In 2010, Melissa and David Dilmaghani opened an Etsy shop called Old New House, specializing in textiles, including old hand-knotted carpets, fine-woven throws, wall art, handmade pillows, and furniture.
In September 2016, the couple opened a retail shop in Katonah under the same name, located just down the street from their original studio space. “The vision has been to remain a rug store, but with a curated gift section comprising mainly handmade home-décor items,” explains Melissa.
Today, the store features a mix of new and vintage items — including tabletop goods, art, and baskets — which are handmade by artisans in the US and come in small batches/limited editions. Furniture items are mostly one-of-a-kind and include ottomans made with rug fragments, and reclaimed wood tables that feature vintage industrial bases.
Old New House also recently expanded its rug offerings (now more than 1,700 choices!) to include hand-woven wool and jute variations, for which they have stock but also take custom orders.
In the coming months, look out for exciting updates to their website. “We will be launching an innovative décor-matching tool, where you can upload photos of the room for which you are shopping for a rug, and it will automatically generate good fits based on color and décor,” Melissa says.
“Our main philosophy is to offer big features while having the personality of a super-small business,” she adds.
In addition to expanding their website and shop offerings, the Dilmaghanis plan on offering art workshops and hosting additional trunk shows featuring local artisans. “Last year we hosted a weaving workshop that was a hit,” notes Melissa.