Treasure Hunting at SG Geneva
August 30, 2019
I visited the town of Geneva, Illinois for the first time this summer at the invitation of my aunt (a design maven who shares my love for all things French-inspired) specifically to visit the beautifully unique concept store, SG Geneva. Part home decor and design, part gift store, part garden design center and housed in a charming Victorian, this place was well worth the day trip. Every corner of the store inside and out was a feast for the eyes. Outdoors you’ll find stone pieces for your yard — pots, urns, benches, fountains, statues — some sourced from Europe, and some that can be ordered, though they all have such a wonderful patinaed quality you cannot tell that something could be “new.” Inside you’ll find unique home decor and gift items, as well as a treasure trove of pieces picked up from French flea markets like an antique steamer trunk, copper pots, vintage signage, as well as potted topiaries, terracotta pots with character, framed botanicals, furniture, and much, much more.
I was taken by a fountain that was on display inside and immediately envisioned it in the little half-moon garden at the center of our circle drive, where it now lives, and around it I have since planted Nepeta racemosa, or ‘Walker’s Low Catmint,’ a favorite of the bees. Upstairs at the store are more home items for sale, as well as a design center, as the owner offers interior design, in addition to major garden design. I left with so much inspiration for our own house (in addition to a handful of goodies including a copper saucepan and myrtle topiary!). In terms of unique and Francophile-inspired loveliness, this shop is heaven on earth and I highly recommend a visit!
