Global Living – Diva Style!
11 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
My smile is stretched ear to ear and that bellowing “YAHOO!!!” you just heard around the world was me yelping with excitement. I just got the Premier Issue of Global Living magazine in the mail – and you’ll never guess whose home is on the front cover!!! Yep, you guessed it… The Antiques Diva® has gone global – Global Living that is!!!
I’m absolutely delighted that Global Living did an in depth feature on my home in Berlin! This new publication is a high-end, glossy lifestyle magazine geared towards those who live and travel around the world. With articles on world travel, fashion, music, art and other culture, luxury real estate, expatriate life, world-class cities and more, Global Living Magazine is geared to influencers around the world - a must-read for the most discerning, jet-setting, stylish and savvy audiences, Global Living Magazine appeals to the sophisticated consumer and adventurous traveler. It also caters to those who are currently living or have lived abroad, as well as those who dream of or plan to live an international lifestyle.
The article begins,
“With a champagne glass in one hand and a shopping sack in the other, Toma Clark Haines, Chief Executive Diva of The Antiques Diva® & Co European Tours defines Global Living. “Europe is my playground!” exclaims this American expat entrepreneur who juggles her time between making her home in Berlin with husband BJ Haines, a Finance Director at Capgemini, and a career that has her traveling to Paris, London, Florence, Amsterdam , Brussels and beyond several times each month, taking clients on exclusive one-on-one customized buying trips abroad. “When I wake each morning the first question I ask myself,” jokes Clark Haines, “is whether I should say Buongiorno, Bonjour, Guten Tag or simply Good Day.”
You can order Global Living on Mag Cloud.
PHOTO CREDIT: LAILA MCCUBBIN
Happy reading,
The Antiques Diva®
DIFFA – DINING BY DESIGN Interview with Dwayne Clark
4 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
One of the amazing opportunities I had while in NYC recently as part of #BlogTourNYC was the opportunity to attend the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) Cocktails by Design charity event at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show. Every year DIFFA invites the top talent of the design world to create tables that exemplify their style and story. I had the opportunity to meet the designer who created my favorite table at the fair – Dwayne Clark of RDYC Interior Design.
What was your inspiration for the undersea theme?
Our inspiration was derived from Ayala Serfaty’s SOMA Web Chandelier from AQUA CREATIONS SHOWROOM in NYC at 200 Lexington Ave in New York City. The transparency from the polymer skin and the delicate structure from the glass tubes individually hand blown to create this masterpiece made it evident that our set would take place revolving the ocean floor. Many people described the set as though if Heaven were on the oceans floor this is where it would be.
What other detail can you give me about your table design?
We covered the 48” round table top with MAYA ROMANOFF’S Mother of Pearl Aphrodite in Oyster. The majority of MAYA ROMANOFF’S products are used as a wall coverings. We wanted to give a unique characteristic to the table for this particular project and push the design esthetic that their products are flexible also for use on columns and circular applications. They just opened a showroom within the D&D Building in NYC.
Can you share an anecdote or two from the show/dinner?
We were honored to have Jerry Mitchell (Broadway choreographer and the Chief Editor of NEW ENGLAND HOME Mag.) at our table for dinner at the Dining by Design Gala. Consistently throughout the evening Bob Gaynor, (Lead Designer with our firm) and I reminisced that we were amongst the finest colleagues within in our industry in one room! From David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group, to Ralph Lauren, to Joyce Romanoff we realized that this was the Oscars for Interior Design!
Dwayne Clark – RDYC Interior Design
What is something most people don’t know about you?
That I am a neat freak and I have lists at all times ongoing for almost every project…..even ones for my home life. I don’t think people know that I believe family is most important and that home is where the heart is; it’s the foundation of every family. I realized early on when people would call me a Southerner….I would grin and wished they embraced their family half as much as I did mine and my insides wished that they believed too and if so I felt the world would be a better place.
Thanks Dwayne for telling the story behind the story with your Under the Sea Tablescape!
The Antiques Diva®
(seen above at DIFFA Cocktails by Design with #BlogTourNYC friends Stacey Shephard, Kelly Morriseau of Kelly’s Kitchen Sync, Katie Treggiden of Confessions of a Design Geek and Marilyn Russell of Design Magnifique
Thanks for following my journey with #BlogTourNYC!
Reuse, Reduce and Recycle with Rotsen Furniture
1 CommentDear Diva Readers,
If the key component of Green Living involves Reusing, Reducing and Recycling then Rotsen Furniture has just repurposed their way into adding another “R” to the eco-trifecta, giving environmentally-friendly décor a new face for chic sustainable style. Utilizing reclaimed materials from decaying bridges, old barns, demolished structures or fallen wood from the forest, Rotsen Furniture breathes new life into found objects to make one-of-a-kind, high quality, hand-crafted furnishings.
To say they are inspired is an understatement – and they give just the perfect touch of eco-chic to today’s home. All this to say, Green Never Looked Better!
Rotsen Furniture isn’t just creating great décor – they’re creating art. As Michelangelo, once said “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” The designers at Rotsen share the maestro’s mentality, letting the wood serve as their muse. Wood has an inherent beauty that man-made materials just can’t replicate. By listening to what these natural elements have to say, the designers at Rotsen create unique furniture by repurposing their found objects combining the wood with additional elements such as metal, glass, and plexiglass to create a holistic pieces of art.
A perfect example of Rotsen’s penchant for finding a piece’s inherent beauty is illustrated in The Canoa Coffee Table. As Rotsen explains, “There are some parts of a naturally fallen tree that are just too special and unique to alter.” Here they’ve taken a salvage part of a naturally fallen Vinhatico tree and enhanced it’s unique natural texture and added a contemporary glass top for a one of a kind coffee table!
Rotsen’s Estrela Coffee table again illustrates their funky flair!
Of course, Rotsen’s eco-friendly tables aren’t limited to coffee tables – they do full blown dining tables, benches, seats – even lighting fixtures. They take the ordinary – and find within it – the extraordinary!
Happy Green Week!
The Antiques Diva®
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We’ve continued our Green Week celebration April 16 -22, 2012 at The Antiques Diva® & Co with another sponsor from #BlogTourNYC!
Go Green with Du Verre
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At The Antiques Diva & Co we will be celebrating Earth Day April 22, 2012 along with billions of other people around the globe, standing united for a sustainable future! While we all know “Antiques Are Green” - making them an excellent décor choice for reducing through reuse – you might not realize that there are also a slew of eco-friendly products available for decorating.
In addition to buying antiques as a means of eco friendly decorating, you can “Go Green” with everything in your house from the paint you choose to put on the walls to the pulls that attach to your kitchen drawers. After all, as the German-born architect Mies van der Rohe is rumored to have said, “God is in the details” - whatever one does should be done thoroughly. Taking even small steps – by choosing eco-friendly products such as your kitchen hardware to decorate your home – goes a long ways towards creating a more sustainable lifestyle and helps to reduce your carbon footprint.
Du Verre Hardware, a leader in quality and original design for cabinet hardware, has developed a “Green Initiative” and is rapidly gaining a reputation in the design industry for their commitment to the green movement. They’ve moved away from the sand casting process to die casting, to reflect global concerns about sustainability and the responsible use of resources and materials and today all of their hardware is manufactured entirely from recycled aluminum. Shifting technologies has benefits for both their clients and the environment. Using post-consumer recycled aluminum reduces the generation of air and water pollution by 95% and requires only 5% of the energy that would otherwise be used in production of new metals. In addition, manufacturing this way generates a small fraction of the greenhouse gasses normally expelled in this process.
I often find myself frustrated in my attempts to find sustainable and eco-friendly products while decorating. But as the green culture grows and becomes more desirable, more retailers and manufacturers will take a clue from industry leaders such as Du Verre and begin providing options for style-conscious homeowners and decorators who don’t want to sacrifice the planet for a great look.
Go Green!
The Antiques Diva®
(Seen below enjoying the great outdoors over the Easter Holiday in Austria)
The Decorative Fair
No CommentsDear Diva Readers,
It’s only a week away – London’s most beloved Spring fair – The Decorative Fair at Battersea Park!!! This thrice-yearly specialist event is for the discerning decorator looking to source unusual English and European antiques, original 20th century designs and works of art from all periods to the present day. From opulent show-stoppers to useful furniture, around 140 exhibitors offer a broad range of both fine quality and affordable pieces for inspired interiors, in the relaxed surroundings of leafy Battersea Park – just over the River Thames from Sloane Square and Knightsbridge. The Fair is fun, fashionable and particularly well-known as an excellent source of painted furniture, Gustavian & Swedish design, 20th century design, lighting, accessories and named-design furniture, and excellent mirrors. Its worldwide reputation, established over 25 years, entices international trade and retail buyers, interior designers, and private customers seeking unique and unusual furnishings and quirky accessories for decorating schemes!! In short – it’s the IDEAL fair for the typical Antiques Diva client.
Can’t make the Spring date?? Have no fear – you can plan ahead for Fall 2012 or Winter 2013. While planning your fall and winter travel plans to England, why not book an Antiques Diva English Tour or Girls Getaway to coincide shopping the fair with doing an English Buying Trip, shopping a slew of antiques trade sources??
Spring Decorative Fair
24 ~ 29 April 2012
Autumn Decorative Fair
2 ~ 7 October 2012
Winter Decorative Fair
22 ~ 27 January 2013
Happy Shopping!
The Antiques Diva®
Throwing a Cocktail Party
13 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
This March 2012 Belle Inspiration magazine featured The Antiques Diva & Co in an article titled “Throwing a Cocktail Party”. The intro reads “When Toma Clark Haines, Chief Executive Diva of The Antiques Diva & Co European Tours, and her good friend, caterer and international cooking school guru Jill DiGiovanni of CHEF in BERLIN decide to throw a party, the resulting fete is a recipe for success”.
Rather than re-write the entire thing, click here to read the article and maybe gain a tip or two on throwing your own cocktail party!
While the Belle Inspiration publication is only allowed for viewing online by subscribers, editor Mimi Bleu graciously made this article available for Diva readers. To subscribe to this wonderful treat of a magazine, read more here!
A special thanks to the talented Laila McCubbin for capturing the festivities behind her lens! Below are a few photos from that special evening – enjoy!
Cheers!
The Antiques Diva
Hi Ho Silver at AFSH!
No CommentsDear Diva Readers,
It’s antiques fair season in Holland and that means it’s time to saddle up and attend the “Art & Antiques Fair ’s-Hertogenbosch” April 15 -22, 2012.
The two floors of the venue will be transformed into a fresh, modern springtime setting accommodating some 70 participants from the Netherlands and abroad. Visitors can explore a wide range of artistic periods, including medieval, baroque, Renaissance, modern, and contemporary collections.
One of my favorite vendors will be on hand, the world’s leading silver expert Jacob Roosjen. One of the many interesting items in his collection that sparked my fancy is this gorgeous pair of Dutch silver stirrups made around the year 1800 and struck with the maker’s mark of Nicolaes Swalue, a Frisian silversmith from Leeuwarden. In the 18th century a typical Frisian fair usually started off with horse racing. At the local inn the winners used to be honored with appealing silver objects, varying from silver mounted whips and stirrups to silver coffee pots and tobacco pots. So these stirrups also might have been given as an award to the best equestrian.
If you plan your visit to AFSH between 19 and 22 April 2012, you can stop by Indoor Brabant afterwards for the World Cup Dressage and Jumping Finals.
AFSH Opening hours
Art & Antiques Fair ’s-Hertogenbosch will take place at the Autotron Rosmalen, Graafsebaan 133,
5248 NL Rosmalen. Opening times: Sunday 15 to Wednesday 18 April 2012, 11.00 to 18.00; Thursday 19 April to Saturday 21 April 2012, 13.00–22.00; Sunday 22 April 2012, 11.00–18.00.
Admission: €15 per person. For more information, please visit the AFSH website.
The Antiques Diva®
Design Find Photo Contest – Vote for Me!!!
6 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
Last week while on BlogTourNYC at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show I entered Modenus’ photo competition – taking pictures with my favorite products at my favorite exhibitor’s booths. We were told to “be creative” with the picture, featuring our favorite products at the fair – and so I’m hamming it up – diva style!
As of today – April 8 – voting starts to determine the winner of the competition – and you, my readers, are charged with the task of voting for me to win the competition! While winning the trip to London would be nice, honestly what I really want is to win an iPad – which would benefit you, dear readers, as it would allow me to blog live from the road while I’m on Diva Tours, giving you more access to antiques on the road in Europe!
Following you’ll find my entries into the Modenus Photo Competition – all you have to do is follow the link for your favorite photos and click LIKE to help me become eligible to win!!
Repurposing is the name of the game at The Antiques Diva & Co and this gorgeous Ross Edwards Design “large bowl” at the Modenus booth at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show makes a perfect hat!
Kokoon! My favorite find at the Royal Botania booth at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show was this gorgeous outdoor bedroom – called Kokoon, created in teak wood and indoor / outdoor fabric I find this modern day hammock diva-worthy!
The Antiques Diva & Co is in bed with Hastens - 2000T2 Flagship Model King Size Split Bed – customized as the densest bed in the world! Believe it or not, this bed is stuffed with horse hair and that’s what gives this bed such amazing comfort!!!
Lights, Camera, Action – Ethan Allen’s Maxi Me 9 Light Chandelier is ready for Action! It was the star of the Architecture Digest Home Design Show last week in NYC!!! And at $1,999 it is a great buy, adding drama and intrigue to your home!
Even diva’s do house cleaning with Miele! This Miele Red Velvet Vacuum Cleaner has The Antiques Diva & Co stamp of approval… not to mention the Good Housekeeping seal! For those of you with HayFever, it’s the ideal purchase as it’s perfect for trapping allergins and the Red Velvet casing is princess perfect for decorating your cleaning closet!
Splish, splash I was taking a bath…. round about last week in NYC at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show! I LOVE this Victoria & Albert Fos Tub constructed with volcano lava stone and available in 22 different shapes and sizes.
Frame yourself with this Georgian Custom Cabinetry hand-painted with Farrow & Ball available at Crown Point Cabinetry! A great find at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show on #BlogTourNYC!
That’s one “Big Ass Fan“ - and nope, I’m not talking dirty, that’s actually the name of the brand! This brand wants to be the “first thought in Home Design for Energy Efficient cooling systems that fit in any home decor”.
I was BLOWN AWAY by the Modern Aire ultimate designed ventilating system at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show while on #BlogTourNYC!
Hide & Seek with Jenn Air. I’m loving this Jenn Air Wine Cellar - Product # JUW248RWRS found at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show I attended as part of #BlogTourNYC!
Let the Voting Commence!!
The Antiques Diva®
Farm Living with BLANCO is the Life for Me…
4 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
“Green acres is the place for me
Farm livin’ is the life for me.
Land spreadin’ out so far and wide.
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.
New York is where I’d rather stay.
I get allergic smelling hay.
I just adore a penthouse view.
Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue.
…The chores.
…The stores.
…Fresh air.
…Times Square
You are my wife.
Good bye, city life.
Green Acres we are there.”
If only that zany duo from the hit 1960’s American TV Show Green Acres had known about BLANCO’s new farmhouse sink, they might have avoided years of misadventures in television as they coped with leaving a life of luxury in the city and retreating to the country and the farm life! With BLANCO, City Meets Country with the BLANCO CERANA™ Apron Front Fireclay Sink.
You can keep that penthouse view and still enjoy the rustic charm of a country style home achieving a look that The Antiques Diva® & Co loves – mixing the past and present for today’s living!
Traditionally the farmhouse sink was all about the chores – and thus, it had to be built to withstand heavy use in cooking, cleaning, and farm chores. BLANCO’s new farmhouse sink adds that same utilitarian functionality – they’ve reinvented fireclay for the modern kitchen. Crafted with artisan hand-finishing techniques and high firing temperatures, CERANA™ delivers an extremely lustrous and durable surface that won’t stain, chip or fade. And their German engineering is the foundation for their “perfect-drain” bowl, which allows for easy draining from the sink base and no puddling of water. Whereas most sinks stop at the edge of the countertop, the farmhouse kitchen sink has an apron bib that extends down the front, adding to the durability of the sink combining aesthetic and utilitarian value!
And should you want a pinch of Park Avenue home on the range, then this sink can do contemporary… With two different corner styles, CERANA can be installed with the rounded edge out to bring a touch of traditional or with the contoured front for a contemporary look! With one large basin The CERENA Apron Front Fireclay Sink features the traditional farmhouse large basin to accommodate the large, heavy pots and pans used in cooking and chores, making it both practical as well as pretty! With the flexibility BLANCO offers, the only thing left for you to decide is where you want to install that sink? In the country? Or the city?
The Antiques Diva®
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This Blog Has Been Brought to You as Part of #BlogTourNYC
Blog Tour NYC Brunch with BLANCO and Poggenpohl
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Caption: Brunch with Poggenpohl & Blanco
Dear Diva Readers,
During my recent trip to NYC as part of BlogTourNYC I had the opportunity to enjoy a brunch hosted jointly by Poggenpohl and BLANCO at the A&D Building in honor of the new chef-inspired Eric Ripert Kitchen.
Eric Ripert is chef of the celebrated three-star Michelin rated New York restaurant Le Bernardin and he cooks with both Poggenpohl and BLANCO at home and on his Emmy award-winning TV show, Avec Eric.
Not only did we get to snack on divine brunch foods and hear a slew of details about kitchen trends but we were also introduced to never-before seen products including the BLANCO CERANA Fireclay Apron Front Sink and Poggenpohl’s +ARTESIO Kitchen. Joining over 30 design editors in an interactive and educational event, we saw Eric’s concept for cooking and entertaining at home brought to life in a beautiful contemporary and eco-friendly design.
Caption: Kelly’s Kitchen Sync
Having the opportunity to taste Eric’s treats while touring New York’s ultimate design center resource for luxury kitchens alongside fellow #BlogTourNYC participant Kelly Morisseau of Kelly’s Kitchen Sync was a dream come true as her expert eye honed in on kitchen features I might have missed on my own.
Kelly’s blog, Kelly’s Kitchen Sync, is a top-ten kitchen design blog on the internet and with good reason – her award-winning experience includes more than 25 years as a professional kitchen designer, both on her own and for leading design/build firms. She is a Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer (CMKBD) and a Certified Interior Designer (CID) in California and also author of a new book on kitchen design.
What caught Kelly’s eye as we were touring this Poggenpohl/BLANCO event at the A&D Building was the Miele cooktop inset into the Poggenpohl counter and set back to allow for a plating station at the front.
Photo Credit: Kelly’s Kitchen Sync
Kelly also remarked upon the 66” high tall pantries on the far wall behind the kitchen island.
As Kelly wrote in her blog, this feature “makes a room feel more open, allows for design and decor applications, and keeps storage ergonomically within reach. This design has been part of European and world kitchen design for at least 30 years. Still going strong in high-end design.”
Photo: Kelly’s Kitchen Sync
Kelly oohed and aahhed over Poggenpohl’s plate rack calling it a “little piece of artwork – beautiful wood, beautifully finished, slick steel. “
With her kitchen designer’s eye, she also noted a detail I would have missed altogether – the electrical outlets in the band above the lighting.
Photo Credit: Kelly’s Kitchen Sync
Touring the Poggenpohl & BLANCO Kitchen at NYC’s A&D Building alongside Kelly Morisseau reminded me of a statistc I’d read that 80% of consumers want to redo their kitchens. Most of them will want to pull their hair out at some point in the process… but with using tips from Kelly’s book and products from Poggenpohl & BLANCO, it’ll go a long way to avoiding remodeling stress!
When you use the best – it shows!
Bon Appétit!
The Antiques Diva®
(seen below with BlogTourNYC friends)
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A Few Behind-the-Scenes #BlogTourNYC Pics from the Poggenpohl & BLANCO brunch courtesy of Marilyn Russell of Design Magnifique
Live From New York!
13 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
I can hardly believe it – after months of anticipation I touched down in New York City yesterday for #BlogTourNYC and this next week will be blogging LIVE FROM NEW YORK!!! My home away from home near Times Square is the modern, friendly, well-appointed TRYP Hotel.
How lucky for me that I was given a corner room on the penthouse with sweeping views over the Hudson and Manhattan!! I definitely felt like I had arrived in STYLE!!! And speaking of style, Veronika Miller and Tim Bogan of Modenus have it in spades. They were waiting in the lobby with cocktail in hand. The enchanting Pippa Jameson immediately got the party started by attempting to drink wine straight from the carafe….
Of course, Will of Bright Bazaar wasn’t far behind…
With the wine flowing, Modenus had organized a gorgeous little orientation fete where we ate a slew of nibbles (my favorite being the fish tacos) and got our goody bags while discussing our plans for the week! Score!!
At this very moment whilst writing this blog post, I’m actually wrapped in luxury wearing the Turkish Towel BathRobe that came with the kit!
Presents unwrapped and stashed in our room following our orientation cocktail, we dashed out onto the street, hobbling in our heels for dinner at Barbes, an amazing little Moroccan restaurant named after the Paris neighborhood at the foot of the Sacre-Coeur. We found ourselves giggling and chatting and fast becoming friends…
Caption: Emily Peck, Hannah Coleman and Stacey Sheppard ham it up!
We even got to see a few sites in transit to dinner… Andrew Dunning, of ADP Interiors pointed out the Empire State building as we dashed by.
A highlight of the night was getting to meet 2 of my favorite bloggers who were #BlogTourLondon participants last year – Tamara of Nest, Nest, Nest and Stacey of Quintessence. Equally delightful were the sponsors on site for the night. I had the pleasure of dining with representatives from Modern Aire and the Architectural Digest Home Design Show.
We were given a bit of the inside scoop on setting up the show and then the next thing I knew more gifts were being bestowed upon us! THANK YOU Samuel Heath for the lovely robe hook & pull cord by designer Kevin McCloud.
And thanks to Kelly of Kelly’s Kitchen Synk for the use of her photo! Her’s came out so much better than mine I decided to borrow it!
All in all, I’d say our arrival evening into #BlogTourNYC went wonderfully – I was knackered when I got back to the hotel after flying into NYC from Berlin.
Today we’re off for our 1st full day of adventure!! On tap, includes a visit to the A & D Building for a Poggenpohl & Blanco before popping down the road to the D & D building for afternoon tea with Madame De Le Curona, a luxury textile firm. Then – Modenus knows how do it diva style - they’ve coordinated a fab dinner in the Miele showroom after we tour the luxury apartments at One 57.
You might be wondering why we’re touring a luxury, 90 story skyscraper overlooking Central Park…. Well, aside from the photo opps, the key thing is the entire building opted to install Miele’s appliances… this building is the essence of fine living and so this decision speaks volumes!
I should dash as the day is about to dawn…but stay tuned for more news from the road with #BlogTourNYC!
The Antiques Diva®
Spirit of Sports with Marvin Russell of Linebacker in the Boardroom
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BlogTourNYC sponsor Spirit of Sports blends the same elegance and sophistication in their collection of sports-related fine art, sculpture, gifts, and home accessories as this Chanel football does, helping fans to create chic interiors that reflect their passion for style + sports. In the days of yore, living with sport art conjured the classic man cave – a room, in my book, to be avoided at all costs! Picture paneled walls with posters of the big game and souvenir plastic cups stacked on top of a 1970′s beer fridge. But NO MORE – gone are days of a large frayed and stained couch parked inches from the latest 60″ flatscreen with a trio of remotes on the nearby 3-legged coffee table – and in its place is sports décor fit for a diva (or divo)!
Chic Rooms by Spirit of Sports
Spirit of Sports is surfing the television waves and is popping up everywhere with recent guest appearances on the Today Show and on the Nate Berkus show - both of which illustrate that combining sports and art is a positively perfect way for people to have a genuine emotional connection with the rooms in which they live. Spirt of Sports owner John Pagnucco believes sports activities speak to the heart of what people value – hard work, passion, commitment to a goal, competition, and the ecstatic feeling of pride and accomplishment people get when it all comes together and they – or their team – win. Marvin Russell, author of Linebacker in the Boardroom, agrees.
Marvin’s book Linebacker in the Boardroom takes his experiences playing Notre Dame football combined with 30 years experience as a senior executive in major international corporations, volunteer community organizations, and as owner and managing partner of a leadership consulting practice to help the reader find their own leadership path through his life lessons and learning tools. In his own homes he has combined his love for travel and antiques with his passion for sports and the outdoors and the combined result exemplifies the “Spirit of Sports” mentality.
Marv Russell hiking in the Alps
From my many visits to Marvin’s miscellaneous homes I’ve witnessed first-hand that living with mantiques and sports memorabilia can be elegant, sophisticated and easily incorporated into any décor. My friend MR grew up playing sports, played football at the University of Notre Dame and has spent a lifetime collecting pieces from his sports history… memorabilia – new and old – that inspires his sense of sportsmanship and competition.
Over the years I’ve visited MR in the many different cities around the world his career has taken him, and seen how his sports pieces evolve as his surroundings change.
View from Paris Plaza Athenee
In his Paris apartment MR’s desk lamp was fashioned from his old college helmet sitting on a carved walnut base and crowned with a silk shade. In his front entry was a chic French brass umbrella stand always filled with canes he collected from travels around the world, and used to support his football-damaged knees after many surgeries. Casually thrown in the umbrella stand were a couple antique golf clubs he picked up while in Scotland. His office bookshelves were filled with text books, management and business books and journals, the latest novels, and bookends comprised of vintage cameras, old bowling pins, footballs, his father’s old fishing reels and chess sets. On his desk a Waterford crystal golf club head held down a stack of papers and a glass frog held a collection of vintage fountain pens.
His cottage in the Poconos was decorated with toile de jouily, vintage French sports posters, and antique ice skates and wooden skis from his wife Catherine’s family in Germany. The house in Copenhagen on the Baltic Sea showcased an original watercolor of the multi-colored fishing boats in Malta.
MR’s penthouse apartment in NYC offered a 360 degree view of Manhattan and every room a pair of binoculars or a telescope to enjoy the views of the rivers and the skyline. Out on the terrace a roll-away putting green for days too short to escape the city and hit the links.
View from Marvin’s Penthouse in NYC
The house in St Louis - with room to spare compared to city life – had a collection of golf balls from courses he’s played around the world, and a backyard big enough to play boules, a game he’d learned in the parks of Paris.
The Chicago pied-a-terre focal point was a large fireplace surrounded by bookshelves filled with graceful female dancers - Lladro and Dali; bronze, aluminum and porcelain – reflecting MRs admiration for the gracefulness and strength of ballet.
Marvin’s book is not a sports book, nor just a book about leadership, nor only about his time playing Notre Dame football. Linebacker in the Boardroom discusses the demand for excellence and accountability in all things we do… a concept the company Spirit of Sports embraces.
Just like Marvin Russell, Spirit of Sports founder John Pagnucco is a man of impressive energy and vision. In talking about his online shop, he explains, “There are very few recognizable personalities on the site, and no team colors. We wanted to do something different.” Just like Marvin Russell’s home décor, Spirit of Sports provides people an opportunity to look inward in themselves into the sports that are important to them, and their family, giving them a reason to think about sports that they did, or do play or enjoy and develop their designs around meaningful art that matters.
Score!
The Antiques Diva®
Paris Hotel Recommendations
1 CommentDear Diva Readers,
Today while I’m away for a whirlwind month of VIP Antiques Diva Tours in France, England, Belgium and then off to NYC for #BlogTourNYC, one of my Diva Guides is behind the blog helm giving you hints and tips on places to stay in Paris!
Diva Guide Kim is perhaps the chicest person in Paris… this girl flea markets in stillettos!
In a past life she’s been an interior designer, a jewelry designer, an antiques dealer – and she was also the first Diva Guide I hired to lead tours in Paris. In addition to knowing the Paris Flea Markets and French Interior Design scene like the back of her hand, she also has the best little black book of addresses in Paris!
When I asked her recently where she’d recommend a client stay in Paris, she came back with a gorgeous list of well-priced Parisian hotel accomodations.
Hotel Bel Ami has its heart beat to the rhythm of Saint Germain des Pres in Paris. Rooms and Suites are casual chic, the Spa is by Esthederm, plus there is a B.A bar with Live music and art exhibitions. It’s a contemporary address with a friendly and serene atmosphere.
Hotel Cadran is set in the heart of Paris’ prestigious 7th district, just a few minutes away from the Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars
Le Placide is the ultimate boutique hotel on the Left Bank. A former 19th Century private home with just 11 rooms, Hotel Le Placide has the feel of an exclusive private club. In a superb location in the 6th arrondisement, it’s just steps from the chic Bon Marche Department Store. Completely recreated and redesigned by Bruno Borrione, of the Philippe Starck design firm, the hotel offers 21st Century style, comfort and luxury.
Le Relais Saint Sulpice As soon as you cross the threshold of the Relais Saint Sulpice, you discover a friendly, original and very personalized ambience. Spread over three floors, this lovely 18th century listed building with a small courtyard garden sits comfortably in a quiet side street between the Palais du Luxembourg and the beautiful church of Saint-Germain de Pres where, incidentally, you can find a painting by Delacroix inside. Excellent location on the left bank in the heart of the Saint Germain quarter.
Hotel Vernet Located in the heart of Paris, a stone’s throw away from the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysées, The Vernet Hotel, a luxurious boutique-Hotel, member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) offers you an exceptional Parisian stay.
Sweet Dreams in Paris! Bonne Nuit!
The Antiques Diva®
Ham Fair Starts Today!
6 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
Can you smell it? Ham is in the air! La Foire Nationale à la Brocante et aux Jambon starts today, March 9th, and lasts until March19th in the Paris-suburb of Chatou!
One of the first vendors I’m going to be dashing towards when the gates open is Madame Blandine Bavoux’s quintessentially French stall with gorgeous café au lait bowls, enamel canisters and assorted kitchenalia. For those of you who aren’t able to make it to the fair this year… have no fear, Blandine also runs an online store – Jolie Trouvaille – selling all the pretty things she finds!
Today I’ll be joining the market with a special crew of clients!! We’re going HOG WILD as part of the GRAND PRIZE TRIP for the Winner of the Charcutepalooza’s Competition….
Alongside Charcutepalooza’s Cathy Barrows, Truffle Pig Travel Agency’s Jack Dancy and the Kitchen at Camont’s Kate Hill, I’ll be shopping with Charcutepalooza Grand-Prize-Trip-to-France winner: the divine gourmand Peter of A Cook Blog!
Not only will we shop the flea market – but we’ll be dining on my favorite meal all year…
We’re going to have more fun than a barrel of pigs!!
Let the Shopping Commence!!
The Antiques Diva®
Seen below with Diva Guide Kim P
PS> There’s still time to book a Last Minute Diva Tour of The National Fair of the Flea Market and Ham! Email toma@antiquesdiva.com or inquire about September 2012 dates
Mad about Miele
1 CommentDear Diva Readers,
If positive word of mouth from one client to another is the best publicity a company can ever garner about their products, then I’ve got to tell you, Miele users are crazy madly in love with Miele’s high quality domestic appliances!
Buyers who bought Miele in the past can’t help but share their excitement over the great products! When I was selected to go on BlogTourNYC (occurring later this March) I immediately began tweeting and facebooking about the brilliant sponsors who are making this all-inclusive free trip to NYC possible and within minutes of mentioning Miele as a sponsor my friends and followers on various social media sites began tweeting their feedback about this sensational brand.
One response in particular got my attention. Irina – author of the Irina Lapko blog, lives in Hong Kong and is a lifestyle goddess – loves design in all its forms, art, décor and shopping at the flea markets around the world. She’s also brilliant in the kitchen and she credits her delicious bites to Miele.
She posted this sensational picture of Chinese Moon cakes she baked in her Miele oven on my facebook wall, telling me, “If you’re looking for an oven to buy, Miele is the one to go for!”
And while these looked downright divine she caught my attention even more so when through a series of facebook comments she told how she made her 21 year old son a 21 layer Napoleon Cake in her Miele in honor of his birthday!
“21 Layers!!!” I exclaimed - already thinking about how I could use this idea of making a birthday cake with a layer for every year! Though I must confess, I wonder just how tall a 40 layer cake might be! Irina went on to explain how in her Miele, each layer puffed to perfection!!
Needless to say by the time Irina and I finished our chat I’d concluded two things… #1 Buying a Miele is an essential ingredient for being a goddess in the kitchen… and #2 I wanted to hop on a flight to Hong Kong to meet Irina and eat from her kitchen. In the photo below you can see Irina’s Miele peeping out of her kitchen in the background!
Irina has graciously agreed to share her recipe so with Miele you, too, can be a Kitchen Goddess!
Bon Appetite!
The Antiques Diva®
Irina’s Napoleon Layer Cake
Ingredients for 9 layer-cake (about 24 cm in diameter)
Puff dough:
250 g margarine softened;
200 g sour cream;
Plain flour as much as needed to make soft dough.
Custard cream:
**8 egg yolks;
1 ½ cups of sugar;
4 table spoons of plain flour;
1 liter of milk
*It’s best if you use non-stick trays for baking the layers. But can also be baked on a sheet of cooking foil placed on a regular tray.
- Mix margarine and sour cream until all mixed well and fluffy. Start adding sieved flour bit by bit until the dough is not sticking to your hands any more. Don’t knead it too much as the dough should be soft. Make it into a ball, wrap it with cling wrap put in the fridge for about 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 450F or 230C.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and divide it in 9 equal parts. Make 9 balls, each for a layer. Put them all in the fridge and take one by one when ready to roll out and bake next layer.
- Take one ball out of the fridge and roll it out in a circle. Don’t worry if it’s not a perfect circle. The dough should be rolled up very thing. Be careful while transferring it to your baking tray, it can easily tear. Place in the oven and bake till it puffs and is nice and golden color. In my Mieli oven it takes about 6 to 8 min to bake a layer.
- Take the baked layer out of the oven, be careful as it is very fragile, place a plate on top of the layer and with a knife cut edges around the plate. Let your nice round layer cool down completely on a cooling rack. Put the cut edges in a plate, these will be crushed and used for sprinkling the top of the cake.
- Bake all the layers. Cut and cool.
Making custard cream.
- Place egg yolks and sugar in a sauce pan and beat them together till mixture becomes pail color.
- Add flour and mix well.
- Add milk, mix all.
- Place your sauce pan on the stove and bring it to boil, but DO NOT boil. Stir CONSTANTLY as it may easily burn at the bottom.
While stirring the cream you will feel it becomes thicker. Just when it starts to bubble, turn the stove off.
Place first layer in a cake plate with slight raised edges. Spread some hot custard cream on it. Put next layer on top and press slightly. Repeat and finish with the cream on top. Crunch with your hand all your leftover from cutting the layer edges and sprinkle it onto the top of the cake.
Let the cake cool down at the room temperature and put it in the fridge over night.
Enjoy it for your breakfast next morning J
**I use 8 egg whites to make omelet.
Guest Blog: Old Bank Antiques
1 CommentDear Diva Readers,
While I’m away from The Antiques Diva® & Co headquarters on #BlogTourNYC and leading VIP TOURS this March 2012 in France and Belgium, today’s guest blog comes to you from our English Diva, Gail McLeod. Gail wears multiple hats. She not only shops tirelessly as our Antiques Diva® Agent in England but when she’s not taking clients to the best places in Britain to go antique shopping, she is also editor of Antiques News and Fairs – the site Google ranks as the #1 resource for finding details of upcoming antique fairs! On top of all this, she’s also the founder of National Antiques Week and coordinator of the Bath Decorative Antiques Fair! This Diva NEVER stops. She’s a serious mover and shaker in the English antique world and today she’s writing here at The Antiques Diva blog about an insider’s source in the lovely town of Bath, England.
Cheers from me, The Antiques Diva®, and Greetings from Your English Diva Guide, Gail McLeod!
Gail McLeod – caught mid-laugh – on the job as The English Diva!
One of the City of Bath’s destination calls for antiques and vintage hunting is Old Bank Antiques. This sprawling and labyrinthine antiques centre is housed in two lofty Georgian houses ten minutes walk from the centre of the city.
The friendly and helpful group of more than twenty dealers who share the centre offer a fabulous array of hard to resist finds from period oak and mahogany furniture right through to the latest trending retro collectibles from one of the trail blazers of the current vintage and retro scene – Bread and Roses, who cram their showroom with vintage furniture in metal and Melamine, kitchenalia and accessories sourced from France and the UK.
Norman Kemp, Beth Cuttell, Simon Jackson, Mary and Steve Wootten and Robin Coleman add decorative flair to the centre with their range of English and European painted and country furniture from 19th – 20th C and wonderful decorative accessories including lighting, mirrors and garden furniture and decoration.
The centre is a big draw for the local homemaker of all ages and owners David Moore and Alex Schlesinger, who deal in formal period oak and mahogany furniture and ceramics, have established the centre as a call for American trade buyers and UK decorators. Understanding the busy lifestyle we all enjoy today, David and Alex made the decision to open seven days a week, often enjoying a bit of stampede of eager buyers on Sundays.
The well-decorated displays across three windows on one of the UK’s busiest streets offers the centre a great passing trade and parking on site is a rare treat in Bath!
Happy Shopping!
The English Diva, aka Gail McLeod
Bringing the Paris Ritz Home with Poggenpohl
1 CommentDear Diva Readers,
After last weekend’s post on the Poggenpohl Porsche Designed Kitchen in the Imperial Suite in Paris, I’m got the Ritz on my mind! In fact, do you want to know what dishes are stored within those gorgeous Poggenpohl cabinets? Haviland’s “Imperial China Collection”. This pattern with its 24-karet gold patterned rims, taking a cue from the decorations throughout the hotel, was created specifically for the Paris Ritz. And believe it or not, the place settings – and all its accompaniments – are for sale online from the Ritz Boutiques in Paris!
I love the idea of decorating my home with diva-style after the décor of the Ritz Hotel in Paris. If it’s good enough for the Ritz… then it’s good enough for me! But I couldn’t consider buying those Haviland Ritz dishes without considering a cupboard worthy of storing them! Lucky for me, not only are the Ritz dishes for the sale but the Ritz kitchens are also for sale! You too can custom order your very own Poggenpohl kitchen just like the Ritz Paris!
My mouth is watering at the thought of someday installing a Poggenpohl kitchen in my own home and my husband is practically revving his engine at the thought of the Porsche Design.
Poggenpohl is the world’s first kitchen manufacturer to use carbon fiber for styling cabinetry fronts. Laminated and applied to a glass front, the lightweight composite adds a three-dimensional appearance, is durable, temperature-resistant and widely used in aerospace and automotive engineering.
All this has got me thinking… with our 16 year wedding anniversary just around the corner, perhaps we should order his & her Porsche’s??
A Poggenpohl P’7340 kitchen for me and a Porsche Carrera GT for him!
Gute Fahrt & Gros Bisous! (Good Drive and Big Kisses)
The Antiques Diva®
Bath Decorative Antiques Fair
2 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
Splish, Splash I was taking a bath…. round about a Saturday night! Er, Excuse me… you caught me singing in the shower again! From March 8 -10, 2012 the English town of Bath is going to be splishin’ and a-splashin, Reelin’ with the feelin’, Movin’ and a-groovin’ Rockin’ and a-rollin‘ as a starry line-up from the decorative antiques trade travel from across the UK to exhibit at the Bath Decorative Antiques Fair which has been home to the fair for twenty three years.
This Georgian City is known for its patronage of the arts, and fair organizer Robin Coleman maintains a very happy ship in the wonky old Bath Pavilion building. Bing, bang, you’re going to see the whole gang, Dancin’ on my antique rug! Robin’s always been clear in his aims for the fair – it should be “for the benefit and enjoyment of the trade and visitors alike with a friendly atmosphere”. The result is a fashionable confection of fresh-to-the-market displays from dealers who start to save goods months before event.
Flip, flop, they’ll be doin’ the bop, especially as Television darling Kirstie Allsopp (the prime time presenter of homes and interiors shows Location Location Location and Kirstie’s Home Made Home) will reveal the winners of the well-publicized Best of British Antiques Awards as part of National Antiques Week. The awards have been a joint promotion between Antiques News and Fairs and their colleagues at Homes and Antiques magazine. The verdict is in… the public went online and voted for their favorite shop, specialist shop, centre, vintage/mid C shop and auction house. The shortlisted group will gather to hear from Kirstie which of them will walk away with the coveted framed award as best in their category!
Meanwhile, let me share with you a few of my favorite finds from previewing the fair.
Moorish mother of pearl inlaid table with ebony elephant – Piccadilly Antiques – Bath
Marble top bombe chest – Blanchard Collective, Marlborough
A Pair of gilded coronets with lions – Hudson Grove, London
A Baltic glazed cabinet with chinoiserie decoration – Roderic Haugh, London
A pair of gilded convex mirrors – Blighty Antiques, Cheltenham
A 19th c painted cast iron jardiniere – Roderic Haugh, London
Of course the Bath Decorative Antiques Fair isn’t the only thing I’m excited about on this upcoming England Trip! While in Bath I’ll be staying at one of England’s most famous hotels – The Royal Crescent Hotel - and am simply giddy at the thought of having the opportunity to stay in one of England’s most historic addresses. The Royal Crescent Hotel is the epitome of English elegance with its classical décor… I can’t wait to take to the waters with The Bath House spa!! Stay tuned for more details on my experience at this gorgeous hotel.
See you in Bath!
The Antiques Diva®
From Fat Tuesday to Fat Lava
No CommentsDear Diva Readers,
Fat Tuesday is SOOOO last week… this Tuesday, it’s ALL about Fat Lava! Yep, it’s time to welcome you to a little obsession I’ve had since I moved to Berlin three years ago and discovered the hottest thing since Mark Hill.
Mark, for those of you who don’t know, is an antiques giant in the world of British Antiques & Décor, and he shares my intrigue with Fat Lava – West German ceramics from the 1960s & 70s. In addition to hosting more TV shows that I can count, Mark also is on his 3rd edition of the gorgeously photographed book named – what else? – Fat Lava.
These designs are THE antique of the future!
Not only does Mark’s book highlight leading Fat Lava makers such as Scheurich, Ruscha, Jasba, Dümler & Breiden and Bay but it also illustrates how they push the boundaries of form, glaze and color. And, my goodness, the colors are amazing!! Picture pock-marked nuns on acid in a wonderfully psychedelic trance on parade in East Berlin and you’ve got the gist of it. It’s fab… and fantastical and catches your eye faster than you can say “Gesundheit” when a passerby sneezes at the trodelmarkt.
These Fat Lava pieces are punctuation pieces that accent any home décor. Take my personal paradise… my abode tends towards the traditional and neutral with punches of black, brown and red (save for my office with turquoise bursts and fuchsia in my office), but fat lava looks gorgeous with my red velvet curtains and cream upholstery in my living room!
Of course, Mark didn’t do this book alone… over 180 photographs were specially commissioned by my Twitter friend, Graham Rae. In fact, the first edition of this book was produced to accompany the exhibition of the private collection of Dr Graham Cooley, held as part of the King’s Lynn Arts Festival 2006 from 14th July to the 12th August 2006.
Instead of buying beads this Mardi Gras, my advice is go groovy with Fat Lava, Mark Hill Style!
Cheers,
The Antiques Diva®
Photo Credit: Angelica Arbulu
Puttin’ on the Ritz with Poggenpohl
3 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
Photo: Ritz Paris
Today we’re “Puttin’ on the Ritz” with a tour of the finest hotel suite in all of Paris – The Imperial Suite at The Ritz Hotel. The suite itself is actually a National Monument in France. Needless to say, this isn’t just any old place to plop your suitcase in Paris. Its 2000 square feet of luxurious living space filled with Egyptian mahogany, Louis XIV furniture, gold leaf moldings, both a Jacuzzi and a steam room, not to mention a simply sumptuous salon with a marble fireplace. All this and we haven’t discussed the bedroom… it’s an exact replica of Marie Antoinette’s at Versailles.
When The Ritz in Paris wanted to upgrade the kitchen in The Imperial Suite – the finest suite in their hotel- they were looking to outfit it with a kitchen whose name was as synonymous with luxury as their own. With Poggenpohl, luxury met luxury in Paris.
Photo: Poggenpohl
The Ritz Hotel was opened in 1898 by Swiss hotelier César Ritz. Poggenpohl, a company known for its cutting-edge contemporary kitchen design, is actually a few years older than this grand Parisian institution, having been established in Germany in 1892. Today Poggenpohl is the world’s most famous kitchen brand. So famous that when the world’s most luxurious suite in the world’s most luxurious hotel in the world’s most luxurious city needed a kitchen revamp, the Ritz chose Poggenpohl knowing that with them they’d be able to keep their promise of giving their guests unsurpassed luxury in every conceivable respect.
Poggenpohl thought of every detail… A particularly impressive feature of these luxury kitchens are the handle-less units with a precision system that automatically opens them in response to a nudge and closes them again after they are given a slight push. Doing away with handles emphasizes the furniture’s uncompromisingly purist look.
This purist look pairs perfectly when juxtaposed against the elaborate suite. The Poggenpohl “Porsche Design” kitchen is finished in driftwood to match the rest of the interior and the cabinets are a brushed pine that beautifully imitates its namesake. A black worktop in satin-finish glass provides an exciting contrast to the warm Driftwood and least you be wondering where Porsche comes into play, the innovative frame is a Porsche aluminum design forming the backbone of the kitchen, uniting the materials of wood and glass to create a sophisticated, practical design that’s purist in its look and absolutely perfect for the Paris Ritz Imperial Suite. Apparently 2-star Michelin chef Michel Roth of the Ritz agrees… he looks right at home with his CHROMA Knife set in The Imperial Suite kitchen
Photo: CHROMA knives
With a suite this beautiful all that’s left to do is to relax in style and, perhaps, admire the view from The Imperial Suite overlooking the Place Vendôme
Photo: Ritz
Gros bisous de Paris! (Big Kisses from Paris)
The Antiques Diva®
(seen below with Colin Fields, the famous bar tender at the Ritz’ Hemingway Bar with some of my all-time favorite clients at the end of a week-long Paris tour!)
Comrades in Blogging for #BlogTourNYC
No CommentsDear Diva Readers,
I wanted to write a note to introduce you to my fellow comrades-in-blogging for this upcoming trip to NYC for #BlogTourNYC with the dazzling design blog Modenus.
- Stacey Sheppard – Stacey Sheppard’s Blog Stacey is a freelance writer, journalist, blogger and editor with an avid interest in the design world and residential interiors.
- Hannah Coleman – Dreamwall Style – Hannah is the founder of Dreamwall – - a specialist in imitation brick, slate, stone and contemporary wall coverings and her blog Dreamwall is a collective blog – a jam-packed ‘mish mash’ of all things stylish.
- Arianna Trapani – Arianna Interiors Arianna’s blog is a collective of all her inspiration for beautiful interiors from décor, art, fashion, latest trends and more.
- Cecy Brooks – CECY j CECY j is Cecy Brooks’ alter ego and her blog explores splendid interior design, travel ideas, parenting, style, food and inspiring quotes.
- Will Taylor – Bright Bazaar - Will has a thing for colour – when he’s not writing or styling for shelter magazines, he’s blogging at Bright Bazaar, kicking about in his favourite pair of blue Converse and having a bit of a natter about all things bright in interiors.
- David John – You Have Been Here Sometime David and his gorgeous blog create interior spaces that bring into focus the historical and contemporary connections between art + design.
- Emily Peck – ACHICA Living Emily writes a beautiful blog about ideas and inspirations for home, garden and lifestyle. Her experience includes writing and styling for Grand Designs, Stuff, Real Homes, Ideal Home, Woman&Home, Wired UK, C4 and the BBC.
- Kelly Morisseau – Kelly’s Kitchen Sync is second-generation CMKBD (Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer) and CID (Certified Interior Designer). She’s also an author, a member of Blogger19, and a writer for KBB Collective. She currently works for a residential design/build firm in Northern California.
- Marilyn Russell-Grant – Design Magnifique Marilyn is with Design Magnifique, an interior design firm in Orlando, Florida that provides an unforgettable design experience for its clients. She specializes in high-end residential design and commercial interior spaces that include small corporate offices, small medical facilities and small business owners
- Andrew Dunning – APD Interiors Andrew launched APD Interiors with one aim: to allow people to have their dream home at an affordable price. His blog is a collection of advice on cost effective ways of creating a beautiful stylish home.
- Katie Treggiden – Confessions of a Design Geek Katie is absolutely passionate about design and loves nothing more than writing about her favourite subject – as a result of the blog she became a full time design writer.
- Kate Baxter – The Fabric Of My Life Kate shares the fabric of her life: an inspiration blog, a place where she collates all her design ideas, passions, thoughts and musings into one big magpie’s nest.
- Pippa Jameson – Pippa Jameson Interiors Pippa has been an interior stylist working in TV, magazines, advertising, books and film.
- Carole King – Dear Designer Blog Carole is an Interior Designer, writer and design junkie. And in her blog she shares her inspiration and latest design infatuations and if she can share a few nuggets of wisdom along the way, well, that too!
- And ME! Toma Clark Haines – The Antiques Diva Author of a popular European Antique Shopping and Lifestyle blog as well as Chief Executive Diva of The Antiques Diva® & Co European Tours leading shopping tours in 6 countries – France, Belgium, England, Italy, Holland and Germany – working with a crew of stylistas.
Over this next month follow me and the whole bloggin’ crew along with Modenus as we blog, tweet, facebook and pinterest about the lineup of sensational sponsors including Architectural Digest Home Design Show, Big Ass Fans, BlogTourNYC, Miele, Modenus, Modern-Aire, Poggenpohl, Blanco, Samuel Heath, Scholtes, Spirit of Sports, Victoria & Albert Baths.
Read more on Modenus or stay tuned this month here at The Antiques Diva® blog!
Warm Regards,
The Antiques Diva®
Blog Tour NYC
1 CommentDear Diva Readers,
In the sound track of my life, Sinatra plays heavily into the mix and this Spring old Blue Eyes has got my foot tapping again as I croon alongside him, “Start spreading the news….” One month from today I’m going to New York, New York! Yours truly has been selected for #BlogTourNYC! New York City? Get a rope! Because we’re going to lasso up some good times… Want to know who will be holding my hand in the Big Apple? I was one of 15 bloggers selected world-wide for this all-expense paid trip to the Big Apple and I can’t wait to meet the crew – the bloggers and the sponsors – plus the coordinators of this amazing opportunity!!
So who’s who in the world of #BlogTourNYC?
The first name you must know is Modenus Founder & CEO, Veronika Miller – she’s the brainchild behind BlogTourNYC (and other “BlogTour” trips to London, Paris, and Milan). These events grew out of her “desire to harness the online experience and bring it back to the real world”. For those of you who don’t know, Modenus is the mot-de-jour in the design world, and this website has become practically synonymous with great design and unique products. Veronika created BlogTour to bring her audience along as she and her selected bloggers scour the globe for great new design inspiration. Supported by sponsors in the design world and in the travel and hospitality industry, BlogTour is a wholly sponsored trip for those who win the competition – that means my trip to NYC is free, baby, and I’ve never been so excited in my life! Of course, they say there’s no such thing as a free lunch – so I’ll be singing for my supper… For the next month I’m going to be telling you what’s chic, what’s chock, what’s hot and what’s not as I scour the best NYC’s Design World has got on offer!!
As part of #BlogTourNYC we’ll be going to the Architectural Digest Home Design Show during New York City’s Design Week, entering the event for an advance viewing to give you the inside scoop!! I’m mad about Miele and they’re going to be hosting us for a design tour and dinner while Poggenpohl & Blanco have got brunch covered! Needless to say, we’re going to be eating well on this trip for the feast of my eyes is going to be enough to fill me up! Spirit of Sports is going to get us jazzed up for making man’s caves (and rumor has it they’re planning some sort of game during our days in NYC). Lest we work up a sweat, have no fear…. Victoria & Albert Baths is going to give us a royal bath and Big Ass Fans are going to be on hand for the cool down! We’ll open drawers and doors with Duverre Hardware and turn on faucets with Samuel Heath. Writing about Modern-Aire will be a breeze while I can’t wait to tell you all about a newcomer to the US market, Scholtes. These sponsors of #BlogTourNYC are going to make my March a dream come true!
So – that’s what I’m going to be doing this March 2012! I’m going to be stepping away from the antique table to take a look at what is new in the world of interior design and to examine how it influences the world in which we live. However, don’t fret, I’ll be taking all these great designs and sharing insider information on how we can combine them with The Antiques Diva® Lifestyle. Wouldn’t Poggenpohl’s clean lines look great with a Venetian mirror? Or a Victoria & Albert bath paired with some 17th C Cathedral candlesticks? What about a 18th C limestone fireplace surround inset above your Miele?
Stand back, ladies and gentlemen – I’m going to do New York – with Antiques Diva® Style!
See You in The Big Apple!
The Antiques Diva®
(seen below at Columbia University on my last trip to NYC)
The Dairy House English Antiques
9 Comments
The Dairy House near Shaftsebury, Dorset, England
Have you ever wished you could be a fly on the wall when I’m out and about on my antique shopping adventures? Well today I’m taking you with me on the a virtual tour to a trade source I visited recently with my English Diva Agent Gail McLeod.
Join me as we tour Dairy House Antiques, located nearby Shaftesbury England in Dorset. But you’d better pack your mittens and muffler!! Or perhaps pick up a vintage fur coat to keep your tootsies warm!
Dairy House Antiques is located in a former dairy and the original purpose of the building was to keep the milk cool before it set off on it’s journey to London. The charming building today is covered with beautiful black & white tiles and houses a gorgeous collection of flea market style English and continental vintage pieces and antiques at incredible prices!
Even the front porch of the old dairy was cosy and inviting… welcoming us with a plethora of pieces!
While the interior of the shop was surprisingly modern at times!
An array of English wooden English pieces filled the upstairs.
There were even a few French pieces that were pure perfection!
I loved their quaint collections of Blue & White pieces.
My biggest temptation? This selection of gorgeous crystal and cut glass decanters, all of which were smaller than you’d typically find in Europe.
Dairy House Antiques
Station Road, Semley, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 9AN
Telephone 01747 853317
www.dairyhouseantiques.co.uk
Open 7 days 10-5 Mon-Sat; 11-4 Sun
Of course – at the end of the day – what better to eat for dinner than home-cooked Steak & Ale Pie!!
Cheers from England!
The Antiques Diva®
Special Silver Vault Events – England 2012
2 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
Are you looking for bright ideas to add to your antique fun in England this year? Well look no further, the world famous London Silver Vaults, in the heart of London’s legal district and home to the world’s largest retail collection of fine antique silver, has got the better part of 2012 covered with some sensational upcoming special exhibitions. Due to its underground location, The Silver Vaults is often referred to as London’s best kept secret – but the cat’s out of the bag and the London Silver Vaults are ready to shine!!! Open every day during business hours, The Chancery Lane Safe Deposit first opened in 1876 and their strong rooms provided security for individuals who needed to safeguard their valuables. From a storage facility the building developed into an underground shopping mall of mostly silver but also silver plate, jewelry, and other works of art.
Behind the huge safe doors and within its vaulted walls, The Silver Vaults offer anything from silver champagne swizzle sticks to a full-sized silver armchair. But this Spring 2012 they’re going to shine the light on silver candlesticks!
February 4th – May 19th
Carrying the Flame: Silver Candlesticks of the Past Three Centuries.
A selling exhibition of lighting at The London Silver Vaults, the home of silver shopping.
VisitLondon.com describes this event
“The Spring selling exhibition at The London Silver Vaults – the home of silver shopping – will feature a beautiful variety of silver candlesticks and candelabra from the early 18th century to the contemporary. Flickering candlelight at the dining table sets the tone for the most stylish dinners, and the selection of antique and modern silver to be displayed will encompass all tastes from timeless Georgian elegance to avant garde contemporary. Whether you prefer a set of two or four traditional candlesticks, or a more mix and match approach combining candlesticks with a candelabra, these can be enhanced when displayed down the centre of a table with tea-lights below to set the silver off to its utmost sparkle. Candelabra will be shown with two-, three-, four-, and five-arm variations; many candelabra have removable arms for additional use as a single candlestick”
And then, just when you think the torch is blown out, The Silver Vault starts a new exhibition on Post War Winners.
May 28th – 29th September
Post-War Winners: 60 Years of British Silver
A selling exhibition featuring Stuart Devlin, Gerald Benney, Christopher Lawrence, Eric Clements among others, and mid-century modern works commissioned by leading retailers such as Garrard, Asprey, Mappin & Webb.
The London Silver Vaults
Chancery Lane
London WC2A 1QS
Happy Shopping,
The Antiques Diva®
The Daily Basics: A Tastemaker’s Take on Paris
3 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
Myra Hoefer – Photo Credit House Beautiful
In my column in The Daily Basics this month I’ve interviewed top interior designer Myra Hoefer, asking this Francophile for her tips on where to antique shop in Paris, a place Hoefer kept a 2nd home for years. In the next few weeks I’ll post a few blogs showing some of my favorite Myra Hoefer Design projects – but for now, I’ll leave you drooling for more…. And whet your appetite with a little reading at The Daily Basics!
Happy Reading,
The Antiques Diva®
Vervoordt at BRAFA
2 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
When an invitation comes in the mail from Mr & Mrs Vervoordt for a private viewing at BRAFA – your heart makes a little pitter patter.
Axel Vervoordt is one of the world’s most respected antiques dealers, collectors and interior designers, and he works and lives in Belgium in an amazing 50 room castle near Antwerp. Last year I had the opportunity to shop with clients literally buying off his castle walls – so having tasted his décor in person I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see what he brought out for BRAFA – Brussels Fine Arts & Antiques Fair as I knew that at this chic event he’d be bringing the best of the best!
Needless to say, I was not disappointed. While it was nearly impossible to choose, perhaps my 3 favorite items he had for sale at BRAFA were a gorgeous oil on canvas of “a ruined Roman Basilica” dating to 1650, another painting by Raimund Girke from the 1960’s and another piece from the swinging 60’s – an amazing statue called the “The Shadow Figure”.
The Roman Basilica Ruin painting - though created in 1650 - feels somehow more modern in its composition. If the painting looks familiar, perhaps you’ve seen something similar in the Roman Pantheon for Vervoordt’s team believes the artist might have found his inspiration there.
Meanwhile Raimund Girke’s Kinetische Weiss is entirely modern and the perfect anecdote to an antique-filled room. I love nothing more than mixing contemporary art with pieces from the past.
Lastly “The Shadow Figure” cast in plaster by Marguerite Arp was actually a gift to Andre Mounier in 1968 – a gorgeous romantic composition, it peacefully punctuated Vervoordt’s display at BRAFA.
Bonne Shopping,
The Antiques Diva
Photo Credits – Laila McCubbin
The Aunt-iques Diva
5 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
Nope that’s NOT a misspelling – today I’m the Aunt-iques Diva! You might have noticed I’ve been behind on blogging – not doing my normal 2 or 3 times per week postings. That’s because I’ve been on holiday, taking a gloriously long month in the USA to see my family and friends over Christmas and New Years. I set aside my Antiques Diva® hat to spend some time with nieces and nephew, being The Aunt-iques Diva! Of course, you can’t take the Antiques out of my name. I may have been stateside home on the range instead of shopping the flea markets of Europe as I normally do, but I still took my nieces & nephew out aunt-iquing.
What did we find? A slew of vintage clothes!
My niece Tessa with the pink hair looked so adorable in this green frock that I had to buy it for her – meanwhile I was sort of smitten with the pink hat on me!
Lizzy looked adorable in red – especially with that herringbone jacket!
Kyrra found an elegant gown for her upcoming trip to visit me in Europe this summer – we’re already planning where we’ll go so she can wear this dress in true diva style!
Of course sometimes you can’t decide what to buy!!! I also bought Kyrra a gorgeous red gown!
Though she decided to pass up on this poodle skirt wondering if she’d actually wear it or if it would merely be a costume?
Even my dad and nephew got in on the action! Dad loved the architectural salvage store I took him to while my nephew Gabriel picked up a handful of Hank Williams records – the perfect present for a budding musician who has just released his first CD!
After the holidays, I’m now back home in Europe with a wonderful winter agenda with The Antiques Diva® & Co.
Yours,
The Aunt-iques Diva
Celebrating New Year’s – Diva Style!
4 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
Chez Diva it’s a celebration every day of the year – and so I’m always looking for fab ideas for celebrating with Diva Style! This New Year’s Eve, Roving Reporter Candid Kellogg has written in to The Antiques Diva® site sharing some sensational suggestions for setting a festive table, giving ideas for a memorable New Year’s Eve party! Kellogg suggests famed antiques dealer MS Rau Antiques for premier one-of-a-kind items that will get the party going!
If you need an excuse to dazzle your guests, or are looking for the ultimate party gift, look no further than MS Rau Antiques, America’s oldest and largest antiques and fine arts dealers located in the historic French Quarter of New Orleans. For close to one hundred years, MS Rau Antiques has been collecting and offering some of the rarest and most important antique and objet d’art pieces ever seen. From a pair of matching sterling silver Paul Storr wine coolers (circa 1810) with royal provenance, to a monumental Baccarat crystal chandelier (circa 1880), you will be dubbed the host or hostess with the mostest this season.
Even if your home doesn’t have a ballroom, you can set the scene and can turn any foyer or entry way into a dramatic entrance for your guests with this awe-inspiring 30-light crystal chandelier by Baccarat, one of the world’s most famous crystal houses in France and called the King of Crystal. Not only does this dazzling light source sport crystal prisms, but crystal beads and bronze doré branches complete the composition. Dating from 1880, Baccarat was already world renowned for its chandeliers and tableware that graced the royal homes of Louis XVIII, Charles X, Emperor Napoleon III, Czar Nicholas II, as well as the royal courts of India and the Middle East. This particular chandelier has been restored for electricity and is offered at $98,500.
Make your open bar a sight to behold with this pair of exquisite Regency period sterling silver wine coolers. Georgian silversmith Paul Storr, whose atelier crafted gracious and elegant silver works during the Regency period, created this matching pair of wine coolers for HRH Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. They are in impeccable condition and exhibit exquisite detailing ($228,500).
Ratchet up your punch recipe by serving it in this rare Tiffany & Co. silver punch set inlaid with copper, circa 1906. Even if it’s used once a year, punch or even eggnog will take on a new meaning and have party guests coming back for more punch and swooning over the sheer size and weight of this service (weighs 335 ounces) that includes 12 cups, bowl, ladle, and plateau tray ($248,500).
After dinner drinks never looked so glamorous when served from this extraordinary ‘cavé liqueur’, a crystal enclosed cabinet in cut ruby crystal and accented in gilt bronze (circa 1870). Three liqueur bottles and 15 matching cordial glasses, all decorated with hand gilding, fit snugly inside this gorgeous Rococo style case, and are displayed on a mirrored glass tray that is removable from the circular case and has an intricately decorated lid. The workmanship is beyond exquisite and even for those who don’t make a habit out of serving after dinner drinks, this exceptional ‘cavé liqueur’ is something that get everyone talking.
This New Year’s Eve, celebrate with Diva Style with a little help from our friends at MS Rau in New Orleans.
Happy New Years,
The Antiques Diva®
Merry Christmas
1 CommentDear Diva Readers
You must have been really good this year – for this year for Christmas I’m giving you more and more of The Antiques Diva®! In addition to being able to read my own blog, you’ll also be able to find me as a contributing editor at The Daily Basics, an editorial blogazine created by Cynthia Bogart. If you’ve opened a copy of Better Homes & Gardens or Kitchen & Bath Ideas or Decorating Magazine, you might have seen the work of The DB editor, Cynthia Bogart, on those pages. Cynthia has been producing editorial articles for those magazines for years and has taken the opportunity to bring her experience for you to get some interesting, enriching articles to lighten up your day, five days a week.
Photo Courtesy of The Daily Basics
My article this Christmas eve shares the riveting tale of the origin of many of our modern-day Christmas traditions. Contrary to popular belief, our generation did not invent the feast of Christmas consumerism. Long before Charlie Brown’s struggle to find the meaning of Christmas, Martin Luther, an icon of the Protestant Reformation, was having his own internal holiday debate! Read the entire article I wrote for The Daily Basics – and learn how where Santa Claus comes from, why we decorate for the hoidays with a Christmas tree and why we give presents!
From my house to yours this holiday season – Merry Christmas.
The Antiques Diva®
Glaedelig Lille Julaften
2 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
Did you know that in Norway on the day before Christmas Eve there is a holiday? It’s called Lille Julaften – Little Christmas Eve. When I asked a Norwegian friend to explain this holiday her response was simple, “It’s the day we celebrate the start of the celebration!” To me that sounded like a brilliant excuse for a party and so I’ve decided in my house we’ll start the celebration here early too!
Traditionally this was the day when Norwegians finalized their preparations for Christmas Eve. Families decorate their Christmas trees with handmade paper Christmas baskets called Julekurv which are woven together with red and green paper and then filled with fruits, candy, and nuts. Intrigued by the idea, I decided it was the perfect tradition to learn to do with my nieces and nephews – so this year we’re making our own Christmas baskets with this easy step-by-step primer.
We’ll then take our home-made baskets and use them to decorate my sister’s Christmas tree!
Speaking of Norwegian traditions, did you know that the famous Christmas tree in London’s Trafalgar Square has been an annual gift to the people of London by the city of Oslo each year since 1947 as a token of gratitude for British support of Norway during the Second World War? What a wonderful way to celebrate a friendship!
Photograph above courtesy of Livin’ Sponge blog
Glaedelig Lille Julaften!
The Antiques Diva®
How To Make Money From Antiques
2 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
One of the best things about my job is I get the inside scoop when anything new is happening in the antiques realm… and a great new book is coming out! I wanted to share with you the Press Release for “How to Make Money From Antiques”….
How to Make Money from Antiques:
Revealing the Secrets of the Trade
Written by Fiona Shoop
Published by Golden Guides Press
Available in eBook format only, priced £9.99
You might not have the title (or the staff) but you can certainly add a touch of golden-age Downton Abbey-style grandeur to your home. Antiques expert Fiona Shoop provides the tools and tips to profitably embrace elegance and style, travel the world and surround yourself with beautiful objects. Richly illustrated for the first time, best-selling antiques book How to Make Money from Antiques is now uniquely available as an eBook. Akin to having a portable personal expert with you wherever you go, the information deemed “astonishingly thorough” by the Antiques Trade Gazette is available on your mobile phone or eReading device.
Author Fiona Shoop is a leading antiques expert and The Lady antiques columnist. Utilising almost thirty years of experiences in the antiques trade, Fiona reveals insider tips and tricks gleaned from years of practice – from checking for hidden scratches, cracks, concealed lots and surprise fakeries to which words will get you a bigger discount…and, perhaps most importantly, how to spot that hidden bargain. This essential eBook even incorporates a special section detailing everything you need to succeed on eBay and other websites so you can make money in your own time.
This is a must-buy book for everyone interested in antiques, vintage and interior design. Full of must-know information for anyone buying and selling antiques and collectables as a hobby, a part-time job or even, with the help of this book, to turn your hobby into a full-time career and add a touch of grandeur to your home.
For Fiona’s ‘Sixty seconds in: Antiques dealing’ piece from The Guardian, please click here or search Fiona Shoop on www.guardian.co.uk.
For more information on Golden Guide Press please visit www.goldenguidespress.com
About the author:
Having started collecting antiques at the age of just 6 and dealing when she was 10, this is a world which Fiona Shoop knows better than most. She has written over 4,000 articles and numerous books about antiques. A broadcasting regular, Fiona has worked in TV and Radio as an expert, given hundreds of live, on-air valuations, and has even worked as an “Expert’s Expert” and consultant. Fiona is available for interviews and features, including focusing on the latest trends from Downton Abbey chic to Mad Men sixties style.
Happy Shopping!
The Antiques Diva®
Coming Home to Fontaine
No CommentsDear Diva Readers,
Every once in a while you step into an antique store and feel like you’re coming home. It doesn’t matter that the store is on the other side of the globe located in a coastal England town a hop skip and a jump from the chunnel crossing from France to England and nowhere near your home town. They ship – and I always say, “if there’s a ship there’s a way.” This feeling of coming home is created when the shop you’re entering has an aesthetic that feels just right – like the home you would create if you had access to an eclectic collection of great decorative antiques, object d’art and had a lifetime to trawl the treasures of France in your spare time.
This was my experience when I walked in the doors of Stuart’s and Kiel’s shop Fontaine in Margate, Kent England. To say I was smitten is an understatement. These chic boys had me hook, line and sinker.
If their collection feels collected over a life time, it’s because it is. One summer 17 years ago they set off in their Fiat Punto on an adventure to France with a couple hundred pounds in their pockets and spent it all at their first street ‘brocante’ in Pas de Calais. Since then, they haven’t looked back and their customers haven’t stopped shopping chez them. Over the years Kiel and Stuart have increased their purchasing budget and bought from hundreds of different brocantes, antiques markets and auctions all over France, developing their knowledge of French decorative antiques and collecting quite possibly the best collection of French antiques seen outside of the Marche Paul Bert in the famous Paris flea market – and at a fraction of the famous Paris flea markets prices.
What’s in store? Anything diverse and unique that catches their eye, from naive 18th Century through to contemporary 20th Century.
I’ve learned that when shopping at Fontaine you’ve got to act fast. Buyers bounce into this seaside town and buy faster than anywhere else I know. When my Diva Agent Gail McLeod who leads our English Diva Tours took me to their store last month she confessed that each time walking through their doors is a new experience as frequent visits reveal an amazing turnover in inventory. Fortunately as fast as clients buy up their inventory, Kiel & Stuart take regular buying trips to meet their client’s demands each time adding more gorgeous inventory to their sprawling store. The building where their chic shop is housed was once Margate’s town laundry and later became a community center. As you can imagine it looked pretty different then, but Kiel and Stuart have invested in restoring the building with complete Antiques Diva style!
The town of Margate where the shop is located is interesting in its own right. It’s been the subject of a huge regeneration project and Stuart and Kiel are working hard with the council to raise awareness of the charms and facilities in the town.
Just last month The Queen of England and Duke of Edinburgh visited the town of Margate, stopping by local stores and seeing the regeneration work that had taken place in the Old Town. Satisfying her sweet tooth the Queen even visited The Cup Cake Cafe as part of her tour around Margate’s Old Town. The royal party then moved on to the Turner Contemporary art gallery – the new £17m art gallery which was opened in April – where they met with local artist Tracey Emin.
With interesting luxury boutique B&B’s such as The Reading Room opening in the area and Turner Contemporary Art Gallery drawing huge crowds since its opening I’m predicting that Margate will soon experience what I like to call “The Bilbao Effect” – the same revival that took Bilbao, Spain by storm after Frank Gehry designed The Guggenheim Museum. In the meantime, the people of the town are operating on the belief “If we build it, they will come…” and Kiel & Stuart are two of the smart vendors around town who took a gamble on opening a store off the beaten path. This shop and others opening nearby happen to be one of England’s best kept secrets… and clients pay to take our tours because we can take them to places they wouldn’t necessarily go on their own. The town of Margate might not yet make your bucket list, but trust me when I say that shopping at Fontaine should.
Bonne Shopping,
The Antiques Diva®
The Antiques Diva & Co Does Lucca, Italy
7 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
Today we’re taking a mental voyage to Lucca, one of the jewels in the shining crown of Tuscany! It has retained its elegance, story and splendor. Its history dates way back to even before the Romans. Much of the city’s wealth however was built upon silk production and leather tanning. Lucca was able to remain independent of Tuscany at a time when the region was being otherwise conquered and turned into a united Tuscan state. The relative immense wealth and the walls surrounding Lucca led to power brokers in Florence actually having to deal with the powerful merchants and leaders of Lucca – it was the only town in Tuscany not conquered by Florence and remains much unchanged since the medieval period.
Its maze of little streets and alleys brings many surprises from the wonderful artisan shops, galleries and stores to stunning architectural marvels such as the lively piazza San Michele, the old Roman forum. It remains the heart of Lucca, where children play and the men of Lucca can be found discussing soccer and Italian politics.
The gorgeous church of San Michele, with its elegant Pisan – Romanesque façade, rich in marble inlays – exudes a mysterious Arabian Aura. Some particularly stunning features are the ancient ramparts that ring the old city that are still intact. The inhabitants built these brick walls in the 16th century for defense.
On The Antiques Diva® & Co Tuscan Tours you will have the opportunity to walk around the city on the wide, shaded walkways atop the walls… don’t worry it’s not as scary as it sounds! If that doesn’t tire you out, climb up the Torre Guinigi – the 130 ft. tower even has an ancient oak tree on top! Lucca was also home to one of Italy’s greatest composers; Giacomo Puccini, creator of operas such as: “Madama Butterfly”, “La Bohème”, “The Girl of the golden west”, “Turandot”. In the Piazza Cittadella you can see the statue dedicated to him.
Of course no tour would be complete without a stroll down Via del Battistero and this quarter of the city is known for its antique furniture shops – a message of elegance and style from the voice of our past. Plan your trip to Lucca at the right time of year – the third weekend of the month – and rain or shine you’ll find the monthly antiques flea market with over 250 stalls to peruse. We will spend the afternoon meandering through the stalls to find treasures for you to bring back home!
Join us for Special Tours during the Lucca flea market – the 3rd weekend of each month! 2012 dates include:
January 21 & 22
February 18 & 19
March 17 & 18
April 21 & 22
May 19 & 20
June 17 & 18
July 21 & 22
August 19 & 20
September 15 & 16
October 20 & 21
November 17 & 18
December 15 & 16
The Antiques Diva®
Newark, Newark….
4 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
I’m leaving today,
I want to be a part of it….
Newark, Newark…..
These vagabond shoes
They are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it
Newark, Newark…..
I want to wake up in that city
That doesn’t sleep
And find I’m king of the hill
Top of the heap
My little town blues
They are melting away
I’m gonna make a brand new start of it
In old Newark………”
I’m utterly convinced old Blue Eyes got it wrong. He didn’t mean to say New York – he meant to say NEWARK!!! Not New Jersey, but England Baby!!! I just got my fair calendar in for next year’s Newark and I am dying of anticipation.
What’s Newark, you ask? The Newark International Antiques and Collectors Fair – the largest event of its kind in Europe – a world-wide phenomenon, a shopping experience that deserves its own song written by Frank Sinatra. This is one event that needs to be experienced to be believed!
Held at the Newark and Nottinghamshire Showground on an enormous 84 acre site, up to 4,000 stands attract thousands of dealers and buyers from around the globe every other month. With its vast number of stands, choice of product is never an issue – there is quite possibly every item you could imagine. From chandeliers and rugs, to sports memorabilia and paintings, not to mention the finest of antique furniture – the possibilities are endless! Antique fairs can be big and small, but only one can hold the ‘Europe’s largest’ crown – and that’s Newark.
Come one – come all, and come with The Antiques Diva® & Co to Newark. Join us on special Newark Tours!!!
When?
2nd and 3rd of February, 2012
12th and 13 th of April, 2012
21st and 22nd of June, 2012
23rd and 24th of August, 2012
4th and 5th of October, 2012
6th and 7th of December, 2012
Visit the IACF website for more information or our friends at Antiques News & Fairs to see what else is on during your travel dates!!
Start spreading the news….. and don’t forget to email The Antiques Diva® & Co to find out details on how you can book one of our English Antique Shopping Tours! Email toma@antiquesdiva.com
The Antiques Diva®
Guest Blog: All I want for Christmas is Vintage
2 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
While I’m in Houston speaking on Antique Shopping in Europe – we’ve got a SPECIAL GUEST BLOGGER at The Antiques Diva® & Co. The absolutely affable antiques dealer Mr George Johnson of Lady Kentmores is a jolly good chap from Scotland who’s objective is to make antiques and collectibles the “new rock and roll.” A man after my own heart, this well-known Scottish retro dealer and I were recently chatting via Twitter about our favorite Christmas presents and he mentioned that he always gives antiques as presents whether for the holidays or a birthday, wedding, etc. Needless to say I needed to know more about his gift-giving trends, thinking his idea of antiques as presents was just my style! The next thing George knew he was writing a guest blog for The Antiques Diva® & Co. You never know what might happen when you engage me on Twitter or Facebook!
Happy Shopping Readers, so Ta Ta from Me – The Antiques Diva – and
Hello from George Johnson of Lady Kentmore Antiques
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Guest Blog – A Vintage Christmas
I am just back from a trip to the local city with my wife and I’m always amazed about how many people go crazy this time of year buying bags full of gifts for friends and relatives. How many of these items do we even remember the next year?As a family we have always tried to avoid this ourselves, as we give each other vintage gifts for Christmas and indeed for other occasions, when we have family wedding we always give an antique item or even a small gold coin as these are gifts that have a history and also can be a investment for the future for the couple getting hitched.
Christmas is a time for families and a lot of people are gifting family heirlooms - this might be in part due to the current financial climate but also it might be because people are realising that massed produced store bought goods don’t really stand the test of time. Most of my own treasured possessions are items that once belonged to my great grandparents and grandparents that have been passed down to me, not only do these items look fabulous in my home they also give the house a sense of history and belonging.
I have been having a look around the web to see what vintage gifts I could find for a traditional family and the range of antique and vintage good available is astounding and can suit every taste and budget. For each family member I will choose a budget and a luxury item.
For a fabulous sixty-something mother I have found these wonderful items.
How about this fabulous Victorian Blue Opal & 1.40ct Diamond Pendant, it is a stunning example of high quality Victorian jewellery and would make any mother very happy on Christmas morning. It is for sale on the www.laurelleantiquejewellery.co.uk website for £3,275.00.
If your budget doesn’t stretch that far there are still lots of more pocket friendly items out there like this vintage Enid Collins jewelled owl ‘Wise Guy Box Bag’ from 1962, it is in unused condition and would be a fabulous and unusual present, these bags are becoming very collectable but you could pick up this very fine example from www.lovelysvintageemporium.com for £285 which is a great price for this desirable item.
For the 30-something daughter Vintage items are a brilliant buy and can have much more style and glamour than their high street bought equivalents. If budget is not an issue this William Comyns Silver & Tortoiseshell Box would look great on any dressing table and would be very useful to keep her best jewellery in. The Tortoiseshell Jewellery Box, with applied Stirling silver swags and beautiful roped edged borders, stands on four tortoiseshell bun feet. It is hallmarked for 1904 and is for sale on the www.hamptonantiques.co.uk website for £ 3,750.00.
A girl can never have enough handbags and vintage bags can be wonderful presents as they are very functional and can also be great investments, this fabulous vintage orange Chanel handbag dates from the 1980’s and has never been used it oozes style and glamour and would bring a smile to any girl’s face when she unwraps it on Christmas morning, it is for sale on www.lovelysvintageemporium.com for only £799.
Buying for a sixty-something Father is always a hard one as they seem to have everything they need but I have managed to find two items that would make any dad happy on Christmas morning.
My Luxury present choice would be this stunning Chinoiserie Long case Clock by William Harris of Chippenham, this fine example of a British long case clock dates to circa 1775 and is a rare provincial quarter striking and musical clock. It is for sale by P.A Oxley clocks on their website www.british-antiqueclocks.com for £17,500 and it would be a gift that would remain in the family for generations to come.
If that is a bit too rich for you this Elegant Coromandel Tantalus that was made by retailers Benetfink Cheapside has a silver-plated carrying handle and silver-plated decoration on the sides and front. It’s a wonderful gift that would get years of use it dates from circa 1880 and contains three superb full cut Hobnail decanters with faceted stoppers & star-cut bases – all contained in a satinwood surround within the coromandel frame. It is for sale on www.hamptonantiques.co.uk for £995 and I am sure it would get a lot of use over the holidays.
So what vintage Gifts could you find for the thirty-something Son, I have decided to go down the quirky route as these kinds of collectables can be the most fun and are great for the person who has everything. The luxury item I would choose would be Buzz Aldrin’s Apollo 11 training suit, signed by the man himself, Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned moon landing in history. In July 1969 he became the second person to ever step on the moon’s surface and how fabulous would it be to have one of the his signed training suits framed in your office. Well if you fancy making someone’s Christmas you can buy this from www.paulfrasercollectibles.com for the grand price of £75,000.
This might not be in most people’s budget but this is and it is one of the most fun items I’ve seen, who wouldn’t laugh when they unwrap a Piano Playing taxidermy Frog. Standing at 17cms high this little bullfrog is sure to create a fun atmosphere on Christmas morning and he is for sale at www.skinnerandhyde.co.uk for £85.
So as you can see there is plenty of choice if you fancy giving vintage gifts and in a lot of cases the presents that you find can be a lot more personal and fun.
Happy Holidays from the Divo of the Day,
George Johnson of Lady Kentmores Antiques
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George Johnson writes about antiques and quirky collectibles for national magazines and publications including Antique Info Magazine and Antiques News.
George owns Lady Kentmores antique & collectable shop in Callander, Scotland. It is very different from the majority antique shops that you might come across. But what else could you expect from someone who has a mission to make antiques and collectables “The New Rock’n'Roll”?
His life goal is to inject the antiques trade with a shot of fun and quirkiness. He started trading in antiques from an early age and has knowledge in the traditional aspects of the market. But it’s the quirky side that he finds really interesting. From 1970s platform shoes to 15th Century Pirate chests, he loves anything different.
George is from a travelling showman background and this is a heritage he is very proud of, he can trace his families’ funfair & circus roots back through both sides of his parents. This lets him bring a bit of the Victorian fairground showmanship & entertainment into the antique industry.
If you would like to find out more about George visit www.ladykentmores.com or on twitter at www.twitter.com/LadyKentmores
Christmas Shopping at Parisien Salon
2 CommentsYou must have been very, very good this year… for Santa has some great things in store for you! Parisien Salon, one of my favorite French websites chocked full of great articles on la vie Parisian, has opened an online boutique and they’re having a Grand Opening Sale! And you’re invited to partake in the fab Parisian goodies!
What better to buy the loved ones on your list than something from Paris? Better yet, you don’t have to save space in your luggage toting it home from Paris when you can order online and have it shipped to all the people on your Christmas list! Want to know what my friends and family will be getting for Christmas this year? (Shhh… don’t tell!)
My cousin will be the recipient of some Paris dish towels. What better graphic punch than La Tour Eiffel to brighten up her kitchen?
My aunt definitely needs these enamel door plates to Frenchify her home! I love how you can label the rooms in your house in French – listing the bedroom, guest room, kitchen, bathroom, powder room and there’s even a plate for labeling the basement door.
My gal pal Lisa will get to relive Parisian memories of our times spent wandering the rues of Paris together with this gorgeous photograph of the Passage St Paul nearby where she used to live in Paris. The photo was actually taken by Parisien Salon founder Linda Donahue and is done with gallery-quality metallic paper using archival inks
What better gift for newlywed friends? Monsieur et Madame napkin rings – so dinner time every day is a French occasion!
My sister will LOVE this Kasia Dietz hand-painted reversible canvas tote. You can choose from Rive Gauche or Rive Droit, but for me there’s really no choice at all…. It’s Rive Gauche all the way!
For my dear mom I cannot decide – she’s certain to love the Jules Pansu pillows… but with such great designs which one should I choose??
Should it be the jacquard weaved “I love Paris”?
Or is one of the dog pillows more her style?
And for my friend the blogger of ShesShoppingNow – it’s clearly got to be Fleur de Sel. My friend and I have toured the salt field of Ile de Re together and so we always buy each other special salt from all our travels!
Whatever you buy from Parisien Salon’s new online boutique it is sure to be Paris-Perfect. Make sure to check out Parisien Salon’s online magazine – a “Virtual Paris”. As the HiP Paris blog explains, Parisien Salon “transports readers to the city and offers resources for those planning actual journeys” giving “a true insider’s view of Paris.”
Bonne Shopping!
The Antiques Diva®
The House Directory
4 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
My colleague in England, Gail McLeod of Antiques News & Fairs who leads our English Antiques Diva Tours, has the best resources up her sleeve, so it shouldn’t surprise me that she turned me onto perhaps the best website I’ve discovered in years!
Welcome to The House Directory – the ultimate sourcebook for interior and garden decoration. I absolutely had to share this site with you for I knew that, like me, you’d be bowled over by the vast array of chic information and addresses available with the click of your mouse.
Founded by the same dynamic duo responsible for www.houseandgardenaddresses.co.uk , Nicolette Le Pelley and Cheryl Knorr are journalists with a background in interior décor. Nicolette is a former deputy editor of The World of Interiors while Cheryl is an interior designer. They put the answers to the most frequently asked decorating questions into their famous sourcebook starting in 2001 and today The House Directory serves as a fast, free and user-friendly website with no tedious log-in procedures, covering every sector of English interior and garden design and decoration, listing over 3,500 companies.
I’m particularly fond of The House Mag Blog, finding myself pouring through their site gaining interior design inspiration and checking out British design fairs and adding dates to my calendars, planning my travels around the events in their sourcebook. Clients often ask me where I learn the information I share on my tours – and I must confess – this website is at the top of my online “favorites list” as it’s a one-stop resource for the Home and Garden – English Diva Style!
Since my colleague in England introduced me to this site, I’ve literally wasted hours (er, I mean studiously studied the site in the name of hard-core research) scouring the pages of their site and clicking link after link, touring England virtually with one design shop after another. Lest there be readers Stateside who are lamenting that these addresses don’t apply to them – take heart – many, if not most, of the stores and sites recommended in their sourcebook have online stores and ship internationally, letting you bring English Diva Style home across the pond!
With a press clipping portfolio filled with quotes by heavy hitters, I think Vanity Fair hit the nail on the head when they described The House Directory on their A List as “the simple answer to my prayers… I would never decorate without it.”
The Antiques Diva®
The Elizabeth Taylor Online Auction at Christies Dec 3-17
No CommentsDear Diva Readers,
I’m starting to hyperventilate… breathing is becoming difficult and I feel all sweaty. In just a few short days the Elizabeth Taylor collection is coming up at auction! Christie’s is offering a special ONLINE ONLY sale December 3 – 17, 2011. More than 2,000 items, estimated between $100 and $10,000, are up for grabs in the online sale. The only real question is what to choose? When Taylor was asked what she would tell someone to buy if they could only own three pieces of jewelry, she said: “Start with a glamorous ring and earrings, I’d say. They are the basics for me. A pair of long, drippy chandelier earrings…diamond, of course. A beautiful pin is an add-on…or a necklace. Oh God, I also love bracelets!”
Since 2006, Christie’s has offered its clients the convenience of bidding online in real-time in all of its auctions worldwide, but the upcoming sales mark the first time that the storied auction house will host an exclusively online addition to a private collection.
The online sale complements four days of back-to-back live auctions of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor that begin on December 13 with the film star’s most iconic jewels, and continues through December 16 with additional auctions of fine jewelry, fashion, accessories, decorative arts and film memorabilia.
Given the incredible depth of Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry collection – dubbed “The Crown Jewels of Hollywood” – Christie’s has hand-selected over 500 pieces of fine and costume jewelry for the online-only sale, including exceptional Art Deco-era jewelry, and an array of signed jewels by Cartier, Chanel, Christian Dior, and Ruser, among others. This vast selection is reflective of Elizabeth Taylor’s lifelong love affair with jewelry in all its forms. Her most iconic of jewels will be featured in the live auctions on December 13 and 14 and the online sale will be comprised her many cherished “everyday” adornments of designer and costume earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, and brooches.
Of course, what Elizabeth Taylor considered everyday might be a little different than what you and I deem “day wear”! Did you know Elizabeth Taylor swam in a vintage diamond tiara? Legend has it that 3 months into her marriage to Michael Todd, the producer came home to the villa they’d rented outside Monte Carlo to discover Elizabeth swimming laps while wearing a tiara her third husband had given saying, “You’re my queen”.
And if the thought of having access to Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry is not enough… fashion will also be for sale!
More than 400 pieces from the houses of Chanel, Dior, Halston, Hermès, Oscar de la Renta, Tiziani, Valentino, and Yves Saint Laurent will be available. Fashionistas and fans alike will be delighted by the scores of meticulously-maintained designer handbags, including 22 spectacular bags by Dior and Valentino and a range of luxury accessories by Cartier, Christian Louboutin, Fendi, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Manolo Blahnik and Prada, among others.
Enough writing about the sale, I’m off to browse the Christie’s websites for their Online Elizabeth Taylor Sale!
Bonne Shopping!
The Antiques Diva®
Special Antiques Diva Event in Houston December 9
7 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
Do you live in or near Houston or know someone who does? Then you’d better SAVE THE DATE – Dec 9th for a Special Event in Houston Texas!!! I’ll be pulling on my cowboy boots and speaking on The Paris Flea Market – Texas Style at an event held in conjunction with the antiques goddess Jackie Sharbrough of The Urban Market Houston Antique Show!
This December 9th in Houston you can hear me share the story behind the story of Les Puce de Paris – The Paris Flea Market – telling you how the world’s first (and most famous) flea market came into existence and then telling you the best time to swoop into Paris to score some French finery at the best prices. I’ll share a few insider tips on other markets worth hitting in France and unveil the mystery behind international shipping, explaining how you can shop abroad just like the dealers do! Last but not least, I will tango with the Louis’ (XV, XVI and XVII) with a Parisian Furniture Primer and will confess why I often leave Paris behind and head north for better Belgium prices!
Friday, December 9, 2011
10:00am-12:00pm
Of course every chic speaking engagement needs a chic locale for holding the engagement! Where else would I speak other than Houston’s most sensational shop?
Antiques & Interiors on Dunlavy
3845 Dunlavy @ West Alabama
Houston, Texas 77006
Antiques & Interiors on Dunlavy is dedicated to providing a one-stop-shop for interior designers and antique enthusiasts. This is what prompted the owner, Mona Dees, to open this store 12 years ago. As the original high-end, multi-dealer shop, Antiques & Interiors on Dunlavy has focused on providing the highest quality merchandise to fill the design needs of its diverse clientele. 40+ dealers fill over 12,000 f2 in extraordinary merchandise including antiques, home furnishings, fine art, fine accessories, lighting, and rugs and carpets.
RSVP for December 9th with The Antiques Diva® in Houston: Jackie Sharbrough—Jackie@TheUrbanMarketHouston.com
Hope to see you in Houston!
The Antiques Diva®
Joyeux Thanksgiving
2 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
From my house to yours this holiday season I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving – er, make that un Joyeux Thanksgiving, for today we’re celebrating with French style! I tend to cook almost exclusively French cuisine (blame all those years of cooking classes at Le Ritz Escoffier and Le Cordon Bleu) so I tend to celebrate this American holiday à la française!
As an American living in Europe celebrating holidays abroad tends to take a slightly different tone than the way we celebrated back at home in the States. My husband does not have a day off from work on Thanksgiving (after all it’s not a holiday where we live) so our celebration waits til the end of the day when he comes home after a day at the office. Owning my own company – The Antiques Diva® & Co European Tours – allows me to exercise some control in my schedule and we close shop for the day in honor of the holiday as I hang up my flea market hat in exchange for the gorgeous apron my step-mother made for me a few years ago!
Today I’m making some great French Thanksgiving-style recipes from Saveur to accompany the Truffle-Scented Cornish Game Hens with Prosciutto & Wild Mushrooms recipe I found on FineCooking.com.
I always find it interesting how other expats (foreigners living outside their home countries) celebrate their home countries holidays. As my husband and I are both Americans, we share the history of Thanksgiving, but what about those Americans who’ve moved overseas and have gone native by marrying a local? My good friends Stephanie & Allison – authors of the blog La Mom – have both married Frenchmen and in their popular blog talk about what it’s like to live in France, sharing anecdotes and revealing insider information on what it’s really like to be a Parisian. Last year for Thanksgiving they were featured on French television to share how they celebrate Thanksgiving as American’s living in France. I thought you’d enjoy watching Les Americans in Paris! I’m utterly convinced these girls are going to get a TV show someday – but for now, this short video will have to suffice!In the meantime, I’ll have to love you and leave you – I’ve got a date with a bird!! For the recipe I’m using this year… keep reading!
The Antiques Diva®
(seen below with the authors of La Mom!)
Truffle-Scented Cornish Game Hens with Prosciutto & Wild Mushrooms
Recipe by Joanne Weir courtesy of Fine Cooking
Earthy mushrooms and rich, heady truffle oil make this dish a holiday standout. For the wild mushrooms, I like to use a mix of chanterelles, porcini, and morels. Serves six.
6 Cornish game hens neck and giblets removed and discarded or saved for-stock, hens rinsed and patted dry
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
3/4 lb. fresh wild mushrooms, finely chopped
1-1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
3 thin slices prosciutto (2 oz. total) cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 Tbs. white truffle oil
Season the cavity of each hen with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add the thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and the juices have evaporated, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Stir in the prosciutto and truffle oil.
Heat the oven to 425°F. Insert your fingertips at the wing end of the breast and gently loosen the skin over the breast and around the legs, being careful not to tear the skin. Divide the stuffing into six equal portions of about 2 Tbs. each. Place one portion of the stuffing under the skin and with your fingers, distribute it evenly over the breast and thigh. With kitchen twine, tie the legs together. Tuck the wings underneath. Repeat with each hen.
Arrange the birds breast side up on a wire rack set in a shallow roasting pan (or two). Melt the remaining 2 Tbs. butter and use half to brush over the hens. Season each hen with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes and brush with the remaining melted butter. Roast until the juices run clear when you prick the thickest part of the thigh and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 170°F, another 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the hens to a platter, tent with foil, and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
PAN Amsterdam
No CommentsDear Diva Readers,
Antiques Diva® Belgium & Holland Tour Guide Lucretia Hunsucker is our Roving Reporter today, sharing her discoveries this week at PAN Amsterdam!
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One of the delights of the winter in the Netherlands is the antiques fair PAN, held every November in Amsterdam RAI. For the lucky ones with an eye for beauty and deep pockets, it’s an Eldorado.
It’s as if you visit the Rijksmuseum and everything would be for sale. Saturday was the opening, a society event where the rich and famous have the privilege of first choice out of an endless array of antiques from the Egyptian era to the very hip, with everything in between. Collectors can go straight to their field of interest to add an item to their collection, generalists can just browse, till lightning strikes and they fall in love with an object. The dealers are keen on telling you all you would like to know about their treasures, don’t be shy to ask, they are very friendly! Never think you ask a stupid question. Thus I was surprised to hear from Dolf van Omme, who had both a small early painting and a pencil drawing by Mondrian for sale, that the drawing was more expensive than the painting, because it was rarer.
Another eye opener for me: 17th century art is more affordable now than more recent artworks. Also in antiques there’s the law of supply and demand, and of what’s trendy at the moment in Interior Decoration. But fashion changes all the time, don’t let it dictate what you should personally like or eventually buy.
Just imagine I win the lottery tomorrow, what would I spend it on? Probably my first choice would be something of silver, because I trust the intrinsic value of the material (the price of silver is rising constantly, as is gold), but also because it seems so indestructible. No chance of breaking it in a moment of clumsiness, which means you can use the silverware to give an extra shine to your little parties at home. You don’t even have to be a great cook to impress your guests! A simple soup would look scrumptious when served in that beautiful 18th century tureen in Louis XVI style, , which I saw in the stand of Jacob Roosjen, formerly the silver expert at Sotheby’s Amsterdam. Your bread rolls would taste divine in the solid silver (never a plated object to be found in the PAN) basket in a delightful rococo style, from 1774, made in the residence of the court The Hague.
If you’re even lazier and give only cocktail parties, what a smashing eye catcher would the huge wine cooler be, nearly 6 kg in silver, 61 cm wide, big enough to keep 6 bottles of champagne or white wine cold! It is the biggest wine cooler in this Louis XV style on the market, the dealer told me, and the Rijksmuseum has a very similar one.
Now these silver objects don’t come cheap, you could buy a small apartment in the centre of Amsterdam for the price of that wine cooler, but if my pockets were still not empty, I would certainly buy some 18th century furniture, so refined and elegant in its lines and decor. This French commode in Louis XVI style, of course ” d’epoque” (which means no reproduction of the 19th century), would come in very handy in my living room, and I wouldn’t say no to the painting of that pretty lady by Largillierre to complete the look, thanks to antique dealer Mischo van Kollenburg. I would also take that marquetterie secretaire I saw at Theo Daatselaar, fit evenly for writing romantic letters with a feather or sending a message from your laptop.
For my bedroom I would go for the Empire style, of about 1800, also one of my favorites.
I love the warm shine of mahogany with the typical gilded brass decorations you always see in this furniture of Napoleon’s days. A good mirror is a girl’s best friend, can’t live without them. My choice would be the enormous French “psyche”, as it is called, from Limburg Antiquairs. It is more than life-size, must have been made for a giant. They also offered this empire commode, made for the Palace Het Loo in Apeldoorn, what a pretty ensemble that would make!
Enough dreaming, alas! For those of you readers who have euros to spend before they evaporate, I would say: go! The fair is still open all week until Sunday the 27th of November.
Happy Antiquing,
Antiques Diva Tour Guide Lucretia
(seen below in Amsterdam on an Antiques Diva Tour)
Diva’s Only Sleep with Belvivere
2 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
I married a diva, er make that a divo. It goes to reason that a diva is drawn to their own kind, so I fear it was inevitable I ended up with someone who has equally impressive champagne tastes. My husband is particular. He is very particular. You might just say he is picky. And the quality of the linens we buy matters more to him than virtually any other decision we make in our household décor.
Over the years my husband has driven me to the brink of insanity in the bedroom. For 15 years of marriage he has disliked our sheets, duvets, bedroom linens. I tend to be a form over function kind of girl and have always bought first for look and style. To me, the sheets and duvet covers I’ve bought were comfortable enough – I was buying high thread counts and they felt fine. To my husband they were torture in the bedroom. My husband has growled, complained and nagged about everything from the weight of the duvet being too heavy to the texture of the sheets being too scratchy to a bedspread feeling sticky because it was too silky. We’ve changed our bedroom décor nearly twice annually as I tried to satisfy his particular tastes!
A couple of years ago I discovered a brand that has changed my marriage!! I discovered Belvivere! My husband feels so passionately about their luxury Italian linens that he actually wrote CEO Jay C Conti a testimonial to be included on the Belvivere website. My husband wrote…
“Okay, I admit it. I am a guy who likes good quality sheets. Over the years my wife has brought home set after set of sheets only to have me frown as I crawled into bed. No matter how much she spent or where she shopped, they never passed my comfort test. They were either too itchy, too stiff or too silky. My wife says she married ‘the princess and the pea’. Discovering Belvivere changed all that and sliding under their cotton sateen 700 thread count sheets transformed my bedtime ritual into a daily luxury. My search for the perfect sheet is over. Thank you Belvivere!”
If you’re married to “The Princess and The Pea”, I’ve got a tip that’s guaranteed to save your marriage. Buy Belvivere! And remember – Diva’s only sleep with Belvivere!
Good Night!!
The Antiques Diva® & husband seen below dining in Florence last May with Belvivere CEO Jay C Conti and his lovely wife
2 Favorite French Blogs
2 CommentsI’m making the rounds this week… and would like to give un très gros merci to 2 of my favorite French bloggers for giving The Antiques Diva & Co a shout out on their uber-hip blogs recently!!
The Antiques Diva & La Mom bloggers
My friends Stephanie & Allison, the authors of La Mom blog, are doing a sensational new series titled VIP – Very Interesting Parisians where they interview everyone from author Elaine Sciolino of La Séduction to the French journalist William Réjault (a man so interesting he even has his own Wikipedia entry). Somehow in the midst of all these très intéressant Parisians, I managed to get interviewed for the series. I’m still not sure how that happened – but think that having friends in high places (er, thanks Stephanie & Allison) might have helped secure me one of the coveted slots on La Mom blog!
In my interview they asked hard-hitting questions, getting me to reveal answers to questions on my favorite French stores, restaurants, meals, drinks and more…. Not only will you learn a little about me in this interview but you’ll also learn some great addresses for shopping in the city along the Seine. Merci La Mom for including me in your VIP List!
If you’re not already reading La Mom, you’ll want to add her to your blog roll – La Mom is actually Les Moms! Stephanie and Allison are two best friends in Paris blogging about what the tourists don’t see and “La Mom” is the character they’ve created who lives out an amalgam of Stephanie and Allison’s everyday (but extraordinary!) experiences raising Franco-American families in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
Another great French blog to follow is The Carams blog, another joint venture between amies who happen to share a passion for photography. Carina and Amanda’s blog allows you to follow their oh-so-picturesque French life through the lens of their cameras! And – as I DO write a shopping blog – I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that their site also allows incredible opportunities to buy handmade cards, photo’s d’art.
In addition to having a guest appearance on La Mom blog last month I was delighted to discover that Carams also gave me a shout out on their blog last month in an article title Brocantes – The Ultimate French Treasure Hunt. Following is just one of Carina’s gorgeous photos of her recent trip to Lille. If I know you like I think I do, I’m certain you’ll enjoy the great tips Carina gives on where to stop, shop and drop some dough at the brocantes and flea markets of France!
Merci Ladies for telling your readers about The Antiques Diva® & Co’s European antique shopping tours!
Au Revoir!
The Antiques Diva®
Guest Blog: Paris Travel Tips
11 CommentsAntiques Diva® Paris Tour Guide Jennifer is our special Guest Blogger today at The Antiques Diva® & Co!
The daughter of an antiques dealer, Jennifer’s love of all things old started at a young age. Her earliest memories are of spending long days at auctions with her father. From the Boston area originally, preppy is in her blood and though Jennifer met the (French) man of her dreams, marrying and moving to Paris a decade ago, she can’t shake that blue-blood style! Though she admits, shifting from life as an insurance professional and Junior League member during her previous life stateside to maman and femme au foyer (a fancy word for French housewife) in Paris has come as naturally to her as if she were to the chateau born! Not only does Jennifer bring great Bostonian style to Paris but she also brings bits of Paris back home to Boston. For the last decade during her spare time Jen could be found scouting Les Puces de Paris, shopping for inventory for her family antique business. Her particular favorite thing to shop for are boule d’escalier en verre (that glass ball that sits on newel posts). When Jen decided to return to work after having children, she decided that Paris was much too glamorous to continue her insurance career so she turned her passion for antiques into employment and is now a member of our Paris Antiques Diva team!
One of the many things Jen is particularly good at is sharing Paris Travel Tips with our clients. Since a lot of our Diva Readers & Clients are coming to The City of Light for the first time, Jen thought it would be a great idea to share some of her top tips – though she starts off by confessing a caveat: “not all of these tips are totally Diva-esque! Jen’s the first to recognize that sometimes even Divas are practical when traveling!”
Jen’s Paris Travel Tips
- Buy a Paris Museum Pass. Even if you are planning to visit just a few museums, consider getting a two-day pass (http://en.parismuseumpass.com/). Time is money and not wasting two hours in line at the Louvre is worth it! Don’t forget that Paris has a plethora of museums; be sure to check out some of the lesser known ones (http://www.parisnotes.com/museums/parismuseums.html).
- Buy your metro tickets in packs of ten (à l’unité vs en carnet). Always keep your ticket until you exit the metro in case you are controlled.
- If possible, don’t bring your laptop and/or activate your smart phone in France. Enjoy Paris! Do you really want your office to be able to reach you day and night or to waste your time surfing the internet when you could be sipping a kir (white wine and crème de cassis) on the banks of the Seine? Do your “friends” need a status update every time you cross the street in Paris? Trust me, we all survived before Twitter. Of course, if you’re on an Antiques Diva® Tour you might not be able to help yourself but to tweet about your fab find to make all your friends back home jealous!
- Skip your hotel’s continental breakfast; it can translate to $40 a person. Consider exploring your neighborhood and having coffee/croissants at a local boulangerie or patisserie: many have little tables. TIP: if you have your coffee standing up at the bar area of a restaurant instead of sitting at a table, your coffee usually costs less.
- Speaking of coffee, if you want milk in your coffee order a “café crème” and not “café au lait” like tourists do. The French don’t drink milk in their coffee after breakfast, so if you order a coffee at lunch or dinner it will be an espresso (ask for a café). It is always served as a separate course i.e., after dessert. Slow down and enjoy your meals like the French do. Often you will have to ask for your check, not because of bad service but because restaurants encourage people to linger over their meals.
- Bone up on military time as the 24-hour clock is still big here. I still get confused and forget that 16h is 4:00 pm and not 6:00 pm.
- Learn the names of offal in French. Might not sound important, but wait till you order “ris de veau” and your veal roast turns out to be sweetbreads! Pronunciation counts too when ordering. I’ll never forget the time I ordered Lillet (an apéritif ) and got a glass of le lait (milk).
- Carry an umbrella and sunglasses at all times because the weather can fluctuate between rainy and sunny all day long. The Antiques Diva takes this a step further and also packs a hat!
- Face it, unless you plan to launder large amounts of cash overseas, leave the money belt at home. Do carry your wallet in a safe place, such as an inside zippered pocket in your purse. Another dead give away: NO WHITE SNEAKERS! Converse and Pumas maybe, but black shoes or boots will get you further. And everybody really does wear scarves over here, even in the summer. DIVA TIP: French people even sleep with their scarf on if they feel a cold coming on!
- Leave the lipstick and hairbrush in your purse as personal grooming in public is considered gauche, but, if you’re a smoker, do get out the Marlboro Lights. It is still chic to smoke here, although you can no longer smoke in most bars and restaurants.
- Most people think to notify their credit card company that they will be traveling abroad, but if you will be buying a lot of antiques, cash is king and consider asking your bank to increase your daily cash withdrawal limit as well.
- Make sure to find out your PIN # for your credit card before you travel as many places only accept credit cards with PIN.
- It is always a good idea to look nice when visiting Paris, but leave your gems at home. The French are not blatant with their bling and it is never a good idea to flaunt your Rolex on the metro. TIP: When antique shopping at “Les Puces”, dressing stylishly yet discretely is always a good bargaining tool.
- A coffee might be 5€ in a café, but think of it as renting space for the afternoon. You won’t be bothered as you write your postcards. Better yet, order a glass of wine. It is often cheaper than soda.
- Travel with a copy of your passport, not just for security reasons but also to detaxe (partial refund on the VAT: http://www.detaxe.com/ ).
- Paying 600€ plus for dinner gets old, fast. Most of the 3 star Michelin restaurants have fantastic lunch deals (http://www.paris-best-restaurants.com/restaurants/michelin-3-star-paris-restaurants.php ) and if you inquire about our Concierge Services at jennifer@antiquesdiva.com we’re happy to help you book a table or make restro recommendations. Don’t forget to check out some of the smaller restaurants, and if you see a menu in English, RUN! TIP: Ordering “le menu” (two or three courses for a set price, usually with choices) off “la carte” is usually your best option.
- The French don’t hate Americans, just rudeness in general as they define it. It is a more formal culture and some basic knowledge of French etiquette such as “bonjour monsieur /merci au revoir/bonne journée” goes a long way.
- With a few exceptions, most of the French stores can be found in larger US cities and often with better prices. Skip the chain stores! Yes Petit Bateau has a better selection and cheaper prices in France, but did you really come here to hang at the mall? The chain “Monoprix” (like a small Target with food) is a good source for baby and children’s clothes at great prices. Just tell everybody back home that it is like a trendier Bon Point (high-end children’s boutique).
- Toilets are always plural here, even if there is just one. So always ask “Ou sont les toilettes?” and never “Ou est la toilette?”. The public cubicle-style toilets that you find on some sidewalks are now free.
- And finally, consider one of the Antiques Diva’s exciting tours by emailing info@antiquesdiva.com or customized itineraries to make your stay even more enjoyable. Only the most privileged can brag about exploring Paris Diva-style!
Bon Voyage,
Paris Diva Guide Jennifer
Mrs Wheel Barrow Goes to Paris with The Washington Post and The Antiques Diva
6 CommentsDear Diva Readers,
While this blog could begin with an “Extra, Extra, Read All About It” announcement that The Antiques Diva® was in The Washington Post blog, the story starts much further back than that. It all started when Haven in Paris wrote an article on their blog “HipParis” on The Antiques Diva & Co, giving a review of our Paris Antiques Tours.
Cathy Barrow, famous for her blog Mrs Wheel Barrow, read the HipParis article and left a comment saying “I need to do this tour!” Having long been a fan of Cathy’s writing and wonderful recipes and food discussions I jumped on the chance to meet her, emailing “Cathy we’d love to offer you an Antiques Diva tour next time you’re in Paris!” Well, bim, bam, boom… it just so happened Cathy Barrows was coming to Paris only a week or so later. With some last minute juggling of schedules we rendezvoused in the city of light! She had a tight schedule and less than 24 hours to do Paris (don’t worry – this must have been her 30th trip to Paris so she was well-versed in what she considered the highlights to hit – primarily gourmet food, shopping for gourmet food, Hermes, the flea markets and more gourmet food – you can see why I like her so). Our goal was to maximize her time soaking in all the quintessential Parisian experiences…. and to do a slew of flea marketing while she was at it, all the while power chatting over shared interests and common bonds.
The Paris trip was an afterthought in Mrs Wheel Barrow’s French Countryside excursion – for Cathy knew she couldn’t come to France and not spend some time (even if only a day) in Paris. Her real reason for coming to France was Les Grrls Meat Camp with Kate Hill’s Gascon Kitchen and Cathy had been tapped by The Washington Post to write about her week at this French cooking school for their blog. Since she was meeting me in Paris she decided that our Paris Antiques Tour was equally Washington Post blog worthy and gave some great coverage of our day!
We started the day with a chat over a Café Crème at Les Deux Magots as it turned out to be both our favorite Parisian coffee haunts. Knowing that Cathy has an incredible collection of Hermes scarves and knows not only the pattern names but also Hermes’ various artists, I’d organized a special event in her honor! I’d called ahead to Les Trois Marche de Catherine B – unquestionably the BEST source for vintage Hermes in Paris – and asked the affable and charming Catherine if they’d open early for us to view their collection in private before we dashed to the Porte de Vanves flea market and then on to another traveling one-weekend-only brocante later in the day.
Catherine greeted us with an effervescent smile and while Cathy tried on Hermes scarf after Hermes scarf, draping herself in luxury, I lovingly sported one vintage Chanel bag for the entire time I was in the shop. I’ve fallen in love with this particular purse (which sadly I didn’t photograph) but should my darling husband happen to be reading this post…(hint, hint) Catherine knows which bag I want! Can you say “DREAM CHRISTMAS PRESENT”?
Invigorated by that luxury shopping we hopped on the metro ready to conquer the day. First official Flea Market stop of the day? The Porte de Vanves flea market. Cathy had told me she was looking for less expensive items, perfectly packables and anything to do with French cuisine. She honed in on some café au lait bowls, some darling French menu cards and an array of French cutlery.
Cathy wrote in her Washington Post article about the Porte de Vanves experience, “The whirlwind shopping day never could have happened without Toma’s help. She came well-prepared and rapidly sensed what I was looking to find. I appreciated her well-trained eye and her advice about how to bargain.”
Famished from all that shopping, we decided lunch was in order! But not before we met a friend. If meeting famous blogger Cathy Barrow was NOT enough excitement for me, Cathy had arranged for us to meet up with a friend of hers for the afternoon – Author Kari Underly of “The Art of Meat Cutting”. Kari was fresh off the plane, arriving Paris only hours before we met for lunch, and would be joining Cathy at Meat Camp in Gascony. Kari had spent the last few days in NYC doing appearances on the Today Show, and meeting with Food & Wine magazine among others and burst into Paris ready to rumble!
With our stomachs rumbling we rounded the corner from Kari’s hotel and took a seat at the famous French café Le Dome. With two “Meat Camp” gals by my side I was certain they’d order entrocote, but when we saw the fish of the day go by we all three decided Poisson was in order!
From Le Dome, it was time to conquer our 2nd market of the day. Cathy wanted to get off the beaten path so rather than visiting the traditional flea market at St Ouen we visited a traveling brocante in town for only that weekend. This was Kari’s first trip to Paris – and she was a flea market virgin – so with appropriate fanfare our afternoon shopping began!
You’d never guess what the girls gravitated towards at the brocante….. ANTIQUE KNIVES!!!
After whiling away the afternoon flea marketing, we made our way back across the Seine for a little shopping and site-seeing in St Germain des Pres!
Cathy had one “must do” on her Diva Antiques Tour in Paris – she had to take time to stop at her favorite shop in Paris, L’Huilierie LeBlanc on Rue Jacob, to buy incredible olive oils and vinaigrettes. This was the one thing she couldn’t miss on her trip to Paris. Coincidentally I’d lived literally around the corner from that shop for five years and had spent my fair share of Euros in this boutique over the years – we agreed it was simply the best olive oil shop in town!
With olive oils and vinegars purchased, our arms laden with our antiques we decided the perfect way to cap off the day would be Laduree! Enjoying champagne & macaroons, we curled into a booth to meet The Antiques Diva & Co Paris team as well as the famous French blogger La Mom for a final farewell to the day. All in all, Cathy Barrow might have only had 24 hours in Paris but I’d say we made the most of her time, helping her Tour Paris, Antiques Diva Style!
To find out more about our Paris Tours email info@antiquesdiva.com – all tours are private one-on-one experiences fit for your French fancy.
The Antiques Diva
(with 2 of the 4 Parisian Diva Guides – Franca & Jen – at Laduree)
Blogs I’m Reading
No CommentsDear Diva Readers,
While I’m away shopping in London, the Cotswolds and Bath on an Antiques Diva® England Tour I didn’t want to leave you all alone, so I’ve gathered a few friends to keep you company. In case you’re not already familiar with these bloggers I want to introduce you to some of the chicest addresses in the blogosphere!
Blog’s I’m Reading:
Design*Sponge is a design blog run by Brooklyn-based writer, Grace Bonney. Launched in August of 2004, the site updates between 6-8 times per day and was declared a “Martha Stewart Living for the Millennials” by the New York Times.
As a stylish, young, interior designer living and working in New York City, blogger Heather Clawson is constantly surrounded by habitually chic people, places and things and she muses on art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, books, events, and everything else habitually chic!
The SourceBook for the Modern Home, Remodelista is written by a group of friends who share eerily similar design sensibilities; a collective design DNA and who care – a lot – about interiors. They’re known to wake up in the middle of the night to bid on Thonet dining chairs and in an entirely selfless manner – merely for the benefit of their readers – they wade through stacks and stacks of gorgeous design magazines every month!
With a tag line that reads “saving the world one room at a time”, Apartment Therapy helps their readers make their homes more beautiful, organized and healthy by connecting them to a wealth of resources, ideas and community online.
Chic Tip is a daily design blog dedicated to the art of interior design, residential architecture, stores, hotels and restaurant design featuring stores, products, artists, reviews, sales, contest announcements, trends-in-the-make and more. And it’s not just a blog; it’s a community – for designers seeking inspiration and for amateur design enthusiasts. ChicTip.com is edited and published by Michelle & Keren, both professional designers with an addiction to modern and mid-century design.
Written by Los Angeles Interior Designer Brooke Giannetti, Velvet and Linen is a blog about Brooke’s life with her Architect husband. As a California-based interior decorator, her projects often incorporate Belgian and Swedish antiques paired with industrial and outdoor elements. Brooke frequently collaborates with her husband, architect Steve Giannetti, on projects as well as their home store Giannetti Home.
Inspiring Interiors is a simply gorgeous blog, where its author painstakingly chooses some of the most inspiring interiors to give inspiration to her readers. She looks at every detail in a photo, attempting to concoct ways to copy the chicest ideas.
Happy Reading,
The Antiques Diva®
27th Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato di Firenze
1 Comment
Dear Diva Readers,
My Antiques Diva Guide in Tuscany, Susan P, did it again… she honed in on a fabulous antiques fair to tell our readers all about! Susan, in the role of roving reporter, writes from Florence sharing exclusive coverage of the 27th Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato di Firenze.
So Ciao Ciao from me, The Antiques Diva
And Buongiorno from La Dolce Diva, Susan P
GUEST BLOG
This October the 27th Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato di Firenze took place in the wonderful Palazzo Corsini which sits on the banks of the Arno in the heart of Florence, just a stones throw from the Uffizzi. It was a spectacular location for such an important event.
The ‘Biennale’ antiques fair is the oldest in Italy and one of the most important and prestigious of its kind in the world, inaugurated in 1959 at the Palazzo Strozzi as the idea of Luigi Bellini Sr, a member of the illustrious family of Florentine antiquarians. It became a cultural and social event that could not be missed, to the extent that the Florentine Fair was visited both by the members of the international jet set and by a crowd avid for curiosities, knowledge and marvels and still remains so today… an event where everyone knows everyone.
Definitely not for the casual collector; but a treat to have the privilege to view what in effect is a private museum. Termed ‘rooms’ rather than stands, each elegantly decorated and of course tastefully displayed, items having been carefully selected for the occasion. To find so much under one roof was almost overwhelming; fine and rare pieces (fearful to ask the price of most) spanning from Roman busts to 20th century art.
Names such as Canaletto (of which there were seven drawings from a private collection) and Carriera seemed the norm. 88 exhibitors, of which 14 were foreign dealers, showcased a dazzling array of over 3,000 objects which included paintings, sculpture, furniture, books and rugs… with contemporary jewellery and art to complete the picture (excuse the pun).
My favourite piece was ‘Noah’s Ark on the Mount Ararat’ by Simon de Myle, a signed and dated panel of 1570 exhibited by the Paris Gallery of De Jonckheere Paris, which I discovered was sold late spring at Sotheby’s in Paris for over euro 1,000,000, way over its estimate but is the only known piece by this artist. I could definitely find a place for this at home!
Having said that, I couldn’t help but be drawn to two paintings displayed by Robilant & Voena, who have galleries in both London and Milan.
View of the Arno
View of Piazza della Signoria
Recently rediscovered works by Thomas Patch (1725-1782) entitled, ‘View of the Arno with the Santa Trinita Bridge’ and ‘View of Piazza della Signoria’, have been conserved for over half a century in a German private collection. Patch himself was an interesting character with quite a story; he was one of the many who embarked on the grand tour of Europe, struck by Stendhal’s syndrome perhaps other enticements remained in Florence till his death, making his living undertaking commissions from rich young British men on the grand tour. His paintings today are in the Royal Collection in London and various museums.
There were also fabulous pieces of furniture and sculptures, Italian furniture. On the stand of Piva & Cie, Milan was a pair of turned and carved 17th-century tables in walnut with tops of Verona marble. But I was distracted by a magnificent, elaborately decorated 18th-century Venetian mirror, heavily gilded with inserts in mother-of-pearl (Gallo Antiquariato, Milan).
A pleasant surprise and interlude was the Diana Vreeland Gallery which specializes in jewellery from 1900 to 1970. Fabulous pieces that conjures up images of society parties in the 50′s an 60′s from great names such as Boucheron and Webb to name just two.
There were also dealers from north to south of Italy, including Naples which of course included a display of an authentic 18th century Neapolitan nativity scene.
Although out of reach for many of us, everything is for sale though destined to become part of private and public collections. Each piece is carefully vetted by two committees; the Florence export office and officials from the ministry of culture in Rome, having been authenticated and verified they are given an export license, unless it is one of the four or five items in every fair that have been considered to be of great importance to the heritage of Italy and are therefore only tradable within Italy
The location for the fair is just as spectacular: the imposing Palazzo Corsini, which sits right along the Arno not too far from the Uffizzi Museum, has hosted the Biennale since 1997. It was apparently built as a ‘casino’; no, not for gambling but the diminutive for a house (casa) in Italian. This ‘little’ house was apparently surrounded by gardens and fields – hard to believe today. The palace has hosted great personalities from the nobility of the renaissance and politicians of every epoca to Greta Garbo, Giorgio De Chirico and John Houston. The Palazzo Corsini in its subdued Baroque style with 18th-century flair is truly an amazing building and a sight to see in itself. Externally it gives little clue as to what lies inside. The imposing reception rooms designed for every occasion painstakingly stuccoed and decorated. Even a Grotto on the ground floor resplendent with encrusted shells and coral.
Lunch catering by one of my favourite, Convivium, to end the day as we took a moment to reflect; sipping prosecco on the open ‘Loggia’ terrace looking down to the Arno and up to Piazza Michelangelo and sigh, Stendahl’s syndrome perhaps?
With Love from Italy -
Susan P – La Dolce Diva
P.S. If you enjoyed this blog post about this great antique fair in Italy, you might consider booking an Italian Antiques Tour with La Dolce Diva Susan P, shopping from Florence to Arezzo, Sienna, and throughout the Tuscan borders.
Bastille Brocante 2011
1 CommentDear Diva Readers,
There’s still time for you to book an Antiques Diva® Tour during one of our favorite French Antique Fairs SALON D’ANTIQUITES BROCANTE at the PLACE DE LA BASTILLE . Held from 4 – 13 NOVEMBER 2011 some of our favorite upscale vendors will be setting up shop alongside the Seine!
This traditional fair first occurred in 1969 and has become over time a Parisian institution with undeniable French charm owing to it’s location in the heart of Paris and it’s exclusive antique atmosphere boasting over 350 French vendors!
The theme of this years event is “MINIATURE AND SMALL OBJECTS OF VERTU” so many of the vendors will specialize in offering unusual and tiny miniature precious curiosities!
LOCATION
PARIS – Place de la Bastille
ACCESS
Metro: lines 1, 5 or 8 – station: Bastille
HOURS
Daily from 11 am to 19 pm
ENTRY FEE
8 Euros
To read a past blog post about this sensational antiques fair and to see some of Paris Parfait’s photos -
click here.
For information on Antiques Diva Special Tours of the Bastille Brocante:
contact info@antiquesdiva.com
Bonne Shopping!
The Antiques Diva®
Save the Date for a French Brocante Tour March 2012
4 Comments
Photo Credit: NY Times Monika Höfler
Dear Diva Readers,
Who doesn’t love Paris in the Spring? From March 9 -18, 2012 we’ll celebrate the start of the flea market season with La Foire Nationale à la Brocante et aux Jambons – the French National Fair of the Flea Market and Ham – offering tours that combine cooking lessons at the Ritz with antiquing excursions to Renoir’s painting paradise on the Ile de Chatou! With options to book one-day or multi-day French flea market tours it’s time to go “Hog Wild” in Paris by booking a special tour!
But don’t just take my word for it, take The New York Times!
The Antiques Diva & Co was delighted to get a mention in a recent New York Times Style Magazine in an article titled Pigs & a Blanket covering this delightful Ham and Antiques Fair!
For March 2012 Tour queries – or for info on any of our antique shopping tours in 6 different countries – email toma@antiquesdiva.com
Bonne Shopping!
The Antiques Diva®
(Seen below with Antiques Diva Paris Guide Kim)
La Bella Italia
No CommentsDear Diva Readers,
One of my favorite Boutique and Luxury Hotel Booking Specialists – Mr & Mrs Smith - has just published a new book on La Bella Italia for Signore and Signora Smiths everywhere. The Mr & Mrs Smith team has slept their way across Italy, testing the most luxurious boutique hotels in the big boot from top to toe, South Tyrol to Sicily. This book features 32 hand-picked of the country’s most stylish boutique hotels: from contemporary city slickers and baroque palazzi to shabby-chic farmhouses and coastal villa retreats.
Taste olive oil in Puglia, hunt truffles in Umbria, admire art in Venice: they give the insider lowdown in what to get up to in each destination featured, and include up-to-date restaurant recommendations, advice on the best times to visit, where to go and what to pack, as well as insider tips on everything from gourmet delis to little-known festivals and vineyards.
Of course, while you’re sleeping in those best boutique hotels in Italy you’ll naturally want to book an Antiques Diva Italy Tour in Tuscany or Florence!
Take a sneak peek into this divalicious book!
Sogni d’ oro – Sweet Dreams!
The Antiques Diva®
(Seen Hiding under a Sun Hat in an Olive Grove in the Cinque Terre below)
