Lexington, KY - Step into happyPLACE, an architecture and interiors shop on South Ashland Avenue, and it hits you - the name, as humorous as it first sounds, fits. happyPLACE is exactly that: a happy place. It's clean and organized, colorful, lively and focused.
"We are very interested in making places, not just spaces," says architect and owner Kim Bragg. Looking around, it's clear that the products happyPLACE sells have plenty of punch. The store is filled with a quirky mix of modern home decor, eco-friendly building materials and colorful artwork, all bathed in sunlight.
But the store doesn't just limit itself to products that only look good - Bragg proudly offers things that do good, too. "Our motto is 'Green, local, fun,'" she says. Many of the products the store sells are made locally, and nearly all the inventory showcased carries an emphasis on sustainability, from zero VOC paint to bamboo flooring, LED lighting to Lexington-made cabinets. So, what about the Jonathan Adler sculptures of smiling wiener dogs? Bragg laughs. "Sometimes we just see things that make us happy," she says.
Open since September 2010, happyPLACE carries products for every room of the house, and the outside too. In addition to being an architect, Bragg is a LEED accredited professional and certified interior designer. The team also includes Joe Ogle, designer and marketing associate, and Jamie Pike, craftsman and product specialist - they offer full design services for residential and commercial projects and impromptu consultations.
So why did an architect decide to open a retail shop? "We all were a little tired of being so serious and behind the scenes," Bragg says. Opening happyPLACE has given the staff at happyPLACE a chance to introduce the community to "things that are hand-crafted, have stories behind them, and have a certain level of quality and detail," she says.
"Even if [customers] are just buying paint, we're here at their disposal," Ogle says. "So if they want us to help them pick the colors, we'll do that."
Sometimes, they go even further, Bragg said, remembering a time when a customer came in to buy paint and Ogle ended up going to her apartment and giving her a full design consultation.
The shop is filled with glassware, furniture and home accessories, all carefully selected. On the walls hang artwork by Philip High and Cricket Press. You'll find a line of small furniture from a company called Formd Design run by an architectural student in Louisville. All of Formd's products are made from concrete, which is sustainable, cheap to produce and long-lasting. Plus, it looks great.
happyPLACE tries to carry healthy products, too. Bragg explains that many of her products are "low or zero VOC." Toxins called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are found in most paints, carpets and other indoor materials. These chemicals escape over time into the air and build up inside a home or office. Some people are particularly sensitive to VOCs and experience headaches, allergic reactions after exposure, or may even develop cancer. When picking your paints and other indoor finishes, you might be doing more than just choosing a color - you may be making decisions that will impact your future health. Bragg points out the colorful array of Mythic-brand paints happyPLACE sells. "We found it to be the best combination of high performance and eco-friendly. Painters say they love the coverage, and it's safe enough to paint with while you're pregnant."
The shop also looks for businesses that produce their products in sustainable ways. For instance, the brand of doors carried at happyPLACE, Trustile, is made of recycled wood or wood from FSC-certified forests, in addition to using low-VOC solvents and adhesives. More importantly, says Ogle, "their facility has a zero-waste mission statement." Trustile burns any wood scraps left over to heat their facility in the wintertime, or turns them into mulch for local parks and communities.
Careful investigation goes into the products happyPLACE sells to ensure they're as environmentally friendly as they claim to be. "People will over-green themselves when they're trying to advertise to you," Ogle says. "So we try to go through and do as much due diligence as possible."
Opening a retail establishment was a new experience for Bragg. "It's been a wild and wonderful learning experience," she says. As architects, "we bring a lot to the table already," she says, "because we are knowledgeable about the process and the products."
happyPLACE is located at 319 South Ashland Ave. They can be reached by phone at (859) 523-7171. To see some of happyPLACE's products, visit their website at www.happy-place.com.