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Tracy Dwyer, owner of Parc Monceau Antiques & More of Westport, is one of those people who cant get enough of their job!
Her passion for French country furniture began when she and her husband, Tom, bought a summer cottage near Tours, in the Loire Valley, some 10 years ago. Theyd spend happy days with their daughters, Devon and Kelly, combing flea markets and tracking down antiques dealers. The family became passionate about everything French and soon were shipping furniture from France for their home in Westport. It wasnt long before friends hired Tracy to look out for unusual French furnishings and accessories for their homes and she suddenly found herself in the decorating business.
Parc Monceau had been a fixture of the Westport interior design scene for almost 30 years, selling country French antiques and accessories, when the owner retired in 2006. For Tracy, that was a golden opportunity to expand her design business with her own retail store.
The new Parc Monceau, which has several decorators on staff, is a far cry from the heavy Provencal look of its previous incarnation. Gone are the bright yellow and blue prints, as well as the rooster collections. Now the store appeals to a young and modern clientele by offering a wide range of genuine French antiques as well as beautiful reproductions and carefully selected modern pieces.
Our in-house interior design service defines our look as modern traditional with a French twist, says Tracy. Our mission is to ground a space with a classic period piece with a rich, warm wood patina, such as a beautiful chest of drawers with a marble top, and then add other furnishings that are not necessarily from the same period. We like to mix modern and old pieces, as they do in Europe. Current big sellers are finely crafted dining tables fabricated in the U.S., often using French designs. Upholstered furniture is shown in burlap and linen.
Tracy travels to France every three months, scouring the markets and searching out dealers off the beaten path for exciting finds for customers. In addition to the broad selection of furniture, Parc Monceau carries chandeliers, floor and table lamps and an eclectic selection of accessories -- everything you could possibly need to turn your dreams into a beautiful home.
Parc Monceau is located at 1375 Post Road East in Westport, near Balduccis. Telephone: (203) 319 0001.
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