Living With Antiques

Happy New Year!

Although I have not been posting a lot recently, I have been reading....

 I have been particularly inspired by many of the posts I have read regarding New Year' s resolutions. Most of the posts are more about living the life you have always dreamed of rather than getting rid of nasty habits or losing weight. I like the thought of honing in on the things that I find most important and spending more time simplifying my life and living with only the things that I find most essential.

While reading my email this morning, I clicked over to the latest issue of Lonny Magazine for a quick flip-through and discovered the enchanting home of Houston antiques dealer Kay O'Toole.

Five years ago O'Toole built her dream home in the courtyard of her Houston antiques shop, Kay O'Toole's Antiques and Eccentricities. The most amazing thing about her home is that it is just three rooms. She was inspired by a narrow, one-room deep home she once admired in the French Quarter in New Orleans. Maybe it's because I just celebrated my 50th year on earth but the idea of paring down and living with only the best and the things that I love sounds compelling.

Move over Kay...I am coming home!

But, seriously, Kay's home is such a lovely reflection of a life. Her home, filled with treasures collected over a lifetime, art from local artists and even rescued architectural elements from old Houston homes has everything that I have ever wanted - a home that feels serene and personal.

There's no doubt that there is only one home that looks like this....

The range hood is a renovated wooden altar from a 19th century french chapel.

The marble in the kitchen was rescued from a demolished Houston post office.

"Light, says O'Toole, is the ultimate luxury."

I was smitten with O'Toole's elegant bedroom the first time I saw it  {Veranda Magazine/March 2010}. I have always loved an all white bedroom!

A display from O'Toole's shop - Kay O'Toole Antiques and Eccentricities. 

Antique french garden chairs and an antique faux bois table grace the front courtyard.

A charming garden with more faux bois and a potted lemon tree in the her private garden.

Working with Murphy Mears Architects, O'Toole designed many of the architectural features around a large cache of steel windows and doors she reclaimed from a 1920's mansion being demolished in the exclusive Houston River Oaks neighborhood.

The upholstery throughout O'Toole's home are covered exclusively in Fortuny - How luxurious!

New Year's Resolution 2013

Simplify

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

Leonardo da Vinci

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Sneak Peek - Antiques at High Point Market

If you are in town for the High Point Furniture Market be sure to stop by the Antique and Design Center at Market Square and say hello. The Antique and Design Center opens this morning, one day before market officially opens so if you are in town already, we would love to see you.

If not, I thought you would all like to see a few snap shots from our space. 

Framed French document, set of six French chairs in a luscious pumpkin velvet, Swedish desk, architectural scroll fragments...

My friend Chris hand makes these vintage Fortuny pillows. 

This faux bois tabletop terrarium from France is amazing...It is from my friend Kathy's offering.

A display of French culinary antiques in our space.

Here's more information about the show....

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Antiques and Design Center: Sneak Peek

{French Market Baskets from Sleepy Hollow Antiques}

Are you planning to attend the High Point Furniture Market?

Just a reminder that the High Point Furniture Market is a great place to source Antiques. I will be setting up this market in the Antique and Design Center in Market Square this year and since I live just twenty minutes from High Point, I drove over on Friday and took a few pictures to entice you to stop by. Lots of dealers were moving in on Friday, and I loved being the first one to see all the amazing covey coming in the door. Please stop by and say hello. The doors open on Friday, April 20th at 9:00 AM.

Any decorators working on the design of an investment banker's office? This hand carved, rustic gray painted bull would make an exceptional decorative object.

{Carved Wooden Bull probably from an antique nativity scene from Tuesdays on the Boulevard}

The Antique and Design Center is filled with unusual things with great color, original paint and personality, like this old door from La Donna Antiques and Interiors.

Here's a sneak peek from our space {above} and the next two photos {below}. You can expect to find beautiful french and continental antiques in a pale palette with lots of gorgeous old paint, luxe handmade Fortuny pillows, french baskets with the original enamel bin numbers, french oyster baskets, chandeliers and an eclectic mix of decorative smalls. I'll be sharing a space with my sister, Tracy Collins Antiques and Interiors, Chris Phillips from Isle Antiques and Kathy Purser Antiques. The "after" pictures, coming soon, should showcase our loot in a better light. Sometimes I choose not to show the "before" view because I want everything to look perfect.

I couldn't wait to show you this coastal display from Karen Luisana Antiques. These soft antique Dhurry rugs remind me of the movie "Somethings Gotta' Give."

Wouldn't this piece make a great island in a beach cottage?

I'll add the dealer name for this vignette when I learn more about them during set-up. I loved this display of ulitarian farm pieces turned into graphic art.

I loved these chairs from A. Tyner Antiques.

The bird sconces {above} will be for sale in my both. They are antique 'Maison Bagues' from France and the birds are made from rock crystal.

A little vignette of some of my smalls for market.

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Collecting

"Collecting allows your love of design to grow over decades. By its very nature it can become a constant in your life while you develop your sense of style... Collections - whether books, art, seashells, or ceramics - help to define the personality of the room and tell the story of who you are, where you have been, and what tickles your fancy. And these cherished items will move effortlessly with you from home to home, like a loyal best friend."

Bryan Batt  - Big, Easy Style: Creating Rooms You Love to Live In   

My friend Lucie sends me inspiring things from time to time. She is an interior designer and furniture designer and subscribes to the daily Interior design Quote of the Day. She sent me this quote and I thought you might enjoy it as well. This stunning picture of a French pastry table and collection of silver food and blown glass cheese domes found me today while browsing Pinterest.

And this gorgeous display screams texture and a love for beautiful old things.

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Antique Goodness from Scott's Atlanta

Do you have a sister?

I thought about titling this post 'Love, Laughter and Sisters' but opted to seduce you with a gorgeous intro picture from the Scott Antique Market and a title that would snag all the anitique hoarders lovers . I have just returned from a weekend in Atlanta celebrating my sister's birthday and shopping for antiques to fill our stall at the High Point Antique and Design Center. We are sharing a space with two of our good friends and couldn't wait to show you our loot from the show. 

The intro picture is one of my favorite pieces at the show, a star burst mirror that stood about nine feet tall with wheat sheaths dripping off the base...spectacular! This is unfortunately not one of the pieces we bought but one that I thought you would enjoy drooling over.

We loved this set of French chairs but were seconds too late to buy them. They sold to a designer from Houston that you would know and love.

This dealer unloaded her shipment from France at 6:00 am the morning of the show. We were standing there as she unpacked and got 1st Dibs..I bought a charming set of 10 faux bois french garden markers with a lovely gray, worn patina.

We bought this small Swedish directoire trumeau. We loved the smaller scale thinking that it would work perfectly over a mantle or chest in a typical American home. 

Here's another piece we bought. We loved the quatrefoil detail and it's hard to see but it has 'hoof' feet.

We bought this galvanized french 'thing'. It is painted a most delicious shade of chalky pink. For the High Point Market,  we plan to plant it with lavender.

A beautiful gray painted Buffet de Corps with blue interior.

It was amazing to see beautiful old walnut pieces that had been striped and bleached. The Belgian aesthetic is the desired look of the moment.

Should have bought this stunning Suzani pillow...I love the colors!

Love, love, love these stone trade beads.

I don't buy much of this industrial look but I can still appreciate its graphic beauty. This wheel would be absolutely killer as an art object over a gigantic mantle in a mountain house.

I am remorseful for not buying this galvanized stencil. It exudes farmhouse charm but at $175 we didn't have room for mark up. The theme of our second day of buying was to try to shy away from the purely decorative and think about what works in the everyday collector's home...function over decorative beauty. Sigh!

I just adore old flower frogs. There is just something about this humble, utilitarian staple that I find charming. Flower frogs come in thousands of shapes and sizes and range from the patented functional to whimsical. This style is known as a 'hair pin'. I bought one from this collector that I did not take a picture of for my private collection. It is shaped like a flower and is a patented design. It's interconnecting wires move up and down to change the shape of the frog for different applications. The dealer told me that it is the second most desirable frog of collectors. The first most rare is the same patent but in an oval shape.

French garden tables and chairs were at a premium. We bought the two arm chairs from this set.

The sold sticker on this gorgeous gray painted Buffet de Corps has our name on it! Yeah. This is the biggest piece we purchased on opening day. It has the original paint and glass and the doors reverse on their hinges so you can show it open and still see the lovely painted finish and details of the doors. 

I really liked these urns until I learned that they were cemetery urns. 

These little drink tables are made from old French candle stands. Aren't they neat!

I think this is a conservatory model but it could have been designed to house chickens. Does anyone know? It is hard to tell from the picture but this is the size of a large dog house.

Typography is still hot. I loved this picture of old sign letters.

Imagine what our space at the Antique and Design Center will look like filled with all of our treasures from Scott's. The picture above is the 'before'. The Antique and Design center is located in the historic Market Square at the High Point Furniture Market.

We couldn't help ourselves...we set up a little vignette of some of our favorite finds as we unloaded the car.

I'll share more of our adventures in Atlanta later this week

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