shopping

Brimfield Antique Show/shopping fun

Written on September 22, 2011 at 9:23 am
By Michael Diver

The scene: the Brimfield antique show. The set-up: Collect business cards from among the many designers and bloggers who were enjoying both the antique show and the Brimfield Tweet-Up. (What? You don’t know what a tweet-up is??) The fun: Draw three cards and give each “winner” $200 to spend 5 hours shopping the fields for treasure, with the request they report back to us with their finds.

Let’s take our shoppers in alphabetical order. Allison Abbott is a designer from West Newton, Massachusetts, who places special emphasis on renovating with smart green practices. (Check out Allison’s lively blog at greenwithrenvy.blogspot.com.) Allison was a perfect match for shopping at Brimfield: What better place than a crazy-big flea market to find old or tarnished pieces just waiting to be repurposed and placed in a new home?

Allison said she had no particular plan in mind for her $200; in her words, she just “wandered” the fields and kept her eyes open. And the thing that caught her eye was a small collapsible rocker that had once graced the porch of an old farmhouse in upstate New York. She says she was drawn to it because she loves to use small chairs as decorative accents.

Allison’s plan for the chair: Paint it in a Benjamin Moore taupe (Interlude AF 135) and re-cover it in an antique Hungarian grain-sack fabric that she found at Brimfield in the almost-fantastical tent of Pandora de Balthazár. She’ll also dress up the chair with 1940s-era buttons and Belgian trim—also found in the tents at Brimfield.

Allison actually brought us money back! (Talk about recycling.) She spent only $23 on the chair, about $80 on the fabric, and another $55 on the buttons and trim. She did pass on one rueful lesson from her wanderings: She saw a great little side table that she decided she could go back and purchase later. When she went back to buy it—too late. It was gone. “When you are at a flea market, get it when you see it,” Allison says.

We hope Allison will send us a photo of the refurbished chair. If she does, we’ll post it. And we’ll post the fabulous finds of our other two shoppers early next week.

Acres of antiques at Brimfield

Written on August 22, 2011 at 11:07 am
By Doris Athineos

Brimfield Antique Show strikes the tiny town of Brimfield, Mass, three times a year– May, July and September.  Brimfield gave birth to the Keno brothers (both parents were dealers here) and the first place the twins offered antiques (stoneware) for sale. But with more than 5,000 dealers setting up shop along Route 20, where to begin? Our favorite stretch of field is J & J, the original Brimfield show founded by Gordon Reid in 1959 and still managed by Reid’s two daughters Judy and Jill. It was the J & J show that spawned all the rest and turned Brimfield into a destination for hard-core fans of vintage and antique furnishings.  Most of the 20 shows have their own start times and dates (roughly September 6 through 11), but J & J opens September 9th @ 8 am.  Antiques junkies begin lining up at dark to be among the first to enter the gates (see above). To find the J & J field, set your GPS on 35 Main Street. For a map of different fields, see Brimfield.

Decorator Maverick Billy Haines at Christie’s

Written on July 15, 2011 at 2:16 pm
By Doris Athineos

Back when interior design was just emerging as a serious, wide-spread profession in the United States, some of the top decorators in the country were creating furnishings that have stood the test of time. Think low-slung slipper chairs by movie-star-turned decorator Billy Haines (1900-1973).  Traditional Home writer Ted Loos calls these first-wave  designers “decorator mavericks” and describes the style as both neo and classical in the upcoming October issue of Traditional Home.

Now Christie’s auction house in Manhattan is offering vintage furnishings by Haines custom designed for the late Los-Angeles-based art collector Mrs. Sidney Brody.  The auction begins at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries this Tuesday afternoon, July 19, at 2:00 pm.  Here’s our wish list:

For close-up views of all the vintage Haines, flip through Christie’s online catalog, but don’t miss the live auction Tuesday, July 19, at 2:00 pm eastern time. Read Wisecracker: The Life and Times of William Haines by William J. Mann (Penguin) to learn more about the Virginia-born designer who was the country’s biggest movie star by 1930.  For reissues of theclassical Haines tufted sofa, tap into williamhaines.com. And don’t miss the upcoming Decorator Mavericks story in Traditional Home which features Haines, Tony Duquette, Milwaukee-born Frances Elkins (1888-1953), Robsjohn-Gibbings, and Mississippi-born Samuel Marx (1884-1964).

Trash or treasure?

Written on June 14, 2011 at 12:45 pm
By Doris Athineos

The Girls in Their Summer Dresses

Written on June 10, 2011 at 3:16 pm
By Rebecca Christian

Are you wearing a dress today? Maybe you remember the sing-along-able Burt Bacharach hit, “I Say a Little Prayer for You”,  in which Dionne Warwick sings in that warm, rich, bouncy voice of hers,  “While combing my hair now, and wonderin’ which dress to wear now, I say a little prayer for you…”

Dionne in a Fab Getup

I’ve been singing it nearly every one of these late spring mornings lately, because the unseasonably hot weather is a grand excuse to wear frocks, liberating the pasty legs of winter and — following the example of our fearlessly fashionable First Lady — exercising the right to bare arms. (Actually it would be a good idea to exercise before exercising the right to bare arms, like Michelle does, but when it’s hot, I let my schoolteacher arms wave gloriously in the breeze like the flag on the fourth. Who cares?)

Michelle, Pretty in Pink

I love dresses for their unabashed ease and femininity! (Sorry, but when I’m wearing a dress I can’t stop using exclamation points!)  Women feel as pretty in them as Maria did, twirling in her white dress before the fateful dance. Plus they’re easy. None of that tiresome worrying about whether your vest looks funny with your blouse or your jacket is too boxy for your pants. Slip a dress over your head and ask your beloved to zip it up (just like Nora in the “Nick and Nora” forties movies, dahling). A necklace, a spritz of Chanel, maybe a cardigan or shrug in case of a summer breeze, and you’re done.

Designers and fashion mavens keep predicting the demise of the dress, but women love them, and so do men, unless they’re those sackcloth-and-ashes numbers that women find both sophisticated and forgiving of our lumps and bumps (think Eileen Fisher), but that prompt men to ask, “Where’s the belt?”  At any rate, we’re not about to forsake dresses for pants wide enough for both you and your Aunt Mabel to climb into together, which are predicted to be in for fall. Back in April of 2008, fashion editor Anna Slowey proclaimed, “The eye is looking for something new, and so is the psyche. The dress has been done to death.” Boo, hiss!

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A Quick Foodie Guide to New York

Written on June 8, 2011 at 3:58 pm
By Stephen Exel

While in New York City to shoot June’s story on the cooking school at Lidia Bastianich’s food emporium, Eataly, art director Brenda Cort and I took advantage of the city’s diverse culinary offerings.

Dining at Eataly in New York

Knowing three days of eating dangerously lie ahead, we started with a light lunch at Eataly’s vegan lunch counter. Lunch included Brussels Sprout Bruschetta—quickly sautéed Brussels sprout leaves, seasoned with red pepper and lemon juice, and served over thick slices of grilled bread—a dish that has become a favorite for both of us to prepare at home.

Dinner at chef Dan Barber’s Blue Hill will dispel any notions that sustainable farm-to-table cooking is a Birkenstock-and-denim affair. Jackets are requested for gentlemen and the small, elegantly appointed restaurant has a well thought-out wine list to complement the exquisite menu. Dinner featured Halloran Farm venison with cranberries and celery root and a salad of gorgeous just-picked greens. (75 Washington Place, 212/539-1776; bluehillfarm.com)

The cocktails and chainmail draperies have equal glamour at the venerable Four Seasons restaurant’s bar. The square bar, capped by Richard Lippold’s impressive brass rod sculpture, anchors this modernist gem designed in 1959 by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson. (99 E. 52^nd St., 212/754-9494; fourseasonsrestaurant.com)

The Glamourous Bar at The Four Seasons

We hit the late-night jazz club scene at the landmark Birdland. The “jazz corner of the world” still attracts the genre’s biggest names. The club features a casual Cajun-inspired dinner menu with dishes as spicy as the music. (315 W. 44^th St., 212/581-3080; birdlandjazz.com)

The day after our shoot, I explored Astor Center Wine and Spirits. One of the staff members helped me navigate the wine selections; then I headed upstairs to check out the Study, the center’s state-of-the art wine-tasting venue (each seat includes a light box to correctly view a wine’s color) where wine classes are held almost daily. (399 Lafayette St., 212/674-7501; astorcenternyc.com)

Two museums in landmarked buildings held my attention in the afternoon. The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum (2 E. 91^st St., cooperhewitt.org), in the Andrew Carnegie Mansion, has just been renovated. Then I headed down the street to the former home of Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt III to view the collection of early 20^th century German art at the Neue Galerie (1048 5^th Ave., neuegalerie.org), but mostly to have a restorative chocolate and Viennese pastry at the museum’s charming Café Sabarsky.

Bespoke Elegance Finds its Way into a Pop-Up Shop

Written on May 5, 2011 at 4:11 pm
By Tori Mellott

Usually attributed to trendy stores and hipster subculture, “pop-up shops” conjure images of impossibly long-lines, cooler-than-thou gadgets, and frenetic teenagers swooning over the latest iPhone case. One certainly doesn’t equate that kind of tchotchke-filled hut with the elegance of bespoke furniture and a venerable name. Check your preconceived notions at the door as the father-son duo that make up the legendary establishment F.P. Victoria & Son have turned that idea on its head and done just that–married the pop-up shop and handcrafted, classically inspired furniture for a first-rate, luxury shopping experience, to be sure.

What began in 1933 as an antique shop specializing in museum-quality English and Continental furniture, F.P. Victoria & Son quickly expanded into a full-fledged custom furniture manufacturing business when high-profile decorators and clients commissioned bespoke pieces based on the antiques they admired in Mr. Victoria’s inventory. Instead of red they wanted blue, instead of wood they wanted plaster, instead of tooled leather they wanted honed marble.  Serge Roche, Syrie Maugham, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and Elsie de Wolfe, are just a few of the dazzling names that top the roster of clients who requested custom pieces.  Mr. Victoria quietly grew both arms of the business and eventually his son, Tony Victoria, took the reins.

When the youngest of the Victoria men, Freddie Victoria, segued into the family business, there were warehouses full of rendering, drawings, sketches, and prototypes. The father-son team knew they were sitting atop a gold mine of beautifully imagined pieces and decided to curate what is now The F.P. Victoria & Son Collection.

Elegant grandeur reigns supreme with everything from life-size Maccassar wood and beveled mirror obelisks to shocking blue lacquer Pagoda-shaped etageres. Subtle beauty abounds when contemporary mirrors are treated with a dose of the age-old Venetian glass-cutting techniques historically employed on girly-girl dressing mirrors (think Marie Antoinette meets Jean Michel Frank). Customization continues as their specialty. Been longing for one of Billy Baldwin’s iconic brass étagères but want it with an oxidized nickel-plated finish?  No problem. Dreaming about a 19th-century hairdresser’s chair with a heart-shaped back? Too easy. This line of bespoke furniture was intended for the designer and the consumer who won’t settle for off-the-rack pedestrian pieces but yearn for special and one-of-a-kind show-stoppers.  They’ve even expanded their line to include more contemporary silhouettes like ebonized maple stacking chairs that are reminiscent of the 50’s Danish modern aesthetic.

And while this esteemed 3-generation business will be around as they have for the past 78 years, their tasteful version of a pop-up shop will only be in action for a hot, New York minute. If you’re lucky enough to be in NYC from May 3 through May 15, stop by The Silver Peacock on Park Avenue and 90th Street for a peek inside a treasure chest of exquisitely crafted furniture and bespoke finery.

Design on a Dime!

Written on May 5, 2011 at 2:13 pm
By Amy Bleier Long

We are proud to again sponsor Design on a Dime, a fantastic fundraiser benefitting Housing Works, which is an organization working to end AIDS and homelessness. More than 50 top designers have created vignettes and every item in the vignettes – including new housewares, furniture, and linens – are for sale at 50-70% off retail prices. Proceeds of sales benefit a new housing project in Brooklyn which will provide a home for previously homeless adults living with HIV/AIDS.

Suysel de Pedro Cunningham and Anne Maxwell Foster of Tilton Fenwick (one of our 20 New Traditionals) designed a vignette for us (sneak peek above).

The opening reception tonight is completely sold out, which is great because the event is a fundraiser, and the largest crowd ever is expected. But the sale will be open to the public, for free, through Saturday night:

Friday, May 06, 2011 – Saturday, May 07, 2011  10am-6pm

Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St. (btwn. 6th & 7th Ave.) New York, NY

If you’re in Manhattan this weekend, shop these spectacular rooms and support a wonderful cause!

Free design consultation with award-winning designers

Written on April 27, 2011 at 11:43 am
By Doris Athineos

Consider cruising the five-day Spring Show NYC as 65 dealers from around the country strut their stuff at the Park Avenue Armory. The show opens this Thursday and all opening-night proceeds benefit the ASPCA which explains the spotlight on animal-themed antiques. At the press preview, we fell for an ancient bronze ganesh, a pair of dashing Chinese porcelain hawks, a powerful terra-cotta Mastiff (above), and eagle-topped bull’s eye mirror, but you may also leave with one of the  leashed critters (up for adoption!) greeting guests at the door Thursday evening. On Friday night, Traditional Home’s award-winning “New Trad” designers will offer one-on-one design consultations gratis so come armed with your photos, paints chips and floor plans. There’s also a chance to bid for more extensive consultations with designs pros Patrik Lonn and Sara Gilbane, among others.

Never has the Armory looked more alive!

Fiesta Forever (happy 75th!)

Written on April 13, 2011 at 11:49 am
By Candace Ord Manroe

Here are few fave facts about Fiesta ware I picked up recently.

1) It’s been in production 75 years. Happy birthday!

2) Between 40 to 45 percent of all brides register for Fiesta.

3) Any purchase comes with a 5-year “chip” warranty. Seriously? Unbelievable. How can they do that for families like mine? Answer: the product seldom chips!

4) It’s the number-one collected dinnerware on E-Bay. That doesn’t really surprise me.

5) It’s still made entirely in the USA, in Newell, West Virginia. (Only the metal parts on Fiesta’s colorful flatware, introduced three years ago, are made in China, but that’s not Fiesta’s fault; it’s due to a lack of American metal companies.)

6) Did you realize all Fiesta ware is ovenproof? Guess I didn’t. And now the Fiesta Bakeware line of cookware can progress directly from the freezer to an oven of 500 degrees. (There’s little flint in the pottery so that it defects the heat.)

7) 88 percent of all customers buy two or more colors with their first purchase. Mix-and-match is definitely Fiesta’s “thing.”

Fiesta’s best-selling color caught me off guard: scarlet. I would’ve guessed an earthier tone.

9) The second best-selling color is “lemongrass.” Sharp, punchy, lovely, and just a couple of years in the line.

10) This company actually receives letters from grateful shoppers saying, “Thanks for being made in the USA.” And: “Thanks for making me happy.” Nice. Again, Fiesta, happy birthday. Available at department stores like Dillard’s and Macy’s.