The Buzz on Antiques

WORD of the DAY: HARLEQUIN

2011-04-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

In the antique trade, you often hear of "harlequin" pairs. But what exactly does that mean? No, it's not a sneaker, at least not to antiquarians:

I always thought a harlequin meant a clown and actually it does. Here's the harlequin clown as depicted by Picasso in 1918:

The term originally referenced the clown figure Arlecchino in the Italian traveling art troupe known as the Commedia dell' Arte (dating back to the 16th century). That figure is traditionally represented wearing diamond patterned multi-colored tights. Paul Cezannes' painting, Harlequin demonstrates this patterned motif and character:

But antiquarians use the term harlequin to mean a pair of items that are similar but not exactly matching. My guess is that this comes from the harlequin pattern where the diamonds match but the colors do not, hence they too are similar but not matching.

Here is a harlequin pair of 18th century Dutch brass candlesticks. Note how at first they appear identical but on closer inspection the triangular bases are of different sizes and the nozzle stems for the candles also differ in shape:

Another example would be this pair of late 18th century Louis XIV French Walnut Armchairs. Can you see how they differ?

The chair on the left has a shaped stretcher between the two front legs, unlike its harlequin twin on the right. And the shape of the arms differ in that the one on the left has more pronounced front portions curving down than does the one on the right.

Similar but not matching antiques like these are called "harlequin" pairs or sets.

MY INTERVIEW WITH PAUL VINCENT WISEMAN: THE LOST FOOTAGE

2011-04-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

I love it when those reality TV shows like "The Real Housewives of 'Fill in the Blank'" try to stretch their season by adding episodes called "From the BRAVO vaults: the Lost Footage."

Yeah, I know, there are no vaults at Bravo and this footage was never lost, but even so it's usually interesting stuff. And sometimes it's the most interesting stuff! Like when Tamra in "Orange County" went swimming in the lady pond (whatever that means) with her Brazilian girlfriend/trainer who's really cute but kinda mannish. The point is that I really like "lost footage" because it's just plain fun.

Photographer: Matthew Millman

So I was thinking, in my recent Decorati interview with Paul Wiseman, one of the deans of American interior design, the interview ran a bit long because we were having so much fun.

And because of the length, some parts just couldn't fit into the article. In other words, as they say in Hollywood they ended up on the "cutting room floor" (don't forget I was born in Hollywood-adjacent Van Nuys so I know these things).

Photographer: Matthew Millman

So from the vaults of The Buzz on Antiques, here is some NEVER BEFORE SEEN "lost footage" (OK, "lost verbiage") from my Interview with Paul Vincent Wiseman:

Q: Paul, how's the interior design industry changed since you started out?

A: When I started my business about 30 years ago, a lot of the really “big” decorators were crooks.

Q: Did you just say crooks?!

A: I certainly did and I meant it.

Buzz thinking to himself: OMG, this is SO great! Maybe I’ll get a Pulitzer for this interview-I mean it’s really more like hard-hitting investigative reporting. Or forget the Pulitzer, what about a Nobel Prize?! I could go to Sweden! Or is it Norway? A cruise to Scandinavia! I love cruises.

Photographer: Matthew Millman

Q: Crooks. Ok, please go on.

A: It’s just that I could see that many of the “big” decorators back then weren’t dealing straight with their clients. They were being sneaky and dishonest.

Photographer: Tim Street-Porter

Q: How were they doing that?

A: In different ways. Like saying a carpet was custom woven in Crete by virgin mermaids and charging a ridiculous price when the rag really came from some shlocky furniture line in Grand Rapids.

Photographer: Tim Street-Porter

Q: So what did you do, call in the Feds?

A. [Smiling] No, nothing that dramatic. But I saw an opportunity not just to do the right thing but also a way to stand out from the crowd by building a business on not just my talent but also my integrity. And I think I’ve succeeded in that regard.

Photographer: Christopher Irion

Photographer: Matthew Millman

Q: And how did you go about doing that? Did you parade around the Design Center wearing a sandwich-board saying, “I’m the honest decorator!”?

A: [Laughing]. Not exactly. I started by hiring lawyer named Naomi Ramsden who was tired of practicing law. She wanted to work with creative people and also knew about the sorry practices being used by the “big guys” back then.

Photographer: Matthew Millman

Q: How did she help you?

A: She taught me about my bottom line—and that if you don’t understand it, then you can’t create a fee scale that’s fair and reasonable. She also taught me how to communicate to clients exactly what I would provide in terms of goods and services and that my goal was to make a fair and honest profit. Naomi taught me to be very clear with clients and vendors as to how I make my living. My clients see all of my invoices and backup documentation, whether they request it or not and they know that I always negotiate the best price I can from vendors. They understand that I charge a percentage on that negotiated price as my fee along with the time spent on their project. My clients also know that my mark-up percentage is the same for everyone–there are no exceptions.

Photographer: Tim Street-Porter

Q: Do you offer multiple fee arrangements to your clients, like “hours plus mark-up” or “comprehensive flat fee deals”?

A: No. I offer the same fee arrangement for everyone. There are no exceptions. I charge for hours plus a percentage. A set lump-sum fee arrangement is a disaster and it never works in the client’s favor. I’m amazed that some clients actually believe that a designer is going to quote them a flat fee that’s not going to cover all of his costs and include a nice profit. Every designer offering a flat rate knows that in decorating people always change their mind. They add on features and items as the process unfolds. And this inevitably adds to the costs. Flat fee designers build this contingency into their lump sum fee.

Photographer: Tim Street-Porter

Q: How has the onslaught of decorating websites affected the world of design and you personally?

A: Online sites like Decorati and First Dibs are great for preliminary shopping. Of course, we never buy something, certainly not an antique or vintage piece, without seeing it first. Photos of antiques you see online are often better than the objects themselves. Unique objects have to reveal their soul. And they can’t do that through only photographs. But for viewing furniture lines as we do on Decorati and seeing what other designers are doing, online media is very useful and wonderful.

Photographer: Matthew Millman

Q: What are some well-known public spaces, like buildings or restaurants, that you’ve designed?

A: Almost all my work is private residential and so by definition it’s not “well known.” Of course, many of my clients’ homes have been featured in Architectural Digest, Veranda, Traditional Home and other shelter publications. The only somewhat public space I ever did is Nanea, the very private golf club on the Kona Coast of Hawaii. And it was also published in Architectural Digest.

Photographer: Matthew Millman

Q: OK, then let’s talk lead times and deadlines. Are clients requesting quicker deadlines and how do you handle those requests?

A: Yes and it’s a problem. Especially with younger new money clients who want “instant” results. I try to educate them that we aren’t selling a product but rather a process. If they want just product, they can go to any retail store and see the quality and style available instantly. Once they see what’s out there, they usually back off.

Photographer: Tim Street-Porter

Q: What will be different about the interior design industry in 15 years?

A: I think the line between retail and wholesale will go away. There won’t really be a wholesale market and everyone will just pay retail.

Q: Ok, that’s kinda scary since C. Mariani is a wholesaler. You think I should start job hunting?

A: [Laughing]. No Buzz, I think that Claudio and you will be around for a long time to come. But look how most of your wholesale competitors have gone out of business in this recession.

Q: Guess that's true. Anyhow, it's now time to play our “lightning round!” Name your favorite…

Q: Actress?

A: Meryl Streep

Buzz aside: If I ever become Head of Casting at a big Hollywood studio, I’m going to make “Little Bo Peep-The Movie” just so I can scream: “ I want Streep for Peep!”

Q: Movie?

A: “I am Love”

Q: I don’t believe it! That’s my all-time favorite too!

Buzz’s off-the-record confession: Never heard of it.

Q: TV show?

A: I don’t watch television.

Q: [Shocked] Not even The Real Housewives?! Ok, I can understand not watching “Miami”-the Cuban accents are hard to understand. But “Beverly Hills” is so great. Although I’m sad “Camille” isn’t coming back. And “New York” is a must see. Plus “Orange County”-that one’s getting really good again-did you see that “Vicki” divorced “Don”!? What a tragedy. Makes me sad because he was so nice.

A: Pardon? I really haven’t watched TV for 25 years.

Q: Oh, OK. Yeah, me neither except the occasional Masterpiece Theatre.

Buzz comment: You didn’t really expect me to confess that I’m a reality TV junkie, did you? Paul’s an important client and I have an image to uphold.

Q: Singer?

A: Judy Collins

Q: Judy Collins?. Is folk music making a comeback?

A: [Silence]

Q: Never mind. What’s your favorite book?

A: That would be tie between “War and Peace” and “Red and the Black.”

Q: Food?

A: Boy that’s a tough one. [He pauses]. I’d have to say Jean Georges’ Seared Foie Gras with mango and orange juice reduction.

Q: I'd have to say does Safeway carry that?

A: I doubt it.

Q: Broadway play or musical? Wait! Don’t tell me! I’m guessing “Annie!”. Am I right?

A: [Laughing] No, but you’re close: “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?”

Q: I’m not sure. Who is Sylvia?

A: That’s the name of the play.

Q: But which of those plays is your favorite, “The Goat” or “ Who is Sylvia”?

A: [Looking up, shaking his head and clearly frustrated]. Buzz, it’s getting late-just say “Annie” and you can correct this later in editing.

Q: OK. Favorite soprano (opera coloratura not the HBO show)

A: Joan Sutherland

Q: She looks like a football player.

A: Is that a question?

Q: Um, what's your favorite football team?

A: Why would you ask me that?

Q: Because of Joan Sutherland.

A: OK then, next question.

Q: Favorite NASCAR driver?

A: What’s NASCAR?

Q: I’m not sure. Maybe a football team.

A: [Laughing]. Great! Put NASCAR down for my favorite football team.

Q: Who’s your favorite Louie? Quatorze, Quinze, Seize or Armstrong?

A: None of those. My favorite Louie would have to be “Louie, Louie” by the Kingsmen.

Q: As in “Uh Louie Loo-ay, Oh no, said we gotta go…da-da…yeah yeah yeah yeah”?

A: Yeah.

Q: [Laughing] That was funny!

A: [Smiling] I thought you’d appreciate that.

Q: What movie set would you most like to live in?

A: “Forbidden Planet,” with Walter Pigeon and Anne Francis

Forbidden Planet Set

Q: Forbidden Planet? The sci-fi movie? What about “Barry Lyndon?”

A: What about him? I’d want to live on Forbidden Planet and that’s my final answer.

Photographer: Matthew Millman

Another Satisfied Wiseman client?

Q: OK-What’s your biggest gripe with most interior designers today?

A: Their lack of historical knowledge of periods and pieces.

Q: If you could ask any two people to join you for dinner (they can be past or present) who would they be?

A: The Roman Emperor Hadrian and Bette Davis

Photographer: Matthew Millman

WORD of the DAY: FEUILLE DE CHOU

2011-03-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

FEUILLE DE CHOU is a term used to describe a certain kind of tapestry but can also describe export and Chinese armorial porcelain characterized by a stylish motif of lush green/blue overlapping leaves.

It's pronounced (and this is a tough one so practice it a few times before trying to impress your friends & neighbors): "FUR duh SHOE". Sounds like an animal-print Manolo Blahnik, right?

But this is not real "FUR duh SHOE". This is more accurately called "fur ON duh shoe" and lists for about $650 USD the pair.

Feuille de chou is actually French for CABBAGE LEAF and looks like this 16th century Flemish tapestry:

And here's another, same period and also Flemish:

What do these tapestries cost? For ones that are in C. Mariani Antiques condition, $30,000 USD to $125,000 USD each depending on provenance and subject matter (e.g., a pretty bird or a unicorn in the cabbage patch will fetch much more than a horned man-eating monster):

Popular and expensive:

Not so popular but still pretty expensive:

All too fascinating for words, I know. But just when I thought I'd become jaded about even the prettiest feuille de chous, we acquired a show-stopping masterpiece (TODAY, 4/14/11): An incomparable 16th century Sicilian silk ceremonial table carpet, in superb condition, and, yes, priced well above the other feuille de chous but so, so worth it! It makes me want to cry it's so beautiful:

Wow. Sob.

Second helping of Cabbage? FEUILLE DE CHOU, Part Deux

2011-03-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are rabbits and therefore can't get enough feuille de chou cabbage leaf tapestries, read on:

Feuille de Chou (this is hard to type so I’ll just call it FDC) tapestries, as I mentioned in my last post above, are called that because of the mass of cabbage-like leaves dominating their fields.

I think they're the most striking and mysterious of all tapestries. Their design is almost abstract, a profusion of wild foliage seemingly emerging out of the darkness. Ooh, scary.

The first FDC tapestries appeared in the early 16th Century and probably evolved from what are called millefleurs (pronounced:”meel FLUR”) tapestries that are flowered and less dense tapestries. Here is the 15th century "Captive Unicorn" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. Flemish, 15th century:

The funny thing about FDC tapestries is that they really don’t depict cabbage leaves at all.

And so the “cabbage leaf” name is really a misnomer. The leaves portrayed are actually meant to be acanthus (bear’s breach) plants. I have three of them in my back yard:

FDC tapestries are almost three-dimensional and often have animals or mythological creatures amid the foliage. What they rarely, if ever, depict are people. Why is that? I have no idea. But that’s just one of the many mysteries of FDC tapestries. Others are:

"What do FDC tapestries mean?”, and

“What do they symbolize?", and

“Why doesn't Buzz get a life and stop wasting time on boring subjects like this?”

All excellent questions, but no one really knows the answers: maybe these wild and dense thickets, appearing to be beyond the control of man, represent medieval society’s genuine fears of chaos or insanity (hmmmm.). Life then was short and brutish—that’s a quote from some famous guy (Thomas Hobbs?) that I studied in college . But I’m too lazy right now to look it up (it’s Saturday!). Hope you have a lovely weekend.

P.S. I know, now you’re all worked up over tapestries (dream on, Buzz) and probably want to know all about verdures too. But I’ll mercifully save that for another post. You can thank me later….

ADVENTURES WITH BUZZ: DAVID PHOENIX AND THE ORANGE COUNTY HOUSE OF DESIGN

2011-03-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

David Phoenix, the uber-talented Los Angeles designer who you probably all know, did the extraordinarily gorgeous Living Room at the currently running 2011 House of Design in Crystal Cove, Laguna Beach, California this year (it's open through the 27th so there's still time to go!). And so I flew down to attend the opening and take a "look see". And I was stunned--all I can say about David's room is WOW! Talk about a tour de force! David knocked this one out of the park! It's really a must see:

I arrived (with the lovely Sarah Hills from our Gallery) at the Tuscan villa and snaked our way through the crowds of spectators, designers and press, to our usual hangout: the open bar. OK, I admit that before we found where the bar was we entered the tented area (it looked so elegant!) where the portapotties were. But anyhow, after we finally found the bar area we feasted our eyes on David's room:

Could you just die!?! This guy has the most unflinching superb taste, pure and simple. I kinda hate him for that, but in a good way.

I honestly wanted to buy the whole room. Ok, a couple of pieces were from C. Mariani, so I guess I wouldn't have to buy those. But what amazed me was how incredible our pieces looked in the context of the room as envisioned by David Phoenix. To coin a phrase from my college days (yes I DID go to college), the transformation and gorgeositty was mind-blowing. See for yourself:

Above: C. Mariani's 18th Century Chinese Sang de Boef Lacquer Screen (the most expensive piece on display and worth every penny by the way), according to OC Register) and our very modestly priced (and also worth every penny) La Collezione Rossano Tuscan Coffee Table.

What struck me was the way David mixed traditional with contemporary and then detailed the room to perfection with a wide array of accessories, none of which he borrowed from me :( but I didn't take that personally. Sob.

He did however use our Collezione Montalvo Demilune Console Table:

And he used our C. Mariani's 20th Century Set of Flora Danica Botanical Designs Dinnerware, some of which he mounted on the wall (which I would never think of doing but am now a total convert since it looked amazing):

What can I say except that I genuinely "j'adore" (no, I don't speak French) David Phoenix's work and thank the Philharmonic society for showcasing his extraordinary talent. My recommendation is to run don't walk to see his room before the 27th! General admission tickets are $35 and unlimited-entry passes at $45. For a schedule and other information, please visit the Philharmonic Society.

THE BUZZ ON DOUGLAS DURKIN DESIGN

2011-02-07T12:46:00.000-08:00

Enjoy my latest interview on Decorati Access Magazine with San Francisco Designer, Douglas Durkin:

My “day job” is as Executive Director of C. Mariani Antiques in San Francisco. In that capacity, I’m lucky enough to interact with some of the country’s highest end interior designers.

During this recession, most of my designer clients have seen their businesses shrink dramatically and in some sad cases, just plain flat-line. Most have laid off staff, cut salaries and been forced to hunker down while they wait out this “economic nuclear winter.”

Because of this, most designers can no longer pick and choose projects or require a minimum budget like they once could. Now, most take new work wherever they can get it. However, there is a small handful of designers who have seemed to escape this recession unscathed, unaffected and unperturbed.

One of these designers is Douglas Durkin, principal of Douglas Durkin Design, San Francisco.

I’ve known Douglas for many years and so our interview was easy, remarkably frank and quite revealing as to his success and style.

Buzz: How has your firm grown and prospered in a recession that has brought many design firms to their knees?

Well, we were quite fortunate in that we had a large number of very large scale and long term projects that were in the pipeline and that didn’t get cancelled when the economic crisis hit. Also, we have been incredibly blessed with a long term and extremely loyal clientele that has been keeping us busy with multiple projects. Lastly, our clients are geographically very spread out across the country and so we’ve avoided having all of our eggs in one location basket, so to speak.

Buzz: Do you feel you’ve created an aesthetic niche for yourself amongst the modernists in the business?

Funny enough I don’t view our work that way at all. We still work in so many different styles that reflect the projects’ architecture, the environment, and the client’s tastes. With that said, the trend has definitely been towards a more contemporary aesthetic for our clients, plus we’re working with so many contemporary art collectors, and so the aesthetics really are in service to that. I am still passionate about art and design from the past, and I live in a very traditional environment in San Francisco, though much of what we do is considered contemporary.

Buzz: Then is it fair to say that your contemporary jobs far out number your traditional ones?

It definitely seems to be the trend, though we still have projects that are traditional in nature. And the contemporary work really keeps us on our toes as you can’t rely on the marketplace for your answers if you are striving for unique space. I have always said it’s easier to create a unique traditional room than a unique contemporary one. Our contemporary projects are rendered in a completely custom way as we design most of the furnishings for them.

Buzz: I have a fun idea: let me throw out some random concepts and you give me the first word that comes to mind. Um, let’s start with the letter “S” just to show how random and meaningless some of my questions are.

BK: Silk Flowers

DD: Inexcusable

BK: Slipcovers

DD: Summer

BK: Silver cups

DD: Legacy

BK: Shinoiserie

DD: That’s doesn’t start with an S.

BK: Good point. I’m having low blood sugar, why don’t you name something that starts with “S”?

DD: Silk, which I Iove if used sparingly and appropriately

BK: Ok, now my turn. But I’m over this S stuff. How about words that start with “Over”? Like, Oversized Furniture?

DD: Tricky

BK: Oversized clients.

DD: No Comment

Side note from Buzz: I have found oversized clients to be just as tricky as oversized furniture).

BK: Over-decorated homes

DD: Sad

BK: Over the Rainbow:

DD: Judy Garland?

BK: Huh, interesting. Ok, then…Judy Garland! (my answer to this one would have also been “Sad” but I’m not the one being interviewed)

DD: I don’t know what she has to do with design.

BK: Neither do I but what comes to mind for you?

DD: Uh, there’s a character based on her in Valley of the Dolls?

BK: Really? Huh. Which one? Neely O’Hara?? I’m sure it’s her—the Patty Duke character.

DD: No response.

BK: Ok, Twentieth century furniture vs. 18th century furniture

DD: Equally relevant

BK: Pairs of things versus the “everything in three’s” concept

DD: Not sure about that concept

BK: Tassels

DD: Overly and improperly used

BK: Would that be in homes or burlesque?

DD: Please tell me you’re kidding.

Buzz: Could you talk about some unexpected accessories that you like to use?

I absolutely LOVE ceramics, whether old or new, pristine or used and showing some wear. I think they show the hand of the artist, they are about form and often function, and the glazes can be otherworldly. I think they mix well in both contemporary and traditional settings and are usually curious to the eye, whether very simple or complex. I also love ancient objects in stone, particularly Egyptian alabaster and Bactrian pieces.

Aside from Buzz: Bactrian? I thought that could be cured with antibiotics. But I just Googled it and it refers to an ancient civilization (around 2500 BC and later) living in what is now Northern Afghanistan. The primitive marble and unusual totems and other objects created by the ancient culture are highly prized as art and accessories. Learn something new every day, huh?

Durkin continues: Objects in stone have such a clean, monolithic and often mysterious quality to them and can work very well in contemporary settings. I am pretty light on the idea of accessories for my projects, as I like to encourage my clients to fill their homes with objects that mean something to them, not just pretty things to dress up a table or their bookshelves. Happily, I work with a lot of real collectors, so not a problem here. Though when looking for accessories I am always drawn to simple forms and shapes.

Buzz: Describe the perfect Douglas Durkin Design client.

My perfect client is the one who I feel partnered with in the process, who has a point of view that I help interpret, and who is polite. It’s not about being given latitude to do what I want. It’s about feeling that we are aligned in spirit and on the same path with mutual understandings and appreciations.

Note from Buzz: Is this guy evolved or what? My perfect client is really cute, a size zero, kinda Chanel stylish, addicted to The Real Housewives of New York, Atlanta, etc., and invites me to fun lunches where I drink wine and don’t do any work.

Buzz: When you were in high school, what were your hobbies and extracurricular activities?
Drama Club (of course! I was passionate about the theater, opera, music of all kinds) art classes, and a lot of daydreaming and fantasy. Probably no big surprises here!
Buzz aside: I’m surprised he wasn’t also in Glee Club and Marching Band. I certainly was and both were highlights of my junior high school career. But I almost didn’t make it into Glee Club (we called it “Choir” then at James Madison Jr. High) because the song you had to sing was The National Anthem, accompanied on the piano by the very skinny, smelly and bitter Choirmaster, Mr. Shipkey. This is not a lie. So on Shipkey’s cue, I started the National Anthem, no doubt off-key but with lots of gusto: “My country tis of thee…” and Shipkey screams “Well that’s just lovely but I asked for the National Anthem! You know it, right??”
And all the other kids were now staring so I said “Sure, sorry.” So I started again, this time with tons of verve, upbeat enthusiasm and lots of volume (called “projecting”): “From the mountains to the prairies, to the oceans, white with F-O-A-M!!! (I was really belting it out)—and Shipkey slams his fist on the keyboard, scaring the Shipkey out of me-and hissing, why don’t you try Mary had a Little Lamb?” Ugh. So I very quietly and on the verge of a crying fit of major proportions, whimper “Mary had a little” and he says “Fine, you’re in.” I only found out later that everyone who auditioned for Choir had to be admitted because they needed enough students to justify some stupid budget. I think in today’s world I could sue Mr. Shipkey for verbal abuse and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Not to mention cigarette breath if that’s a crime. But back to our interview….
Buzz: Sticking with your high school, how would you describe yourself then? Were you in-crowd, out-crowd, bad boy, geek, jock, brainiac, class clown or what?
Definitely not “in crowd”, and not so athletic…like most creative kids, I always felt distant from the status quo. It was college where I finally felt free to be myself. College was a very happy time for me. Athleticism became a part of my life during college and remains with me till today.
Buzz: When and how did you first discover that you had a talent for interior design?
Probably when I was a kid (although not articulated as such….). I used to draw all the time when I was young, a lot of architectural things like theater sets and buildings. My folks used to let me decorate my room with my own holiday decorations, as their taste was a little restrained and mine was a little more flamboyant, so to speak! Funny to think back on that…we’re not so difficult to figure out, as it turns out!
Buzz aside: Yes, we are. When I decorated my room with Christmas decorations my parents told me that I could no longer be buried in a Jewish cemetery. Not sure if that’s true or not but I’ve got an interview to do here.
Buzz: How long have you been a professional designer?
I had my first job in interior design at the age of 20 in 1982……so 28 years….
Buzz rumination to himself: Why am I not as successful as Douglas Durkin? I mean, I’m practically 40 and what do I have to show for it? Just a brilliant ability to lie about my age.
Buzz: Early in your career, where you mentored by anyone?
I was. He was my first boss in NY: Frank Sierra, who was the President of Ellen Lehman McCluskey & Associates, a top hospitality and residential design firm there. Happily, though he is officially retired, Frank helps me now with my New York projects. He gave me my very first job in the business when I was in college, and really kind of took me under his wing. Frank taught me how to think like a designer and how to draw. Drawing by hand has become so undervalued in our culture….I continue to hand draw every day I am in the office. It is my process and I really owe a great debt to Frank for believing in me at such a young age and showing interest in my abilities.
Buzz: Describe how your design career unfolded. Did you start by getting a degree in design?
I had gone to Cornell and studied Hotel Administration (which I had been advised to pursue by my high school guidance counselor since I never tested well on my SATs and was advised that I wouldn’t have gotten into a good architecture school, which was my original plan). I wasn’t so happy with my choice when I got to Cornell and come my sophomore year, I took a class in Hospitality Design and Planning and loved it. So then I started taking elective classes in the Architecture and Design Schools there. In essence, I received an incredible education in the business of service and aesthetics (what the hospitality industry is all about) with a concentration in design and planning.
In 1982 I worked at the reception desk of the Mayfair Regent Hotel on Park Avenue. The hotel was so beautifully designed: classic, old world and comfortable…So I went to see the designers at the end of the summer to see if I could intern with them (Ellen Lehman McCluskey and Associates) and Frank Sierra hired me for the following summer. It was an amazing few years of experience! Mrs. McCluskey was in the later part of her career so I never worked directly with her. But she was kind and formidable and it was an amazing start for my career to be there at her firm.
When I graduated Cornel in 1984, I worked as the assistant manager of the Barclay Intercontinental Hotel in New York for a year, hoping to move into the corporate design division of Intercontinental. They decided I was doing well in operations so that became the plan and I was miserable. And within days of getting a promotion with Intercontinental, I got a call from Frank Sierra who had heard through the grapevine that I wasn’t happy at Intercon and wanted to find a way to pursue a design career. He called and invited me back to work with their firm…it was weird, almost too good to be true, and wonderful!
I worked there for three years, mostly on hospitality related projects, and then had an opportunity to work as a designer in the office of Robert Metzger, who was one of the most renowned 1980’s decorators in NY. It was an unbelievable opportunity and learning experience and I also spent three years there. I learned so much from Robert about antiques, the best in materials, finishes, and quality. He also taught me about taking risks in design, and about being bold with materials. He also encouraged me to be a little bit outrageous and unafraid from a design standpoint. It was the eighties after all, and Robert had a top client list with very extravagant tastes.
Buzz: What’s the most fun part of your job?
Working with people, including clients, vendors, and my staff. I am a relationship-oriented person so every aspect of the work gives me great pleasure. I also absolutely love traveling the world in pursuit of objects and furnishings for my projects. I attend a great many antique and art fairs annually, and I really do love “the hunt”.
Buzz: You’ve been so busy for so long, do you ever feel in danger of “burning out” or just leaving design and joining a kibbutz in Israel?
I would love to go to Israel, but a kibbutz is probably not for me. I have gotten much better at time management and taking care of myself regarding travel. For instance I got an apartment in New York this year as the constant back and forth travel and staying in hotels became really unsatisfying for me. When in New York, I usually try to stay on California time and keep my mornings open for myself. The days of red eye flights and 9 am meetings in New York don’t work so well for me anymore, or at least not for the first few days I’m there. I also usually stay at least three nights when traveling to the East Coast or to Hawaii. Lastly I have an amazing General Manager Sharon Oosterman and equally amazing Design Director Greg Elich and as we are all working closely together but focused on different things, I feel so well supported that burn out doesn’t really seem on the table for me. Kudos also goes to my amazing staff in general. People work really hard in my firm and care about making sure I am managed well. I absolutely love the people in my firm and feel blessed on a daily basis for their support. I am not one to complain about this aspect of my business as it really does work so well.
Buzz: What inspires you?
Integrity, honesty, kindness, culture, music, the arts.
Buzz: What drives you nuts about running a top design firm?
Nothing really drives me nuts.
Buzz aside: that’s funny, just about everything drives me nuts recently. He probably drinks herbal teas instead of double shot lattes.
Buzz: When a prospective client approaches you, how do you decide if the job is right for you?
That is sometimes very difficult. It truly is an energetic feeling you have. It is crucial that you feel an alignment or it cannot work well.
Buzz: Do you have a minimum budget that is essential for you to consider a project?
Not really. I think because we’re a firm of 20+ that offers full service, a job should be of a certain scale and intensity for that full service to be worth it to the client. That is probably a better way of answering the budget question rather than thinking about budget numbers. For our existing clients, we will do any scale project large or small.
Buzz: Are the best interior designers born or trained; in other words, do you think great design comes from nature or nurture?
I am more of the philosophy of nature. In all fields, people with a knack for what they do seem to do the best. Of course exposure to aesthetics and passion along the way are helpful.
Buzz rumination: I knew it! I’m a naturally gifted designer but I stink because I haven’t had enough exposure to aesthetics and passion. That’s a relief.
Buzz: What are the most common decorating mistakes made by non-professionals?
I would rather see something too large than too small in a room. Also using materials in rooms that do not have the architecture or quality to support its use (think spec homes with silk damask curtains: horrible). Another common error relates to poor choices in linings for window treatments. Just drive around San Francisco and look at white linings on curtains. Glass always reads dark and the light linings, especially with balloon shades, it looks like someone’s underwear is hanging out to dry.
Buzz comment: That was funny. And NOTE TO SELF: Gotta change my balloon shades and underwear more frequently.

IS A TANTALUS THE SAME AS A CAVE À LIQUEUR?

2011-01-12T10:56:00.000-08:00

Nope, a tantalus ("TAN-tuh-lus") is not the same as a cave à liqueur ("CAHV ah lik-COOR").

But to understand why, we first need to understand the difference between a liquor (that a tantalus holds) and a liqueur (that the cave à liqueur holds). Liquors are alcohol-based beverages that are distilled (e.g., like gin or Scotch whiskey) while liqueurs are fermented (e.g., like brandy or crème de menthe).

Liquors are not usually sweet to the taste like most liqueurs are (in fact, most are downright nauseating). That's why delinquent teenagers raised on Mountain Dew totally dig liqueurs (in high school, I was partial only to the cheapest peach brandy and my favorite spot to imbibe was underneath the bleachers). Liqueurs get their sweetness because they're flavored with fruits, spices, nuts, herbs or seeds.

Liqueurs are often served after dinner (but only on rare occasions under some bleachers) while liquor is often served before a meal. Ok, ok. A lot of people love liquor before, during and after a meal (including breakfast).

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Please drink responsibly. And if you're under 21, please drink next to your local jail because that's where you'll be spending the night, you reprobate.

Now that we know our liqueurs from our liquors, let's talk about how a tantalus differs from a cave à liqueur:

A tantalus is an open-work rack that holds large cut crystal liquor decanters (usually three but the smaller ones hold two). What makes them interesting, at least to me, is that the tops of the decanters are secured by a locking mechanism so that the stoppers can't be removed unless the tantulus is unlocked. Look at the progression here from locked to unlocked and showing the lock itself:

Why the name tantulus? Why not? LOL. Ok, no more smart-alec remarks.

The tantalus gets its name from the Greek mythological King Tantalus. Since to be tantalized is to be tempted with something you can't have (the story of my life), King Tantalus was been condemned to Hell (which is almost as hot as Palm Springs but it's not dry heat)-and if that wasn't enough, he was forced to stand forever in a pool of water that, when he bent over to drink, would recede. And hence the name.

ASIDE: For those of you wondering: "Wouldn't this story make more sense if the king had to stand in a pool of vodka, Scotch, or a huge Whiskey Sour?", please apply to MENSA immediately.

Tantaluses were popular in England from the mid 19th century through the Edwardian period (early 20th).

A cave à liqueur is a liqueur caddy that has diminutive crystal liqueur decanters (typically 4) along with a set of small glasses (typically 8).

Most cave à liqueurs are rendered in brass or ormolu with glass panels (sometimes etched and sometimes painted with gold accents) on all sides and the top. But some have cases of wood or boullework with blind panels, like the Napoleon III red tortoiseshell and brass one below:

Some have a conforming brass tray that pulls out for serving while others are accompanied by an under-tray that can also be used to serve. Here's a beautiful example in Baccarat crystal:

Most cave à liqueurs have locks just like tantaluses. There's a common misconception that the locks were there to restrain the family lushes from taking a nip or two. But the truth is that tantaluses and cave à liqueres were locked to prevent the household staff from taking swigs and then adding water back in to cover their "crime". Yes, even then it was hard to find good help.

A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS WISH TO USAF SERGEANT WILLIAM E. YOCKEY AND ALL OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM

2010-12-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

I got the strangest and most wonderful Christmas gift last week. No, not socks...

Here's how it happened: Working like I do at C. Mariani Antiques in San Francisco is kind of like that movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. The only difference is that I'm no boy, our gallery isn't a bubble, and we don't carry ANYTHING in plastic.

Ok, so that made no sense. Or did it? Well, if you worked where I do, you'd see there really is an analogy between life at C. Mariani and that movie. Because working here makes you forget the outside world and start to think everything's beautiful from the furniture to the clients to the boss (Claudio) and even to our posh restrooms (I think we're one of the only galleries that hangs Old Masters in the bathrooms.)

So, every day I sit blithely on my Aeron chair among 4,000 exquisite antiques, drinking lattes, and gabbing with my clients, always surrounded by exquisite antiques worthy of Versailles, the immense chandeliers sparkling with crystal, chairs glowing in all their gilded beauty, and gleaming wood surfaces, all thanks to our team of two full time housekeepers dusting and waxing around the clock to make sure that everything's perfect.

Oh, I forget to mention our trusty plant service that makes sure we have fresh Cattleya and assorted other exotic orchids and plants pouring out of a variety of urns, jardinieres, and cachepots.

We even have a workshop crew nattily dressed in smart blue uniforms who are always courteous, kind, fun and oh-so-skilled in their trades. So getting jaded to the perfection of C. Mariani is pretty easy to do.

And so it's no surprise that I've come to see the world only through Mariani rose colored glasses, Tivo'ing past the "ugly" TV news segments on the Middle East and only rarely taking time to appreciate our men and women risking their lives there for me and you.

But even when you live in a pretty bubble like C. Mariani, you can still get small wake up calls that remind you how harsh the reality is outside and how you how lucky you are to be safe, warm and secure in a world that is uncertain, dangerous and tragic.

And so I recently got one of those wake up calls in a series of emails. It started pretty innocuously:

"Dear Sir, just curious on how to order your colorless C. Mariani antque wax featured in an article in this month's Traditional Home magazine, Signed William E TSgt USAF ANG 200RHS/LGS".

So I emailed him back the usual response (we get a lot of these requests both for our clear and tinted waxes):

"Dear Bill, Thank you for enquiry regarding our colorless wax. Each tin blah blah blah-blah blah and also blah-ba. Buzz"

So he emails me back:

"Thank you Buzz, I actually called your office and ordered my can of wax, received it and I'm very please with the results. But ironically, I thought your name sounded familiar to me, and then it hit me. You're the guy with that Buzz on Antiques column. And I realized I spent all of last summer in Afghanistan reading your wonderful articles—I especially liked the one on how many people can sit at a dining table. Thanks, Bill"

That last email stopped me in my tracks. Did he say Afghanistan? As in dusty, Taliban, Spider holed, "Can't even get Evian Mist by the Pool" Afghanistan? I just couldn't believe that anyone that far away and not even staying in a Four Seasons would want to read my blog, unless he thought Buzz referred to a drug connection.

Anyhow, I was stunned. And it made me realize how incredibly lucky I am to be safe and warm right here right now. To me, if that isn't a Christmas miracle I don't know what is. It also made me wonder, How many Georgian breakfronts can you fit into a pup tent and with all those dust storms why bother waxing it all? That alone would be a miracle.

As it happens, Sergeant Bill thankfully returned to the States last October after his tour of duty defending our lives and lifestyles was complete. And he assured me he's not living in a pup tent but rather in a home filled with antiques desperately in need of our special antique wax.

He also confirmed for me that when he was in Afghanistan, he couldn't recall seeing even one museum- quality 18th c. period piece. NOTE TO SELF: Better close down our Kabul gallery.

Anyhow, I just wanted to take a moment to wish Bill and all of our servicepersons in uniform a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We appreciate the job you're doing and I hope we stay mindful throughout the year how lucky we are to have your protection.

And for that matter, Happy Holidays to you all and to all a good night!

THE BUZZ ON: BUNNY WILLIAMS FOR DECORATI ACCESS MAGAZINE

2010-12-18T09:13:00.000-08:00

My latest Design Icon Interview for Decorati:

To state the obvious, Bunny Williams needs no introduction. She’s not only one of the country’s preeminent design icons, but she’s also an accomplished author, speaker, businesswoman, garden expert and widely recognized tastemaker for gracious living.

In addition to heading up her renowned interior design firm in New York City, Bunny has been busy debuting her furniture line, Beeline Home II by Bunny Williams, at the High Point Market, and releasing her latest book, “Scrapbook for Living” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang), which is hitting the book shelves this month.

Ok, so I admit it. I was a little intimidated about interviewing Bunny for this piece. Hey, I have no design firm, no books (not even one), no furniture line, I can’t grow weeds, and no one wants me to speak. So you can imagine how relieved I was to find Bunny completely down to earth, warm, funny and, of course gracious. Here’s how our conversation went.

Buzz: What are the latest trends in interior design?

BW: What a question to start out with! I hate trends in interior design. Is this the end of the interview? (Laughing)

Buzz: Bunny please! I’m a professional journalist with special training in dealing with real-life interview disasters like this. Uh, can you just keep talking and I’ll edit this later?

BW: Sure. I just don’t feel I serve my clients by slavishly following the latest trends. I want my clients to become involved and interested in where they live, what pieces they collect over time and how their home reflects their life. I see part of my job as educating people about how to enjoy and care about the process of living. And central to that process is creating a home-after all, that’s the environment where we live our lives. (Left: Star Chair from the Beeline Home Collection).

As part of this process, I want my clients to purchase only pieces that they want to keep. Not junk that’s dictated by this year’s silly trend. We need to get back to people developing their own sense of taste. My mother didn’t have a designer, but she filled our home with things she loved and when you do that everything works together. And people can feel the loving care that went into that home. It’s quite magical. That’s what I help create for my clients.

Buzz: What do you do then when an existing client approaches you to completely redecorate the home you did together and wants to get rid of everything for a totally new look?

BW: That really never happens to me. If I’ve done my job, then the pieces purchased in my first design of their home are pieces they want to keep. So my clients don’t hire me to completely redecorate. Frankly, that concept makes no sense to me.

But don’t get me wrong; many of my clients come back to me again and again to freshen a room. Updating a home is what should happen as you learn and grow. As your tastes evolve, so should your home. But this happens over time and is part of the joy of creating a home that is a sanctuary and someplace very special to you.

Buzz: Can you give us an example of how you freshen a home?

BW: Sure. A good example would be clients who don’t care for modern art when I first work with them. But after a few years, they come to appreciate let’s say, abstract art. So we freshen the home up with some wonderful contemporary art. But this is about “adding to” the home as opposed to throwing out the baby with the bath water. It just amazes me when people do that. It’s a shame really.

Buzz: Why is it a shame?

BW: Because the most interesting homes, the ones that speak to you and radiate warmth are those that aren’t all Art Deco. Or all Early American. Or everything Louis XIV. Those homes are boring and cookie cutter.

No one’s life is reflected in a single note. Life is a symphony and your home should reflect this with counterpoint, variety and unexpected combinations. Static interiors are a big yawn and scream “I bought everything just now from my interior decorator.” And that’s not a good look. Great interiors are those that have pieces collected over time by the owners and reflect their style and taste in a variety of periods and styles.

Buzz: So when it comes to design, you’d agree with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s comment that “Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”?

BW: Yes, I like that!

Buzz: Any gripes you have about the interior design industry today?

BW: Are you kidding? How much time do we have? (Laughing) I think it’s sad how everyone these days seems to want to focus only on young people. Most of my clients are older and more established. I think it’s the 50-60 year olds that have a lot of work for designers these days. And I love having them as clients.

Buzz: What’s with you and animals? I know you love them.

BW: I really do. Animals teach us about unconditional love. They also teach you responsibility because they’re defenseless and helpless without your care. My dogs have also taught me that you can be joyous and fulfilled just being at home in the company of family and friends. Isn’t that an amazing lesson? Pets ask very little of you and give so much love in return. Very unlike people. (Sigh). Sad but true I think. Animals just give us great joy. Don’t you agree?

Buzz: Well, my dog Jackie-Boy sleeps with his face in my armpit. And I get a lot of joy from that. Do you think that’s weird?

BW. No I think that’s adorable!

Aside to readers: Well that’s a load off my mind. I thought me and Jackie-Boy had to go to couple’s counseling and that’s expensive…

Buzz: Since you like animals so much, let me ask this question: what would you do if a client wanted to hire you to do a hunting lodge with lots of stuffed moose heads and bear skin rugs?

BW: Actually that’s happened to me. One of my clients is a big game hunter and I did a retreat for him that showcased many of his game trophies. And I was happy to do it. First and foremost I’m a professional. I don’t impose my personal beliefs on my clients. If they want my opinion, they’ll ask me for it. But most don’t and I’m fine with that. I’ve done a number of homes for this client and his wife and I adore them, except for the hunting part. But they didn’t hire me to lecture them on animal rights. They hired me to design their retreat. I was taught by my mother that good manners and professional behavior are very important. And doing this project without crusading for PETA is part and parcel of that.(Right: Zigfield Mirror from the Beeline Home Collection).

Buzz: Does this same non-judgmental professionalism apply to politics?
BW: Absolutely! Politics is another topic that really isn’t raised in polite society and has no place interfering with my business relationships.
Buzz: OK. Are you a member of the Tea Party?
BW: Didn’t you hear anything I just said? Why Buzz Kaplan, you are NO gentleman!
Buzz aside: Not to worry, people make that mistake all the time.
In all my years as a designer, my relationship with my clients has been a professional one. I never forget that they are hiring me to provide them with a service-that defines our relationship. A designer should never lose site of that but I think many do. Maybe they aspire to the lifestyles of their clients. Or perhaps they secretly wish they were their clients. But I don’t.

Buzz: When you say you don’t aspire to your clients’ lifestyles, what exactly do you mean?
BW: I mean that I don’t need or want to surround myself with famous, titled or wealthy people. I have nothing against them. I just have my own life and it’s not as grand as most of my clients. But I love living it.
Buzz: OK, new topic. In preparation for today, I read many interviews you’ve done in the past and, quite frankly, some of them made me nauseous.
BW: Pardon me?
Buzz: No offense to you Bunny, but some of those interviewers were falling all over themselves to gush about you, kiss your….well, they were overly obsequious.
BW: You know I never understand that. And frankly, it makes me kind of sick too. I’m basically a normal person who works very hard for a living. I don’t think I’m pretentious. I think I’m unassuming. I’m really not sure where all that comes from. It’s flattering of course, but really unnecessary.
Buzz: Bunny, why are you the most celebrated, fabulously talented, glamorous and wildly successful designer on earth?!
BW: Buzz, put a sock in it, OK?
Buzz: OK. How about this: Do you think your gender plays a role in your client relationships?
BW: Yes, I do. I think that male designers are expected to be best friends with their female clients. But women designers like me aren’t. My female clients understand that I have a husband and a very busy private life. Plus no one wants an extra woman just hanging around.
Buzz: OK, it’s time for our lightning round: What’s your biggest pet peeve?
BW: Pretentiousness
Buzz: Favorite TV show?
BW: That’s a tough one because I don’t have a TiVo and don’t watch a lot of TV. I do love Madmen. I think it has tremendous style. “24” was great because it was so fast- paced. Oh, and I love the PBS series Foyles War.
Buzz: If you weren’t Bunny Williams, who would you want to be?
BW. Tina Turner.
Buzz: I knew that!
BW: You did not. (laughing) I’d want to be Tina because I’d love to be someone who sings from the heart. You know, sings with soul. Her singing is so heartfelt and I love that. If I couldn’t be her, I think I’d be Aretha Franklin. Also incredible.
Buzz: Name your favorite food.
BW: Something chocolate.
Buzz: What’s the biggest design faux pas that people make?
BW. Scale. The scale of many interiors is just off and it drives me crazy. Furniture pieces in a room need to be appropriately scaled both as to the size and height of the room as well as to each other. When I worked for Albert Hadley, I had to learn scale. I can’t tell you how many times he asked me, “Have you scaled it into the plans?” So that’s important. But I also believe there are no hard rules as to scale. Either something works in a room or it doesn’t. Feeling scale is an emotional thing. At least it is to me.
Scale faux pas are often made when a designer is planning and buying for a room that doesn’t yet exist. Like in the construction phase. That’s where you really need to look at the plans and then “feel” the scale of the room, the ceiling height, the layout and the overall dimensions. Then once you “get” the room, you just know what will work and what won’t.
Buzz: What is the one course every designer should take?
BW: A drawing class. It’s one of the best things I ever did. It makes you see in terms of relationships. For example, you mentally take in the relationship of a wall to a piece and you instantly see whether it’s a great look or not. Just like a painter who paints the eyes that work in the context of a particular face. Everyone who wants to design should take a drawing class.
Buzz: What one piece of furniture is critical in every house and should convey a sense of style and panache?
BW: Chairs. Chairs are the most interesting item of furniture to follow in design. Every period changes style through its chairs. Chairs fascinate me. And every chair that you put in a home should be interesting. Otherwise, they’re just boring. Whenever I see a great chair, I buy it because I know I will find a place for it in one of my projects. I look for chairs with character.
Buzz: Speaking of character, what’s your take on furniture that’s worn or beat up and things like plates or figurines that are chipped?
BW: I love them. People are always surprised when they visit my homes and see pieces that are imperfect in some way. I think that’s what gives them their charm. (Left: John’s Sofa for the Beeline Home Collection).
I believe that people should celebrate the wear, scratches, and other imperfections that they see. This is especially true with antiques. I mean, if you were 200 years old and been kicked around for decades, you’d be beat up too. (laughing) But that’s what creates the character, uniqueness, and personality of a piece. I don’t think that that visible wear and tear makes objects less desirable. I think they make them better and more interesting. Great interiors aren’t the ones where everything is new. Just the opposite.
I think it’s sad that our society puts such a premium on perfection. You go to a fine restaurant for lunch these days and every woman in the room looks the same. It’s scary. I believe that faces and bodies are perfect when they’re unusual, unique and different. Take brides for example. That’s a favorite of mine. Too many brides look like hookers these days. They’re popping out of their skin-tight dresses. Woman these days have a screw loose. Why do so many of them want to take pole-dancing classes? I mean really.
Until rather recently, people looked unique. Before they got their noses done, cheeks implanted or their breasts augmented. Or reduced for that matter. Everyone now wants to conform to a norm that makes for a homogeneous and very boring world. Years ago you had faces like Betty Davis and Joan Crawford. Not cardboard cut out beauties but beauties nonetheless. I like that.
As a society, I think we’re losing the confidence to be different. And that’s a shame. People look, dress and decorate their homes the same. No one wants to be an original any more. How sad that is.
Buzz: Back to our lightning round. Favorite cocktail?
BW: Oh that’s easy. Jack Daniels on the rocks.
Buzz: Favorite actress?
BW: Laura Linney.
Buzz: Favorite actor?
BW: I have a thing for old men so I’ll say Anthony Hopkins.
Buzz: What is it about old men that you like?
BW: They tend to inhabit their characters more completely and create an illusion about who they really are. I’m a big fan of illusion. I believe that everyone should have some mystery about them. They should be entrancing and not too available.
Buzz: OMG, you sound just like Blanche Dubois in Streetcar! I have chills!
BW: Laughing. I do love that character. And I loved when she put a paper lantern over the light bulb to create the illusion of youth and desirability.
Buzz: As a true Daughter of the South, I bet I can guess your favorite film.. It’s Gone with the Wind?! Definitely. Am I right??
BW: No dear you’re wrong. My favorite film is actually Indochine. Have you seen it?
Buzz: Are you kidding, of course! Loved it.
Sidenote to readers and apology to Bunny: I actually never heard of Indochine in my life. But I had to fib or I’d look like a cretin. Anyhow, I’ve ordered it on Netflix. If it’s Bunny William’s favorite film, then it must be incredible.
But I do love Gone with Wind also. I understand the importance of saving Tara. Your home is so important. I feel that about my home in Connecticut. It’s very nurturing and homes should be that way. My garden is there, my dogs, and my collection of things that mean a great deal to me. I really don’t feel that way about my apartment in New York.
And there’s a graciousness about living that Southerners had before the civil war and still have. Southerners are more home-oriented. And I hope that grace and charm is never lost.
Buzz: Are great designers born or made?
BW: Well, great designers are very visual and you’re either born a visual person or you’re not. I’m not musical or mathematical, but I’m very visual. But even when you have this gift, you need to be trained. I believe the best training is being mentored and working as an apprentice. I was very lucky in that way, having apprenticed at Parrish-Hadley. Apprenticeships are fantastic because they allow you to DO as opposed to just learning in a vacuum as might be the case in school.
Buzz: What do you think is essence of decorating a home?
BW: In decorating homes, you want to imbue it with a soul. You want to make it somewhere where your clients want to play house. Designers sometimes lose sight of this and wind up creating stage sets, not homes. Home is a place where you feel protected and nurtured. (Right: Porter Drinks Table for the Beeline Home Collection).
Buzz: Have you escaped the recession unscathed?
BW: No. I’ve been impacted like everyone else. But I’m very fortunate in that I have wonderfully loyal clients who are still well off. But my shop and my furniture line have certainly been impacted. And there are fewer design projects out there so I’ve leaned out my staff. It’s a terrible time for the design industry. And antique dealers are really suffering. And even though the recession is technically over, people are still frightened and hesitant about spending money. Even the wealthy. Their main concern is preserving their wealth in this economy.
Before the recession, people couldn’t spend enough. But now they realize that not every light switch has to be gilded. The mentality of excess is over, at least for now. As I said, it’s all about cycles. For example, stylistically speaking, it’s only a matter of time before everyone is going to get sick of Art Deco. And the most fabulous piece of furniture will be a Georgian chest of drawers. Everything goes in cycles including design.
Buzz: Any other thoughts on this recession?
BW: Yes. I think there’s a silver lining to these horrible economic times. The conversations I have now with clients as to the scope and nature of their project is a MUCH more interesting conversation. Fascinating and more challenging than ever.
And this invigorates me. In fact, I’ve never been more excited about what I’m doing than I am right now. That’s because I really need to THINK about every project dollar. It’s more important than ever that I provide value. Value is critical in this economy and the nature of the downturn has made everyone want to wheel and deal. Negotiating is much more intense. It’s very different than how it used to be where clients felt that when it came to money, the sky was the limit. Boy are those days gone!
I also think the recession is oddly reflected in the antiques that are available on the market. Most people would think that the economic squeeze would force the truly great pieces into the marketplace at fire sale prices. But that’s not happening. Instead, the wealthy are hanging on to their best pieces and waiting until the markets improve before selling them. So I actually find that there are less truly special antiques available these days.
Buzz: I don’t mean to sound like your psychoanalyst, but what’s missing from your life?
BW: Well, for starters, a psychoanalyst. (Laughing). I think I’d have to say I don’t have enough time. But now that I’ve said that, I’m not sure what I’d do with the time if I did have it!
Buzz: What do you think about the design “commandment” that framed photographs should only be in the bedroom?
BW: I think it’s unadulterated baloney. I mean, really. Design rules like that are so ridiculous. You should have photographs wherever you want them. I’ve even created a screen for my line that allows you add and change photographs that are actually incorporated into the screen. My only caveat about framed photos is to be selective about the grouping you choose. You don’t want a huge hodgepodge of too many framed pictures.
Buzz: Back to the analysts couch for a moment.
BW: Oh God.
Buzz: What regrets do you have?
BW: Hmmm. I feel very blessed in my life so I can’t say I have many regrets. I guess I regret not taking the time to enjoy things outside of my business life. I could always spend more time with my dogs! And I also regret not taking more time to fix the things that I see as needing fixing in our world. I think the time we spend giving back to society in ways that change it for the better are very important. Mentoring young people is one way that I give back.
Buzz What is your greatest single accomplishment?
BW: I have no idea!
Buzz: What should I have done differently in this interview?
BW: Skipped the last question. Actually, this has been one of the most fun interviews I’ve done. Your questions have been very unorthodox to say the least and I’ve had a very good time!
Buzz: Thank you Bunny, so have I and it’s really been a pleasure getting to know you better.

MAGGIOLINI COMMODES AND THE PIZZAS THAT LOVE THEM

2010-12-14T15:55:00.000-08:00

Maggiolini's. Yum. It was my favorite pizzeria when I was growing up in Van Nuys.

Unfortunately my parents freaked every time I went there because they associated pizzas pies with Italian Catholics and they didn't want their little Jewish prince (me) corrupted by "THEM EYE-talians."

They said they had to protect me from "those people" because they worshipped the Devil (!). Wait till the Pope hears that one (not gonna be a happy Pontiff). Anyhow, they also told me that when the Italians weren't busy prostrating (prostating?) themselves to the Prince of Darkness, they did witchcraft. Who knew? Probably only my parents.

But in their defense, my folks were actually very nice people-but alas, they were born in a galaxy far far away (New Bedford MA). They sincerely thought they had solid evidence of all this malarkey. My mom once read a magazine article about a pizza pie in Indianapolis that mysteriously came out of the oven with the Devil's pentagram on it (it's kinda his logo). How ridiculous is that?

OK fine! So there's actually a picture of the Devil Pizza. Doesn't prove nothin' (or anything either).

I mean think about it: Why would the Devil choose to communicate by writing on pizza pies? Hasn't he heard of engraved stationery? And how about that Internet thing, Pops? AND why would the Devil decide to talk to us from Indianapolis? I've been to Indianapolis and I can tell you it's not Hell. Pretty close, but not quite.

Anyhow, I went to Maggiolini's alot and fondly remember the first time I had anchovies, mushroom and pineapple toppings--all together. Ewwww. It was disgusting but I like to think of it as a culinary milestone in refining my sophisticated epicurean palette.

I also remember that I used to get free slices all the time because I went to school with Tony Maggiolini, the owner's delinquent son who worked there part time. He's in state prison now, but not for anything relating to pizza. Don't ask.

Uh-oh. Hang on a sec...lemme think about this...CORRECTION: Tony's pizza place wasn't called Maggiolini's-it was called Mazzarino's. Duh. Sorry, please just ignore everything you just read cause I need to start over.

OK, so the antique topic for today is Maggiolini commodes.

Maggiolini (pronounced MADGE-ee-oh-leen-ee) is a generic term in the antique trade for a certain type of Neoclassical marquetry (and less frequently, parquetry) commodes and other furniture pieces that were originally created by one of Italy's most famous furniture artisans, Giuseppe Maggiolini (1738-1814).

NOTE: As with many terms used in Antiqueland, some people feel the term Maggiolini should only be used to reference original pieces by the master himself--well, and his workshop; pieces made by other artisans they would call "in the manner of" or "in the style of" or "in the taste of" or "why don't these elitists just get a life"? Anyhow, I'm not one of them and most of my dealer counterparts and collectors use the term Maggiolini to denote the distinct style of commode as described below.

Most typically, Maggiolini's name is associated with a certain distinctive type of commode. These chests of drawers exhibit the most intricate and exquisite marquetry (and parquetry) designs and these designs cover the fronts of the two large case drawers which are always sans traverse (so that the inlaid imagery/pattern is not interrupted by a horizontal rail support).

Original Maggiolini commodes are extremely rare and bring astronomical prices both at auction and through dealers like ourselves. The vast majority of antique "Maggiolini commodes" are actually in the Maggiolini style but the antique ones are also very costly and quite rare. Many of these commodes were made contemporaneously with Giuseppe Maggiolini because his style was renowned and copied even during his lifetime and well into the 19th century after his death.

Maggiolini commodes usually have inlaid wood tops although many also have marble (the Italians have this tendency to favor wood tops over the French taste for marble) but either way they're still generically called "Maggiolini" as long as they have the following: One key characteristic these chests of drawers are their intricately expressive inlaid pictorials and patterns.

Another is that these designs must also cover the two large case drawers. A third is that these two drawers must always be san travers. Finally, all Maggiolini commodes incorporate a wide array of exotic woods. Maggiolini himself used up to 82 different species on a single piece.

AND NOW......For those of you who have absolutely nothing to do, here's everything you'd ever want to know about this cabinetmaker but were afraid to ask. My recommendation: Skip the rest of this post because it's really boring and you don't need to know this stuff anyhow:

Giuseppe Maggiolini was born in Parabiago, near Milan, in Lombardy, Italy and prior to opening his own workshop, was employed as a carpenter for the Cistercian monastery of Sant’Ambrogio della Vittoria in Parabiago.

His first major commission was for Villa Litta, owned by the marchese Pompeo Litta. This led to other important assignments, particularly from Archduke Ferdinand of Austria (who I thought got shot in Sarajevo in 1914 but he must have been the OTHER Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-I don't know and frankly I don't care), Stanislav II Poniatowsk, King of Poland (don't get me started); and later from the Bonaparte family.

Maggiolini's designs were often based on the drawings of Levati and painter Andrea Appiani, and included classical motifs such as “trophies" of musical instruments, cornucopia-like scrolls of acanthus leaves, ruffled ribbons, tendrils of ivy and bunches of flowers, as well as more strictly antique architectural motifs. Yawn, who needs Ambien when you have The Buzz on Antiques?

TRADITIONAL HOME MAGAZINE ON THE UNRIVALED QUALITY OF C. MARIANI ANTIQUES, RESTORATION & CUSTOM

2010-11-09T16:00:00.001-08:00

I was so excited to hear about the new article that'll be appearing in Traditional Home Magazine's upcoming Holiday Issue. It's scheduled to hit the news stands next week.

Traditional Home is a "must have" magazine if you love antiques-it's been one of my favorites for years. So if you don't subscribe, you really should (and NO, I don't get $5 for every subscription I sell-that was my last job, but going door-to-door was just too grueling). Anyhow, here's the kind of wonderful articles you don't want to miss:

(click images to enlarge)

HOW CAN AN ANTIQUE BE CALLED "ITALIAN EMPIRE"?

2010-08-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

This is actually a really sophisticated question!

Let me start by saying that all of the furniture shown in this post are "Italian Empire," which means they're early 19th c., made in Italy, but created in the distinct look of the French Empire.

But this is a good question because if we want to get real technical, "Italian Empire" furniture should really be called First Quarter 19th Century Italian Furniture in the Empire Style. But because that's such a mouthful, many people in the trade and at auction houses just call it "Italian Empire". For that reason, I think it's good to know what this informal "short-hand" description means.

Let's start with four antique factoids that are assumed you know if you asked this question:

1. Empire (pronounced "OM-peer") furniture is from the French antique period roughly corresponding to the reign of Napoleon I, 1804-1815.

2. This Empire furniture is recognizable for its traditional neoclassical motifs, already seen earlier in France during the reign of Louis XVI.

But the Empire style supplemented these with symbols of imperial grandeur-the emperor's monogram and his emblem, the bee; representations of military trophies; and after his successful campaigns in Egypt, Egyptian motifs. Furniture was characterized by clear-cut silhouettes and symmetry in decoration. Pedestal tables with claw feet and gondola, or sleigh, beds were in vogue. The wood of choice was mahogany, solid or veneer; and brass and/or ormolu mounts were the chief embellishments.

3. The Empire style, as was true for French styles (arguable commencing with Louis XIII but definitely in full swing by the Sun King) of the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries were trend- setting. England followed suit with its more subdued take on Empire, called Regency style.

But in Italy, the style and look of the French Empire didn't really ever have an Italian name of its own. For this reason, dealers and collectors use the shorthand term "Italian Empire" to mean Italian furniture created in the Neoclassical, regal and grand look of the French Empire. By saying Italian you know that it's not French period Empire. And you also know it's from Italy. Duh. But the look and style resemble Napoleonic Empire furniture. Simple dimple.

4. Now if you're an antique genius or just an idiot savant who miraculously can play Mozart while reciting obscure antique periods, you may be wondering, "Hey Buzz! Since French "Empire" ("OHM-peer") furniture is spelled just like American "Empire" ("EM-pie-yur") furniture, how do we know that those cagey Italians weren't just copying us Americans?

The answer is: American Empire period lagged behind both the French and the Italian Empire periods. In the U.S., Empire furniture dates from around 1820 to 1840. Why is that? Because before TV, radio, the Internet and TMZ, it took a lot longer for European trends (and celebrity gossip) to be communicated, understood and copied.

WHY IS EVERY OLD ENGLISH ANTIQUE CALLED GEORGIAN?

2010-07-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

"Why is every English antique called Georgian?" What an excellent question! Oh what the hell, why be diplomatic at this point? That's an incredibly moronic question. But I do understand why someone would ask it.

All English antique furniture is not just called Georgian. But the term "Georgian" covers such a vast period of time that people often think that if it's English and it's really old, then it must be Georgian. But they're wrong.

English Georgian furniture covers the reigns of first three English King George's: George I 1714-1727 (called Early Georgian), George II 1727-1760 (called Mid Georgian), and most of the reign on George III 1760-1820 (called Late Georgian).

The Regency period (that is, the English period that FOLLOWS Georgian) starts around 1811, when George III was mentally incapacitated and his nit-wit son, the Prince of Wales, was appointed Prince Regent. The Prince Regent became George IV on the death of his poor deranged pop in 1820.

Watch the movie "The Madness of King George" for details. It's really good. Here's actor Nigel Hoffman as George III when he was nuts:

Semi-interesting factoid: George IV was apparently quite the jerk. Very few people (even at his death) had anything nice to say about him. He was lazy, a glutton, a womanizer, a gambler, a tub-of-lard, and a heroin addict. Wait, that describes most of my friends! Anyhow, George IV was one of England's most despised monarchs.

But back to our story: so I think it's best to think of English Regency furniture (again, the English period following Georgian) as around 1810-1830 (George IV died in 1830) but include the vast majority of George III's reign as "late" Georgian. So, the last 10 years of George III's reign along with the entire reign of George IV is not called Georgian, it's called English Regency.

With that said, you can see that the term "Georgian furniture" still covers a vast period of time: over 100 years of history, encompassing most of the 18th century as well as the early part of the 19th. And hence the misunderstanding that all English antiques are Georgian.

Handy antique tip:

If you get cornered and are compelled to describe a random antique piece of English furniture, if you say it's "Georgian", there's a pretty good chance that you'll be right! And even if you're not, 99.9% of people wouldn't know Georgian if it bit them in the rear. So you'll probably look knowledgeable whether you're right or wrong! But read on and you'll understand what Georgian furniture is and is not.

At this point you may be wondering: "Hey Buzz, if George I, II and most of George III's reigns are all called Georgian, then how come George IV's reign isn't also called Georgian?" And the answer is, "Because I says so." In other words, hey, I don't make up these rules, I just report on them. Or as we used to say in high school (or in my case to this very day), "Like it or lump it." Lovely, huh?

Georgian furniture is generally characterized by a simple elegance that is more stately than earlier English periods like Jacobean, (pronounced "JACK oh bee in" and NOT "juh COE bee in" which makes me crazy) (1600-1625) and Queen Anne (1702-1714).

For instance, rather than the extensive carvings that characterizes Jacobean furniture or the frequent use of cabriole legs in Queen Anne furniture, Georgian furniture saw more conservative, imposing designs that reflected the English return to a more neoclassical sensibility. Here's a good example of carved Jacobean furniture, this piece a folding "monk's bench":

And yet when compared to the French Neoclassical Louis XVI and Empire periods, Georgian style is clearly simpler, reflecting England's more conservative/understated penchant (that's a generalization of course and stands in stark contrast to English Palladian furniture which is completely lavish and over the top, but I'll explain that in a later post).

I should mention that the three phases of Georgian period furniture are often hard to identify from each other because often overlap. For that reason, examples of each Georgian phase are often really transitional amalgamations and sometimes look downright anachronistic. Look at this early Georgian wing chair--you might think that it's Mid-Georgian because of its cabriole legs, right? But it dates to George I:

As a general rule, however, it's safe to say that as the 18th century moved from Early Georgian to Mid Georgian, mahogany replaced walnut as the favorite wood of choice. And the George II taste favored lighter color palettes, designs and decoration. And then as George II period was eclipsed by George III, there was a pretty strict return to neoclassical design, with straight lines replacing the curves of the Mid-Georgian period. Again, a generalization but then with Georgian furniture you need to generalize.

Examples of distinct characteristics of George I/Early Georgian furniture would include a general absence of intricate carvings as well as the use of turned or square-tapered legs instead of cabriole or French baroque style. Even so, Georgian cabinetmakers employed a great deal of knowledge that was developed in other periods and styles, including the classic gate leg table design that finds its origin in the Jacobean period. Ornamental inlays were preserved, the most common among them being crossbanding, as shown here:

By the mid 18th century England, the Mid-Georgian period, reflects the transition to the rococo style of France, but interpreted by the English in a much more subdued and staid way.

The designs of Thomas Chippendale's Directory of 1754 reflect the English taste for the French rococo including Chinoiserie. This represented something of a temporary departure from the classical order and a move towards more whimsical designs, and frequent asymmetry, as shown here:

As the 18th century moved into its last 4o years, we see tremendous innovation in furniture design (such as the sideboard) and the third phase of the Georgian period, George III (Late Georgian).

Late Georgian style is primarily neoclassical as was developed by the likes of Robert Adam. Adam rejected the curves of Rococo and evolved a new style characterized by symmetrical lines, attractive lighter proportions, geometric shapes and an abundance of neoclassical motifs. Take a look at this Robert Adams "Etruscan" room in Osterley Park House, circa 1761:

George Hepplewhite popularized Adam's designs in his 'Guide' of 1788 while Thomas Sheraton heralded a new era with his 'Drawing Book' of 1791-1794. Furniture of this period is characteristically light and elegant. Straight, tapering legs are typical of Late Georgian chairs, as are geometrical forms and the use of Greek and Roman patterns. Look at the legs of this George III chair and the neoclassical pediment on this George III breakfront:

WORD OF THE DAY: TAMBOUR

2010-07-26T15:04:00.000-07:00

A tambour (pronounced “TAM bore”) is a type of door you see on antiques as well as modern furniture and other applications.

A tambour door is really pretty ingenious when you think about it. It's a flexible sliding door made up of lots of small slats that interlock and rotate, typically on a rail to open and close:

Tambours are often seen on desks, cabinets, sideboards, etc. You also see them in unlikely places like kitchens (called "appliance garages"-love that term and wish I had a Miata to park in it) and even on real garages.

These doors are made up of several interlocking slats that typically run along rails. But in some cases, the slats are simply glued onto a fabric track that rolls up and down or side to side. This 19th century English sideboard at C. Mariani Antiques, has two handsome tambour doors that run on fabric backing and slide side to side to reveal the two compartments at the top.

In the bum rap category, most people associate tambour doors with those oh-so-tired turn of the century rolltop desks (ugh) like this one:

Lovely, huh? Where's my macrame hanging with my wandering Jew?

But not all tambour desks are light oak, ugly, and "belonged to Uncle Leo, so we're keeping it!". Look at this beautiful 19th century mahogany George III one:

THE THREE MINI-PERIODS OF GEORGIAN FURNITURE

2010-07-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

In my last post, we looked at an overview of Georgian furniture from the reign of George I in the first quarter to the reign of George II around mid-century and ending with the reign of George III, beginning in 1760.

Now let's look at each of these three Georgian "mini-periods" separately:

Early Georgian (George I, 1714-1727)-architectural in style, heavier and symmetrical, more in the Baroque taste):

Mid Georgian (George II, 1727-1760)-lighter and more curvy, more in the Rococo taste but also more subdued than French or Italian Rococo; mahogany replaces walnut as the wood of choice:

Late Georgian (George III, 1760-until Regency 1820)-designs are in the Neoclassical taste:

Now forget everything we've learned about Georgian I, II and III furniture because in my next post down we're going to talk about the red herring (mmmm. I love herring) of Georgian 18th century English furniture, the style known as Palladian.

A STYLE UNTO ITSELF: ENGLISH PALLADIAN FURNITURE

2010-07-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

The opulent English furniture style known as Palladian emerged during the early and mid Georgian periods but it stands in marked contrast to Georgian pieces of that time.

These oddball and wildly luxe Palladian antiques are sometimes called Georgian, Georgian Palladian, or just Palladian. Technically, all these names are correct, but for the sake of clarity (and sanity!), it's best to describe them as Palladian because they look so different from all the other antiques that we call Georgian.

Why so different? Because the Palladian style was developed exclusively for the small and extremely wealthy English upper class, composed of families that were really not part of the English mainstream.

This luxurious and frequently gilded furniture was destined for the great country homes, mansions, and palaces of England. As a consequence, Georgian Palladian furniture had little lasting influence on English furniture, never making the leap to common use and acceptance in the Georgian mainstream.

And yet the Palladian look is highly prized because it works so well with other European period pieces. Look how great this Palladian pier mirror looks when paired with a 19th c. French Empire (pronounced AHM peer and dating from 1799-1814) Georges Jacob console:

When taken out of context, away from the matching interior decoration of the rooms it was designed for (see the room pictured at the beginning of this post), Palladian furniture seems weird, massively over-scaled and way out of synch with Early Georgian or Mid Georgian taste.

And indeed, Palladian furniture is over-the-top ornate, huge, only barely movable and typically embellished with lavish carving. It's really sculpture-like and could just as easily been carved out of stone rather than wood. Look at this Palladian oak doll house to see what I mean:

At C. Mariani, we have an incomparable pair of English Palladian console tables from the estate of George Randolph Hearst Sr. And they can be yours for only $250,000 USD (and if you call in the next 10 minutes I'll thrown in a Sham-Wow dish towel perfect for cleaning those Issori verde marble tops!). Here's one of the pair:

Palladian furniture used many neoclassical elements such as elaborate pediments, masks, eagles (as in the Hearst consoles) and sphinxes. Here is a George II William Kent Palladian mirror that demonstrates the neoclassical influence:

Palladian furniture pieces included side tables and pier tables, usually with marble tops, chairs with top-rail crestings of shells, and legs graced with fish-scaled scrolls, as well as bookcases and gilt wood mirrors.

Often Misunderstood Factoid: A few clients of mine INSIST that the scrolly big-headed fish motif you see above and also on a lot of French 18th century antiques is a STURGEON. A sturgeon? "Pass the caviar please and sorry, but no." These are stylized DOLPHINS, thank you very much.

Palladian furniture was also largely inspired by classical architecture elements.

Apart from William Kent, other designers of this time who did at least some Palladian style work were Benjamin Goodison, James Moore, Giles Grency, John Channon, and John Vardy. Here is a gilt wood Palladian bench attributed to Vardy:

WORD OF THE DAY: BOUILLOTTE

2010-07-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

Bouillotte (pronounced "boo YAHT") was a card game (similar to today's poker) that was wildly popular in France in the 18th century. In fact, this form of gambling became so popular that they created both a table and a lamp specifically for the game.

A bouillotte table is a small round marble-topped card table with a pierced metal gallery above a paneled frieze. This gallery allowed for a bouchon (pronounced "BOO shon") felt top to be placed securely on top of the marble when the table was being used for the game. Without the bouchon, the marble-topped table worked perfectly as a side table, server, or candle stand.

The frieze below the tabletop gallery is typically fitted with two small drawers and two pull-out utility slides.

These tables were created in the Louis XVI neoclassical style and were raised on four cylindrical tapering legs as opposed to the curving cabriole (pronounced "CAB ree ole") legs of the previous period, that of Louis XV. These table legs either terminate in sabots (pronounced "suh-BOWS" and meaning applied decorative bronze shoe-mounts a the base of each leg) and they are sometimes fitted with casters.

Bouillotte tables are typically made of mahogany, reflecting the ascendancy of that wood as a fashion statement for Neoclassical continental furniture.

A bouillotte lamp is a table lamp with two to four adjustable candle brackets.

The candle arms on these lamps share a common metal (called tole and pronounced "TOLL") shade that would slide down a central shaft and be secured by a screw to accommodate the dwindling length of the lit candles.

Why do these lamps always have a metal shade? Well, the easy answer is that the shade was meant to protect the card player's eyes from the glare. But this would have been true with a fabric shade as well as metal. Why the metal then? Because in the 18th century the lightbulb was yet to be invented and the burning candles would incinerate any fabric shade. Duh.

You need to be careful not to confuse "tole" shades for the similarly spelled but very different term, "toile". Toile, pronounced "TWAHL", is a fabric, also called "toiles de jouy" (pronounced "twahl duh ZHWEE"), that is cotton printed with pastoral or figural scenes in monochrome on a beige background, as seen here:

These card table lamps typically had dished bases that were used both to hold the game chips as well as to catch the melting candle wax.

Bouillotte lamps were placed either on top of the bouchon or less often on the utility slides found in the frieze.

CONFIRMED BACHELORS' CHESTS

2010-07-12T12:17:00.001-07:00

Being a confirmed bachelor myself, I've always been dazzled by a handsome bachelors' chest.

Before that comment is misconstrued, let me explain that a bachelors' chest has nothing to do with the English anatomy. At least not here.

Here, the term is used to describe a small and shallow antique English furniture chest with a hinged top and graduated drawers, like this one (belonging to one of my favorite clients, Debby M-thanks, Debby!):

Bachelors' chests are an important antique category because they're considered one of the finest achievements of early English cabinetry.

English bachelors' chests are so-called because they were created for a bachelor's bedroom apartments and meant to serve various functions including storage, dressing and writing. The English bachelor was expected to marry and then acquire an entire household of furniture including bedroom highboys and other pieces that would replace the lonely bachelor's chest.

The hinged top on a bachelors' chests folds open to create a writing surface. This fold out would be supported by pull out struts called "lopers" (pronounced LOPE-pers). A tip off to a fake chest is the glaring omission of lopers to support the top. Here are some lopers, first shown retracted and then shown pulled out to hold up the writing top when opened:

With the lopers extended, the top could be folded out and used for writing:

Bachelors' chests were first introduced in the late 17th century and are most typically made in English walnut, and less frequently for some provincial pieces in oak and elm. But the walnut ones are the most highly prized.

17th century bachelors' chests can be identified by their bun feet, crude dovetailing and straight grained walnut cross banding.
By the 18th century, the heavy bun feet were replaced with shaped brackets and the dovetailing construction was much neater.

Also on the 18th century chests, often a brushing slide was added above the top drawer. Brushing slides were made for laying out a piece of clothing to remove lint and wrinkles. Here is an open and closed brushing slide:

By the mid-18th century, the bachelors' chest was replaced by the larger and more fashionable French commode form.

But the English provinces continued to produce bachelors' chests throughout the 18th century. However, these later chests are usually betrayed by their larger scale and Rococo or Neoclassical handles.

Interesting factoid: Bachelors' chests are one of those antiques where coloration is critical. The value of a particular specimen is at a premium where the tone is rich, deep walnut as opposed to a more reddish mahogany-like color. In the 19th century, many a perfect bachelors' chest was ruined by stripping and re-staining it in the deep red mahogany color so popular at that time.

THE GENESIS OF THE COFFEE TABLE

2010-04-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

I get a lot of flack for saying that there are no antique coffee tables.

I get even more flack from "antique" dealers (better known as thrift shop owners) who sell "antique" coffee tables all the time. As much as they dislike the truth, the tables they're selling are at best vintage and never really antique (meaning over 100 years old).

So, to finally put an end to all of those poison pen emails and semi-death threats I get on this topic, here for the first and last time is a history of the furniture form we call the coffee table.

The genesis of the coffee table dates back to the first quarter of the 20th century (get it, VINTAGE). You can see the emerging form here as a tea/serving table in this 1920's dining room photo:

Lore has it that one J. Stuart Foote, the president of the Imperial Furniture Company, invented the modern day coffee table in 1920. It's said that he cut down the legs of a table he had in his warehouse and realized it would be perfect to put in front of a sofa. Kind of like this farm table that's been cut down to work as a coffee table:

Similarly, he felt that this long and low table would be much more convenient than the typical side and tea tables for holding guests' coffee and tea. And he was right!

As importantly, the coffee table's emergence can also be traced to the evolving housing revolution of the '20's where smaller bungalow residences were being built for the middle class.

These homes increasingly had separate and newly conceived "living rooms" and "dens" where people entertained. Plus social entertaining itself was becoming less formal. Up until this time, guests were entertained in the salons, drawing rooms, parlors, and, in the 18th century, even in bedrooms (with the lady of the house lying propped up in bed fully dressed for the occasion and in full makeup). This kind of formal entertaining often had guests resting their cup and saucers in their laps while conversing.

Of course, even in the era of formal entertaining and up through the Edwardian period, homes had higher tea tables (that often tilted so they could be put against a wall when not in use) and lower small teapoys (to hold the silver service and/or the tea/coffee pot) and the guests were served by the household staff (usually the butler plus the first footmen and sometimes the second as well).

You'd be surprised at how many staff persons were employed in the typical manor house of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Even a modest middle class home would have has no less than three and as many as ten full time servants at the time.

INTERESTING FACTOID: "Footmen" (which were very high on the pecking order of servants) were hired based on two solid principles: good-looks and height. In fact, to show off their gorgeousity, footmen were dressed in ostentatious livery costumes like these:

In the best households, the footmen were perfectly matched in height and trained to act in unison, knocking on doors or serving dishes with a synchronised flourish.

And just when you think this can't get weirder: It was critical that all footmen have fine and pronounced calf muscles. In fact, it was so important that they often wore ‘falsies’ (kind of like today's Spanks)-padded white hose to make their calves more attractive. Isn't that lovely? Funny to me how these days rear ends have replaced calves in importance. Or have they? Something to ponder.

A variation of the tea table emerged in the 19th century in the form of the tea trolley, a rectangular table on casters. As more people without staff (or limited staff) entertained, the tea trolley made serving easier.

And then we come to the 1920's where the burgeoning middle class began purchasing homes with separate dens and living rooms that had to be filled with furniture for the newly casual entertaining.

The problem the 1920's middle class had was that they had little or no staff at all to serve the coffee and tea.

And so the tea table and trolley naturally morphed (with the help of J. Stuart Foote) into the coffee table.

This new piece of furniture was perfect for "self-serve" entertaining--and as that became the norm, the use of the coffee table became more widespread and popular to where it is today--practically ubiquitous (good word, huh?). Here's a stylish 1920's Cuban mahogany coffee table by Danish designer Johan Rohde:

Thank you Cecilie!

2010-04-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

My dear friend and client Cecilie Starin, a familiar name at the San Francisco Decorator Showcases, was featured this week in the San Francisco Chronicle. Cecilie's room at this year's showcase is entitled "Ivory Tower: A Room for Thought." She describes the look as "classic but with a modern twist." Cecilie recommended me in her article and I'm really flattered and appreciative (being the publicity hound that I am). Here's what she said:

"Buzz Kaplan always has fun and interesting information about antiques on his blog. He is an expert in the field."

So make sure and check out Cecilie's room at this year's San Francisco Decorator Showcase, opening this weekend and running through May!

Oh-forgot one thing. Cecilie also has a fun and informative blog, Cecilie Starin Style. Check it out too-I think you'll enjoy it!

The Buzz: COFFEE TABLES, PETRINS and HUCHES

2010-04-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

I'm constantly being asked for antique coffee tables. And I always answer: antique coffee tables are like the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy: they don't exist.

Why? Because coffee tables were first conceived as a furniture piece in the 1920's and therefore by definition are at best vintage and cannot be antique (and antique has to be at least 100 years old).

But there are antiques that can be repurposed as coffee tables. The most obvious are trunks or dowry chests like this 19th century Anglo Indian Rosewood one:

Another option is to use an antique Italian wedding chest known as a CASSONE ("kuh SO nay") like this spectacular 18th c. Sicilian polychrome example:

But my favorite antique piece that works beautifully as a coffee table is the humble PETRIN, a French kneading trough for dough that's typically made of fruitwood and has a rusticated provincial look that works for many interiors.

Petrin is pronounced pay TRAN (with the N being kind of softly spoken). Another plus about repurposing a petrin as a coffee table is that the top is removable for lots of storage:

Another term for petrin is the HUCHE. I used to call this a HOOCH until I took my French correspondence course. Now I know the correct pronunciation is "oosh". So now when I see a oosh in a friend's living room, I like to ask "May I sit my toosh on your oosh?" Oddly, that never gets a laugh...

Here's a great houche/petrin that would work beautifully as a small coffee table, although perhaps a tad tall:

And here's another small one:

So if you're searching for that perfect "antique" coffee table, consider repurposing trunks, cassones, petrins and huches. They're both functional and antiques.

LATE BREAKING NEWS 8/23/10! I just learned another definition of what would be called a "toosh"--and no, it's not a bumm. A "toosh" is also a fluid used in lithography! Who knew?