Dena Adams named her recently opened furniture and home decor store in Brentwood “Histoire” because every home has a story, and what we put into that home is part of that story. Adams loves to help people find that perfect piece to go into that perfect place to make their story rich, lyrical and unique.
“Histoire is French for story,” explained Adams. “As we build our life and live our lives much of it is lived in our homes, and our homes tell the story about us. So, filling our home with things that are memorable or things that we absolutely love I think is important because it is a form of self-expression. I hope to provide items that can help [my customers] tell their story.”
The store, located at 125 Franklin Road in Brentwood, is a combination of a lot of things. Adams gets limited-run items, one-of-a-kind items, vintage and antique items. She sources from “everywhere.” Having lived in a lot of different places, and having helped friends and family with interior design for years before taking the plunge from corporate America to her own store, she has found sources from all over the world.
“There is pottery from Morocco, there are European accent pieces both vintage and antiques, there are Eastern European pieces that are super fun, there are some American vintage items, [and] there are fun lifestyle items,” said Adams. “Everything in the store are things that I just love and things that I have in my home or I would encourage anybody else to put into their home if I was designing for them.”
She also carries some lifestyle items for the home and the body, including items from Wonder Valley. Best known for their olive oil, Wonder Valley makes a number of body products from their olive oil, including face oil, soap and a new line of hair care products. Because of the quality of the olive oil, their products are nurturing without feeling oily on the skin.
“They are out of Ojai, California and it is an all-natural product line,” added Adams. “They are vegan, so they are safe for people with different skin ailments or women who are pregnant or just want a vegan product. Their olive oil is a cult favorite because it is amazing.”
Specialty chocolate bars are also available in the store from Quiet Botanist out of Hudson, New York. They are beautiful and absolutely delicious. For example, their Botanical Wonder Chocolate Bar is 72% dark chocolate with bits of blood orange, elderflower, rose petal and toffee embedded into the chocolate and then the bar is wrapped in gold paper and covered with a vintage botanical print.
Candles from Lumira, a company located in Australia, are another feature in the store. Company founder Almira Armstrong develops fragrances that, “remind you of something, somewhere, sometime that delivers you a perfect olfactory escapism…” She has created fragrances like Cuban Tobacco, Balinese Ylang Ylang and Tahitian Coconut that totally transport the buyer.
“And then we have accessories like cushions and chairs and tables and fun books and throws from Belgium that are linen and alpaca and angora,” noted Adams.
Vintage and antique furniture pieces stand out in the shop, like the one-of-a-kind black Mid-Century modern lounge chair that catches the eye as you enter the shop or the French 1760 trousseau chest that can be found in a back display.
“My own home is a combination of things I have assembled over the years,” said Adams, “and I love it that way. It means different pieces of memories in different corners of my house.”
And like her home, she wants to help her customers find pieces for their homes that make it a fun place to be and a place of celebrations of love and joy.
Located at 125 Franklin Road, Brentwood in the historic home painted a stylish gray that sits in the parking lot near The Perch in Brentwood, Adams has kept everything very understated like her style. It is even hard to find her on social media. However, Adams can be followed on Instagram @historieliving.
Historie
125 Franklin Road, Brentwood
Phone: (615) 938-0822
Hours:
Monday 10 AM–5 PM
Tuesday 10 AM–5 PM
Wednesday 10 AM–5 PM
Thursday 10 AM–5 PM
Friday 10 AM–5 PM
Saturday 11 AM–4 PM
Sunday Closed