I am always looking for special objects and accessories to personalize the bath. While orchids are beautiful and I love them, they have become the ubiquitous “go to” to humanize a space. So I wanted to share some ideas that I found at one of my favorite shops in New Preston, CT, PERGOLA. Since 2005 it has been located a tiny space with an extraordinary waterfall garden in their back yard decorated with rustic benches, planted containers and aged stone garden elements.

I was certainly surprised on my last visit to see that they have expanded in to an adjacent space that is part of the same historic house. Their goal is to bring more of their naturalist design spirit to CT.

David Whitman and Peter Stiglin, owners, have a great collective eye and are wonderful visual merchandisers! They carefully curate a sensuous mix of vintage furniture (for inside and out), uncommon plant material (live, fresh-cut, dried and preserved), beautiful planters and containers, natural history and gardening books, curiosities of the wild kind as well as simple hostess gifts (like a burnt glazed double leaf condiment dish from Japan that Bunny Williams gets by the handful).

The pair are frequent visitors to Kyoto where they go for inspiration and to explore the special relationship that the Japanese have for the natural world. They often return with antique offerings and artful expressions of all kinds from their travels. The additional space will allow them to display these refined artifacts.

Visit Pergola online.

David mentioned that in their newly enlarged space they plan to expand their offerings from their favorite craftsmen such as Ben Wolff pottery, Christopher Marley’s framed specimens and Compo de Fiori. My photos were taken with my iPhone; in reality the assortment is textural, sensual and very refined.