting, because that’s what people want,” Chadwick said.
The farmhouse trend is also the focus of Home by Ling Interiors, 78 W. Main St.
“I have some vintage items that I mix with new items for a modern farmhouse look,” owner Ling Law said. “My background is in architecture, and I also help design and select materials for kitchen cabinets, bathroom plumbing, tile and fixtures, making sure they’re all cohesive. I’ve curated all the décor with things I love and sell it to people who don’t want to spend a lot of money.”
It doesn’t matter if it’s new construction, a remodel or a re-build, Law will design the “whole house interior.”
She says opening a retail shop was important, so her customers can “see and touch” things.
“I love interacting with people,” she said. “Also, I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs from Taiwan, where everybody had their own business.”
Home by Ling Interiors opened Nov. 28, which is a special day since it’s her late father-in-law’s birthday.
“I’m honoring him in a very meaningful way,” Law said.
The shop at 78 W. Main St. is next door to Icing on the Cake. It’s open weekdays from 11am to 4pm, and 10am to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
