Gustavian Furniture and Antiques

Today I'm loving the subdued tones and the gorgeous antiques from Intramuros. Hope you like them too.

All images from here.

Traditional Home Tour

Traditional elegance is how I would describe the home of Carole and Buddy Stalling in Lynchburg Virginia. You enter into a grand foyer with a spiral staircase, beautiful wallpaper, an exquisite mirror and antique botanical prints that came from England.

To the left is the formal dining room filled with sentimental heirlooms and antiques, and a fabulous crystal and silver epergne as the table centerpiece. The portrait is of Col. John Banister from Petersburg, Va (b. 1734 - d. 1788). He was a delegate from Virginia to the Philadelphia Congress in 1778 and was one of the signers of the Articles of Confederation. My favorite is the grand sideboard with the candlabras, silver service, and antique knife holders.

Crown moulding and oriental rugs are present throughout the home. The living room is filled with more antique furniture paired with updated upholstery in rich colors. The antique miniature highboy chest is made of burl walnut. Carole and Buddy Stalling collect original paintings from their travels and have quite a beautiful collection in every room.

On the way to the master bedroom is a glassed in hallway similar to a greenhouse filled with various potted plants and hanging baskets.

As you step out the side entrance, there is a beautiful garden. Currently the geraniums, seedum, hydrangea, and impatients are in full bloom.

As you head to the backyard, there is a full bricked in patio perfect for entertaining, complete with a built-in grill. There is also a guest house in the back for out of town visitors. Nestled in the woods, it is truly a private retreat.

Thank you Carole and Buddy for the tour!

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Chic Flea Market Finds

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summer Retreat in Cadiz

Good morning, lovelies! This house I'm showing you today belongs to Fernando Fauquié. He is an architect, antiquarian, designer and landscaper. His summer house is located in Cadiz, Spain and is full of antiques and interesting items he personally chose.









Fernando Fauquié in one of his porches. His clothes even match his surroundings!

























All images from here.