By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
Over the past several months, John David Hunter and Bob Winston, co-owners of the architectural and interior design firm J.D. Hunter/home, have been transforming the look of their home furnishing showroom in Cazenovia.
Located at 55 Albany St. for the past eight years, the “decorating driven” retail store offers furniture, lighting, flooring, window treatments, fabric and more.
The store also provides personalized assistance and an award-winning decorating service at no extra charge.
In addition to its in-store offerings, J.D. Hunter/home offers a variety of nationwide services relating to interior design, restoration and renovation, kitchen design, and upholstery and sewing.
According to Winston, the recent changes to the store included the addition of new lighting, a drastic new wall color, new carpeting, and new upholstery.
The goal of the alterations, Winston explained, was to create a space that better reflects the aesthetic the designers present to their clientele nationwide.
“We wanted to show the public what we do professionally in our architectural and interior design work,” he said. “The store is, in reality, an advertisement for that work. Prior to now, we devoted our store to what we thought the local public wanted, which is sort of a more modern aesthetic. We are now showing a very timeless aesthetic that is for the long haul, not for the moment.”
Winston described the store’s new look as “traditionally up to date.”
The transformation of the showroom was completed Jan. 28.
“It has been received incredibly well,” Winston said. “We’ve only been showing the full collection for less than a week, and we have already sold two substantial pieces of furniture from what is on the floor, not off the floor.”
Hunter and Winston have been a design team for over 30 years.
According to the J.D. Hunter/home website, Hunter has built a reputation as one of the most innovative and accomplished architectural and interior designers in the country.
After attending Ecole des Beaux Arts in Montreal, he became a staff interior designer in New York City’s Bloomingdale’s.
He went on to design for clients around the world before founding the Connecticut-based business Tulip Tree Collection with Winston.
His portfolio ranges from full redesigns of existing homes, including interior redesign, structural changes, and additions among other services, to landscaping and pool design.
Hunter and Winston’s J.D. Hunter/home designs are featured in several leading interior design and home furnishing publications, including “Country Living,” “Country Home,” “Better Homes and Gardens,” and “New England Home.”
For more information on J.D. Hunter/home, visit jdhunterhome.com.
