endipitous discovery of a seemingly ideal store space in the heart of Point Pleasant’s shopping district, Claudia Barr decided to combine her interior design business with a complementary retail operation. In May of 2016, she opened ORMOLU, her distinctive antique and interior design store.

Claudia’s refined design aesthetic and unique styling make Ormolu feel light and current. When displaying items in the store, her goal is to create a comforting sense of serenity, making visitors feel as if they could be walking through someone’s home, rather than having to struggle with the sensory overload that is all too commonly experienced in many antique stores. Her displays may include rustic items creatively blended with finer quality pieces, resulting in an unexpected sense of balance and calm.

Claudia likes to find items that seem to hold their own untold, unknown story. Cracks, patches, rips, and warping indicate use and suggest an item has a life of its own. Damages, weathering, and overuse create character and unveil beauty which can make pieces all the more attractive. Most desirable are authentic and rare objects, along with those which have maintained an uncompromising degree of their original integrity.