Vivid Hue Home in local CT Feature

Farmington Small Business Spotlight: Vivid Hue Home

Our small business series shines a light on local business owners in the community.

By WENDY ANN MITCHELL (Patch Staff)May 6, 2015 

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Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. And that’s the belief behind this exciting series — to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well. 

• Business: Vivid Hue Home
• Owners: Heather Grahling
• Website: http://www.vividhuehome.com
• Address: 775 Farmington Ave., Farmington

How did you come up with the name?

I started a popular design blog 3 years ago called,Vivid Hue Home. I believed that everyone could use a dose of color in their lives and I loved to mix patterns and colors in decorating. The blog ended up being a platform for the decorating projects in my own home located in Farmington, CT.

Why start a business in this town?

I am a Farmington resident and have wanted to bring a unique gift shop to our area. I wanted to create a destination that locals could visit frequently and always find something different and unique for their homes. One of the historical cottages became available along the row of buildings on Brick Walk Lane and I thought that would be a perfect spot for my type of gift shop. The boutique is located within walking distance from Miss Porter’s School, the Hillstead and the Stanley Whitman House.

What business are you in?

My gift shop offers stylish “must haves” for the home. Vivid Hue Home is the perfect destination for a hostess gift, greeting cards, dorm room décor, small home furnishings, pillows, art, tabletop accessories, colorful accessories and other gifts. I am also featuring a few brands of furniture that have never been offered in Connecticut. While I will provide staple items that you can always find, I want to always have rotating inventory so that when my customers come into the shop, they will always find something unique and different that they won’t see anywhere else.

What’s the most difficult challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?

So far there have not been any, other than all of the preparation involved with opening up a small, locally owned business.

What’s been your proudest achievement since opening?

We opened on May 1 and the feedback has been tremendously positive. Local residents have stopped in to check out our space and have said it reminds them of a gift shop they’d see in Palm Beach or on Martha’s Vineyard. Many customers come into the shop and make themselves comfortable on the sofa and vintage chairs and sit and socialize. I love the idea that we’re not only a gift shop but a local destination for the community.

How does your business give back to the community?

I hope to participate in local charities and offer a fun, unique destination for my customers.

DIY Ombre Christmas Tree

Every year I seem to start decorating for the Christmas season earlier and earlier.  This year has reached an all new milestone.  If I give full disclosure, we put our first tree up two weeks   three weeks ago.  If you follow me on Instagram, you saw the photo of my son's room all decked out for Christmas.  I am not even sure he stripped off his Halloween costume on October 31st before he started stringing colored lights from that newly remodeled room.    

I figured he's eight and the spirit of Christmas is very much alive in his mind.  I'm happy to report that my love of decorating seems to be wearing off on him.  He purchased this Santa Commode cover and matching rug with his own allowance money.  Yes, it was a cringe-worthy moment in my mind in that our 'styles' for how to decorate the house seem to vary slightly (ha) but I still bit my lip and supported his creativity and desire to poop on Santa's beard every time he sits on the toilet seat.

Also, this year, I decided to follow the lead of my friend, Frank (@gayathomedad ) and create an ombre tree for our sunroom.  Here are photos of our house at Christmas last year.
These photos were taken with my iPhone so they're not the best quality but you can get the idea.  

Here's a recall of how the tree looked last year without the ombre effect.  Still very colorful, just not tiered in rows of color like this year:

I purchased over 800 shatter-proof ornaments for the ombre tree in graduated shades.  Then
I had Vivster help me put each individual ornament onto the tree from top to bottom.

I purposefully loaded the tree with more ornaments than empty tree space.  It makes for quite a statement and gives a much more dramatic effect.

I have to say, it's magnificent to see in person!  Thank you to Frank for the idea!
I know it's been some time since I've blogged.  I've had a lot that's taking me away from the blog world....some very exciting news actually.  For a sneak peek of what that may be, please visit me on Instagram.


See more of Vivid Hue at Christmas time here.
In the meantime, hope you're enjoying your holiday season with your family!

Cheers,
Heather | Vivid Hue Home