Photograph by Marco Ricca
Above: GDV, Grayson’s new home store in Greenwich, offers pieces that hail from both near and far.
Julia Grayson had always wanted to be an architect. After years of success in investment banking, she saw an opportunity to pursue her dream with the renovation of her first London home. She immersed herself in the process, taking classes at the Inchbald School of Design and, eventually, replacing the architect/design team she’d hired to manage the project herself.
With the completion of her studies, Grayson began to build her portfolio as an interior designer. After she staged a Belle Haven Victorian that had been on the market for years, the property sold within weeks, and luxury staging became her new focus. It wasn’t long before she amassed enough inventory to fill a large warehouse in Port Chester.
Those finds, which speak to the globe-trotting Grayson, sparked the idea for her new store, GDV (a shorthand version of her design business, Grayson De Vere). “I think Greenwich is a very sophisticated market of world travelers,” she says, “and I want to be able to bring these back and offer them.” Tabletop pieces from German glass manufacturer Guaxs and ceramist Mirena Kim are styled alongside textiles by Fairfield’s Rosemary Hallgarten and paintings by Connecticut artist Margot Nimiroski.
In addition to Grayson’s layered mix of organic and textural furniture and design accessories, shoppers will find gifting options from French brands Bastide and Amanda de Montal. 23 Lewis Street, Greenwich; 203-769-5488; graysondevere.com
