What the flock?

London antiques dealer Christopher Jones stopped (or quite possibly stooped) by yesterday leaving a comment on an old post, Swirls and Twirls. Which in turn led to my discovery of his line Plush; one of the best contemporary ranges I have seen in a very long time.



Neo-Classical Chair



Vintage Boots
Pair of 1930's riding boots with trees.



Kent Mirror



The full range of colours available for stock or commissioned pieces.

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Nothing lost in translation

25 - 26 September 2000
Oxford, The Manor House at Clifton Hampden (the Christopher Gibbs sale)

A pair of stained elm fauteuils
Designed by Syrie Maugham, 20th century, in the Louis XV style
Each with rectangular padded back, squab cushions and part-padded arms covered in ivory linen, with slightly outscrolled arms, on short cabriole legs (2)





28 June 2005
London, South Kensington

A pair of ash armchairs
Mid 20th Century, in the manner of Syrie Maugham (2)




The Bergere Chair produced by Soane

A faithful, and beautifully executed, reproduction of the pair from 2005.



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Sounds exciciting doesn't it?

Unfortunately it wasn't. And hasn't been for two years now. What was once the highlight of many a bleak January is now nothing more than a direct marketing ploy. One or two (four to be exact) nice things afloat on a sea of absolute dross (and absolutely pristine Barbour).

On the upside I did manage to enter and leave the building without incident. And believe me it was a minefield of possible incidents.



Heather Leigh West - Drop A House

Who knew?

Newport Single Pedestal Base





Kit Chair

Both from the James River Furniture Collection






MacDonald Made to Measure 100" Skirted Sofa
Alexa Hampton Furniture Collection






Sullivan Bookcase Frame
Thomas O'Brien Furniture Collection




Hickory Chair

Our style is still distinguished by an authentic, timeless spirit. And our furniture is still made to order and made to last, by a team of talented and attentive artisans in our workshop in Hickory, North Carolina.


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The name is Baas

Maarten Bass

Clay Furniture

Introduced at Salone del Mobile, Milan, 2006.

Made of a synthetic Clay on a metal skeleton. Each piece is modelled by hand. As no moulds are used in the production, each piece is unique. Available in eight standard colours: black, white, brown, red, yellow, blue, orange and green.


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You mean all this time we could have been friends?

The Providores & Tapa Room, London

Peter Gordon and his Marlybone restaurant, The Providores & Tapa Room, represent the best of fusion cuisine. Until then, for me at least, it was nothing more than an unpalatable and ridiculous idea.

One of my favourite dishes was his mashed sweet potatoes with miso and wasabi, served with escargots. Sadly no longer on the menu, but not impossible to make.


2 Sweet potato - peeled and roasted then pureed

Blend:

Yellow miso paste, about a teaspoon and a bit
Tamari, a couple of good dashes
Wasabi paste, a dollop
Mirin, a teaspoon
Sake, single shot

Warm the rinsed escargots in the blended ingredients and add to the still warm pureed sweet potato. Simple.




Peter Gordon: A World in My Kitchen

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The new

King Bonk chair and footstool by Fredrikson Stallard

The prototype was created not by computer graphics but by being sculpted from upholstery foam using a chainsaw. The King Bonk chair and footstool derives its name from the largest marble in the childhood game of marbles.

A limited edition produced in fiberglass and available in four custom paint colours created by Bentley - black/green, black/cobalt blue, black/gold and black/violet.


Fredrikson Stallard is available through David Gill Galleries


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Shopping with Victoria and Albert

Bronze Pistilli Ring by Anthias




Silver Pistilli Ring by Anthias




Bronze Orbs Ring by Anthias

Anthias is the design duo of Monica Castiglioni and Natsuko Toyofuku.


The V&A Museum Shop has an outstanding selection of artisnal costume jewelry; with many of the pieces exclusive to the V&A.

Another favourite section is the space often dedicated to vintage pieces that are relevant to the current exhibitions. This time the space was given over to vintage hats to reflect the current exhibit curated by milliner Stephen Jones.


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In the pink

Dianthus


Carnations and Pinks: The Complete Guide by Sophie Hughes

Kingstone Cottage Plants



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Shopping with MoMA

Stacking Heller Dinnerware
Massimo Vignelli, 1964





Colorful Wobble Glasses
Monica Lubkowska Jonas, 2007





Mirror Coasters
Barbara Flanagan, 2007





Zucch Sugar Pourer
Lisa Vincitorio, 2008





Folding Bird House
Jesper Moller Hansen,
Dorthe Weis, 2007





Wooden Clutch
Tia Cibani, 2007



A museum is only as good as its gift shop.

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Lot 233

So smart and modern. Frank Lloyd Wright two piece sectional sofa, manufactured by Heritage Henredon, with a Taliesin design base.

This would be my choice as a foil to French salon furniture.


Treadway Toomey Galleries

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Round and round we go

Circleback Chair by Edwin Lutyens

This chair was designed in 1930 for two of the smaller bedrooms in the north west wing of Government House in New Delhi. Authoritative sources indicate that the original pieces do still survive and that they are now in the President of India's private apartment.

It is a good example of the paradoxical nature of much of Lutyens's work. While, on the face of it, we have a fairly conventional chair, there are certain aspects of the design that are surprising. The extravagant sweep of the semicircular arm is a case in point, as is the narrow void at the front of the seat. The degree to which the geometrical relationship between the circles of the back is precisely worked out is also of some interest. The reducing size of the voids is predetermined by a mathematical formula, as is the thickness of the rings which lessens as the circles become smaller. - Candia Lutyens

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Petrology

Lot No 1282
Series of five graduated polyester Rock lights, circa 1970, by Andre Cazenave. Most bearing a paper label to the underside - A. Cazenave, Disderot-Editeur, Paris. Made in France - the smallest h. 5", dia. 7", the largest h. 12-1/2", dia. 19".

New Orleans Auction Galleries, Inc.

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There will be times when the trees will be bare

Winter Landscape, 1972. Etching on paper.



Two Trees, 1999. Etching on paper.


Stanislav Nikireyev (1932-2007), one of the most remarkable masters of modern Russian fine arts. Experts consider his works a unique phenomenon in current landscape art and his etching techniques follow the legacy of the old masters, such as Albrecht Duerer, Rembrandt van Rijn and especially Pieter Brueghel the Elder. - Oleg Nikireyev



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Shell collecting, literally

Digitate Thorny Oyster - Spondylus ictericus (Reeve, 1856)



Atlantic Thorny Oyster - Spondylus americanus (Hermann, 1781)



Regal Thorny Oyster - Spondylus regius (Linnaeus, 1758)


Jacksonville Shells



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Trolley dolly

A French two tier pierced metal trolley by Mathieu Mategot, 1956. Dimensions, H:68.5cm W:66cm D:66 cm.
A snip at £2200.


1. trolley dolly -
An often over-painted but nonetheless glamourous and sexy cabin crew member on a commercial airline, so-called because they offer drinks and other refreshments from a trolley pushed down the centre aisle.


Pam Ann - Cabin Service


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Inspired

A pair of French black and white marble table lamps by Philippe Barbier, c.1970.


Pair of black and white natural-pearl and diamond ear clips, signed Van Cleef & Arpels, once the property of the Duchess of Windsor.


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Handbags at dawn

Maison21's obsessive compulsive decorating disorder challenge - the objective is to take disparate elements (in this case the tusk dining table base, the cerused oak flooring and the beige colour scheme) and make them work.


Contemporary alabaster ceiling light from Antiquario. Hand carved from a solid block by a Bay Area artisan.



Maison21's tusk dining table base, which would be done with a composite stone top (as I positively loathe glass topped dining tables) to match the base in colour and mirror its profile.



Billy Baldwin dining slipper chair with raffia body.


Lee Jofa's Zephyr in granite for the seat cushions and the curtains.



Pair of French industrial steel cabinets from Briggs House Antiques.



Zoffany's Paper-White for woodwork and ceiling, and Barley for the walls.



Cerused oak flooring.



Spider Diptych, 2004, watercolour on paper (480 x 300cm) by Alf Löhr.


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