Tracy Adams, owner of Abode & Company, brought her love of home furnishings to Northfield. Her sales team is shown behind her (left to right): Juliet Tunks, Lisa Caranta and Nicole Makris. Front Porch photo by Laura Mahony

Zippered wine and martini glasses? Animal-faced clocks? A blue cowhide rug?

“Unexpected items give a home its character,” says Tracy Adams, proprietor of the new Abode & Company home furnishings store in Northfield.

Abode, which opened in November, aims to please a wide variety of home-decorating tastes with 5,500 square feet of furniture, kitchen and bath items.

Abode & Company offers a casual atmosphere. “We aim for a relaxed feel,” said Adams. “Come in and sit on the couch you like, look at fabric swatches and we’ll make you an espresso. A young couple sat down to argue about fabric—she said, ‘Ooh, I like that one,’ and he said, ‘Nuh-UH!’—and that’s great. We want you to feel at home.”

Adams often advises and makes decorating suggestions for customers, depending on their needs. “If someone has an old house we ask, ‘Do you want to modernize, or keep with the historic character of the house?’ If it’s a house that’s just being built, they are starting from scratch. We’re working on a questionnaire for customers to help them define what they want.”

Adams said customers can customize every aspect of their home. “If you like a couch or a chair, you can select from hundreds of fabrics to cover it with. The whole concept is making your house your home.”

She said most shoppers in her store live in Stapleton, Northfield, Park Hill or other surrounding neighborhoods. “We get referrals from all over though.”

Adams said she opened in Northfield because it’s growing and there are few home furnishing stores in the area. “People whose houses are being built are looking and planning. We’re here for them, as well as for the established neighborhoods,” she said.

Lisa Caranta, Abode’s store designer, said the store’s offerings fit with the residents of the area. “People here are educated and they are a fun group. They don’t take themselves too seriously. We’re a fun store.

“People don’t want the same thing in their house that everyone else has. That’s why we’re eclectic and a little quirky.”

Abode’s selection covers a broad range of tastes, from rustic picture frames to modern-designed bookshelves, to animal prints. Hundreds of rugs are available, including handmade wool and patterned varieties. Kitchen items include hammered and brushed ceramic dishes and stainless steel serving pieces. “We plan to offer cooking demonstrations in the future,” said Adams.

Signs throughout the store express its “do-your-own-thing” philosophy, including “Home is Where You Cut the Cheese” in the kitchen area. “Happy Hour is Every Hour” hangs near the living room display.

“Your home is where you make it,” said Adams. “It should be a living environment you want to spend time in.”

Adams plans to add an online store in the future, and possibly more brick-and-mortar stores as well. “Maybe we’ll expand but we’ll keep the feel of the independent store,” she said.

Abode is open from 11am to 8pm Mon. through Thurs.; 10am to 9pm Fri. and Sat.; and Sundays 11am to 6pm. The store is at 8210 Northfield Blvd. Call them at 303.574.3334 or visit AbodeandCompany.com (coming soon).