The Glamour of Art Deco

I've always had a love of the Art Deco period and the beautiful furniture

with its curved lines, waterfall trims, two-tone wood, aged brass hardware and ultimately, 

just beautiful craftsmanship and attention to detail. 

I recently watched and loved The Great Gatsby movie 

The interiors 

the clothes

the luxe

 the Leonardo...

 and those heavenly parties - so decadent!!!

It made me relook at the many Deco-inspired items I've collected over the years.  

Below are some of the treasures in my home, mixed in with contemporary pieces, 

they really bring character and warmth to any space.

This armoire houses all our extra pillows, blankets and duvet covers.  

The beautiful curves, mixed wood tones and hardware stopped me in my tracks when I saw it at an antique shop up north years ago.

The dark Asian chest on the floor next to it is going to be relocated (someday!)

aged brass door knobs up close

This lovely sideboard stores all my good table linens and sterling silver cutlery

 (lovely things that are only used 1-2 times per year, so sad).  

The bar cart was a common fixture in the party days (of the Deco period and of my youth LOL!)

This cart and chair are both finds during one of  my Antique trips.  The cart was $20!
The chair was quite scuffed up when I found it, so a quick spray spruced it right up. 

The pretty, hand-painted emerald green bottle and glasses are vintage Italian glass, given to me by my mother-in-law (one of the few items she's given me over the years that I truly cherish).

I found this vintage radio at a Church sale up in Cookstown while I was Antiquing with one of my BFF's a few years ago.  It sits on my stair landing now, surrounded by pictures of my trip to Paris, with said BFF. 

This piece has been all over the house over the years because it's compact 

and serves as a nice little surface to display things on top of.  

When I bought it, I actually wanted to put shelves in the back (its backless now) and some castors, and turn it into a bar.  Again, back to the BAR... I really don't drink much at all - 

but I do love the look of a pretty bar set up!

I actually have a second bar tray display with lovely crystal bottles and glasses that were also given to me by various friends & relatives over the years.  The tall one came from my favourite Aunt's house when she was downsizing to a condo and didn't want it anymore!

But enough about the stuff I already have... 

Here are some extravagant pieces I would love to own to add to the collection 

courtesy of 1stdibs

So beautiful...

and when I win the lottery

I will be prepared!

Finds - In the Junction

If you know me or follow me on social media, you know I love the finds.

A recently checked out a local area called The Junction; an artsy neighbourhood just west of the downtown core home to interesting shops, restaurants and markets.   More info here.

I popped into Cornerstone and found some French inspired pieces with a rustic feel that I loved.  

It can be hard to find stock cabinetry that's nice quality, has good scale and great hardware - but these would be fantastic for extra storage in a home office, living room, dining room or kitchen.

I would put some of these pretty jars and bottles in them too!

These upholstered pieces have beautiful lines that generally work well with a simple linen fabric

However, this stately, barrel-back chair is just not living up to its potential with this fabric...

it needs a PUNCH of one modern drama - perhaps with one of these fabrics

Maxwell Fabrics - top sellers for June

or a little more subdued, but nonetheless gorgeous...

Kelly Wearstler for Lee Jofa

Staying on the COLOUR bandwagon for the love of Summer....

I then popped into a shop called Haveli Home and was greeted by a cute little bulldog 

(I didn't get his picture because he was too busy licking my ankle at the time!) 

 but he looked a bit like this

source

They had lots of beautifully carved furniture from India, but what caught my eye was these colourful blankets in a lightweight cotton that's perfect for summer bedding or an evening lounging outdoors with a nightcap.

Haveli Home

Next, I wandered a bit down the road and came across a couple of little vintage shops and picked up a sweet little hand-painted green vase from Italy that will get some freshly blossomed pink peonies and go straight to Mom's house this weekend - she'll love them!

Antique Shop & my backyard peonies

There were some great cafes and restaurants, but I didn't have the time (aka anyone to drink with) so I headed back to the office to get some work done.  

At least I got some fresh air, sunshine and the inspiration I needed!

Fabulous Finds

I love to pop into my favourite antique shops whenever I have a chance.  

A couple of weeks ago while between client meetings I found these little goodies:

I loved this wrought iron chair in antique brass - the back is gorgeous and the patina really gives it character. I was thinking to put a cushion on the seat and use it in my client's bathroom at the make-up vanity.

I found this Chinoiserie fabric at one of the many little fabric shops I like to visit.  Sometimes there's nothing and sometimes I strike gold... or silver in this case.  

I'm thinking this fabric will be framed and placed on a wall. 

 

This Chinoiserie dragon fabric is stunning.  Although I'm not generally a big fan of yellow, in this pattern it really works.  Again, this may get framed for a client - or it may have to stay in my office!

Staying on the Chinoiserie theme (and it's crazy that I found all of these on the same day!), 

these lamps were a steal at $32 for the PAIR!!  

They'll get a little fresh touch up gold paint on the base and a black lamp shade and then they will be looking for a fabulous place shine. 

Right now they're in my front hallway and I smile every time I walk by them... 

am I getting attached again??

I can't resist animal prints (as you've seen in recent post) so when I finally found the right zebra print in the right fabric at the right price, I snagged the last 3 yards of it!  

Then I found this adorable jungle-scene fabric with monkeys and birds and antelopes, oh my! 

 I put it together with a few fabrics I had left over from other projects, 

and voila... an amazing fabric scheme for a child's room!  

Anyone have a child's bedroom that needs a makeover? 

Give me a call, I may let you have this fabric...maybe.

Digging for Gold

I've struck gold... or it struck me!!

As someone who's always appreciated the blingy things in life, I must say that my love for all things gold was stuck in the 80's but as of late, it's been totally revived.  

Any shade of gold will do...burnished brass, vintage gold, even antique bronze.... all good! 

The brass movement in design been making its way over from Europe for the past couple of years but has really hit hard in the decor industry in the last couple of seasons.  It's not the shiny yellow stuff from the decades past, but a more weathered, warm tone that works so well in almost any home.

Here's what I'm digging lately.  

The first 3 pics are vintage finds I've picked up recently at my favourite antique shops.

I picked up  this Italian tray for a client who has an eclectic space
with a mix of Asian and European antiques with blue accents

This is one of a pair of lamps that I found with mega-ugly shades.  I love all the details.
They'll be topped with black drum shades with gold interior lining.

Three is better than one when the tables are this pretty.

Closet Door Handles

I love the mix of shiny and weathered brass/gold.  

The curves and ribbing in the lamps and mirror are details that make these pieces extra special.

Another amazing mix of rough & smooth, polished &  matte elements!!

Elegant hotel door knob - can you imagine what's inside?

Cole and Son wallpaper

I love layered jewelry - this is the best way to dress up a simple outfit

Dripping in it!!

Ciao for now!

all images via here

Curated Interiors: The Art of the Mix

I find the rooms I gravitate towards the most have a common thread - a mix of seemingly disparate elements creating an interesting story board that invites you to explore the vignettes further.

Bunny Williams

"mixing things allows each piece to stand out on its own and become very special...yin-yang, something complicated next to something simple".  Bunny Williams 

explaining to a group of design students why the pairing of a Venetian mirror above a stone sink in a farmhouse powder room works well together.

Bunny Williams

Rooms that offer a wonderful melange of furniture styles and periods, finishes in glimmer and patina, colour that is intense against soft creams, whites and greys; organic patterns with bold geometrics... 

that interplay on "yin-yang" as stated above works because creating tension in a room is far more interesting than having everything MATCH!  

{Please don't ever buy the sofa, love seat, chair combo - EVER!}

John Saladino

"if you walk into a room, and your blood pressure doesn't go up, its a failure" John Saladino 

says in a 1st Dibs interview.  He is one of the legends of the mix and has been creating dramatic and beautiful rooms filled with "ethereal light" for 35 years.   

John Saladino

He also encourages bringing drama into a space like the dining room as 

"the last place we have theatre in our lives".  

Here are some more of my favourite spaces and designers that do it so well

Eric Cohler

Thom Filicia

Mary McDonald

Ryan Korban

Ramon Garcia Jurado

Some basic guidelines for creating a great mix:

Learn from the best - visit high end auction houses and furniture stores to see what great furniture looks like and it will teach you how to buy better at thrift shops and eBay 

Don't be afraid to mix woods or paint wood if the quality isn't great

Add  interest and dimension to a space by varying the height of your pieces, and bring in a variety of textures, colours and finishes 

Always have more light sources than you think you need because it gives you the option to create different moods based on how you are using a space

Have fun with your decor and buy things you love, eventually they will find a place that makes the most use of their function

And finally, take your time to put the space together - 

it's an evolution not a race to the finish line!