Category Archives: Antique

Asher House

05.22.2012
treasure

Last weekend my mom, Aunt Ann, and cousin Em drove up to Hudson for the day to check out some of the wedding venues and run a couple of wedding errands. It turned out to be another wonderful upstate day. It amazes me how relaxed I feel a mere 3 hours outside the city! We decided to get a head start on the drive home by going about 45 minutes south to Rhinebeck for dinner.

You may have heard of Rhinebeck before, it’s the Dutchess County town where Chelsea Clinton got married a few years back. It’s also one of the (many) adorable little getaway towns sprinkled along the Hudson River, north of NYC. I think of Rhinebeck as one of the more “cosmopolitan” river towns. It’s got a cute little independent theatre, a bevy of artfully designed shops and a flurry of restaurants (including one located in a former church.)

Rhinebeck is also the home of Asher House, which is my favorite antique store in the area. The store is located in a 1796 Dutch Colonial house right on the main drag Route 9 and has everything from period oak and Georgian mahogany pieces to early-20th-century designs. It’s a traditionalists dream. Below are a few of my favorite things found at Asher House.

After our short walking tour of the town (it’s only about 2 blocks, so it didn’t take long!), we settled on the Liberty Public House for dinner. Thought the interior is kinda amazing (proof below), we decided to enjoy the perfect almost summer day. Ah, there’s nothing like a glass of prosecco and a great meal on a beautiful day with some of your favorite people.

Images by Salvaged Grace (you can tell because of their blurriness… I’ve got to take a photo class!)

Hartong International

05.08.2012
treasure

Volume doesn’t matter in a shop with pieces as elegant, sophisticated, and restrained as Hartong International. It’s clear that Jason Hartong, the proprietor who has a background in art history, selects his inventory with care. Most pieces are of European descent and although they may be pedigreed, the shop feels very timeless and distinguished. I’m crazy about that linen bench, it’s so grown up. It would be perfect in a front hall, flanked by two sconces and a huge painting above. Can’t you see it!?

Images via Hartong International 

 

New Orleans Antiquing

05.01.2012
treasure

Hello! I’m back from New Orleans and luckily not too worse for wear. My girlfriends created an amazing celebration and, most importantly, I was surrounded by friendships that are longstanding and fulfilling. If you follow me on Twitter (or want to check out my flurry of tweets from the weekend) you can get a sense of the fun that was had.

I’m not sure how we covered all that we did in two days: dinners out at Marigny and Mona Lisa Restaurant, jazz brunch at The Court of Two Sisters, afternoon at Jazzfest, singing along at the Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop piano bar, cocktails at the Hotel Roosevelt bar, breakfast at Cafe Dumonde… and we managed to squeeze in some shopping here and there.

One of the first shops we came upon was the gorgeous Antiques de Provence, which reads like a page out of the blog Velvet and Linen. More and more, I’m getting into (what I would call) a french/swedish hybrid design style -some combination of the whitewashed feel of swedish interiors with the pretty lines of french antiques. Were I executing that vision in my own home, I’d start with these classic french pieces. I love the scale of those big armoires and large garden urns, the detail of the chairs with their nailheads, and the overstuffed bergeres may be on my lifetime design must-buy list.

At the total other end of the spectrum (and kinda the other end of the French Quarter) sits a junk shop called Greg’s Antiques. Affordable and chock full of antiques, vintage and salvaged pieces, this is one of those place you’d want to spend a day wading through. They had a surprisingly large selection of giant drums that would be so cute as a low side table or nightstand. But I was most transfixed with an old yearbook, that belonged to a geeky looking sophomore named Steven, who was dating either a hot senior named Judy or a Judy in his class. Had I more time, I’d have rooted through the book to solve the mystery.

 

They’ve got some good antiquing in New Orleans! On my next trip I hope to get to spend even more time exploring the local shops.

Images via Antiques de Provence and Greg’s Antiques

 

Soniat House

04.16.2012
getaways

What a beautiful weekend! Spring in New York is so delightful, especially when it feels more like a mild summer. This season also kicks off a busy time for me… BC’s birthday is next weekend and I have a few surprises in store for him, my mom’s coming for Mother’s Day weekend in May, and between now and then I’ll be (finally) tackling some of the more important wedding details (*cough*, save the dates!) and heading down to New Orleans for my bachelorette party the last weekend in April. And unbeknownst to us (at first anyways), we’ll be there the same weekend as Jazzfest, can you believe the luck!?

I’ve never been to New Orleans before and I’m so excited to soak up the history of this city! The countdown begins with today’s Salvaged Getaway to Soniat House, a historic hotel in the French Quarter. The Soniat House is comprised of three townhouses of guest suites, all outfitted with antiques handpicked from around the world by the owners Rodney and Francis Smith. You can be assured every detail has been through out and the spaces carefully pulled together (evidence below). Even if you aren’t planning a trip to New Orleans, you can (and should) get your fill of Soniat House in their online antiques store. There’s a painted banquette that has my name all over it.

Images via Soniat House

Shopping in Hudson

02.28.2012
treasure

There are so many fabulous antique stores in Hudson, I can barely get through a block of Warren Street in one trip. Literally, we went to all of 5 stores in about a 3 hour browsing period. Here were our finds and favorites on this trip.

I was really looking forward to popping into Henry-their branding and signage is so cool! The shop itself was packed with interesting pieces. It definitely had a great attic vibe, like you had to dig to find the really awesome pieces. I loved the bright, japanese kimono fabric and wondered if it might finally inspire me to use my sewing machine. But ultimately we decided on 9 eye doctor flashcards that I plan to frame and hang in our living room. We also bought a couple of sketches from an old costume shop.

“Oh wow!” was my first reaction to Hudson Home. This shop was a mix of new, modern pieces and awesome antiques. But the biggest wow factor was really the store design, especially the front room. The shopkeeper told us that the store is owned by designers and they redecorate the space every season. When we were there, they’d taken an antique map, enlarged it, then papered the walls. The map itself showed the path of the Hudson River from NY to Hudson, which was a lovely way to pay homage to the area. It was a pretty spectacular and actually a very calming space!

We were running out of time by the time we got to Warren Street Antiques, which is a group store so there’s a ton of inventory. Its less designed, but definitely had the best deals of the three shops we visited that day. I got the alabaster lamp on sale for $40! Imagine how great it will look in my dressing room with a black shade. We didn’t spend enough time digging through this shop, definitely one to get back to soon.

Holler and Squall

02.07.2012
treasure

 A few weeks ago I was walking to Atlantic Avenue from Brooklyn Heights and I came upon a shop with a giant taxidermy peacock in the window. “Must go in…”

Inside, I could barely contain my delight in this wonderland of taxidermy, architectural elements, deep chesterfields, aged to perfection textiles… They call it Holler and Squall and if you are in the New York vicinity… you must go there. 

The store owner, Zak (whom I met when I visited and was so gracious) grew up working construction. Perhaps that explains the incredible plays with scale, shapes and architectural pieces. Gillette is a third generation antiques dealer – quite a pedigree! This couple has not only incredible taste and a good eye, but also an amazing talent for putting together absolutely breathtaking vignettes. And for the record, if you put a cute baby on a settee in a shop window, I will likely attempt to purchase both.

Images via Salvaged Grace and Holler and Squall