Photo by Erin Nelson
The Blended Bungalow in Homewood, Alabama
Kathy Robb always knew she wanted to do interior design, back as far as high school.
While her degree is in accounting, she took classes focused on upholstery and interior design in hopes of one day breaking into the business.
She started by selling at Round Top Texas Antiques, one of the largest flea markets in the world, in her native Texas. Interior designers would come from other countries and set up shop. She also did vetted pop-up shows between Texas and Charleston, South Carolina.
When she moved to Birmingham, she met Tom Findlay of Thomas Andrew Art Gallery, who invited her and her daughter, Penelope Baggett, to open their own shop, The Blended Bungalow, in the front of his store.
Their ideal customer is someone buying their first or second home, Robb said, and they want to help blend new pieces with any family heirloom pieces that are coming into the home. If every piece of furniture is new, it looks staged, she said, but if everything is an heirloom, it looks old.
The pair also want to avoid giving people “sticker shock,” with affordable pieces that don’t break the budget, Robb said.
The store offers furniture, home decor, candles and some women’s clothing as well, Robb said. There are also fun seasonal items and vintage china, she said.
Baggett, who lives in Texas, handles the behind-the-scenes work, social media and more, Robb said, and will fly in to help at times. Baggett opened her own business focused on refinishing furniture nine years ago, before joining her mother at The Blended Bungalow. The store features her “uniquely refinished dining sets” and Robb’s custom-upholstered chairs blended with “new, traditional pieces for a blended home that’s unique to the owner,” Robb said.
“Our mission and our goal is to bring affordable, gorgeous furniture to the public,” she said.
The store is located at 1925 29th Ave. S. and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
For more information, visit the shop online at The Blended Bungalow on Facebook and Instagram and at their website, blendedbungalow.myshopify.com.
