Aviary Decor: Handpicked
Since 2006, the owners of Aviary, husband and wife team Marco Fiorilo and Shanna Eldridge, have worked from scratch to build a home décor store whose catalog of items is simultaneously unique, modern, and functional. Scouring locales from as far as South America to as near as a local artisan’s workshop, Fiorilo and Eldridge stock their shelves with a guarantee: You won’t find these pieces in your neighbor’s house. “Our motto is handpicked designs from handpicked designers,” says Eldridge of their one-of-a-kind inventory.
Aviary’s journey has been an evolutionary one, fueled by Fiorilo and Eldridge’s shared passion to continually redefine their store and its boundaries. Most recently, Aviary has undergone a transformation allowing the owners to extend their impeccable taste to encompass food and beverage. The storefront now doubles as a relaxing lounge seven days a week, where patrons are free to shop or just enjoy a glass of wine paired with a plate of locally cured meats and cheeses.
“As far as the transition from store to lounge goes, it’s virtually seamless,” says Eldridge. “We had always planned to do a wine bar and home décor store.”
Drawing inspiration from travels in the Southern hemisphere and previous stint as New York City residents, Fiorilo and Eldridge melded elements from some of their favorite haunts into Aviary Lounge. Their concept echoes the couple’s favorite Manhattan bar, Paisley, which also masqueraded as a store
during the daytime, and the atmosphere promotes the tradition of grazing over fine wine and small bites that they came to love of Argentina. Eldridge adds, “We want people to be adventurous in their tastes.” But most notably, the shop-turned-bar transformation lends customers a way to interact with Aviary’s collection as they would in their own home.
After three years of cultivating Aviary’s success, Eldridge now says that their nights have become just as hectic as their days. “Not only do we have to meet and decide on furniture and design ideas, but we also have to keep the bar new and fresh which entails wine tastings, food sourcing and event planning.”
One of Fiorilo and Eldridge’s favorite takeaways from international travels has been “becoming friends with the people who owned [the] stores,” says Eldridge. And it happens at Aviary, too. Old patrons and new faces alike commonly note the friendly, knowledgeable, no-pressure atmosphere of Aviary, where all are invited by Fiorilo and Eldridge to “hang out as long as you want…and relax.”
Section Bench by Derek Chen, photo courtesy Council Design, $2,250 Kraft Paper Softwall by Molo, $890
Mute Chair by Mike and Maaike, photo courtesy Council Design, $2,975
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