About Lessons of Things

Origins of the Name

The Parisian taxidermy museum Deyrolle is well known for its pedagogical charts. It all started around 1871, when Emile Deyrolle developed colorful wall charts excellently describing subjects like botany, zoology, entomology, biology, geology and more. They are meant to teach the “Leçons de choses” (“Lessons of things”).

« Visual instruction is the least tiring for the mind, but this education can have good results only if the ideas engraved in the children’s mind are rigorously exact. » Émile Deyrolle

We’ve known each other for a good decade. Long enough to go through some heavy life stuff together and enjoy all the fun moments along the way. Leigh lives in north Columbus with her husband, two kids and a random assortment of animals. Carrie lives in south Columbus with her husband and bernedoodle, Sundae. They also have two grown kids who have spread their wings, one at college and the other adulting in the post-college world.

Lessons of Things began in 2020 as Leigh and her family started renovating Fox Hollow Ranch, an artist retreat space in the Hocking Hills area. Sales from the shop help to support the mission of Fox Hollow, creating space for everyone to discover their creative self. Carrie joined in February 2024 as primary refinisher. We value honesty and authenticity (and love any chance to get to see our clients and catch up on life) and also appreciate the story of restoration both in the people and pieces that come through our shop.

There’s a Japanese art form, kintsugi, that not only pieces together broken pottery, but also highlights the repaired cracks with gold — “it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.” All of us carry some (or a lot of ) brokenness from our past. We believe processing through that can lead to new life that uses personal history, good and bad, to form something entirely new and beautiful. That’s why we love vintage and antique pieces. It’s a reminder that beauty can come from brokenness.

In-Person Shopping!

At the studio in Grandview, Ohio from 10a-3p most weekdays. Reserve a time on our very fancy calendar.