Coley Home Spotlight: Neely Burch
Meet Neely! After being raised in retail, Neely and her sister, Chloe, co-founded a lifestyle accessories brand. Neely & Chloe's collection began with handbags and their offerings have expanded to interior design as well as product development consultation. Read on to learn all about Neely!
Tell us about yourself!
I am one half of the Neely & Chloe team (Neely 👋🏻). I was born and raised outside Philadelphia and after about 10 years in New York, I am back home with my husband and new little peanut, Hugh. My sister and I founded Neely & Chloe almost 8 years ago (which sometimes I can’t believe!). We’re lovers of all things creative, thrown together with a little bit of business drive. For a long time, our primary focus was accessories and travel goods, but we’ve just launched an interior design arm of our business, something we’ve always been passionate about!
How would you describe your design style?
We like things that have good classic bones with a fresh, even a little irreverent, twist. I love playing with color (and ultimately creating simpler moments as a balance) and always include a little something unexpected. We think rooms should have furniture and concepts from different eras and places, that’s what makes them special. Something you can tell the story of where you found it, bought it, or stole it (I kid!!) is always preferable to something that’s one of many. And at the end of the day, the most important thing about design is that it makes your space something you love, are proud of and are comfortable in.
You included the Dressmaker Nash Swivel and Eleanor Ottoman in your baby boy’s nursery! Walk us through the design process.
We have a room in our house that feels like it was destined to be a nursery, it’s small and charming with a quirky little footprint. I wanted it to feel cozy and calm and to work for future kiddos down the road. I put a lot of my playful color instincts away and went with a gentle light blue (a neutral in my book!).
A lot of the pieces for Hugh’s nursery came from the hand-me-down pieces from my parents (from my nursery really!). We had some great English Beatrix Potter prints and a wonderful old Alphabet illustration, framed in a dusty denim blue—and reframing wasn’t in the budget. It ended up syncing up perfecting with a delicate little wallpaper print from Lewis Home x Chasing Paper. Cute tiny Radishes!
That went in the bathroom and closet, and we leaned into the layered blues throughout the space. Some custom-colored fabric by Camilla Moss blended the two colors for some homemade little roman shades. With the lighter walls, I wanted another opportunity to integrate the dustier blue color into the space: enter the Dressmaker Nash with it’s contrasting trim! We went with the textured Boucle, Cream for the chair fabric with the Nomad, Oxford for the contrast welt. The narrow profile of the chair was perfect for the small space and left room for the ottoman.
Get the Look
The Dressmaker Nash Swivel Glider
in Boucle, Cream with Nomad, Oxford Welt
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The Eleanor Ottoman
in Boucle, Cream with Nomad, Oxford Welt
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We have been long time fans of your brand you co-own with your sister, Neely & Chloe! Do you have a favorite piece that has recently debuted?
We recently launched a keepsake collection with Petite Keep that I love. The greens and pop of yellow have me thinking of spring and so relieved we’ve made it to the other side of winter! But lately I’m most excited about the interior design services we’ve added to our offering at N&C. I have always loved working on interiors for myself and friends and family, but incredibly excited about the prospect of getting to focus on this area more in my day to day (it’s made me a better employee already 😉).
Go-to places for design inspiration, whether it’s for interiors or for new Neely & Chloe designs?
My very boring answer is, that with this busier phase of life, Pinterest is becoming more and more valuable for me!! I still want the answer to be “travel, old movies, books” but there is something oh so functional about Pinterest. And especially as we’re taking on more projects across lots of different verticals, it’s become an incredibly valuable tool.
But when it comes to light bulb moments of inspiration, we would be nowhere without our Mom!! Especially now with our work on interiors, she’s got such a great eye and is never without a creative solution to a problem. I will be 50 years old, taking design meetings and unabashedly asking if I can bring my Mom along. Chloe and I would both make her our business partner if we could, but she’s in high demand!!
You always have the perfect bag to pack :) What destinations are at the top of your travel bucket list, and what Neely & Chloe bag are you taking with you?
My Husband and I have been talking quite a bit about Japan lately. It’s getting higher and higher on our bucket list. I’m not sure when we will make it happen, but we’ve always loved to travel and I really do hope it’s something we get to share with our family.
We are headed to Scotland this summer for a golf trip which I’m very excited for. I will definitely be packing my N&Cx Couper luggage—should we bring this back?? And all my favorite packing cubes. If you’re not a convert yet, snag some of the Petite Keep collection while you can! My other favorite packing accessory lately is our PVC toiletry kits. I love the little ones to keep make up and skin care separate and end up using the larger one in my big tote bags to keep things organized!
Favorite coffee table book at the moment?
I have refocused my creative wish list at home outside— dangerous I know! This book on English Gardens has been one of my favorites for inspiration (for this 10 year down the road dream project). My colors at home tend to live in the green/blue world so I end up wishing I had multiple copies to merchandise in every room.
Favorite cocktail recipe?
A gin gimlet is my go-to order, but if I’m feeling up to the task, I love an egg white cocktail. A gin sour is simple and one of my favorites.
2 oz gin
1 large egg white
¾ oz fresh squeezed lime juice
A dash of simple syrup
lime peel, for garnish
Sometimes a dash of bitters on the top too
Favorite TV show or book at the moment?
Ugh, I really should be a better reader... but alas I really love a good TV show. I just watched One Day and really enjoyed it. My husband and I are slowly making our way through Fargo which is weird!! But so well done. And I’ve just started 3 Body Problem… also odd, but I’m hoping it has Westworld-like potential.
My favorite ‘show’ ever is The Night Manager (really a mini series), if you haven’t seen it, pop it to the top of your list!
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