Nora Murphy is no stranger to country house living.
She had a country house circa 1767 in Newtown, Connecticut for 19 years and reminisces, “It was a beautiful place to raise our son.”
Further, Murphy said, that home wasn’t what people might think of in a “little antique house.” Rather, “it was light and bright and spacious.”
Murphy now lives in an 1820 country house in Hadlyme.
And in Chester she operates “The Little Shop”, which exemplifies what she hopes is a place that helps create “an atmosphere of warmth and welcome, both down to earth and elegant. It rolls with the seasons and has an easy grace. It makes you feel happy and creative, content and refreshed, surrounded by beauty and most important, at home,” as her mission statement notes.
The Little Shop is called that because of its tiny space. Since it opened a little over a year ago in the center of Chester, Murphy has expanded into a larger space next door to the original space and now includes other creatives who add to the activity that happens there.
Nora Murphy operates operates “The Little Shop” in Chester
Stephanie Capsolas is one such vendor who specializes in European antiques. “Nora is just magical as a person,” Capsolas said.
Murphy and Capsolas met at the Fairfield County Antiques and Design Center in Norwalk. Capsolas told Murphy to keep her in mind if a space opened up for a shop and when Murphy expanded she invited Capsolas to join her.
Capsolas said, “Working with Nora is incredibly inspiring.”
Kimberly Alonzo met Murphy over the sale of two chairs. They were two white slipcovered chairs that Murphy purchased from an ad Alonzo published and she says, “Nora scooped them up.”
Murphy quipped, ‘Kim came with the chairs.”
Alonzo’s mom was a big fan of Murphy, she had her book on her coffee table and watched her on television. Alonzo now works with Murphy and was brought on for interior design consultation. She said, “I love it when people come in the shop and say ‘I could just live here.’ Our goal is to help them have them have that same feeling in their homes.”
Colleen Martell from Bramble Collective in Deep River does the flowers and plants in the shop. She also does weddings and installations. She had a popup in the shop and then Murphy invited her to stay.
Murphy noted, “We get along famously, like family.”
Martell said, “I would say in describing Nora and the Little Shop, she’s very considerate of people and details. She knows how to create welcoming spaces. She wants everyone to feel at home. I think that makes Nora special.”
In terms of design for the Little Shop, Murphy sets the floor plan with Alonzo who is the design manager.
“It’s a fantastic collaborative space. I personally love being among creative people because it motivates and inspires me. If I were in a shop by myself I would be in a vacuum and I would not be happy. I’m a people person,” Murphy said. “ I love to be among all these dynamic, creative people and we all help each other. So, I’m fortunate and blessed to have this set up here. “
Murphy noted, “There’s always a seasonal vibe.”
She said her husband Rick shows his love through his cooking. She said, “I show my love through my decorating.”
One of the things that Murphy said she loves for holidays or even during the year is decorating the table. “I want to make sure the table is set beautifully. It doesn’t have to be formal, but it must be thoughtful.” It is the whole experience that matters and that is how Murphy said she feels about The Little Shop. Her customers are important to her, as “without them there would be no Little Shop.”
Murphy has done furniture design for Lillian August and Ralph Lauren, noting, “Classic is my style and Ralph is the master at that. I learned a lot at Polo. I learned a lot at Lillian August that was freelance work.” She also worked for Ethan Allan as a freelance designer for their advertising, designing sets for all the different collections for eight years, then she was hired as a style director and then was made the vice president of style and eventually the executive vice president of style and advertising. Murphy recalled, “Ethan Allen was a very, very important part of my life. I learned so much there and made incredible lifetime friends there as well.”
With the store, Murphy said she does a lot of digging in decorating to find pieces and items. Everything must work together.
“Interior design gets a bad rap because it’s done for you or it’s very expensive or it’s impersonal or it’s too luxurious looking,“ she said. “We want it to be attainable. That’s what it’s all about. The fact that items are offered that are antique, vintage, and new offers a home can be a combination of all of these things. There’s a soulfulness in things that add to an interior that makes it so comfortable and beautiful and lived in and that’s what it’s all about.”
Nora Murphy operates operates “The Little Shop” in Chester.
She said, “Everything needs to be functional.
In addition to the brick-and-mortar shop, Murphy has an online shop and a collection called, “The Hunt Club” found on the noramurphycountryhouse.com website where you can also find her book “Nora Murphy’s Country House Style” published by Vendome Press, her blog, recipes, copies of her online magazine, videos of interior decorating, indoor and outdoor gardening, and indoor and outdoor entertainment.