Home: Homefront: Shop Talk: Fall 2007

If you’re like us, you find the words “custom made” seductive but daunting,

If you’re like us, you find the words “custom made” seductive but daunting, and often you buy off the shelf because you want to avoid decision-making (what exactly do I want?) and exhausting searches for talented craftspeople (who do you use?). But Cedar Hollow Design Center, which opened in May in Malvern, makes custom easy.

In the comfortably stuffed, renovated space that was a general store in the 1840s, you’ll find homey vignettes — a sweet bedroom scene in one corner, a complete kitchen setup in another—staged by owner Craig Postlewait and his staff of design specialists to show off the custom services of more than 20 artisans, including custom woodworkers, wine-cellar builders, tile makers and home theater designers.

“Everything you see, you can buy or have made for you,” says Postlewait. So while you can cash and carry if you find something perfectly suited to your home, you’re also free to say, “I think I’d like this rustic cabinet, but a foot shorter and with a different finish.”

Our favorites are the Chester County toile curtains (made by a local designer who will visit your home to measure), Andrew Crawford’s smartly twisted pencil sculpture, colorful Zulu baskets, and eco-friendly, richly colored Old-Fashioned Milk Paint.

Cedar Hollow Design Center, 2329 Yellow Springs Road, Malvern 610-647-5004; cedarhollowdesigncenter.com.