Interior designer Laura Kehoe is fulfilling a long-time dream with her latest endeavor. Kehoe will open a boutique furniture showroom at her studio in Scottsdale’s DC Ranch this November. Arbor Row will feature furnishings selected and designed by Kehoe, including custom upholstery, home accessories and one-of-a-kind pieces. “The aesthetic will be a mix of a high-end resort and a speakeasy—warm and inviting with rich tones and brass,” she says. While her client work is about customization, Kehoe says she’s excited to share her design philosophy through Arbor Row. “Home is where people make memories with family and friends,” she says. “People should be surrounded by beautiful things that give them a sense of comfort and connection.”

Here, the interior designer shares what inspired the store, her mood board for the space and the pieces she’s most excited for shoppers to see.

Q&A With Interior Designer Laura Kehoe

Tell readers about Arbor Row and why you wanted to open a store.

Arbor Row is a boutique furniture showroom on Market Street in DC Ranch (at 20789 N. Pima Road, Ste. 140). It will offer a curated collection of custom furnishings and accessories, all handpicked and designed by me. We plan to open the first week of November.

Ever since I started designing retail showrooms at High Point Market in college, I loved design and wanted my own showroom. I’ve been lucky enough to build the interior design firm Laura Kehoe Design for the past 15 years. I love helping clients and have a wonderful team. Now, I want to also bring my design passion to a larger audience. It feels like the perfect evolution in my journey.

Is there any significance to the name?

‘Arbor’ is a beautiful word. It has the double meaning of a warm, earthly plant alcove, along with a roof-like structure. It feels like being protected by beautiful plants. And ‘Row’ really brings a great order to the name. When you mix them, you have a warm, protected, yet orderly name that feels luxurious and safe—just like we want our home to feel.

What kinds of designers and products will be curated at Arbor Row?

We will have an assortment of custom upholstery and furniture mixed with some favorite accessory pieces for the home. We will keep only a few pieces of things, sometimes only one. We want each piece to be special and unique. We will also have custom dining tables and chairs options as well.

Your work with clients is customized to their preferences—what is your approach to finding pieces for the store that appeal to a variety of shoppers?

It’s an art. I love to mix patterns with a lot of sophisticated solids. When you create something beautiful that is also unexpected, it’s a special feeling. When it came time to design for the store, I wanted to stay true to my signature style. I am less focused on what everyone may want and instead remain true to designing the space around what I love. It will be an evolution. Hopefully, everything sells, but if it doesn’t, I will take it to my home.

What’s part of your mood board for the aesthetic and design of the space?

Arbor Row’s aesthetics are a mix of a high-end resort and a speakeasy—warm and inviting with rich tones and brass.

How have you approached designing a retail space compared to a home?

Home design is completely tailored around a client’s life. The requests are all over the place and it’s our job to accommodate all requests and design it better than they imagined.

In the shop and retail environment, it’s a place to showcase our design philosophy, which is that people should be surrounded by beautiful things that give them a sense of comfort and connection. It is where people make memories with family and friends.

What element of the store are you most excited for shoppers to see when it opens?

I love custom upholstery, specifically accent chairs. We will have a fun assortment of accent chairs with gorgeous fabrics. I also have worked to design a beautiful walnut dining table that can be customized with finishes and metal.

Do you have any opening events planned?

We plan to be involved with the Neighborhood Holiday Cocoa Stroll in December and have a Grand Opening planned for the last weekend in January 2025.