As promised, since The King’s Speech took home an Oscar, I’m posting a few favorite pieces from my personal collection of English items. Mondays are always busy as I get ready for client meetings so I’ll just pop in some quick photos and comments.
I love clocks and when I saw this floor type at a local antiques’ auction, I just knew I had the perfect place for it. Even though I’m also a huge fan of the Swedish Mora clocks, the handpainted face is what captured my affection and inspired me into waving my bidder’s number.
Function meets form in the most beautiful way!
I have a set of Maund English botanicals, which were hand-coloured prints taken from a set of books published in London – 1825 to 1835. I’ll have to admit, the shadow box framing caught my eye as much as the art.
My husband, who loves collecting leatherbound books, came across this piece during one of his hunts. (We have to police one another’s collecting habits!) It’s a beautiful hall stand to hold umbrellas and it has a drawer box for gloves. The carving on the drawer serves as a pull and even though the face has a rather scolding appearance, we both love it. I really think it’s supposed to remind us not to forget to cover ourselves from the elements. More than umbrellas, it holds some walking sticks. (Another collection story.) I also decided my Italian toleware compote seems to be happy nesting on top.
Some furniture pieces, from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, show a carved figure, often referred to as the Northwind. It was often found during the earlier Jacobean period, but experienced a revival during the Victorian era, too. This handle reminds me more of that of a feline face. They do say March rolls in like a lion!
It even has the original drip pans intact. I love the fact that someone cherished it enough to take good care of it for future generations. I hope to see more consumers view their pieces as worthwhile purchases and not have them end up in the landfills.
I featured a post about my English transferware collection on my other blog, Villas and Bungalows. Stop by to visit and check out that particular story. As you can see from this photo, I am an avid collector. I think we have a good bit of the everyday pieces, as well as some of the more difficult to find. It has been a true treasure hunt!
Collecting, to me, is not about acquiring “things”. It’s the way I tell the story of who I am. It captures the memories of sharing time with my husband as we put the pieces together for our home. We are also aware of the fine line between stuffing spaces or layering them in a well-designed way. I enjoy being able to help my clients write their “lifebook”, too. We just have to pick a place for the beginning and then add to the chapters of their lives.
What does your home say about you? Does it tell your story or someone else's?
From the King and Queen of our own castle ~ The Hortons
