Welcome to the World of Dunes and Duchess
The work of photographer Michael Partenio and stylist and editor Stacy Kunstel has appeared on the covers of architecture and interior design magazines. When they’re not creating images for clients, they’re playing the roles of Dunes and Duchess in their island getaway, where they dream up wildly romantic products for the home.
Looking Good at Hudson
One of the most amazing things is to see something you’ve made for sale in a store. Not for sale in your yard or online, but in a gorgeous, fantastic, stylish, trend-setting store. I loved experiencing that at Hudson in [...]
Floored by FLOR
We’re used to the unexpected, even tickled by it. There are a few things that totally baffle though. One of those is how did our Four-Arm Candelabras end up in the FLOR catalog as props on a table? We were [...]
Dunes and Duchess Take on the Oscars
Last night we watched the Oscars as intensely as we would any major sporting event. Yes, we wanted to know which of our favorite movies won which awards, but more than anything we wanted to see who wore what. We’ve [...]
Love for Life
This is a special Valentine’s Day. We have a layer of snow on the ground, we’re healthy and happy with so many wonderful things happening in our lives and we have learned an even deeper meaning of what it means [...]
Dunes and Duchess in NYC!
The New York International Gift Fair, affectionately known as NYIGF has got to be the biggest most whirlwind get together of like-minded design people we’ve ever known. For us, it’s a chance to debut our new collection, meet new vendors, [...]
See you in NYC!
Dunes and I are headed to New York this morning to set up our booth for the New York International Gift Show. If you’re in the city, we’re on Pier 94 on the West Side Highway around 55th Street. We’re [...]
Atlanta Was Hot!
Literally. It was 70 degrees most of the time we were there for the America’s Mart Gift Show. Our new color, Palm Beach, Darling, certainly reflected the balmy mood. It brought a bit of sunshine to the gray, rainy days [...]
Our First Trunk Show—Hello, Boston!
Dunes and I are thrilled to announce that we’re doing our first ever trunk show tomorrow night at Hudson, in the South End in Boston. Hudson was one of the very first stores to carry our line so we find [...]
Molly Hirsch Tablescape—Inspiration for the Holidays
What continuously amazes us is what designers do with our pieces. It’s almost like we see our lamps or sconces or candelabras in an entirely different light in the hands of talented people. We thought we would share this beautiful [...]
Dunes and Duchess on Pinterest!
We’ve had a Pinterest page for quite awhile now, but we thought we’d better let you know that you can find us there! We’ve actually found that along with our Facebook page, Pinterest is the easiest way to see what’s [...]
Happy Fourth to You!
The Fourth of July is such an important day for us all. We hope that it brings you joy and a wonderful time with friends and family. We are celebrating with lots of family on the island. Here’s our little [...]
Our Movie Debut!
About a year ago we heard from Hudson owner Jill Goldberg that a prop stylist for a movie that was being made in New England purchased one of our Four-Arm International Lifesaving Orange candelabras and two sconces from her Boston [...]
What Do the Golden Gate Bridge & Dunes and Duchess Have in Common?
It was the Fourth of July two years ago. Dunes and I had been to Sonoma and Napa for a birthday party. Dunes and Duchess had a name, barely a logo, but not a single made product. We baked in [...]
Designer Mail Bag with Tobi Fairley!
How fabulous would it be to have an famous interior designer—one who has been in numerous magazines, including the cover of House Beautiful—to redesign a room in your own home? Here’s your chance and it comes with a dose of [...]
Design on a Dime—Dering Hall + Dunes and Duchess
We are so proud to be involved for the second year in a row with Design on a Dime. Design on a Dime is a fundraiser to benefit homeless and low income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. If you’re lucky [...]
Highlights—Our New Collection at NYIGF
The last week of January through the first days of February took Dunes and me to New York to show our new collection for the Dunes and Duchess line at the New York International Gift Fair. After such a bleak, [...]
Retailer Profile—Dabney McAvoy Home, Great Barrington, MA
There are some things that are just fate. Just before Christmas I was in the car on my way from Boston to Great Barrington for an appointment. I had a little extra time to kill so I drove through town. [...]
A Double Shot in Rue Magazine!
The holidays came with a doubly pleasant surprise—not one, but three photos of Dunes and Duchess pieces in the super cool Rue magazine. Now one feature we had a head’s up about because it was a project that our dear [...]
Candelabras Make Cover of Chicago Magazine!
Your skin tingles, you involuntarily shiver, and the words of excitement all get jammed into the roof of your mouth because you can’t get them out fast enough. That’s how it feels when something you’ve made, something you’ve worked on [...]
Designer Profile—Philip Gorrivan
One of the superstars of the design world, you’ll find Philip Gorrivan’s in the spreads of House Beautiful, Elle Decor and those treasured back issues of House & Garden. My Dunes had worked with the designer before (in his day [...]
Designer Profile—Jill Goldberg
There’s nothing more flattering than to have the cool girl like you. That’s the way we feel about interior designer and retailer Jill Goldberg. You see, Jill carries Dunes and Duchess in her retail store Hudson, in Boston’s South End, [...]
What to do with a Candelabra
I’ve been toying around on Houzz of late, trying to get a feel for what goes on there, what people are sharing. I think it’s a great way to share our candelabras, lamps and ideas with people, but would love [...]
Who’s using Dunes and Duchess?
When we pack up our lamps or candelabras we always imagine where our work is headed. We’ve recently started getting email photos from designers of our installed pieces and wanted to share these with you today. Designer Urit Chaimovitz found [...]
Perspective Magazine Loves Dunes and Duchess!
We loved flipping through the new Perspective New England magazine and seeing our International Lifesaving Orange candelabra and all the wonderful things the editors had to say about it! We actually blinked twice when we saw that it was more [...]
An Update on the Island House
Our Dunes and Duchess friends are always asking about our little island house, so here’s a little island update. Unlike most of the houses that we get to photograph as StacyStyle and MP Productions, our little house is a bit [...]
Goodbye, Summer!
Dunes and I typically are running this way and that, barely able to touch down long enough to unpack, but we were treated with a rare evening last week that we used to say goodbye to our favorite season, Summer. [...]
The Rachel Sconce is a Style at Home Cover Girl!
It was late. I wasn’t sure if I’d read the email correctly. It said, “I would like to order two of the sconces that appear on the cover of Style at Home magazine.” That’s weird I thought as I read [...]
New Sconces!
We are so happy to show you some of our new sconces. They come ready for candles or light bulbs. We have more colors available soon. Thanks for all the love! Duchy and Dunes Share on Facebook Tweet This Post
Design on a Dime in NYC
In years past we had read about Design on a Dime, the ultimate interior design event in New York, which benefits Housing Works, an organization fighting to end AIDS and homelessness. We never imagined that we would be participating and [...]
A Touch of Burlap Never Hurts!
As glossy and shiny as our Dunes and Duchess candelabras, lamps, and sconces are we though a little roughness might do them some good. We are so pleased to announce that we’re now carrying burlap shades for our four and [...]
Happy Easter from Dunes and Duchess!
We couldn’t help but show off one of our new Easter-like hues from our Dunes and Duchess line. This purplish delight is a custom color that can be purchased exclusively through Trillium on Nantucket. Paired with it is our two-arm [...]
Tara Guerard Chooses Dunes and Duchess for Major Charleston Wedding!
Here at Dunes and Duchess we sometimes have to pinch ourselves. Since we opened for business in August 2010 we have met and worked with so many absolutely amazing people. We’re talking people with tremendous talent and vision. One of [...]
Look who visited Dunes and Duchess at NYIGF
Even though Dunes and Duchess is just a six-month-old company, we’ve collected some really wonderful friends and fans. While we didn’t have a chance to take photos at last week’s New York International Gift Fair of ALL of the wonderful [...]
Dunes and Duchess at the New York International Gift Fair!
Sorry for the hiatus, but Dunes and Duchess have been cranking out gorgeous new candelabras and lamps, new mirrors and pedestals, and a collection of new finishes and colors for our appearance at the New York International Gift Fair. We [...]
Wishing you a Happy New Year!
Dunes and I want to wish you and yours the most wonderful 2011! We’ll be at the New York International Gift Fair at the end of January displaying our candelabras, candelabra lamps and giant glass hurricanes along with our new [...]
E-Commerce Candelabras!
We’re so excited to be offered for sale online through Elements Chicago. For those of you non-Chicagoans, Elements offers one of the most amazing curated collections of furniture, bedding, jewelry and homes accessories. Dunes and I are so excited that [...]
Living With What You Love—DesignTV Party Pics
Just over a week ago Dunes and I had the wonderful honor of being invited to the “Living With What You Love” DesignTV party at the amazing New Traditionalists showroom in New York. Our hosts Amy Dragoo and Jonathan Legate [...]
Tonight’s Event with ABCDDesigns, Jonathan Legate & The New Traditionalists in NYC!
We can’t wait to see you tonight! xoduchy Share on Facebook Tweet This Post
Showin’ Off at the Showhouse!
Meeting creative people has got to be the most wonderful thing in the world. While Dunes and I were manning our booth at the New York Gift Show last August we saw two handsome, stylish men coming toward us and [...]
How we lit the table with candelabras
Using the candelabras and giant hurricane in a tablescape or table decoration for a party.
Duchy’s Birthday
One of the things I love most about Dunes is that he makes everything special in his own way. For my recent birthday we headed for some much-needed quiet time on the island house. We’ve been working so hard on [...]
Shipping the mighty hurricane—A Saga Pt. 2
We’re so excited that Gump’s San Francisco chose to use the Dunes and Duchess hurricanes and candelabras for their tabletop display during their Imagining China celebration that runs until the end of October. Dunes and Duchess will be featured alongside [...]
Creating the mighty hurricane—A Saga, Pt. 1
Right before our debut at NYIGF Dunes decided we needed a giant glass hurricane. He thought it would be perfect on a big table in an entryway or by the pool or even in a garden setting. The hurricane is [...]
My favorite lamp ever.
She’s huge. Literally. At 34 inches high and with a span of 20 inches across she’s no shrinking violet. Big and glossy, she’s the Dunes and Duchess four-arm candelabra lamp. She’s an electrified version of our signature candelabra. Sometimes I [...]
The NYTs finds our house—Again!
Not sure if you noticed it, but our house was mentioned in the New York Times again in last Monday’s edition. This is our homes second appearance in the pages of the Times. Its first notice came last October before [...]
The Outside Is Looking a Little Better
There was a neighbor we saw in the island ferry line who upon seeing us with two long boards sticking out of the back of the truck joked to us, “Are you going to rebuild that house one board at [...]
A Few Island Home Improvements
The weekend before the New York International Gift Fair, where we debuted the Dunes and Duchess line, Dunes and I headed to the island to do some cosmetic work on our little wreck. You’ve seen the before photos so you [...]
Our First Day at NYIGF!
Here’s where we are at NYIGF. A few before photos of the booth, Dunes and I in action, and snaps of our lamps and candlesticks! Share on Facebook Tweet This Post
We’re at NYIGF till Wednesday!
Dunes and I have sailed down to New York to set up shop at Pier 92, Booth #30043 at the New York International Gift Fair. We’ve got candelabras and giant hurricanes trimmed in leather, signs and lamps. We’re hanging out. Come [...]
Fresh Paint!
These are some of the little beauties drying in the shop. They’re all ready to be bundled up and boxed to NYC for the Gift Show. Do you like? Share on Facebook Tweet This Post
Introducing The Lamp
Besides working on the house, Dunes and I have been getting ready to debut our line at the New York International Gift Fair this Saturday. Luckily, we don’t believe in stress. We believe in beauty. So here’s a little beauty [...]
The $4.63 electric bill came.
We received our first electric bill for the island house. A whopping $4.63! Maybe it was a partial month. Hmmm. Should check that. Dunes went out there a few weeks ago and met with the electrician and for the first [...]
The New York Times finds our house.
So just as we were really falling in love, Dunes and I did something completely crazy for a newly formed couple—we purchased real estate. For months we kept it under wraps from friends and parents, holding our breaths, willing it [...]
Please allow us to introduce ourselves.
Suddenly, the momentum changed. Dunes and I had been high-flying for years on a wave of fat magazine budgets and need-it-yesterday clients. He takes photographs, you see, and I style them. We work, we travel, we have more life experiences [...]
Press Release!
Wait, we just started! I’ll let you know as soon as we have press! Share on Facebook Tweet This Post
Stacy Kunstel and Michael Partenio
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