Design Showroom Opens This Weekend

SARATOGA SPRINGS — If you want to get noticed - stand out from the crowd. That’s what Janet Longe’s luxury interior design aesthetic is all about. It’s also why she and her daughter Jamie Davies, co-owner of 23rd and Fourth, have moved into their new location at 130 Excelsior Avenue. “A lot of people didn’t know about us,” said Jamie Davies. The store, whose name is based on their birthdays, originally opened in the Historic Franklin Square in 2012. After more than a year of searching for a larger property with more off-street parking, they found the Empire Run building. Situated across from the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company, it is pleasantly positioned between the sprawling retail shopping complexes off Northway Exit 15 and downtown Saratoga. In less than six months, they customized the commercial space in the new 4-story mixed-use brick building by Bonacio Construction into a large open showroom with an outdoor patio that is twice the size of their previous location. Jamie’s husband, Paul, is an engineer who has been a valuable asset in helping to oversee the project. “Paul bridged the gap between the architects, engineers, and the construction side of things so we didn’t have to,” said Jamie. Instead, they focused on a design concept that uses a neutral palette to create comfortable urban style. “We shop for one-of-a-kind items and design with a sense that it’s a collection that’s evolved over time,” said Janet Longe, Allied ASID, Leed AP. Unique fine furnishings, accessories, and home décor items are arranged in ten well-planned cozy vignettes. Bathed in natural light from the three walls of windows invisibly covered with a shading film to protect the fabric from fading, customers can sit on the sofas, feel the lush softness of the fabric, and marvel in the understated elegance of the metal fixtures. Pottery crafted by local artisan Joshua Smith blends into the rhythm of the room that also contains exotic finds such as large calligraphy brushes, and the organic lines of anything-but-ordinary ottomans. “Design is an evolution. It’s always changing, it’s not static,” said Longe. In the 23rd and Fourth design studio, a large 3’ x 9’ counter-height work space stores a library containing thousands of color and fabric samples. It serves as a valuable resource for local designers and their clients who otherwise would have to go out-of-town. “We want you to get what you want,” said Longe. Longe and Davies invite the public to enjoy the grand-opening of 23rd and Fourth on Friday, February 3 and to stop in during Saratoga Chowderfest on Saturday, Feb. 4 for chowder by Next Door Kitchen, face painting, and helium balloons. The winner of their Dream Décor giveaway will also be announced. For more information go to www.facebook.com/23rdandfourth, look for enhanced shopping capabilities and sign up for their newsletter at http://www.23rdandfourth.com/