“Bamboo Bungalow is about breaking the rules and throwing out the old, stuffy ideas of design.”
Step through the lizard green entrance to Bamboo Bungalow Interiors to be instantly inspired. Home décor, one-of-a-kind vintage finds, antiques, high-end fabrics and wall coverings and gifts for everyone on your list are artfully displayed throughout this colorful and charming shop.
Emily DePury, owner of the new 1,250-square-foot South Tampa interior design retail store, returned home to Tampa after 17 years to share the inspirations and influences that impacted her personal style while living in Nashville, Italy, North Carolina and, most recently, New York City.
“After a decade of working in financial services, I decided it was time to come home and do something that gets me excited to go to work every day. I have always had a passion for design, antiquing and helping others add a little pizzazz to their homes, so I just decided to bid adieu to corporate America and follow my dream,” she said.
DePury wanted to create a full service retail experience. That meant featuring extraordinary décor. Ensuring everyone felt welcome. And being a resource, not just for decorative items but also personalized design services, as well as a destination for innovative ideas and out-of-the-box thinking.
“Bamboo Bungalow is about breaking the rules and throwing out the old, stuffy ideas of design.” she said. That may mean mixing colors, jumbling genres, playing with different patterns or even pairing different, unexpected styles together. DePury strives to help clients imprint interiors to make statements, not mistakes.
“Over the last few years, design has gotten very vanilla, and people have lost some of what made their homes feel special and different than their neighbors’. I see the new trends in design being more colorful, eclectic and globally inspired and I couldn’t be more excited.”
Bamboo Bungalow style is “curated eclecticism”.
Bamboo Bungalow has a style DePury calls “curated eclecticism” that is based on her belief that blending contemporary pieces with antiques or vintage items creates more dimension and adds intrigue in a home.
“My home is filled with unique pieces I have found throughout the years and I strive to seamlessly incorporate those vintage pieces with newer pieces. Too much of the same thing is a recipe for disaster. A home filled with all new furniture and accessories can feel flat, cold, and downright boring. On the flip side, an all vintage room can feel like a museum, or even worse, granny’s house. Blending styles can be difficult. I get it. But striking the right balance can be oh so rewarding.”
Her passion for antiquing dates back to her childhood. It’s a trait that can be traced to generations of women in her family.
“I love the thrill of the hunt and nothing gets me more jazzed than to find something different that I’ve never seen before.”
Simply finding extraordinary furnishings, light fixtures and decorative figurines isn’t enough. Every effort is made to learn the history of each piece DePury discovers so that those stories can be shared with clients.
“It gives items in a person’s home more meaning and keeps the history of that piece going.”
Bamboo Bungalow offers more than just furnitrue and fabric.
In addition to an ever-changing selection of furniture, fabric, wallpaper and much more, Bamboo Bungalow also offers great gift ideas for infants to newlyweds at a variety of price points. One section of the store has been designated as a “man room” and is designed with dark charcoal walls and velvet flocked wallpaper and features gifts like barware and antique sporting goods.
Bamboo Bungalow Interiors caters to the public as well as to design professionals. It is open Tuesday through Saturday and, by appointment only, Sunday and Monday.
Bamboo Bungalow Interiors | 813-250-9125 | 204 S. Howard Ave. Tampa
By: Mary Lou Janson
