Hazel Tree Design Studio

Sometimes the best projects happen completely by chance.

Hazel Tree co-owner and lead designer, Karen, found Valley Overlook on Instagram, booked a glamping weekend with her friend Lori (and now our design assistant), and ended up leaving with a cabin design project!

What started as coffee and conversation with the owners turned into one of our favorite collaborations. The owners had already collected incredible pieces for the cabins, and our team was tasked with helping bring everything together through sourcing, styling, layout planning, and finishing details that made the spaces feel warm, grounded, and connected to nature.

Watching this family-run campground continue to grow over the last couple of years has been so special. New sites, national features, and so many people discovering this hidden gem right here near Akron.

Proof that sometimes all it takes is one conversation and a little creativity.

Vendor Spotlight Q&A: Copley Upholstery, Inc. 🪡

For 20 years, Copley Upholstery has been our go-to for upholstery, making them the longest-standing vendor in our little black book. Our co-owner and lead designer, Karen Starr, was first introduced to them by the late interior designer Joel Wolfgang, back when she was his design assistant and just starting in the industry.

Copley Upholstery is a third-generation family business, 36 years strong, with all four sons working alongside mom and dad. Grandma retired back in 2010! The kind of craftsmanship that takes time, skill, years of hands-on experience, and a whole lot of heart.

Pictured here with our design client Amy C are Simon and Gordon Budimlic of Copley Upholstery.

We had the chance to ask the family behind the business a little more about their work with our team and the craft on which they've built their name:

What's your favorite thing about working with Hazel Tree?

"We love Karen and Hazel Tree's focus on sourcing local and sustainable products and services for her clients."

What makes Copley unique?

"We are family-run and focus heavily on using high-quality materials and traditional methods, with a focus on sustainability and being able to save as many pieces from the landfill as possible."

Any favorite or most challenging projects over the years?

"We have been in the business for 36 years now, so it is hard to pick a favorite or the most challenging. Some memorable projects would be those where our pieces are on display at a museum exhibit, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, local hotels, or the Cleveland airport, but truthfully, those pale in comparison to the pieces that have a personal story or sentimental value to our clients."

An upholstery secret most people don't know?

"Most people don't realize how much prep work and years of hands-on experience it takes to create beautiful reupholstered furniture."

Grateful for partners like this. 🤍

Scroll through to see some pieces they did for us and make sure to give them a follow!

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Plant sale in the neighborhood tomorrow!
West Hill Neighborhood Organization tomorrow

A new record at Hazel Tree! 🖼️

This piece came in at 54" x 78" — officially the largest thing Hazel Tree co-owner and Certified Picture Framer Jon has ever framed!

For perspective, when we say "oversized" around here, we usually mean 40" x 60" mats and backing boards. This one needed materials in a whole different category:

➡ Only a couple of matboards on the market are large enough for a piece this size, and they come only in white or off-white.
➡ The backing board had to be pieced together. Nothing comes that big as a single sheet.
➡ We got genuinely lucky sourcing a piece of UV-filtering acrylic large enough to cover the whole thing (it's shatter-resistant, lightweight, and protects the art from fading).
➡ And the final twist? After all that work, we couldn't get it around the corner to leave the shop. It had to go out flat, straight through the gallery window opening where Jon and Steve are standing.

Every oversized piece comes with its own puzzle to solve. If you've got something unusual that needs framing, bring it in. We're up for the challenge!

Sometimes the bravest design decision is the one that makes people say, "Wait, you did what?"

This condo had two and a half bathrooms and almost no storage. On paper, it looked fine. In real life, it wasn't working. Our client knew it, and we knew it too. So, we removed a half bathroom and created a catch-all closet that the client actually needed.

One detail worth mentioning: we didn't remove the plumbing. It's capped off, so the owner could easily restore the powder room if they ever wanted. The change works for how our client lives now, without closing the door on what someone else might want later.

Again, it's not a decision we'd make lightly or suggest often. But sometimes the right answer is the one nobody expects!