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Showing posts with label antique. Show all posts
Showing posts with label antique. Show all posts
jux·ta·po·si·tion
jux·ta·po·si·tion : the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.
Do you know what these Parisians that I live amongst have
mastered? Juxtaposition. They have the concept of juxtaposition down to an art
form. When you have an apartment that dates back to the 1700s or 1800s, I think
the stylish thing to do is to let the bones of the apartment speak for themselves
and let the furnishings and accessories have their own spotlight. Chic Parisians
agree. It’s all about the mix. Mixing styles, mixing eras, mixing designs,
mixing elements etc. But not too much! It has to be juuuuuuust the right
amount. And by the way, I’m talking about mixing 18th-century boiserie
with Jacques Adnet, not mixing 18th-century boiserie with Ethan Allen,
for God’s sake. Let’s have some self-respect, shall we?” Okay, let’s take a
look at some dropdead gorgeous juxtaposed spaces…
*Something you don’t know about me? I like to take the side streets. It’s where all the magic happens. This is where you find the quirky, the unusual, the low-key, the jewels, the charming, the not so perfect, the marvelous, the special and the magnificent part of life. Take the side streets!
"Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises." – Pedro Calderon de la Barca
Just wanted to start today’s blog with a big Merci! Thank you
to everyone who took the time to tell me that they enjoy my blog. Your kind
words and well wishes for my blog, my health and my family are wholly
appreciated. However, don’t be afraid, just because I’m a sicky-poo with ALS,
to send me comments of another nature. I can take it. I actually encourage it.
It’s a free world…express yourself, I do. But, thank you, nonetheless, for the
good-natured comments.
Continuing my obsession with dishes, today let’s take a look
at French faience. In particular, French green faience.
Definition of faience: [fahy-ahns] noun. glazed earthenware or pottery, especially a fine variety with highly colored designs.
As I mentioned the other day, my mother and I found, at the Parisian
flea market (Marche aux Puces), a rare set of 18th-century French green
dinnerware. We were at the flea market on the first buying trip for our antique
shop in Santa Barbara named, Circa. More on that later. Anyway, we saw the dropdead
gorgeous set of dishes in a dealer’s booth…but he was closed! Typical. There
was no way we were going to leave that booth without those dishes. So we
waited…and waited…and waited. My daughter, Gracie, was with us and she was
about to lose her mind waiting for this antique dealer to show up. What seventh
grader wants to sit around a flea market waiting for some Frenchman to finish
his lunchtime quiche and salad and 4th glass of red wine for the day,
only returning to begrudgingly sell her mother overpriced stupid green dishes?
The only reason Gracie didn’t shoot me on the spot was because we promised her
chocolate crêpes and a trip to Bonpoint in Paris for a new dress (obviously,
Gracie can be bought). We work on a bribery system in my household and it seems
to work.
The dealer finally showed up, opened up his little shop, and
invited us inside. This particular seller only deals in vaisselle (dinnerware).
His entire shop was floor-to-ceiling dishes. Dishes that you would commit
crimes for. The shop was so jam-packed that we could barely make our way
through…my favorite environment ever. I could have bought everything in the
store, but we were on a mission for those green dishes. The set was complete,
including dinner plates, salad plates, soup tureen, sauce boat, covered dishes,
platters and dessert bowls. They were truly remarkable and in perfect
condition. We asked the price. “Uhh, excusez-moi, how much did you say they were?”
They were a small fortune, but we bought them anyway. Don’t feel too bad for me,
I more than quadrupled the price when I sold them.
We had a private soft opening party for friends and family
for our shop. Within five minutes of the doors opening, the dishes were sold.
Sold, paid for, gone. I knew they were special. They were sold to one of my
favorite interior designers. A few months later, lo and behold, they showed up
on the cover of Veranda. This is a good lesson to learn to always go with your
instincts, trust your intuition, and stay focused on the prize.
So what’s the big deal about these dishes? I have tried to
do some research, but have come up short. There is not a lot of information on
them. Maybe a reader out there has more information? If so, please send it my
way. There is a sort of similar set available on 1stdibs.com HERE.
My mother was a
little depressed that we sold them so she then decided to find the next best
thing…a quality reproduction set that she could use as every day dishes. My
mother ordered them in green and a warm yellow from a pottery factory in the
South of France called Souleo de Provence, formerly Terre E Provence . The same
family of producers have been using the same method of manufacture since the 19th
century. The style she chose is called Louis XV. She ordered about 5 billion of
them, of course (I’m not kidding, I saw the old invoice today and she ordered
292 pieces). They are very heavy and the colors are super rich. You can order
them HERE.
Okay, because I’m not a total snob, I’m going to tell you where
you can also buy them fairly cheap, but only if you promise to mix them in with
your good stuff. There is a company called Le Cadeaux in Los Angeles that sells
these dishes in lots of colors, dishwasher safe, oven safe and virtually
unbreakable. I’m rolling my eyes as I write the word “dishwasher safe.”
However, they are not too shabby and will do the trick. You can buy them HERE.
More of my favorite dishes tomorrow… Hint: tobacco.
A toute!
Fancy-schmancy
Not everything can be, should be, inexpensive. Sometimes you just have to pop for the good stuff. I’m talking about pillows. Decorative pillows. I can spot a cheap one a mile away. Sometimes a pillow can be $2000 and totally worth it. It’s the icing on the cake. I remember buying a blue Fortuny pillow from an old friend in Santa Barbara, who I hate now, named Todd Mossman. He made beautiful Fortuny and antique tapestry pillows. He also added beautiful trim and tassels. I stupidly sold the pillow when I moved to Paris for the first time. I still regret it all these years later. I still think about that pillow. I lose sleep over that pillow. That’s the magic of pillows. They are the crowning jewel of design. So, you can’t get all worked up about spending a fortune on them. Just take a deep breath… And relinquish your credit card.
One of the absolute best sources for one-of-a-kind decorative
pillows is Rebecca Vizard. She has mouthwatering, jaw-dropping, gasping for breath, I want to
shoot myself if I can’t have one…type of pillows. If these pillows don’t “go
with your house” you need to burn your house down and start over. As far as I’m
concerned, these pillows could go with most any style... Modern, Italian, French,
Spanish, New York uptown/downtown, traditional, bohemian, chalet, or beach
shack.
Soon I discovered I was spending more time designing pillows than the big stuff, like sofas and drapery, and was horrified by how much pillows cost just made out of regular nice fabric….Started thinking that you should be able to get something special for that amount of money. And the only antique textile pillows I could find were too frou-frou (This was back in '94). Made my first one for a client in NYC….textiles from the flea market on 26th st….more people started wanting me to do their ID work just because they wanted the pillows. In 1996 Neiman's ended up buying for 22 for their store….and then I was solidly in the pillow business.
Antique Raised Gold Metallic Embroidery
$1400.00
Antique Ottoman Empire Raised Silver Metallic Embroidery
$2675.00
Late 17th C. or Early 18th C. Flemish Tapestry
$1300.00
Antique Raised Pewter Metallic Embroidery
$1545.00
Antique Ecclesiastic Raised Embroidery
$1825.00
Five Antique Silver Metallic Star Appliques
$700.00
Carnavalet Fortuny in Lavender and Silver
$650.00
De Medici Fortuny
$700.00
De Medici Museum Texture
$400.00
Vintage Olimpia Fortuny
$745.00
Vivaldi Fortuny in Raspberry and Gold
$695.00
Fortuny Dog Leash
$195.00
17th C. Flemish Tapestry Fragment
$2465.00
18th C. Aubusson Tapestry Fragment
$1400.00
$1400.00
Voilà! See? Worth every dime. You can buy these and many
more on Mrs. Vizard’s website Here.
A toute!
