Tag: <span>antiques</span>

Published July 25, 2010 by

Quirky Art and Matting Ideas

I’ve never purchased art for the matting, until now. Set a quarter-inch deep with a massive white border, the matting makes this tiny picture seem so grand. Prints rarely even come this small (or warrant such a big frame) but if you look into the collectible world of early 20th-century cigarette trading cards, you’ll find more. Scenes of beautiful women, baseball players, cinema stars, and other popular imagery used to be printed on stiff pieces of paper and slipped into cigarette packs to keep the fags from bending and add a little Cracker-Jack surprise to the smoking experience.
Art idea--cigarette-cards from japanThough I would have probably purchased this frame even if I didn’t adore the card inside, the 1940s subject matter was a definite selling point. A Japanese woman lounging nude in a living room, with jelly rolls proudly exposed, sitting on a side table admiring her red high heels—what’s not to love? Plus, the Marimekko-like blue floral carpet is pretty spectacular. The simple pen drawing is wonderfully graphic and the scene a bit mysterious.

I found this piece of art at this adorable boutique called Bucks County Dry Goods in Lambertsville, NJ but you can be sure to find antique cigarette trading cards on eBay, as well.

Finds

Anne's buys antiques art shops wall decor

Published March 4, 2010 by

My New Favorite Flea Market

home design boothI grew up being dragged to flea markets around greater Los Angeles–and though I have fond memories of the Rose Bowl and Long Beach fleas, I think I remember them best for the soft pretzels and license to drink soda before noon. Last weekend I flew home and in my quick three-day trip, I was determined to give the L.A. flea market scene another shot. Because it was the fourth Sunday of the month, it was Santa Monica Airport’s turn in the monthly market cycle, and I couldn’t have been happier about the timing. Smaller and much better curated than the average show, it was the best way imaginable to spend the two hours before a flight.

flea marketAn airport parking lot doesn’t sound like a particularly scenic venue for a day of shopping, but the 175 vendors took the time to set up professional-looking displays (and the sea of prop planes in the background actually added to the appeal). Under white tents, vignettes of living areas and dining scenes made each set-up feel more like a boutique than a one-day booth. Part of the reason the displays worked so well is that a crop of contemporary vendors are also allowed to show there each month. Though new wares generally send a flea market into swap-meet territory, these stalls with their shabby chic furniture, vintage accents and their slashed prices, actually blended nicely.

vintage pillows
The Euro-Linen booth is the perfect example of the blend of old and new at this flea market. These pillows are made from vintage curtains and the rest of textiles in his booth are constructed from antique French ticking, grain sacks and cloth books.

home design--vintage chair
How Patricia Urquiola are these vintage chairs? If I had a patio in L.A., I would have purchased all six!
vintage home design
The Santa Monica Airport flea is much more about furniture and decor than clothing, but this dress was a knockout.
fluffy dogs
And I couldn't resist these fluffy five-pound dogs protecting their owner's jewelry.
teal table lamps
I fell in love with Cindy Ciskowski's lamps about four years ago, so when I saw a booth of her discounted items, I was ecstatic. My sister bought these two lamps for a mere $200. Love the Lucite bases.
antique bronze trays
I got this oval art-deco tray as a backing for my next sconce project.

Though I may feel different about the flea markets of my youth now, I am going to rank the Santa Monica Airport as one of the best–even the food was good!

Santa Monica Airport Outdoor Antique and Collectible Market is open on the first Sunday from 8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. and the fourth Sunday of the month from 6:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. (the fourth Sunday, the one I attended, is the bigger of the two and I highly recommend it!).

Places

antiques flea market los angeles

Published February 2, 2010 by

The Daily Coffee Grind

Antique-Coffee-grinderMike has always had a thing for antique coffee grinders. The crank mechanics, the wooden body, silver finish—something about them is really charming. I spotted this one in an Antwerp flea market (when I was in Belgium for the Interieur Biennale) and had to get it for him. I gifted it with a bag of beans, as a joke, but since we’ve been out of pre-ground coffee for the past few days, we’ve resorted to using it as our daily grinder.  It just made me laugh this morning to see him in a kitchen full of 21st century gadgets to be using a 1930s hand-crank to make coffee.

I’m sure we’ll re-stock our ground coffee supply this weekend but I’m hoping to make the antique hand-grind a weekend ritual.

Etc

antiques kitchen goods

Published January 11, 2010 by

Rebirth of the Toast Rack

decor-ideas-toast-track.jpg

As you may have noticed, I’m a big fan of creative reuse. And when it comes to antique tabletop, the possibilities are endless. The Victorians had a special piece of silverware for nearly everything: bonbon scoops, bacon forks, lemon picks, cake breakers to name a few (click here for more). Today much of this food-specific silverware now reads as alien, but that doesn’t mean these objects don’t have a use.

The other day I had lunch with an old colleague and friend, Eddie Ross, and he was telling me that of all the things he sells at his Etsy antiques shop, silver-plate toast racks are by far his most popular item. Though his customers may have purchased them to step up their Sunday brunch presentation, my guess is most of them didn’t buy these racks with toast in mind. A compact silver accessory with a series of rungs, a footed base and an ornate handle–that doesn’t say breakfast to the average lover of creative reuse: it says organization. For bills or stationery, a toast rack is the chicest way to file. Plus, it would be so eye-catching on a desk or in a foyer.

Though I love the thrill of stumbling upon a treasure at a flea market, when you have a specific type of item in mind, the Internet is the way to go. I did a quick search for toast rack on a few of my favorite online sources for antiques and found these pretty options available for purchase.

home-decor-toast-rack

Etsy.com continues to be a fabulous source for one-of-a-kind designs, and Eddie Ross’s Etsy shop is among the best. He features vintage finds, all under $100, and he always delivers handy tips on how to enjoy them. Eddie is also of the toast-rack-organizer philosophy and suggests it for this English brass piece, which is selling for $90.

decor-ideas-toast-rack-la

LiveAuctioneers.com is another great online source for antiques. This silver-plated toast rack is a great buy–especially considering that it comes with a three-footed dish (were not sure why, but it does). Starting bid is $50.

home-decor-toast-rack

Ebay had over a 100 options, with starting prices at $2. I liked this one by Asprey London for its simplicity and ball feet. Valued at $52.

home-decor-toast-rack

And cleverly enough, Mothology has caught on to the demand for toast racks, and it is now making gorgeous reproductions: $84 for the small and $148 for the large.

Finds

antiques design trends tabletop