Lisa Palmer Renovates Oxford Bridal Building, Brings SummerHouse Furnishings To The Square

SummerHouse Furniture is the newest addition to the Historic Oxford Square and has been operating since November 2016 in the former Oxford Bridal building. With another location in Ridgeland, Mississippi, owner Lisa Palmer had already become a staple in the Oxford interior design community, which made her decision to open a second location a no-brainer.
“My business partners and I have ties to this community, and Oxford seemed like it was such a seamless transition because we were already doing so much work here, in terms of interior design and bringing pieces here,” Palmer said. “I felt that the area needed us. With Oxford growing, the town is growing, people are moving into the community, and people need our services.” 
Businesses continue to flock to Oxford, and Palmer wanted to make sure that she helped to maintain the small town feel on the Square. 
“I am not a corporation. We are locally owned, as I am sole proprietor here,” Palmer said. “I really believe in shopping locally. I know my clients because we share doctors, grocery stores and other places around town with them, and I think that’s very important.”
SummerHouse’s inventory spans across the new Oxford location, 7,000 square feet in the Ridgeland store, as well as 9,000 square feet of warehouse inventory. Any piece can be brought from either location if it’s not available in the Oxford store. Palmer and her staff work carefully to select the pieces featured in their showrooms, and she is eager to help anyone in need of their services, no matter if someone needs a complete overhaul or “just a coat of paint.” 
“We spend a lot of time going to markets and traveling to get a real curated collection of upholstery cased goods and one-of-a-kind pieces,” Palmer said. “I like to carry things that are unique, have a great style and design sense. I think the Oxford market will really respond well to our collection; it’s light, fresh, soft, traditional or modern. It all blends with the antiques you may have in your home, and we can work with what you may already have. The true Southern woman likes to collect antique pieces and to mix those pieces with 21st-century pieces. Those pieces have a story… just like every Southerner has a story.”
Gone are the small rooms that divided Oxford Bridal, as Palmer decided to open up the 4,000 square-foot building. What resulted is a spacious showroom that is inviting to the consumer. During the planning stages, Palmer stumbled upon the perfect cornerstone for the design of her newest store. 
“I’ve heard such positive feedback about what I’ve done with both the outside and inside. They love what a beautiful addition the Square,” Palmer said. “As soon as we got the building, I opened up a ceiling tile and found these dark wooden ceiling rafters, and I thought to myself ‘we can do something with this!’ People had no idea how spacious the building was, and we uncovered so much incredible architectural detail, and that’s become the focal point of the whole space.”
SummerHouse is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. 

Steven Gagliano is a writer for steven.gagliano@hottytoddy.com.