Welcome to New Jersey

Lori Greeley, Serena & Lily CEO

We are delighted that Serena & Lily — the inspirational lifestyle and home décor brand — has chosen to open its seventh retail location — its first in the Garden State — at 428 Springfield Avenue in Summit. In advance of this week’s press tour, we reached out to Lori Greeley, the company’s chief executive officer, to discuss the history behind the brand, some of its latest introductions and what shoppers can expect to see when the store opens to the public on Friday, February 2.

Tell us about the company’s origins. What was the inspiration behind the brand? 

LG: Serena Dugan and Lily Kanter created the Serena & Lily brand in 2003. When they met, Lily had a baby and kids store in Mill Valley, California, and Serena was working as a freelance decorative painter and textile designer. As they share the story, Serena walked into the Mill Valley shop the day Lily was giving birth to her third son and she dropped off a portfolio of recent pattern work for Lily to review. Within a few days, they got together and began to imagine a collection of crib bedding to address a void they recognized in the marketplace. They developed a more modern and unexpected vision of pattern and color mixing for the nursery. The first chapter of the business was focused primarily on crib and children’s bedding and other nursery or baby shower gifts.

Describe the breadth of products currently available. 

LG: The brand began to extend into other rooms of the home with bedding, pillows, custom upholstery and wallpaper. By 2012, we introduced more furniture, rugs and lighting to create opportunities for Serena & Lily to play a role in almost every area of the home.

LG: In the past few years, the brand has become known for a number of iconic styles beyond our proprietary textiles. The Riviera Collection — our take on a classic French bistro chair — is a designer favorite. Our love of how natural materials such as rattan and raffia complement our many color stories is now a signature of the Serena & Lily brand. Most recently, we are excited about the expansion of our collection into celebrating outdoor entertaining and lounging whether by the pool, on the porch or by the sea.

Any other particular favorites from the Spring 2018 line?

LG: It is very difficult for me to select a favorite given the fact that the Spring 2018 collection represents our largest introduction of new designs ever. One of the things not to miss is our new offering of linen bedding. The Cavallo Collection is a beautiful 100% yarn-dyed linen duvet and sheet set that gets better and better with every wash. And with five solid color choices to mix and match, you can create many different looks from the simplicity of pure white to the sophistication of gray and midnight navy. The Costa Collection features chunky hand-braided water hyacinth styled in modern squared off silhouettes that work in any type of home. And if you are looking for other ways to inject the beauty of natural materials into your home, consider the market side or coffee table that combine bamboo and jute with a practical enameled tray on top. I’m happy to say these and other new collections will be featured in the new Summit Design Shop.

What is the brand’s signature style? How would you describe your customer?

LG: I would describe the Serena & Lily signature style using the words of our most loyal customers. They tell us they are attracted to the sophisticated yet casual and relaxed look of the brand. They also love that the brand is inspired by the joy of coastal living — whether that is our Northern California roots or the many other wonderful memories of days spent on the beach here and abroad. We know our customers appreciate the same things we do — creating a happy home that is both beautiful and comfortable and always ready to be a favorite place to gather with family and friends.

What made Summit the ideal spot for your first New Jersey-based design shop?

LG: As you can imagine, Summit is the perfect community for our brand. There are so many beautiful homes and talented interior designers here as well as many families who enjoy the summers on the coast. We look forward to being part of their decorating projects in a much more engaged way, more so than we could have ever achieved through our long-distance relationship via catalog and online sales.

Describe the new storefront on 428 Springfield Avenue.

LG: We worked to maintain the character of the storefront but updated it to allow more light into the space. It has an inviting townhouse feel with new windows, doors and entry to create a welcoming atmosphere. Painted bright white, with new landscaping, it will be a cheerful update to this charming Summit street.

Can you walk us through the vignettes throughout the shop? How can designers and retail customers benefit from the in-store shopping experience? 

 LG: As you enter the Design Shop you are greeted by our Sunroom full of outdoor favorites. The store is designed to feel like a home, where you can meander through different rooms and discover your favorite pieces. We feature three bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom, and we’ve created many vignettes to sit down and design your spaces in inspiring settings. On the second floor, there are ample resources in our design studio to support your interior design projects. Along with the studio, there is a fully designed “apartment” to depict ideas for those living in small spaces.  We hope that through your experience in the store you feel “at home” and leave with the inspiration, tools and service to create your dream space using Serena and Lily.