Recently, I’ve had quite a few people ask me about how I came up with the name ‘Heirloom & Ivy’ so I figured it was time to hit the blog and tell the origin story so to speak. I’ve thought about creating a home decor blog for years which has given me plenty of time to run through other possible titles in my mind. Contenders included “Grace’s Spaces” (yea right, turns out that handle was taken about a decade ago); “Hazelnut Home” (because rarely can I be found pondering decorating decisions without a cup of coffee in my hand); and “Grace’s Home Decor and Pretty Things from Thrift Stores!” (JK on that last one being in the running, but it was a real life idea from my Dad and let’s just say he’s a bit new to this whole internet thing).
I brainstormed quite a few catchy names but at the end of the day, none of them felt just right. I wanted something that captured my style and my love of storied, meaningful decor without being too on nose. One day I was out on a hike – one of my favorite pastimes and the best way to clear my head – when the word ‘heirloom’ popped into my mind. I loved the idea of using it in the title and began running through other words that may pair well. About 2 miles later, I called my husband and said “what do you think of Heirloom & Ivory? It rolls off the tongue nicely and we do have a lot of neutral, ivory decor in our home but I’m not sold”. To which he responded with something along the lines of, “I’ll do you one better. How about Heirloom & IVY? You love the outdoors and let’s be honest, you’re kind of a crazy house-plant lady.” When he’s right, he’s right.
One of my favorite local hiking spots 
You gotta love fall in New England
It was perfect! Does it sound like it could be the name of a bar in a hipster college town or perhaps a thrift store meets garden center? Yes, yes it does. But it also functions as a subtle nod to both my appreciation of nature and the ways in which it inspires me as well as my love of older, cherished home decor pieces – be they vintage items that have been passed on to me by my family or treasures I find in my frequent antique store adventures. And so, Heirloom & Ivy was born!
Thanks for stopping by,
