Vintage hand-painted glasses in pink are $250 for the set of six; Biscuit boxes are late 1800s; in silver for $975 and in glass/silver at $595; Danish side tables are $2000 for the pair. All available at georgia tapert living.

By Ki Hackney By age 10, Georgia Tapert was painting her room different colors: the walls were pale yellow and the ceiling was pale blue. “I grew up surrounded by creative people, I was always interested in design, and my Mother [author Annette Tapert] always involved me in the design process,” says the young woman whose solid career includes working as the design assistant for David Easton, Haynes-Roberts, and Mica Ertegun at MACII. Georgia Tapert at rest at her table/chair design. Behind Georgia is a yellow and white Dorothy Draper screen, $9800. “Did I want to have a store? It falls into the category of loving design,” notes the lively, Broome Street merchant whose tiny little shop is packed with oooh-and-aaah items for the home from a Dorothy Draper screen or a collectors’ photo of Truman Capote by Jill Krementz and Bob Mackie’s illustrations of designer Ray Aghayan’s costumes for Judy Garland ... to a set of silver goblets (half of which are painted white because Georgia thought the mix would look great on a summer table), hand-embroidered linen hand-towels and napkins, a mango wood wood/silver salad bowl, even a table lamp and a book or two, particularly one called Travel & Leisure’s Unexpected France (DK Publishing, 2008) with a foreward by Nancy Novogrod. Wherever she goes, Georgia looks for vintage, hand-painted glasses, which she says she “almost always buys” when she spots them and she has “loves blankets and different or interesting throws.” Right now the store has a full selection of colorful cashmere throws, Indian quilted blankets and some pillows. For fun and her own whimsical touch, Georgia has a family of decorative paper maché birds perched throughout the shop, and for a modest sum, they will fly away home. “I am passionate about traveling to different countries, finding special things, and mixing more ethnic pieces with something very modern,” says Georgia whose speech is as clear as her vision for her store: “to create a destination where people can always find one-of-a-kind pieces ... and can furnish an entire home on a very individualized, personal level.”

Recently, Georgia also introduced some of the new furniture that she has designed and produced with a partner, Caroline Cummings. Whether it’s a classic dressing table, an expandable dining table that folds up into a tidy little side table, or a fabulous oval table that opens into a desk with it’s own chair, all the pieces come in a wide selection of finishes and are custom-made right here in the U.S. And all are perfectly geared to small rooms that go along with New York apartment living. Heading West on Broome Street, after you pass Mercer, keep an eye out for the green-and-blue sign swinging above the door of this homegrown jewel at #456 ... visit www.georgiatapertliving.com [1] or call 212-334-7976.

Clockwise from top left: The green-and-blue sign swinging above the door; Silver mint julep cups at $20 each, and the lacquered mosaic tray is $125; White and silver goblets are $400 for the set of 8 of each size; Mango wood salad bowl is $225; Travel & Leisure’s Unexpected France book is $25.

Round table and chair is $5800 in most woods.

Dressing table starts at $3800.

Arrangement of quilts for $340 each; cushions for $460 and $560; and cashmere throws at $345 each.

More paper maché birds at $45 each.

Plexiglas folding tray table is $475; Mini ice buckets are $35 each.

A look inside georgia tapert living.

Truman Capote portrait is $6500; Silver cachepot is $275; Book about Dior is $150; Paper maché birds are $45 each.

Neutral linen napkins are $12 each (coordinated place mats, not shown).

Elizabeth W beauty products in the dresser include bath salts for $26, lotions for $33, and the sparkling shell is $225.