Home Sweet Home

Four Michigan boutiques that help turn your newlywed house into a home

By Blake Miller

One of the most exciting parts of getting married is that it marks the beginning of a new life together. Registering for your wedding means choosing home goods — a new place setting, luxurious bedding, or even furniture — that signify a new chapter in your relationship. Our favorite way to find items that are unique is by scouring boutique home stores throughout the state. Here’s a look at four independent boutiques from across Michigan to help you find the pieces that speak to your personality and style.

Primi Piatti Market

Since spring 2011, Monica Bisignano Zamler’s passion for Italy and its culture has come to life in her storefront, Primi Piatti. The chef and buyer established the Birmingham shop to serve as a destination for all things Italian, including imported handmade ceramics, table linens, Murano glass, and other cookware. “Each piece is individually handmade by artisans,” explains Zamler, who visits Italy several times a year to source her store’s offerings. “Some are in traditional Italian designs while others are of modern and contemporary designs.” Couples can create a wedding registry of unique handmade Italian wares, cookware, pasta-making tools, Mokas (stovetop coffee makers) as well as place settings, silverware, napkins, tablecloths, drinkware, and serving pieces. “Our couples’ friends and families enjoy buying a special piece that is sure to become a family heirloom,” Zamler says. The store also doubles as an Italian market, so gift buyers can scoop up authentic Italian foods (fresh pasta, sauces, meatballs, lasagna, and other prepared foods, as well as a full line of Italian cured meats, cheeses, and groceries) and tableware — all made in-house or imported from Italy.

550 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248.566.3353;  primipiatti.com

Commune

Walk into Commune and everywhere you look is a vignette that inspires you to update your home. For nearlyweds, it’s the perfect place to go for inspo on decorating your home as a married couple. “Commune’s muse and inspiration comes from a passion for travel and the feel of the Mediterranean — whitewashed buildings and sun-drenched alleyways,” says owner Megan Modderman of the décor inside. “It’s California cool.” That edgy, clean, modern aesthetic influences what Modderman fills her Grand Rapids shop with, including a carefully curated selection of home offerings. Things such as champagne coupe glasses, unique marble charcuterie boards, throw pillows, candles, and coffee table books are layered throughout the store. “A couple at the beginning stages of creating their home would be able to find the most gorgeous modern glassware to make their bar area the envy of their friends,” Modderman says. The quaint shop expanded into a new space in the East Hills neighborhood of the Uptown district of Grand Rapids in October 2022. It’s location in East Hills sets it amongst other unique boutiques, cocktail lounges, and restaurants, making it a destination couples won’t want to miss.

954 Cherry St. SE, Grand Rapids; instagram.com/commune_gr

Modern Supply

A short drive from downtown Detroit sits home store Modern Supply. When owners Amy Lalich and Tara de Boer opened the Royal Oak store in 2021, their goal was to seamlessly blend their native Michigan experiences and urban influences with the Midwestern charm the state is known for. And Modern Supply, which is launching a wedding registry this year, has more than succeeded in that. The bright and airy space highlights beautifully curated offerings for the home — everything from handmade enameled stoneware and 100 percent cotton Turkish bath towels to coffee table books and cocktail glasses. “Our items are all thoughtfully curated with a focus on sustainability,” Lalich says. “We strive to slow things down and bring long-lasting, beautiful, functional items to our customers’ lives.”

28822 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak; 248.629.9467; modern-supply.co

Cutler’s

Cutler’s, a boutique home goods store that’s been a Michigan staple since 1965, sits at the corner of Lake and Howard streets in the historic gaslight district of downtown Petoskey. The original store was opened in Harbor Springs by Bill and Jutta Cutler, who eventually expanded the store to its current Petoskey location. Since its move to the historic space in the 1980s, the home store has provided Michigan homeowners the best in kitchen wares, home décor, dinnerware, and more. Cutler’s is organized with one area showcasing tabletop from Juliska, Vietri, Nambe, Waterford, William Yeoward, Simon Pearce, Michael Aram, and more. The other side of the store highlights Cutler’s’ kitchen department, which boasts gadgets, cookware, appliances, and cutlery from high-end brands such as Smeg, Viking, Wusthof, Shun, Global, Henckels, Le Creuset, Staub, and Breville. Cutler’s’ wedding registry allows couples to outfit their new home with everything they need. And with shipping available across the U.S., gift giving is easy and seamless.

216 Howard St., Petoskey; 231.347.0341; cutlersonline.com