Stewart House Brings Exquisite Treasures, and the Stories Behind Them, to Providence
Sisters Ellen and Karen Deutsch showcase beautiful baubles in their new Hope Street store.
Walking into Stewart House, the new home goods store on Hope Street in Providence, is like being welcomed into a close friend’s living room.
First, there is the setting: cozy and warm, with plush seating, luxurious textiles and finely crafted tableware smartly tucked into almost every available nook.
Then there are the colors: burgundy and gold Parisian napkins, plaid pastel pillows from Great Britain, jewel-toned hobnail glassware made in the Czech Republic. And the walls. Oh, those walls, moody and resplendent in Farrow & Ball’s “Railings,” a soft black that softens every corner and perfectly complements the 140-year-old pine floors.
But, most of all, there are the sisters, proprietors Ellen and Karen Deutsch, who greet visitors warmly and make them feel at home in their adorable jewel box of a space. They’ve been dreaming about Stewart House for two years and opened the store this past summer with a ribbon-cutting with Mayor Brett Smiley.
Sisters Ellen, left, and Karen Deutsch, inside their new store. Photo by Phoebe Diamond.
They hope to fill a niche in the retail scene by offering accessible, beautiful products — all handmade — from artisans and small crafters around the globe. They didn’t want to infringe on other businesses by stocking items made by local artisans, a retail model that’s already well-established in the Ocean State.
“We didn’t want to do the same thing and be redundant,” Ellen says. “We wanted to make sure we had pieces that you couldn’t find easily in Rhode Island.”
After careers in web design (Ellen) and writing and teaching (Karen), the Providence residents felt like they needed a new adventure. They had also both turned fifty.
“Years ago, people would say, ‘Oh, a woman at fifty,’ but we say, ‘Life begins now,’” Karen says. “I don’t think we would have had the confidence to do this at thirty. But at fifty, we were like, ‘Are you kidding me? We’ve raised kids, we’ve had careers, of course we can do that.’”
The exterior of Stewart House’s circa-1885 building. Photo by Federico St. Sauveur.
It was a natural extension for the duo: They’re only two years apart in age, roomed together at Smith College, and have been known, on occasion, to speak in unison. And for guidance, they had their parents — who owned a New York City art gallery during their formative years — to consult.
“A lot of our upbringing was about aesthetics in the home and how imperative it was to surround yourself with some concept of beauty,” Karen says. “It certainly is superficial on some levels but is quite profound on other levels.”
Years later, their parents’ home is still filled with artwork, and they credit their father’s — and Karen’s — knack for storytelling as the genesis behind Stewart House.
Every item they stock is handmade by an artisan or small business owner. And every item tells a story.
Take, for example, the gorgeous resin bowls that come in sugared-fruit tones. The large ones weigh ten pounds and make a stunning centerpiece that will last for generations. Or the delicate creations from Nichibei Potters, a husband-and-wife team who craft exquisite Japanese designs from their California workshop.
A cozy corner inside the new space. Photo by Federico St. Sauveur.
Whimsical embroidered bunnies, lobsters and frogs are the handiwork of German designer Anke Drecshel, and wooden bowls crafted from fallen trees come from an artisan in western Massachusetts, just minutes from where the sisters went to college. And don’t miss out on the Apotheke candles: Hand poured in Brooklyn, they come in luscious scents like sea salt grapefruit, cedarwood ginger and hinoki lavender.
Even the business name has a story behind it: Stewart House is an homage to the Greenwich Village apartment building where the duo grew up. And now it’s a space filled with beautiful whimsies and thick-as-thieves sisters who are honoring their family stories while crafting new ones. 97 Hope St., Providence, 401-206-5252, stewarthousepvd.com
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