Jennifer Davis Of Elegant Estates Specializes In Finding Unique, Difficult-To-Find Items
Ever since she was a child, Jennifer Davis, owner and operator of Elegant Estates of Wellington, has had a flair for design.
“My mother would come home, and I’d have every piece of furniture moved to a different section of the house,” Davis recalled. “It’s what I’ve always done. I come in here on my day off and start moving –things around.”
Elegant Estates is an antiques and fine furniture consignment store featuring unique, difficult-to-find items. It is located on Fortune Circle in Wellington.
Originally from New York, Davis and her family moved to Wellington when her daughter took up show jumping. Davis even competed herself for a few years with the hunter jumpers.
“I started working in North Florida for a shop that Rachel Ashwell owned called Shabby Chic,” Davis said. “She started the whole ‘shabby chic’ trend.”
After eight years working with Ashwell, Davis purchased Elegant Estates. That was 10 years ago.
“Most recently, I was involved with two projects with Gracie Street Interior Design. I supplied the furnishings, art and accessories to decorate and design the two-story VIP tent at Deeridge Farms for the Palm Beach Masters and the Deeridge Derby,” Davis said. “It’s one of the nicest horse shows in the world, and it was a privilege to work with Gracie Street.”
It wouldn’t be possible without her assistant, Jayne Meserlian, Davis said. Tilly, Davis’ dog, is always in the store, too.
Refinishing furniture is a passion for Davis, who will strip and refinish furniture for clients, plus items to sell and others to adorn her own home. “My garage is filled with good finds,” she said.
Currently, Davis’ specialty has been finding furniture for other designers. Her store has unique items from all over, ranging across the globe — particularly England — at all price points.
“If you can’t find it here, you probably won’t find it anywhere,” Davis said.
The store features a little bit of everything: equestrian items, artwork, chandeliers, rugs, dishes, bronze sculptures, scarves, equestrian collectibles, furniture and accessories.
Clients and interior designers will tell Davis what they’re looking for, and when she’s out and about at estate sales and events, she is always on the hunt for those items.
“It’s about supplying the right items for the right place that they’re designing it for,” Davis said.
It’s like a treasure hunt, she added. “I never know what the next good find is going to be,” Davis said.
One of the best things she has found, and her current favorite, is an antique ceramic wood-burning stove from Italy that arrived at the store on April 20.
“It’s unique; I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said of the stove, which dates back to the early 1900s. “I was at an estate sale in Palm Beach. I met a woman who is selling her home, and she asked me to come and see if I was interested in anything, and there it was, on her back patio… she imported it from Italy.”
Davis enjoys making her customers happy, which she said is the most rewarding part of her treasure hunts.
Understanding what a client is looking for, and their budget, while being able to learn their taste, is imperative when working with an interior designer, she added.
“It’s not something you can learn; you either have it or you don’t… finding the right thing that is going to be special to them,” Davis said.
Interior designers frequently bring their clients to Elegant Estates to browse the ever-changing selection of items to see what would add the perfect finishing touch to a room, or provide the perfect cozy couch, leather chair, desk, illuminating table lamp, or equestrian artwork to decorate the walls.
Davis describes the store as “fun and eclectic” and “a little mixture of everything; treasures I’ve found along the way in my travels.” She stocks everything from contemporary styles to antiques.
“We have fun in here,” Davis said. “You never know what you’re going to find next. Nothing is the same. Every day, something is different, coming in or finding something different when I’m on the road. And, I love the people I meet. I love helping them.”
The most rewarding part of the process, Davis said, is when clients — many of them are equestrians — come back and show her pictures of the treasures in their homes.
Elegant Estates is located at 11260 Fortune Circle, Suite J-2, in Wellington. The store is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and by appointment on Sunday. To learn more, visit the store, call (561) 793-7332, e-mail jdav614@aol.com or visit www.facebook.com/elegantestateswellington.
