Antique writing tables make great occasional tables and desks for our laptops and will fit even in the smallest vignettes with ease! The setting below looks handsome in its cozy space which has been layered with the lavish design textured patina of the Renaissance Revival style. I really love the weathered fabric we sometimes find on antique chairs like these. This is an ideal example of modern necessities combined with antique sensibilities ~ perfect for today’s Renaissance man or woman!
A charming cast iron stove, hand-hammered antique copper pots and kettles with a warm, glowing patina create a magnificent nostalgic backdrop for any distinctive epicurean with the wistfulness of a well-equipped gourmand kitchen. All of you know how much I love culinary antiques and anything to do with kitchen and cooking! But, what is remarkable about this example and our feature for Antique of the Week is the diminutive size that exudes so much character in this bijou (as the French call it) package!
We could not resist – the cast iron cabriole feet, brushed steel with polished and meticulously crafted solid brass fittings. This gorgeous example of the culinary antique was carefully restored and is truly a labor of love that some patient soul performed many years ago for our amusement and enjoyment.
On summer days we do not think of past cold winter mornings in Europe, when often the whole family sat in the kitchen. I remember sometimes my grandmother and I would sit around the warm stove enjoying a cup of strong Russian tea while planning our meals or just sharing conversation. The old stove was such a comfort, especially on bitter winter days full of warm memories!
Collecting sets us on the road of antiquing and the incurable collector looks for the perfect pieces of antique furniture to house his or her assemblage of acquired treasures. I think this piece was built almost two centuries ago for just such an enthusiastic soul. Creating a striking vignette display is easy in a perfectly fashioned piece of furniture by using a wealth of antique accessories, juxtaposing transferware, pewter, old books and antique art for added dimension ~ creating an ideal collector’s tableau.
Gracefully executed in the preferred medium in Northern France ~ dense, old-growth French white oak ~ this elegant buffet a deux corps was meant to display a family’s prized collection above and store their everyday dishes in the buffet below, behind exquisitely carved solid oak depicting the abundance of which nature has blessed the rolling hills of Normandy. The interior of the upper tier was painted long ago in the soft patina of Country French blue to highlight the treasures displayed within, framed by the intricately glazed forty-pane display above ~ all of original hand rolled glass. Crowned with dentil molding and chamfered raised panels below and adorned with large and small rosettes, this antique French Louis XVI bookcase adds functionality with Neoclassical elegance! Original solid brass and iron hardware add to its authenticity providing the perfect touch of class.
Built for the collector, it still commands focus which brings refinement and harmony to any room!
