DL Home & Garden
For Bob Breissinger and Brian Coutu, there is a difference between a house and a home. As owners of DL Home & Garden, the key difference is that a home becomes a comfortable environment in which to live and create memories. With the help of Breissinger and Coutu, every home they work on with a client prioritizes comfort, but it certainly does not lack in style.
Located at 283 Central Avenue, mere steps from the Louise M. Slaughter train station, DL Home & Garden is a roughly 12,000-square-foot home furnishings store. Upstairs, the Designers Library holds approximately 60,000 hanging fabrics and book samples, the largest trade showroom in Upstate New York.
Between Breissinger and Coutu, along with retail showroom manager Kristine Snell and Designers Library manager Robin Sorge, the team cumulatively has over 100 years of industry experience. Their focus on quality, craftsmanship, and serving each client’s individual needs offers a unique experience to those turning a house into a home.
Unique, Colorful, and Timeless
As a locally-owned business, DL Home & Garden differentiates itself from other chain competitors. According to Coutu, the team works with around 80-100 manufacturers at any given time, the majority of which are family-owned corporations themselves with a history of fine-quality furniture and high standards. Most of the store’s upholstery is domestically manufactured, while many accessories and lighting are sourced globally.
Each corner of the retail showroom seemingly has its own personality. Walking from room to room, customers are in for a sensory experience. Varying shapes, sizes, and styles of furniture, fabrics, and artwork fit together seamlessly and stand strong on their own. In one such instance, the front bay of the showroom currently houses a beautiful green lacquer cabinet (a favorite of the owners), which sits beneath an oil painting of a lush, green countryside. Both complement each other, yet on their own, they are complete.
From cool blues to warm rust tones, there is no lack of color at DL Home & Garden. As Coutu explained, color trends happen within the design industry, similar to the fashion industry. For many years, the trend was universally gray or beige, but in recent years, there has been a migration away from that. Breissinger and Coutu lean into palette variety.
“We’re not afraid of color. Color infuses a room with a certain measure of energy.” - Brian Coutu
To this point, each room of the store has its own energy. Vibrant colors are met with unique silhouettes that are finely crafted and will serve customers well over the course of time. Because their furniture is designed to last, their products are environmentally friendly and
withstand use for years to come.
Currently, Breissinger is working with a client on their living room, which he helped them design 20 years ago. Some of the original furniture that has been used daily for the past two decades will remain a part of the new living room, because they remain strong pieces in the space.
Breissinger and Coutu put quality above all. High-quality products are an investment in a home, but DL Home & Garden has a diverse portfolio to meet each client’s budget.
The quality of a product helps ensure its timelessness. While trends come and go and are often a bit more quirky, timeless pieces have “good bones,” as Coutu puts it, though both he and Breissinger recognize that design is subjective, and what might be considered trendy to one customer is timeless to another.
Both Coutu and Breissinger believe that if something moves a client emotionally when they see it — if they have a visceral response to it similar to when someone sees artwork — that is a good indication of how the client will feel during the ownership of that product.
“We’re here to serve clients’ needs, and everyone’s home is different,” Coutu says.
In Rochester, there are period homes, mid-century modern homes, new builds, and many styles in between. The team at DL Home & Garden listens to a customer’s ideas about what they envision for their home, and then they guide them in the direction that feels right for that vision.
For clients working with outside designers, the Designers Library is a “one stop shop” where they can put whole projects together, sourcing everything from fabrics and furniture to lighting, accessories, wallpapers, rugs, and draperies.
One mustn’t forget outdoor spaces, as they act as an extension of the home. Breissinger and Coutu curate three garden spaces displaying outdoor furnishings. For customers looking to create the patio of their dreams, DL Home & Garden has accessories, decorative garden pots, and comfortable yet stylish outdoor furniture.
Home for the Holidays and Year-Round
For those looking for a unique gift during the holidays, stop into the showroom to explore a variety of options. As Coutu says, DL Home & Garden is a home furnishing store with a wide array of gift items. The team of four ensures there’s something for everyone to celebrate the festive season.
From beautifully scented candles to fabulous handbags with pops of color and unique textures to gorgeous jewelry, travel bags, books, and cards, DL Home & Garden is a destination for creative gifts that friends and family will treasure.
If customers seek Christmas ornaments, there are plenty of unique varieties, and the retail showroom will have two Christmas trees up during the season. Breissinger and Coutu aim to make their space a pleasant, festive, and welcoming environment for all who stop in during the wintry months.
The magic of DL Home & Garden is that it doesn’t matter the season — each customer who walks into the showroom is invited to discover something unique and full of creativity year-round. Breissinger, Coutu, Snell, and Sorge are available to serve clients’ needs as they fulfill their design dreams. Whether that means discovering a handmade rug or a complete living room design, the team is ready to help each client turn their house into a home.
Step inside our showroom & explore over forty completely curated room settings!
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