Chic Flea Market Finds

The heat abated slightly on Sunday so I ventured to the flea market.  I was hoping others would stay away so I would have my pick of the good stuff and I did manage to find a few treasures.  My rule of thumb for the flea market is to buy what I love and always have a price in mind before I approach a dealer. 

The first thing I bought was at the parking lot flea market on 25th Street.  The powder box on the right was very dirty but I could see it's beauty underneath.  The dealer dropped it as he was trying to decide how much to charge so I got it for $1. It has hairline cracks on the top but at least you can't see them.  The box on the left caught my eye the minute I saw it because I love that robin's egg blue color. 

It's marked on the bottom T&V France.  It stands for Tressemanes & Vogt which was a porcelain factory in Limoges, France. I loved the color so much that I didn't even turn it over.  According to the mark, it was probably produced 1892-1907.

My pièce de résistance purchase is this Marie Antoinette print.  It was the robin's egg colored mat that caught my eye and I thought it was so beautiful that I had to buy it.  The dealer had a tag on it marked $58 but I talked her down to $45. 

The dealer told me that it was probably from the time of Marie Antoinette which I of course took with a grain of salt. 

A little internet research yielded that the engraver was Jean Charles Levasseur (1734-1816) and it might actually be from the 18th-century.   I found another example online here, which alerted me to the fact that there is also has a companion Louis XVI engraving. 

I think an appraisal is in order soon.  But first I have to drop it off at the framer so I can hang it on the wall.

I also love the tag on the back of the picture.  I am wondering if it was reframed at some point so I can't wait to find out.  I wasn't going to buy anything else but on my way out of the Garage flea market, I noticed the cane bench in the top photo.  I was thinking that a bench would be nice in front of my entry bookcase so I could sit my bag down when I entered.  The $25 price was right so I took it home too.  It was very dusty and when I turned it over to clean it, I noticed a tag from Heywood Bros. and Wakefield Co. San Francisco, Cal. Turns out the company is very well known which means that I probably won't paint it as was my first instinct. The bonus of buying what you love is that it might actually be worth more than you paid.  Bonne chance!

Hello Lover...

My friends and I immediately fell in love with this orange Swedish Grace period Greek key and gilt bed in the H.M. Luther booth at The International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show last Friday.  If we could have afforded it, I'm sure we would have all fought over it.  It's perfection.  It was made around 1929 by Axel Einar Hjorth for Nordiska Kompanient.  Apparently Axel was a leading Swedish designer in the first half of the 20th-century.  The H.M. Luther website states that "his pieces of furniture for the Nordiska Kompanient were characterized by craftsmanship of high quality and advanced combinations of material. The furniture was manufactured for a financially strong clientele with modern demands."  I'd mix it in a room with abstract art, 18th-century French chairs, and 1970's bedside tables.  What would you do with it? 



Antiques and Art at the Armory

There are so many wonderful design related events this fall that my calendar is full.  A great place to learn about antiques, art and jewelry is Antiques and Art at the Armory.  The show opens today and they are offering my blog readers a 50% discount on tickets.  The tickets are regularly $25.  Please mention discount code DBLOG when ordering tickets online.  I'll see you there!

Antiques and Art at the Armory

643 Park Avenue

between 66th and 67th Streets

www.armoryshows.com

Thursday, September 30 11:00 am-7:30 pm
Friday, October 1 11:00 am-7:30 pm

Saturday, October 2 11:00 am-7:30 pm

Sunday, October 3 11:00 am-5:30 pm

Photo from 2009 Antiques and Art at the Armory show

Chic in LA: JF Chen

I remember seeing some vintage tortoise shells in House & Garden magazine many years ago that were credited to a place called JF Chen. It always stayed with me and I thought that I must visit this place someday. On my recent trip to LA, I finally got the chance. I'm not even sure how to describe JF Chen. I don't think warehouse or even store do it justice. It's really a giant jewel box. It's so expansive that I joked that I thought I should leave a trail of breadcrumbs so I could find my way out again. I read that it's treasures go all the way back to the 12th-century and up to the 1970's. The best part is that they are all displayed together in various vignettes. Since I love mixing periods and styles, I was in heaven! Christian of Maison21 and I introduced ourselves to the proprietor, Joel Chen, below, and he took time to walk through the vast space with us and to the gallery space he has opened on the lower level. More on that later. Joel has been collecting for more than thirty years and instead of traveling the world in search of the best furniture and accessories, they now come to him in the form of emails from people looking to sell. I asked him if he knew every designer and style now and he actually replied that he does not. For such a small country, Denmark had a surprising number of furniture designers and he still finds pieces who provenance is unknown. I think it is this curiosity to learn something new that keeps many of us going in the design world.

He also likes to point out the different designers who buy from him. Where else could Kelly Wearstler and Michael Smith both find furniture for their clients? Ralph Lauren also buys many of their props for photo shoots from JF Chen and I bet Mr. Lauren himself does too. Christian thought it would be fun if we both posted our favorite finds from JF Chen to see what different items we were drawn to in the showroom. It was a bit overwhelming and also hard to take photos since you didn't have much room to back up but I managed to shoot quite a lot that caught my eye. My favorites were anything Asian, especially the screens, and of course the artwork. At the end, you'll see that even the entry staircase isn't immune from decoration. After remembering the name JF Chen for years, I'm so glad that my visit was definitely worth the wait!

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic