Curated spaces

Sometimes we forget that places, just as people, can have strong personalities. Upriver Home is one of those places. Located on Broad Street in Milford, Pennsylvania, this home design store houses a carefully curated collection focusing on quality, simplicity, art, and natural elements. Their website states the store was "launched in 2004 with the idea that the home, be it primary, secondary or even temporary, is not only a respite from the everyday but a haven for inspiration."

Upriver offers furniture, lighting, books, glassware, bar accessories, candles, kids toys, and more. Their mix of new and vintage, bright and understated, give fine examples of the idea that things don't have to match, but can instead complement. High ceilings top the store's two rooms which fill with scents like balsam fir or basil blue sage from burning candles. Come in the rear entrance and you're greeted by a dozen or so plants soaking up the sun in their mismatched pots. Upriver's wares are fashioned from almost every material including metal, wood, ceramic, marble, and woven grass.  

Upriver also carries Kinfolk, the Portland, Oregon-based lifestyle magazine for seekers of a slower and simpler life. This is where I first came across the magazine and I haven't seen it anywhere else locally. It's published quarterly and each issue has a theme like aging, Japan, Autumn, or the weekend, and even one on incorporating more of the things we love into our daily routines instead of saving them for the weekend or our next vacation. The content, including photo essays, stories, interviews, recipes, and more, all stick to the topic. The New York Times called Kinfolk "the Martha Stewart Living of the Portland set."

On my recent trip to the store I found honey and teas, as well as some bulbs emerging in time for spring.

Upriver has a very cool jewelry collection. It leaves nothing to desire, especially if you're like myself-- a fan of brass and semiprecious stone. The store is truly one of a kind and a complement to its home in the heart of the Delaware River Valley region.

Upriver Home: www.upriverhome.com

Kinfolk: www.kinfolk.com