Spring Antique Fair

Twice per year I venture out for a day of treasure hunting in the park at Christie's Antique Fair in Dundas, Ontario where over 300 vendors from across North America come for one big day of vintage amusement. Although it started off as a foggy, wet day, it couldn't dampen our spirits.  The next one is September 10th in case you missed the Spring session.

It used to be an annual mom and daughter outing until my mother decided she can't take the 4 hour walking stint anymore, so the last couple of years I've been going with my French antique loving friend, Roxane.
Here are some of the things that caught my eye this time - both fabulous and freakish!

I couldn't get enough of all the cool lamps in so many shapes and colours

I love this sleek, Lucite beauty - maybe with a silver or black shade?

 These coloured glass sconces were over $1000 - so nice to look at...just don't touch!

These guys were close to 4 feet tall - Las Vegas lobby in the 50's perhaps?

This bronze statue with a fringe topper is another 4 foot mega-lamp.
I can see this as a floor lamp in a  hallway - maybe painted a high gloss black for extra drama!

These pin-up girl posters were a hit with the military men way back when.

These shellacked ladies just made me laugh!
looks like someone I know...Before and After a few drinks.

There was a great selection of interesting furniture pieces - many of them sold within the first hour of opening.
Early Bird gets the worm for sure when it comes to treasure hunting.

The intricate hand-carved work on these next few pieces is a craft that although not mainstream anymore, can still be appreciated as unique accent pieces today.

And as for my score for the day, just this necklace.  

Green is not typically my go-to colour for jewellery but something about the various shades and shapes of green baubles with a hint of iridescent purple thrown in just made me say "Gotta have it!"

Do you likey?

French Modern Bedroom

I"m working on a master bedroom project with a French modern feel.  The inspiration was a beautiful raw silk Bergere chair that the client was already using in another room and wanted to bring into the bedroom to create a reading area.  The walls were painted, new hardwood floors installed, new drapery, dresser, side tables,  fireplace, and accessories were brought in - the only thing original to the room was the lovely iron bed that will be painted a burnished bronze to better compliment the look of the room.  We also provided additional lighting to the room to ensure both ambient and task lighting were optimized. 

This weekend we pulled together a bunch of elements so I couldn't resist giving you a sneak peak.  There are some finishing touches to be made and a chandelier that's due to arrive any day now, so once that's completed I will post the rest of the room.  Here's a before shot:

This photo was taken during the hardwood installation phase.

Fresh mint green walls, builder's light fixtue, and light coloured drapes did not provide

the cozy feeling the client was looking for.

This is the bergere chair that inspired the French Modern mood for the room. 

Lady, the owner's King Charles Cavalier watches on curiously as we move furniture around.

We infused the room with new and antique pieces found on our annual visit

to the Annual Christie Antique Show which I wrote about in May.

I also found some strangely "unique" pieces you can read about here .

What do you think so far?

Antique Show Finds

This is part two of the Christie Antique Show post I wrote a while back.  In this episode, I'm showing the more unique and interesting pieces I found and some in the category of "huh?".  Have a look:

This mirror looks like a cross between the Jetson's and Viva Las Vegas

A mod rocking chair - not sure if you steer it or rest your head on the top?

Lovely 40's couple (I think) in neon yellow!  A statement piece in any room, for sure.

I like lucite and animal prints, but somehow they are sooo wrong together.

These are vintage coffee cups, cute but would you pay $95 for one?

African art gone wild!  Is he happy to see us, or what??

Weekend Antiquing

We had a beautiful day this Saturday as we walked up and down the aisles at the Christie Antique Show enjoying all kinds of treasures and some crazy relics from the past.  Here are some of my favourites:

All kinds of accessories and accent pieces at this booth as soon as we walked in. 

Nice detail carved into this piece, slightly weathered but still elegant.

I loved the aquamarine colour and the fun swirls - picture it with your favourite bistro chairs

Imagine these Opera seats covered in fun fabric like the one shown and maybe painted white. 

They would be nice in a hallway or even outdoors.

Architectural piece (turned sideways) would look great over a mantel or little girl's bed.  The owner of this booth caught us taking the picture and told us it wasn't for sale because they decided to keep it.  Well then don't be leaving it on display, lady!

Oh Canada!  Every Canadian cottage needs a canoe table, right?  There were canoe shelves, canoe planters and canoe shaped accessories of all kinds.  Wish you had one too, eh?

My friend picked up two cute bedside tables and a unique set of vintage, mirrored wall sconces. 

I will post the pictures as soon as I have them along with a few of my "what's up with these?" shots.

I'm now even more inspired to keep looking for outdoor antique and vintage markets over the summer.  How about you?  Do you go to summer antique markets in your town? 

Mark your Calendar

The semi-annual Christie Antiques Show  is coming on Saturday, May 29th from 8am to 5pm, rain or shine.  There are 300 vendors from all over Canada and the US sprawled over 10 acres of land out in Dundas, Ontario.  They have furniture from the 30's to the 90's, folk art, architecutral items, wrought iron vintage outdoor pieces, jewellery and so much more.  It's a really fun way to spend a few hours hunting for great finds.  If you've been watching Sara's House 2 this season and following her renovation of an old country house, you will see her and Tommy were at the show last year hunting for pieces for the hallway entry, the kids' rooms and other items around the house.  I've been going for years and am never disappointed, and it's almost always a nice sunny day.  Here are some shots from last year's event.

And, no, that's not my truckload of stuff (I wish), it's their delivery service option.  Happy Hunting!