A year ago, Alexander Widener quit his job to move to Maine and follow an unlikely dream: to open an antiques shop. And it worked: Alexander's shop and guest cottage, Widener Company, is the talk of New England and beyond, thanks in part to Alexander's wild Instagram following. (Perhaps you caught his "Super Bowl" video last weekend-on, yes, bowls.) Before shopkeeper life in the small village of Wiscasset,
With so little time (and so much to browse!) it's always a good idea to arrive with a shopping plan. For some, that might be deciding on decor styles ahead of time. Then, of course, there are those who are simply looking for the best value: items made with high-quality materials and excellent craftsmanship that are built to last.
Restraint is not part of Diaz's visual vocabulary. His Hutton mirror features 22k gold-leaf spikes, the Sabaudia daybed has wings reminiscent of vintage car fins, and the Jujuy Trastero cabinet features horns. These whimsical improvisations also have a deliberate formality resulting in pieces that Diaz imagines should have existed historically. Designer Ryan Lawson, another admirer, says, "When you see Mike's work it has a sense that it has always been there, like you've stumbled upon some kind of historic relic."
The British antique dealer, interior designer, and furniture maker is renowned on both sides of the Atlantic for his knack for creating rooms that are "joyful and elegant, effortlessly layered with color, texture, and history." His approach? Mixing "a masterful knowledge of antiques with decades of hands-on furniture-making experience and an impeccable eye for detail, resulting in interiors that are both timeless and uniquely personalized." Above all, it's an effect that feels thoroughly warm, lived-in, and welcoming.
What you may not know is that the old decor actually holds meaning. Every single antique that decorates the inside of a Cracker Barrel is real and was at least inspired by local history. It all started with the first restaurant-store that opened in Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1969. Founder Dan Evins enlisted the help of Don and Kathleen Singleton, who owned a local antiques store, to come and decorate the interior to feel like an old country store.
