Serena and Lily: Giving Fresh Take on Design and Furniture

Many people take furniture and interior design for granted, but just like fashion, what we put inside our homes is a reflection of our personality and sense of style. Serena & Lily is a company with a fresh take on design and furniture. The company was founded by two people with very different backgrounds who came together with a mission to make homes look and feel more comfortable, more vibrant, and more alive.

Serena & Lily co-founders Serena Dugan and Lily Kanter met in 2003 when Dugan, a freelance artist and designer, found her way into a baby boutique. The boutique was owned by Kanter, a former manager at Microsoft who switched careers and became an entrepreneur. They talked, and after an hour agreed to open up their own business. Serena & Lily’s first offering were bedding for nurseries and kid’s rooms. The products featured fabric patterns created by Dugan herself. The collection was a hit and the pieces were soon featured in magazines and have found their way to the homes of celebrity mothers. After the success of their nursery and kid’s room collection, the company expanded their product line to include furniture, beddings and home décor for each and every room in the house.

Serena & Lily products were a staple in many high end retail stores, including Bloomingdales until 2013. Since then, they have decided to give up selling their products wholesale to retailers and focus on a direct-to-customer approach through their website. Despite moving their business online, the company hasn’t completely abandoned the brick and mortar store concept. They have two Serena & Lily retail stores located in San Francisco and the Hamptons and they are planning to open up more stores in the coming years. The innovative approach they took with the home furnishing and décor business earned Serena & Lily as spot in Entrepreneur Magazine’s list of The 25 Most Innovative Consumer and Retail Brands of 2014.