Whether you’re a total thriftaholic, you aspire to the Joanna and Chip Gaines aesthetic, or you live to shop local, you’ll want to…

Get To Know The Golden Sparrow

Having grown up in an old home in the historic part of my town, I’ve always had a fascination with anything that held a story, from treasured family heirlooms with their worth rooted in sentimentality or fine antiques found buried in a dark basement that the owners refer to as “junk”. The quirks, nooks, cubbies and woodworking that were built into older homes I find charming, and vintage furniture with its fine craftsmanship, dovetailed drawers and turned legs always make me excited to come across in antique stores, at estate sales or in crowded barns. My father is an architectural illustrator by trade and my mother always had a knack for decorating with what we had, mainly hand-me-downs from family and friends. Even now, I prefer refinishing a piece that’s been neglected to buying new because I know that piece holds a story; one I may never know but a story and a history nonetheless.

It’s no surprise then that this same strategy of working with what we have or what we’ve been given is the way I operate my own business. The boundaries of decorating around existing pieces - or creating something that inspired you from another’s work but on a budget - is where we thrive at The Golden Sparrow. Our focus always has been and always will be on furniture (whether vintage, refinished or custom built) and coordinating home decor pieces, upcycling items and giving them new life in a new form. Bringing a vintage or handmade piece into your décor (whether its trendy and modern, traditional and refined or somewhere in between) always lends a feeling of authenticity to your home, bringing with it warmth and history.

Other Shops We Consider Friends

Since the inception of our little shop on Kent St. in Barrington, we’ve had the privilege of meeting and working with so many other like minded, talented individuals who are always on the hunt for that next treasure or working hard handmaking home décor, furniture, jewelry, dolls, clothing, and more. Some of our favorite shops we consider friends:

• Cerulean for handmade jewelry by Kate Simpson Designs and handmade signs and home décor by Althea, The Finished Thread along with a handful of other local makers

• Shades of Vintage Marketplace - this once monthly market, the fairly recent brainchild of the co-owners at Cerulean, features a variety of local vintage dealers

• The Peyton Co. - the window displays and handmade bath & beauty products at this vintage-inspired shop are swoon worthy

Also, our greatest celebrity decorating inspiration is Joanna Gaines (don’t mind if I go a little fan girl) with her fresh takes on farmhouse décor and DIY even before it became such a hot trend. I’m always impressed by the myriad of ways people decorate and by the varying styles that I find visually appealing, even if I wouldn’t necessarily follow it in my own home. My heart feels happiest in that coastal farmhouse style surrounded by solid wooden furniture and tufted sofas in shades of gray, blue, and white, with occasional pops of yellow (my secret favorite color thanks to my love of tulips). 

When we’re not busy refinishing furniture, running the shop or working on projects with our twin girls, my husband and I love to take the family anywhere there’s farmland and an ocean coast, often taking scenic drives through Little Compton, Newport, Portsmouth and down the Cape, stopping at little shops and cafes along the way, further fueling our creativity and being inspired by the beauty around us.

*Find The Golden Sparrow at 33 Kent Street F, Barrington, Rhode Island.