Raines Interiors in South Hills offers vintage homegoods made new.
In 2015, Charleston native Tonya Raines opened her interior designing studio with a mission to restore vintage items and turn clients’ houses into their dream homes. With help from her daughter, Alexandria, Raines’ business has taken off in one short year. She hung her shingle in October 2015 under the name Gwyn Roberts. But after the one-year anniversary, she and Alexandria decided to change the name to Raines Interiors and relocate from South Charleston to Charleston.
“Our niche at our studio is all about mixing the old with the new,” Raines says. If a customer wants to update a piece of furniture that belonged to a grandmother, Raines works with the customer to figure out what would look best while retaining the vintage vibe. “I just want to bring things back to life,” she says.
Wherever Raines goes, she keeps an eye out for something that would be perfect in her store. “I could bring something back from our state of West Virginia or from Paris,” she laughs. She makes sure everything is one-of-a-kind, and does so by customizing the merchandise herself.
She started interior designing 25 years ago and it quickly became her passion. Her studio carries everything from picture frames and Italian hats to grandfather clocks and a selection of furniture. Raines recently worked on an antique Victorian sofa by adding a deep magenta silk fabric slip mixed in with Kate Spade fabric. Her store is also the only Kate Spade retail store in West Virginia.
Raines’ customized approach to her merchandise ensures no two customers leave her shop with the same product. “The style of my work is a Southern tradition with a modern flair,” she says.
Raines Interiors, 1006 Bridge Road, Charleston; 304.553.2466; www.facebook.com/raines.interiors
WRITTEN BY CAMI COULTER
PHOTOGRAPHED BY CARLA WITT FORD
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