Maya Angelou wrote “I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.” That’s exactly how I felt at St. Petersburg’s first commercial and residential design center, hermanHOME. I was amazed at everything the stunning 8,300 square foot showroom has to offer.
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At twice the size of their previous location, hermanHOME is the brainchild of New York developer Steve Herman and interior design guru, Ed Biggs. And while it’s the kind of design center and retail showroom you’d expect to find in larger cities, I could not be more thrilled that it exists right here in Downtown St. Pete.
Their 2nd Ave S grand patio entrance features palm trees and lush landscaping perfect for their spectacular offering of outdoor furniture, which includes a collection specifically designed for condo balconies, and beckons you from the sidewalk. The indoor showroom ranges from contemporary to traditional with a wide array of accessories that are constantly changing with the worldly selection Ed maintains at a nearby 12,000 sq ft warehouse. I myself was absolutely smitten with a couple of pieces from Gary George, a well-known designer for Manhattan’s higher-end boutique hotels, for which hermanHOME is one of few places in the US to carry the exclusive line.
There’s an upholstery gallery with over 200 fabrics, a rug gallery with a spectacular skylight, and a lighting gallery opening the first week of June that will features hundreds of styles. All that with a line of paints makes for true one-stop shopping! And, while there are certainly some higher ticket items, you’ll be surprised how much of hermanHOME’s high-end selection is priced to fit any budget with no trip to the big box store needed. Why buy the same rug, lamp or furnishing that everyone else has when you can decorate your home with unique pieces and support a local business at the same time?
With 27 years of interior design experience under his belt, Ed Biggs also offers interior design services through hermanHOME that includes space planning, investment property furnishings, commercial interiors, staging services, residential interiors, resort interiors and rental setup packages. Looking through his portfolio at some of the completed projects across Florida, the UK, Grand Cayman and Canada, it’s easy to see why his work has been featured in countless magazines and interior design books– including last year’s 100 Florida Architects and Interior Designers. He also happens to be one of the nicest men you will ever meet!
Ed, whose grandmother was an interior designer, moved to Florida from Tennessee at the age of 6, but you still catch a little of that twang in his voice. After running his own design business in Sarasota for 15 years, he and his wife settled in St. Petersburg and fell in love with our ‘Burg. Ed, If home is where the heart is, I left mine at hermanHOME.
“The Localista” always asks business owners what was their favorite book as a child. Ed’s was The Cat in the Hat and he says still loves it!
hermanHOME Design Center is located at 646 2nd Avenue South and is open Mon – Sat from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
You can enjoy a free glass of wine every day from 4:00 to 6:00 pm as you tour the showroom
888-535-8899
www.hermanhomestore.com
*** Photography provided by Featured Artist of the Burg (FAB) Sheri Kendrick of Enchanted Forest Photography (www.efpgallery.com).
“The Localista,” aka Olga Bof, will be opening her own local and independent business, Cheeky Monkeys Books & Toys, later this year in Downtown St. Pete (www.facebook.com/cheekymonkeysbooks for updates).
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