Decadent living | McGary collected prized pieces like this chandelier, inlaid
dining tray and antique Italian armoire — which is filled with even more collected treasures — while living in Italy.
Andrea McGary is also a perfectionist in her home. Either a full-size or miniature chandelier can be found in almost every room. Decorating for military families can be tricky with each new house you move into, she said. Finding a way to arrange and rearrange furniture and pictures to fit your new space is always a challenge. McGary purchased some unique furnishings during her husband’s 2004 to 2007 military assignment in Vicenza, Italy. Her formal dining room buffet and table look like antiques but are actually custom-designed pieces from an Italian furniture artisan. One notable item, an ornately carved bench, was a gift McGary found for her husband while she was shopping in an Italian antique shop. The owner asked her, “cheap or expensive?” She said she told him “show me both.” The bench — originally in a church — was disassembled, dusty and resting in piles, but McGary had a vision of what it had been and could be again. Long-time military spouse Andrea McGary has made military life an adventure for her family. She has acquired some beloved treasures and memories along the way and managed to create a sweet business — and a sweet life — in the process.
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