Porte Italia Interiors, Venice
Shhhh… I have a secret I want to share: I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m besotted with Venice. On the blog, on social media, in person – at any opportunity I want to talk about Venice, dream about Venice – and visit Venice. Living in Berlin, it’s just a short flight away, and I’ve been known to pop in for a tour with a client, a meeting with a new secret source, or to attend a fabulous design salon… and always a prosecco with our two divine Venice guides, Chiara and Orseola. Last year I started taking Italian lessons – because it’s a beautiful language, and I want to be able to greet my friends in their own language. My love affair with Venice is only growing stronger – so I’m taking the plunge! I’m going to experience la dolce vita for more than a few days – I’m packing up my Berlin apartment and moving to Venice very soon. For a few years – I’m going to continue my Italian affair, indulge my passion and live in this beautiful city that makes my heart so happy. There are so many reasons I’m passionate about Venice, the following story is one of them. Ci vediamo…
If famous socialite and art addict Peggy Guggenheim were alive today, she would stumble out the back door of her 18th C palazzo – the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni – facing the Grand Canal and meander over bridges and through calli, campi and campielli’s in her neighborhood – the Dorsoduro sestiere of Venice. As she was window-shopping her way past clothing boutiques, jewelry stores antique shops and art galleries, something would catch her attention in the window of a little shop – a shop that wasn’t there before – at Dorsoduro 868.
She would pause peering in the storefront window of the pop-up shop for Porte Italia Interiors. Her manicured hand would come to cover her mouth as she studied the exquisite craftsmanship and details of the hand-painted traditional Venetian furniture. And I am certain she would sigh… “Porte Italia.” And she would come inside the pop-up shop, opening per se, the Door To Italy.
Porte Italia Interiors, whose headquarters are based north of Venice in Ronchi dei Legionari, has roots reaching back in the past. Their goal was to create furniture inspired by those famous Venetian antiques – the painted furniture of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries that in years past had enlivened Venetian interiors. Traditionally the locally made painted furniture in Venice – like the city itself – was more exuberant, whimsical and over the top than its European counterparts. Bright colors, exuberant silhouettes and whimsical motifs were the name of the game.
Today Porte Italia continues this tradition – employing locally trained artists from Venice Accademia of Arts – to create quality hand-painted furniture that can become the antique of the future. Founded by Enrico Lenarduzzi, this family-run business continues its tradition with son Emilio joining the leadership team at the small company which employees 35 local artists, decorators, frame makers, artisans, blacksmiths and carpenters. Each member of the team is dedicated to bringing the past alive in new interiors.
Taking care of every single detail… painted interior arts.
Each piece in their collection is custom made – and the company specializes in working directly with interior designers. Designers mail the company samples of the fabric to be used in an interior – and Porte Italia creates custom furniture to coordinate with the tissues used.
Precious details, bespoke Venetian creations.
And like their Venetian forefathers who always had their eyes focused out to sea, Enrico and Emilio are also looking globally for expanding their business. An average week has this father-son duo jetting from Italy to the Middle East to the United Kingdom and then popping across the pond to America. Their client list includes everyone from sheiks and sultans to princes and princesses – rumor has it that Camilla has purchased one of their tables – to rock stars and legends. One of the largest collections of Porte Italia furniture in the United States is actually in the home of a Back Street Boy!
From the wonderful 5 star hotel “Castello di Casole,” Tuscany, Italy. Handmade in Italy and entirely hand-painted inspired by the authentic Venetian techniques.
Currently seeking relevant distribution channels in the United States, Porte Italia is bringing Italy to the world. Their collection included painted doors, panels, mirrors, sofas, chandeliers and even frescos. Perhaps their bed collection has been the most popular piece in their collection – making the cover of Architectural Digest magazine as well as decorating 5-star hotels such as Ashford Castle in Ireland and the Castello di Casole in Tuscany, both members of the Leading Hotels of the World.
Discover Porte Italia
- www.porteitalia.com
- SAN MARCO, 3359 SAN SAMUELE, VENEZIA – ITALY
- +39 0481 476096
- info@porteitalia.com
- Follow
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Feature image by José Manuel Alorda
Ciao, tesoro…
Toma – The Antiques Diva
Outdoor Entertaining Diva Style
Photo Credit Jared Siskin
As summer winds to a close and before the fall breezes get too cool I’m planning my final outdoor fête on my rooftop terrace at home in my converted brewery loft apartment in Berlin. Hosting parties chez moi is perhaps my favorite thing to do in my free time. I spend oodles of time reading cookbooks (Barefoot Contessa is still my favorite) and pinning recipes on Pinterest. As always when seeking Design Inspiration I look to both my travels and my designer friends to get chic tips for living stylishly and entertaining.
The most stylish outdoor party I attended recently in the Hamptons involved both of these two things: Travel and some of my favorite Interior Designers!
Enjoying time in Libby Langdon’s booth at the Hamptons Designer Showhouse along with Tamara Matthews Stephenson, Ron Marvin and Allison Ruddick on our Antiques Diva Hamptons Antiques and Designer Tour
With Lisa Mende and interior designer Tamara Matthews Stephenson in Lisa Mende’s space at the Hamptons Designer Showhouse
Photo Credit Libby Langdon
Photo Credit Marco Ricca
Originally from North Carolina, Lisa Mende was born to entertain. When I asked her to share with me her her tips on Entertaining with Diva Style she wrote:
“Entertaining Diva style is an experience not to take lightly! The key to Diva entertaining is to consider all the elements, plan well and be at complete ease when your guests arrive. So how do we do that, you ask? First of all, let’s talk the drinks and bar cart! Every Diva has the drinks flowing when her guest arrive. Nothing will put your guest more at ease than a nice glass of bubbly or a fun cocktail! There must be good champagne and lots of it! You must also have a signature drink as an option for those who don’t like champagne. Customize the signature cocktail to color coordinate with the linens so the drink looks good on the table. Also, make sure your bar cart is well stocked with pretty glasses, a martini shaker, fun mixers, swizzle sticks and a large ice bucket.”
Photo Credit Marco Ricca
Interior Designer Lisa Mende continues:
“I’m not sure who decided we had to dine on plastic and use paper outdoors, but I say throw caution to the wind and bring on the beautiful china and linens outdoors! Divas don’t do plastic or paper when entertaining! We only serve the best! We like to make our guests feel lavish and loved! We like to make meals that can be prepared ahead, so the day of the party we can enjoy adding the final details like the flowers and candles for our table. Vary the height of candlesticks to create drama and have plenty of them. We all look so much better in candlelight, right ladies? Last but certainly not least, the consummate hostess always remembers to provide a shawl or pashmina on the back of each chair so her guest can wrap up if they get cold. When you plan well dinner parties are a gift to your guest and also to yourself. Enjoy your night and so will your guests!”
A private dinner party in the Hamptons at Libby Langdon’s home in Sag Harbor
Libby Langdon has a similar philosophy on entertaining to Lisa Mende: If the host is happy, everyone is happy! Libby loves large dinners for 60 people on her front porch. She recommends you add lots of silver and candles – and flowers – always flowers. When you can pick hydrangea from your own backyard even better!
Libby explains, “One of my favorite elements of living out in Sag Harbor is being able to entertain family and friends. Great food, delicious cocktails and lots of laughs, these are the important things in life!” Lizzy shared a few pics from a recent fête she hosted in her own Sag Harbor home. Libby advises Diva Readers when entertaining to create a signature dish – she is famous for her grilled pizza and fresh mango margaritas!
Lizzy Langdon is famous for her grilled pizza and fresh mango margaritas
The Hamptons Designer Showhouse 2017
Sunday, July 23, 2017 to Monday, September 4, 2017
11AM to 5PM
TIckets Now On Sale
Bon Appetit
Toma Clark Haines – The Antiques Diva
Sponsors and Chairs for the 2017 Showhouse
National Magazine Sponsor: Traditional Home
Real Estate Sponsor: Saunders & Associates
Regional Magazine Sponsor: Hamptons Purist
Design Sponsor: Kohler Co
Honorary Showhouse Chairman: Mario Buatta
Honorary Design Co-chairmen: Jamie Drake & Alexa Hampton
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Best Company Blog
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and that you’ve nominated us for Best Company Blog in the Amara Interior Blog Awards.
Voting is open now until September 15, 2017.
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Vote Now for The Antiques Diva & Co for “Best Company Blog” in Amara Interior Blog Awards!
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Toma Clark Haines – The Antiques Diva
Introducing the TCH COLLECTION: Bold Jewelry for Your Inner Diva
Toma Clark Haines wearing I Believe I Can Fly: Signature Piece of the TCH Collection
Photo Credit Susanna Ollmann, Ollmann Creative
I have a secret. It’s my super power. I can fly. Or at least I believe I can fly. As a child my parents always encouraged me. You can do whatever you set your mind to. They gave me roots and they gave me wings. And because they believed in me, I believed in me.
I sometimes think I must not have been like other kids. When a school teacher asked us to draw where we were going to live when grew up – my classmates drew pictures of white A-frame houses with 2 windows and a door. I drew a palazzo with neo-gothic windows and a gondola parked out front. And when my teacher said… “But Toma no one really lives in Venice…” Little 6 year old me said, “Don’t be ridiculous… of course, they do.”
Incidentally, as an adult two of my Diva Guides Chiara and Orseola live in Venice (and yes… Dear Kindergarten Teacher… the city has a population of 40,000 residents). Now I travel to Venice 6 or 7 times a year for work and pleasure (because really work in Venice is actually pleasure) and through my job as CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co I travel the world – Venice and beyond.
As a child that was my fantasy. To be a traveler. I would sit on the floor behind my fathers LazyBoy perusing a stack of National Geographics. I didn’t just study the far away places – but the clothes people wore, their accessories. I still remember the Long Neck Susans, that tribe in Thailand with elongated necks stacked high with necklace after necklaces. And fabulous chunky ethnic necklaces dangling on midnight black skin between bare breasts as a child suckled somewhere in the Congo. I snuck in the room to watch Dallas with my mother and didn’t just love the high fashion (and hair) but also the giant rocks and baubles. A diamond is forever, even if JR isn’t.
In university I studied abroad in London – I realized I couldn’t buy all the big pieces I wanted to commemorate my travels… but I could buy jewelry. It was small. Perfectly packable. Later when I would be complimented on my accessories, I would say “Thank you. I bought it in London.” Jewelry became a way of talking about my travels. The diva version of the souvenir t-shirt… And it also became an expression of me.
I love earrings and necklaces – the bigger the better. But once I put them on… I never see them again. I wear them for other people to see. But when I wear rings, I personally am able to enjoy them. All day long, whether I’m driving in my car, taking notes at a meeting, working on my laptop, or simply lingering at the end of the day over a cocktail… I see my hands.
I wear rings for me.
As many of you know I’m in a time of transition in my personal life… A time when some unexpected things have happened that I didn’t plan and I am learning how to respond and adapt to changing life circumstances. One of the things I’ve taken time to reflect on is what do I really want out of life. I love my job at The Antiques Diva & Co – and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. But somehow I want something more. Sometimes perhaps I’ve felt lost behind The Antiques Diva. The Antiques Diva is a persona, based very clearly on me and my most exaggerated traits – but The Diva is ultimately a brand. I am Toma Clark Haines.
Since I was a child I’ve wanted to be a jewelry designer. Pre-Pinterest I’ve torn images from magazines that inspired me. I’ve sketched designs on napkins when I’m sitting in a cafe and see a broach on the woman at the table next to me. Or have imagined drawer pulls as earrings. And I’ve bought vintage pieces and pondered how I could adapt necklaces to be the perfect length. This January 2018 I will be officially launching a new business in conjunction with The Antiques Diva & Co – the TCH COLLECTION – my very own jewelry line based upon years of being a traveling fashionista. Working with some of our favorite antique dealers, interior design showrooms and concept stores selling our line of jewelry cross promoting with our current following in the antique arena.
The Palm Beach – TCH Collection
Moonstruck – TCH Collection
Diva Cupcake – TCH Collection
The Rock Star 2 – TCH Collection
Jewelry Photography by José Manuel Alorda
In taking the decision to launch a second business I am taking a chance –– a gamble – on something new. The one thing I have learned as CEO of my core company – The Antiques Diva & Co – is that there is only one secret to success. In order to be successful you simply have to keep on doing whatever it is you do. Success comes to those who are willing to first take a step forward. Success stays with those who keep stepping forward every day.
If you’re shopping Antiques for Everyone in England this week – stop by and see the collection first hand. (pun intended).
ANTIQUES FOR EVERYONE
Antiques for Everyone is the largest and most established vetted art, interiors and antiques fair outside of London. Buy with confidence from an inspiring array of eclectic categories of beautiful, unusual and rare objects from antiquity to the present day.
The Summer Antiques for Everyone Fair is taking place Thursday 20 – Sunday 23 July 2017
Investing in Emotional Assets
Antique Linens as Part of Your Investment Strategy
Here at The Antiques Diva® & Co our job is to help our clients make smart investments in antiques. Whether they are private clients who are looking to purchase antiques for their own home or trade clients seeking to stock their stores, we strive to show our clients the best antiques for their budget and advise them on what pieces are wise investments. We understand that when people spend money, they want to make sure they’re spending it wisely.
photo: Suzanne Costa, Toma Clark Haines, Pandora de Balthazár
Fine antique linens are an emotional investment
Antiques are unique in the fact that they can be both financial as well as emotional assets. Think about it – an antique will most likely retain its value, if not increase in value over the years. It’s a simple case of supply and demand. However they can also act as emotional investments. Many antique lovers can relate to the sensation when you find a piece that “calls out” to you. Perhaps it was a piece you’d been searching for or maybe it reminded you of your childhood or a grandparent or heck, it makes your home feel like you’re living on the cover of Elle Decor! Whatever the case might be, antiques have the ability to connect with us emotionally! It’s more that just shopping – it’s therapy when you buy antiques!
As Brand Ambassador for Pandora de Balthazár, I’ve come to appreciate the emotional investment in fine antique linens – particularly bedding. I’m always on the go, traveling the globe for business and pleasure. Long hours, jet lag, and varying time zones often take a big toll on my physical body as well as my emotional state. After meeting Pandora, I learned about her European Sleep System, which is literally life changing! After all, we spend about 1/3 of our lives in bed, so why not tend to this time as much as we do our waking hours? In short, If I’m in bed, I want it to be relaxing, deeply restoring, and a satisfying experience. I want to rest and wake up refreshed. Investing in linens – particularly high quality new & antique linens – makes all the difference.
Antique lace and linens from Pandora de Balthazár
Antique linens can also be good financial investments. The World Wealth Report advises investors to consider allocating a portion of their fiscal resources to emotional assets because they enhance portfolio diversification; bring a proven store of value, especially in times of crisis; give them a good inflation hedge; offer a unique type of return; and represent the potential to benefit a portfolio from rapid price escalation. The report also explains that emotional assets—such as art, diamonds, rare stamps and coins – pose no systemic and contagion risk to a portfolio. Who knew antique linens could be an important part of your investment strategy?!
The point of collecting – or buying anything really – is to enhance one’s life. In a world where we are bombarded with advertisements to buy the newest model of everything and where we are overwhelmed with options, perhaps it is a good idea to look toward the past for comfort and assurance. Investing in pieces you use on a daily basis is an important emotional and financial decision. Antique linens are beautiful, functional, and add comfort to your everyday life. If that’s not a worthy investment, I don’t know what is!
Custom, couture bedding by Pandora de Balthazár – The Antiques Diva Collection
The Antiques Diva Couture Bedding by Pandora de Balathazár is available made-to-order to your specific requirements and preferences. Pandora’s design team will work with you to design luxurious custom couture bedding for your décor and lifestyle.
Contact: Pandora de Balthazár Lifestyle
For more information on Pandora de Balthazár’s collection of fine linens, check out their website or email us at info@antiquesdiva.com.
Toma Clark Haines, The Antiques Diva®
Sourcing Custom Fashion Design in Phenom Penh: Romyda Keth
Custom Couture For A Curvy Diva
Toma Clark Haines wearing Romyda Keth with Steven Fevreau at the Antiques DIva Annual Champagne Brunch at the Paris Flea Market
I have a bit of a reputation… in addition to drinking entirely too much champagne, I’ve got a penchant for high heels and fabulous dresses. In fact one of my most frequently asked questions when I speak is and when I meet clients and brand followers in real life.… “Where do you get your dress?” And while I’m a fan of both high end and low end – from DVF to Laundry – I look for items that flatter the figure. I’m a curvy girl and what curvy girls everywhere know is you can look fat… or you can look curvy. I choose the latter.
I’m going to let you in on one of my biggest fashion secrets… This January we hosted our annual Paris Champagne Brunch at Paul Bert Serpette in the Paris Flea Market – I wore a sensational cape-sleeved knee-length red jacket with a simple strapless tube dress underneath. The design was a one-a-kind design by Cambodian Designer Romyda Keth.
Romyda Keth custom fashion house in Phenom Penh
I first visited Romyda’s shop this summer while laying the groundwork for our Phenom Penh Design Inspiration tours. One of the things I love about our Asian Antiques Diva Tours is #ItsNotJustAntiques – from helping you find a furniture factory to custom-make your designs, to art studio and gallery tours to giving you access our favorite local craftsmen whether that’s hardware for your furniture and doors or lantern and lighting makers or simply a fabulous tailor…. A stop in Romyda’s shop is fabulous for retail therapy for fashion hunters, but even if you’re not looking for clothing it is worthwhile for the design inspiration. (Plus she has a maison store next door).
BOOK A CAMBODIA ANTIQUES TOUR
For years – even before we started working together and were just friends – I’ve admired my colleague Angela Somwaiya’s wardrobe. Angela now heads up our Asia Antiques Diva Tours. She is statuesque, standing a good head above me. She’s gorgeous, very sultry and has a mysterious look and wears the most amazing dresses of anyone I know. Curvy, Vivacious and Va Va Va Voom.
Romyda Keith dress on Antiques Diva Asia Guide Angela Somwaiya
I was thrilled when as we were heading to Phenom Penh as part of our groundwork for setting up our Antiques Diva Asia Tours Angela asked… “Toma, is it possible we can make time to shop at my favorite dress store?”
My fitting for a custom dress at Romyda Keth in Phenom Penh, Cambodia
In South East Asia when you attend a social event the well-heeled who’s who will all be wearing Keth’s designs. But the amazing thing… not one of the women will be dressed the same. Keth only makes 1 dress in each size for every design. Created in her onsite factory, the designs are done in a gorgeous Khmer silk in a harmony of colors cut specifically to emphasize on women what differentiates them from men. From now on a trip to Asia is not complete without at least a 36-hour stopover to stock up on my fashion needs for the next season.
Atelier Ambre by Romyda Keth
Romyda is Cambodian-born, was raised in Paris and studied at the Paris School of Fine Arts and at top fashion design school Esmod. She is one of the few Asian designers to have established a worldwide following; after the first Atelier Ambre opened in Cambodia in 1999, the brand has since expanded to Middle East, Africa, Australia and the rest of Asia. Her designs are all about COLOR and CURVES. Those are the key words that describe my fashion sense. Each item is custom tailored on site, fitted by Romyda. And for a luxury brand creating nearly one of a kind designs the prices are reasonable. I think my custom fitted dress and jacket combined were around $300. The dresses I purchased ran between $75 and 150 USD. For more information visit Romyda Keth.
Kheunh anak chab,
Toma Clark Haines, The Antiques Diva®
Identifying Your Tactile Personality
Choosing Antique Textiles For Your Diva Bed
Here at The Antiques Diva® & Co, we work with a wide variety of clients from all over the globe. In helping clients source antiques, we come across requests for many different styles. Whether we’re assisting a private client with finding artwork to fit their taste and complete their home or working with a trade client to stock their store with 18th-century French pieces, understanding each individual’s style is crucial to getting the job done correctly. Asking clients questions and looking over inspiration photos is a great way to discover their style, but some things require a bit more of a… let’s say, hands on approach! When sourcing antique textiles, for example, you really have to consider not just the appearance… but how do the textiles feel?
As Brand Ambassador for Pandora de Balthazár, I’ve learned about identifying a person’s tactile personality – and I’m learning how this relates as I’m creating my own monogrammed bed line for Pandora. While aesthetics are certainly important, the process of building your own Diva Bed begins with touch… as I demonstrated to Derrick Ricketts, VP Dallas Market Center, above!
Consider covering your eyes and running your fingers along a variety of fabrics – this will instantly show you what your preferences are:
- Do you sigh in relief at the soft touch of cotton or do you appreciate slightly stiffer linens?
- Do you long for the feel of smooth silks or do warm velvets satisfy you?
Answering these types of questions allows you to take note of what textiles you gravitate toward.
Antique Shams from Pandora de Balthazár
Creating a bed that reflects your tactile personality involves bringing together visually enticing textiles that will also increase your comfort. Before purchasing linens for your bedroom it’s wise to understand the look and feel you are going for. At Pandora de Balthazár, there are over two million one-of-a-kind linens of the finest quality. These pieces include everything from antique French heirloom linens and primitive Austro-Hungarian Empire textiles to Art Deco and Bohemian specimens. The process of identifying a client’s tactile personality includes touching several different fabrics as well as selecting pieces that are visually appealing. As examples are pulled, a theme begins to emerge. It’s similar to tearing out magazine clipping of rooms you love or creating a Pinterest board to help pull your inspiration together before decorating a space.
Once there is a significant “yes” pile of textiles, the process of elimination is used. Maintenance, budget, color, and aesthetics are all taken into account. Everything from bedding and decorative pillows to curtains and table linens are selected to complete a cohesive look. Whether you select museum-quality pieces or vintage textiles, the end result should be a well thought out room that is luxurious based on your own definition of luxury.
Pandora de Balthazár Embroidered Trousseau Shams
As with any design project, creating a bedroom based on your tactile personality does not have do be done in one fell swoop. After you identify your tactile personality, it’s perfectly fine to allow the textiles to come together over time. In fact, Pandora de Balthazár keeps a database which holds client’s preferences so ordering can be accomplished with ease, even if clients live far away.
If you’re the type of thoughtful person who enjoys creating a home that is truly individual, discovering your tactile personality and building a bedroom around it will be a fun and enlightening experience.
Pandora de Balthazár Antique Monogrammed Trousseau Shams in Rose
TO ORDER CUSTOM COUTURE BEDDING
The Antiques Diva Couture Bedding by Pandora de Balathazár is available made-to-order to your specific requirements and preferences. Pandora’s design team will work with you to design luxurious custom couture bedding for your décor and lifestyle.
Contact: Pandora de Balthazár Lifestyle
For more information on Pandora de Balthazár’s collection of fine linens, check out their website or email us at info@antiquesdiva.com.
Bonne Nuit,
Toma Clark Haines, The Antiques Diva®
A Case For Couture Bedding
Creating a Couture Bed is an Act of Self-Love
For years I’ve joked that I have an haute couture body… Simply put, I love all things luxury. From 1st class flights (upgraded for free, bien sur… I may love luxury, but I also love a good deal… ) to champagne, fashion and jewelry, I was born to live the Diva lifestyle. I believe every day should be lived beautifully and with grace. This joie de vivre is something the French have embraced for centuries from fine dining to wearing only the finest quality clothes. However, it was not until I became Brand Ambassador for Pandora de Balthazár that I realized I could experience luxury during sleep as well! Pandora has spent years traveling the globe in search of fine antique textiles, and as a result has amassed one of the largest collections of linens in the world. She’s collected knowledge and experience along with textiles and has even created a European Sleep System. Perhaps one of the best things she’s taught me, however, is about couture bedding. While many of us are familiar with couture clothing, couture bedding is something that can change your every day – or should I say every night– life for the better.
Couture Bedding by Pandora de Balthazár
I often find myself in conversations about why antiques are relevant today. In a world of throw-away pieces, antiques are made of quality materials and are meant to last. They are also unique and often one-of-a-kind, which is what people are after. Today’s discerning buyer wants to purchase pieces that show off their individuality rather than something that’s been mass-produced. From clothes to furniture to art, people want the things in their lives to reflect them. That’s where couture bedding comes in. Creating a bed to your specific requirements and taste is a luxury in itself!
When just beginning to create a vision for what you want your bed to look and feel like, Pandora suggests sitting on your bed, closing your eyes, and concentrating on your breath. The calming effects of taking air into your lungs and slowly exhaling puts you in a serene state of mind, as if you are just awakening. From this relaxed place, open your eyes and think about what it is you want to see when you first wake up each morning. What is it you want to feel? Would you prefer soft colors or bold invigorating hues? Do you want to be enveloped in sumptuously soft cottons or does a slightly stiff linen blanket sound perfect to you? Making choices from this frame of mind ensures that you aren’t just buying what’s offered you. It means that you’re aware of your specific wants and needs, allowing you to create a couture bed!
The Antiques Diva custom couture bedding line is available to order
Just as fashion changes with the seasons, your bed should reflect them too. In the summer months, you may opt for an antique white linen blanket cover, perhaps with delicately embroidered flowers on it. Soft colors like trousseau blue and pale pink will make a room feel airy and light, perfect for those bright warm mornings and evenings filled with lingering twilight. In the fall, you may choose a beautiful cotton blanket cover to go over a Hungarian goose down duvet or perhaps add a plaid wool blanket to the end of the bed which can be pressed into use on a chilly night. Perhaps one of the easiest and most fun ways to create a couture bed is by using accent pillows. Whether they are patterned, uniquely shaped, or monogrammed, accent pillows instantly add personality.
Couture pillows by Pandora de Balthazár
Regardless of your personal style, creating a couture bed is an act of self-love that offers great returns. Think about it – we spend about 1/3 of our lives in bed and it’s where we begin and end each day. Shouldn’t it be a special place that speaks to the taste, style, and personality of the one who sleeps in it? Creating a couture life for your sleep – if that’s not part of the Diva lifestyle, I don’t know what is!
To Order Custom Couture Bedding
The Antiques Diva Couture Bedding by Pandora de Balathazár is available made-to-order to your specific requirements and preferences. Pandora’s design team will work with you to design luxurious custom couture bedding for your décor and lifestyle.
Contact: Pandora de Balthazár Lifestyle
Bonne Nuit,
Toma Clark Haines, The Antiques Diva®
WrapUp Spring High Point Market 2017
Spring High Point Market
And it’s a wrap. Another High Point Market came and went in a flurry of silver fox fur, fantasy designer inspiration tours, champagne soirees and late night foot baths soaking my aching toes. Yes. I might be the only person at Market who does it in stilettos, but how else will I earn the right to call myself the CEO in Stilettos?
The Antiques & Design Center at High Point Market stole Market as the MAIN attraction – literally anyone who was anyone in the design community was seen sourcing there. I took a huge group on my annual Early Bird Champagne Tour and was delighted that Ruthie Staalsen of DecRenew did an Instagram Takeover for IDS National and Instagram LIVED my tour allowing viewers not at Market to experience this #NoPassportRequired Antiques Diva® tour in America. So many of our fabulous clients are now selling at shops in America… that it occurs to me, maybe I should be doing more than just PR antiquing tours stateside #WatchThisSpace
Behind every diva… there is a secret. All those fabulous jewels you see me wear? Yep… IF they are not part of my new TCH 
Collection that’s in development – #WatchThisSpace – then they are often on loan… I want to give special thanks to a fabulous dealer at Market. Donnie Grissom at the HPMKT ADC loans me gorgeous real jewels each day of Market so that I can not only call myself a Diva – but also give those gals on Dallas a run for their money. He knows my philosophy is that MORE is MORE. We start the morning with a blank canvas. Usually, a wrap dress and a fabulous pair of heels and then Donnie begins adding the accessories. Turquoise brings out my eyes, he informs me. That brooch strung on a necklace hits the perfect spot on the décolleté. Never wear a big bold ring on the same hand as your bracelet. And when it’s not my TCH COLLECTION or Donnie Grissom’s jewels bedazzling me… it’s often Nancy Price loaning me Aura. Having friends to help style me at Market makes all the difference in being camera ready!!!
All modesty aside… We knocked it out of the park on our Global Sourcing Panel at Aidan Gray Home at High Point Market. But don’t take my word for it… watch for yourself. I handed my colleague my phone so they could Facebook Live it and as luck would have it, about the time my data-roaming reached freak out mode, Nick May of the Chaise Lounge podcast came along and began his Facebook Live of the event. CEO of Aidan Gray Randal Weeks, Wendy Estes of Layla Grayce, Susan Jamison of Bridget Beari Designs, and Michael Mitchell and Tyler Hill of Mitchell Hill discussed their experiences in sourcing antiques overseas, manufacturing furniture in Asia, and doing design projects without borders. We highlighted what the problems were – red flags to watch out – dove headfirst into the topic of international antiques and furniture shipping – as well as discussed the simple fact that Global Sourcing could change your business… and change your life!
One of my favorite showrooms at Market is always Currey & Co – this market they
launched Bunny Williams lighting line. Meeting Bunny was a dream come true… She’s a Design Icon and one of the women I most respect in this industry. As I shook her hand I had a PINCH ME MOMENT as I said, “I’m Toma Clark Haines,” and she said, “I know who you are. You’re The Antiques Diva. You’re Amazing. You’re the lady who is making antiques mainstream.”
More and more, Market is full of these Pinch Me Moments. When I was introduced as Brand Ambassador for Pandora de Balthazár last fall they launched a fragrance in my name “Toma”. To this day it is still one of the most amazing things that has ever happened to me. It was incredibly exciting when a former client on a tour recognized me hanging out in the booth and came to chat with me. When she saw that there was a fragrance in my name she said: “I must 
buy it!” While Pandora has sold cases and cases wholesale for retail stores across America this was my first time I was there when a purchase of my signature fragrance was made! It tickled me pink.
Speaking of la vie en rose… this Market was chocked full of exciting opportunities. Imagine my surprise when James Swan of Million Dollar Decorating Podcast impromptu interviewed me while I was touring market as did DesignerInc. Mark Cutler whipped out the camera and gave me their 10 questions on design. You’ll be surprised to learn what I wanted to be when I grew up… (okay… spoiler alert… a veterinarian) and, “What my least favorite thing is about working with designers?” For that, you’ll have to stay tuned. I will be providing links for both as soon as available. Style Spotters Gary Inman and Courtney Allison featured us at Pandora de Balthazár on both their whistle-stop tours of Market Square.
In the midst of this… meetings with new and long term clients are the real reason I go to High Point Market. What many people don’t understand is that we don’t just do antique buying tours, we do design inspiration tours. Many of our clients are furniture manufacturers seeking to source samples for developing their next line. I fear I might be running out of ink in my Tiffany Blue ink pen signing confidentiality and NDA agreements after this market.
Net net… This High Point Market was a whirlwind. Thanks for the memories.
Until next Market,
Toma Clark Haines, The Antiques Diva®
The Timeless Bed
Toma Clark Haines meeting with rockstar interior designer Justin Shaulis
Let’s Meet at
High Point Market!
I will be at Pandora de Balthazár’s Suite at High Point on Sunday, April 23, from 3-6pm. To schedule a high-powered business meeting with me (in bed, bien sur!) email for an appointment: toma@antiquesdiva.com.
The Art of Sleeping
As someone who travels for both work and pleasure constantly, I find myself in many different time zones, often sleeping on planes, trains, or automobiles – hopefully not while I’m at the wheel but rather curled up in the passenger seat of the car! When I have the luxury of sleeping in my own bed, I want to enjoy every single second of it!
Becoming Brand Ambassador for Pandora de Balthazár has changed my life because she has taught me so much about the art of sleeping. Yes, it is an art! From selecting the right linens, to making the bed, to actually getting into bed and calming your body as it prepares to sleep, Pandora is an expert on getting the most out of the 1/3 of your life you spend under the covers. To help people achieve a light, soft, yet crisp sleep experience, she’s developed something called The Timeless Bed.
The Timeless Bed is the complete infrastructure that enhances the sleeper’s comfort due to its architecture of support and insulation, which assists in regulating temperature, allowing the body to breathe. How many times have you climbed into bed on a cold night, covering yourself from head to toe, only to awaken in the middle the night completely drenched in sweat? That is NOT a Diva-like experience! Hmm… Diva’s glisten and glow, not sweat! Pandora’s Timeless Bed addresses temperature issues by creating a soft fluffy feeling while also remaining airy so you rarely feel the need to toss the covers away.
Experience The Timeless Bed by Pandora de Balthazár
The Timeless Bed starts with a natural mattress protector filled with either cotton, wool, down or batten. The protector fits tightly and protects the sleeper from chemicals in most mattresses. Next, comes the down mattress pad. Unlike a traditional feather bed, this natural, machine-washable Hungarian down and feather mattress pad comes in an 80/20 ratio. Mattress companies have been trying to address top-of-bed issues such as temperature control without much success. The Timeless Bed’s mattress pad creates a breathable corridor of air beneath the body, which is a critical element in Pandora’s success. The down mattress pad is then topped with not one but two fitted deep-pocket sheets. Why two, you ask? The bottom fitted sheet protects the down mattress pad and keeps it clean, and the top one keeps all of the aforementioned substructure firmly in place.
Next comes a flat bottom sheet of 600 to 1000 thread-count which should not be tucked in, but remain floating. These sheets are cool, crisp, and substantial. If desired, antique linens can be substituted for the bottom sheet. All of these layers are under the body, giving a cloud-like effect while remaining breathable.
Over the body, a flat top sheet drapes, again untucked. On top of this sheet goes a very light sleeping duvet. Pandora’s light duvets are the lightest on the market and are machine washable, which makes maintaining them a breeze. You could also use a heavier duvet based on personal preference. By adding Pandora’s European Sleep System to The Timeless Bed, you will complete the perfect bed!
Once this foundation is in place, it’s time to add fun pieces such as antique pillow cases, blankets and other decorative items. Throw pillows made from decorative pieces of antique textiles are a great way to add personality to The Timeless Bed as well.
Toma Clark Haines and Pandora de Balthazár
Just like a fine antique French chest made from solid wood, then adorned with marquetry, ormolu, and beautiful hardware, The Timeless Bed begins with a firm foundation built for function and can be adorned to suit any taste.
Sleep well,
Toma Clark Haines, The Antiques Diva®
