Husband and wife team Kristin and Stuart Darnell spent years making quick weekend escapes from Charlotte to New Orleans. While most of their friends opted for beach getaways, they found refuge in the Big Easy, taking a break from running their 5,400-square-foot furniture showroom. Now that their son is in college, they’ve decided to close their to-the-trade-only showroom in Charlotte and open a small shop on Magazine Street, with hopes of catering to both design enthusiasts and professionals. I chatted with Stuart to discuss the new venture, Darnell & Co. and why he loves New Orleans.
What prompted you to open a shop in New Orleans? I spent years traveling to New Orleans as a Visual Comfort sales rep and just loved the food, history and culture so much. At the height of covid we bought an apartment here and gradually spent even more time visiting.
Where do you source your merchandise? We have a really diverse group of trusted vendors. We travel to Europe often to track down new treasures, primarily (but not exclusively) from Italy and France. But we also have wonderful vendors around the US.
What’s it like working with your spouse? We have different skill sets but similar tastes, so it works well. My wife has superior accounting and organizational skills while I have 30 years of sales experience. It comes together in the end because we always end up wanting to buy the same things.
How does the New Orleans customer differ from the Charlotte customer? So far, New Orleans skews slightly more French antique but not by a big margin. They are a similar customer. Unlike our former to-the-trade showroom in Charlotte, our New Orleans shop will welcome tourists, decorators, collectors and beyond. That in itself will give it a very different feel.
What is your favorite thing in the shop right now? We have a 17th century walnut console that is very special.
You can shop with Darnell & Co. at 3828 Magazine Street and on Instagram
@darnellandcompany.
