Elizabeth Demos, @Home with Found Style, Savannah, Georgia

I am pleased to offer this sneak peek into the life and work of my good friend and mentor, Elizabeth Demos. Liz is the multi-talented force behind the inspired Savannah shop, @Home. Together with husband, Paul Garguilo, the couple restored and revived a classic Victorian cottage in an up-and-coming historic neighborhood in Savannah. It took them three years of hard work during which Liz graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design, Paul built a career as a custom craftsman, they opened @Home-a vintage-general store, and then married in 2001! In order to stay true to the period of the home, they salvaged many architectural features from auctions, antique fairs, and the many homes in the process of renovation (or demolition) around them. Liz and Paul share a passion for good design, antiques and the hunt for curious and collectible objects. Their home might surprise some who know @Home well for its bountiful displays of vintage furnishings and whimsical collections. Enjoy a tour of both home, shop, and studio below to see how this shopkeeper maintains a balance between her art and life. xo

Visitors are greeted by a 1920’s demilune console and a gorgeous 19th century Venetian mirror. Liz placed greenery in antique glass candy jars for use as vases.

The living room is the most flexible and utilized space in the house. “We spend the most time there as a family. It is versatile- one minute we are entertaining friends and the next it is a racetrack for match box cars. It is where we watch movies, cuddle up and catch up after a long day.” The painted dresser was purchased for a song ($7!) at an auction. On top rests an arts and crafts lamp from the estate of artist and SCAD professor, Ben Morris and a vintage bingo spinner. An old marquee letter for Paul’s initial and a wreath from my Etsy shop decorate the wall. My favorite piece in the room is the vintage metal flat filing cabinet on casters used as a coffee table and to house their collection of prints and artwork.

Above the living room mantle hangs a framed collection of old plot maps of nearby Liberty county-which were also found for a bargain ($25) at an estate sale. Liz is an expert at pairing modern with vintage as is evident here between a playful mix of Jonathan Adler’s aorta and onion vases and a small collection of vintage miniature globes.

The gorgeous pale blue Swedish dining table was purchased at Scott Antique Market in Atlanta, long before the couple finished restoring the house. The pine butler’s pantry cabinet was salvaged from a Savannah home. Over the mantle Liz displays her collection of mirrored cake plateaus as works of art.

An ever-changing assortment of found treasures are arranged on the dining room mantle. “I have a tendency to just place things I like there, so the accumulation doesn’t make any sense to most people. I like to create compositions with objects. As always, I love anything miniature so there is a little pink metal doll house bed next to a miniature bird house where I perched a tiny little lady on the ledge. There is a hint of a citron Chinese vase on the right, a wooden coin box, an illustration of a small girl and a small bird.”

Liz and Paul used salvaged heart pine stair treads for their kitchen countertop (another cost effective $7 auction purchase). The sink is a 19th century stoneware basin they found for $75 in Florida from a British importer. A sturdy old steel audio-visual cart from a school is repurposed as a kitchen island with ample storage. The impeccable cabinetry was handcrafted by Paul who is also a gifted furniture maker.

In young William’s bedroom a 1940s metal dresser salvaged from nearby Memorial Hospital is paired with 19th Century Swedish Twin beds. The bedding and drapery were purchased from Ikea. An Ugly Doll keeps watch over the room.

William’s cozy bedroom includes a fireplace where mom can assemble more vintage finds. These treasures include a vintage child’s suitcase, croquet ball, a fabulous blue and white striped ticking horse, vintage toy phones, a wire bicycle, and one of her very favorite possessions-1950s geographical terms pull down chart.

The master bath features bead board wainscot, reproduction hex tile, a salvaged marble-topped vanity, vintage country bench, and a galvanized metal bulb storage container. A collection of vintage pond boats and wire hangers complements the relaxed coastal atmosphere.

A view of @Home from the Broughton Street in downtown Savannah reveals Liz’s mastery of window display. In 2000, Liz and Paul
debuted @Home in a small storefront which is where I wandered in one hot summer day with my mother as we were searching for apartments to rent while I attended SCAD.
We were instantly smitten with the shop, the exquisite styling, and eccentric vintage wares. Liz greeted us with open arms and immediately began to help us with our
search! I was so enchanted by Liz and her shop that I continued to haunt her shop, purchasing bits and bobs as I could for my artwork until she eventually hired me to work part-time!
She even opened her shop to me to house my graduate thesis show-which was quite scandalous at the time (what, not in a gallery?!). I had such a great time working for and with Liz and
learning more about the art of retail…I’m not sure if I ever actually took home a paycheck, rather I believe I was working off credit! Cliché or not…it was again…like my time at Hi Lines, a time
where it was the experience that paid me the greatest dividends.

The shop has since grown and twice relocated since my time there. @Home is now centrally located at 320 W. Broughton Street, Savannah’s most popular shopping destination. The space is large and long and afford Liz the space to spread her creative displays in separate vignettes around the shop-while also giving her room for a workshop on the second level. What I love most about the shop is the keen mix of creative and vintage inspired accessories offered alongside actual vintage surprises like an old store stock of children’s socks or other forgotten items that Liz has managed to unearth!

My favorite niche in the shop is always the notion department. Signaled by a vintage pair of over-sized scissors cutting a spool of ribbon, Liz keeps this section stocked with a mix of new and vintage
ribbons, millinery items, and notions she sources from near and far. She also carries paper goods such as gift wrap, letterpress cards and stickers by creative company’s like Snow and Graham, Angela Adams, Sukie, and Waste Not Paper.

An artful vignette where Liz has highlighted a collection of furniture next to a giant wall collage she assembled from vintage ephemera, modern paper, and found objects.

A peek inside the cabinet that holds a creative display of jewelry and accessories by Jill Schwartz.

Another reason Liz chose this location was the ample space for a studio/workshop on the second floor. In addition to @Home, Liz also works as a contributing editor of craft ideas and producer for
publications such as Country Living, Better Homes and Gardens, BH&G’s Holiday Crafts and Adorn to name a few! She chose sturdy Ikea Vika Artur desk legs for extra storage and paired them with vintage metal office stools.

Liz keeps a cubbie shelf packed with her vintage bits and baubles in plain view in order to inspire her design ideas for future projects.

I want to also mention that Liz is a member of the Executive Alumni Board for The Savannah College of Art and Design. Don’t miss the SCAD Alumni Tour of Homes she’s been instrumental in planning-May 8 and 9!

Thank you dear Liz, Paul and Will! Xo,
Katie
The Constant Gatherer