Valerie Steil offers elegant décor off the beaten path in Indiana – just in time for the holidays.
By JULIE KESSLER photos by Raul Martinez From the December/January 2008 Issue
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Somewhere, beyond the malls and big-box stores, you just know there’s a place where unique home accessories and gifts are waiting to be wrapped and carried away with joy.
Slip away from the maddening crowds for a short drive into Indiana’s countryside, down a road that likely predates the Civil War, and you discover Marc T. Nielsen Interiors and Antique Shop. Get ready to gaze.
Pottery in every hue. Intriguing objects from India. Lamps created from astonishing origins. Colorful foo dogs. Furniture with a past. Elegant andirons. And more, in breathless profusion. The cultural collage nearly fills the renovated barn it occupies – for the moment; as pieces leave the rustic shop, more come in to tempt customers.
The antique shop and design studio grew from the inspiration of Chicago interior designer Marc Nielsen, who brought his business to the lovely Suman Valley just outside Valparaiso, Ind., and began buying antiques from Europeans eager to rebuild after World War II.
These days Valerie Steil brings to the business her passion for the beautiful and her years of interior design experience. One minute she’s on the phone in the office coordinating a client’s home interior redesign; the next, she’s admiring a silver piece in the 3,000-square-foot shop whose rooms follow the configuration of the silo. Some regular customers pressed for time will simply call and give a price range. Steil then sets out three to five items, the customer pops in and picks one, and gift wrapping is “elaborate,” she says.
After all, it’s only fitting the wrapping should match the treasure inside.
734 Old Suman Rd., Valparaiso, Ind.; 219-462-9812; marctnielseninteriors.com. Open Mon.-Thurs. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Fri., Sat. and Sun. by appointment; holiday hours: Saturdays Dec. 6, 13, and 20, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Five picks you shouldn’t miss – especially during the holiday season, when proceeds from 5% of sales benefit a local charity.
Unusual candleholders and lamps
Tuck in a verse about light, Steil says, to warm the receiver’s heart.
Artisan-made throws
Soft as a kitten, in subtle color shadings.
Exotic Tibetan necklaces
Wrought in silver with a colored pendant, substantial and dramatic.
Trays, from silver to pottery, from grand to demure.
Glazed pottery
Vases, bowls and dishes. Great for far-away friends, says Steil: It’s not usually one flat color, so the piece can go with more than one color in the home.
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