This is a cubby from an upstate NY post office. We brought it to our studio and filled it with objects, two number dials from vintage gas station pumps, small glass numbered vials which held watch parts, ivory dominoes, vintage tin forms. All similar in size, just small enough to fit into each single cubby.
So many years ago, when I was in art school, there was a junk store which sold anything but junk, on Canal Street in NYC. I used to love to go in there and search for hours. They had many small white porcelain "thimbles" with hundreds of holes at the bottom which was like a strainer. This was my first introduction to Coors.
Before 1918, porcelain chemical and labware was imported from Germany for laboratory research. Once it became impossible to import from Germany, an American ceramics company began to make quality and consistent porcelain for the laboratory
This is Coors, and is pretty easy to find. The company continues to manufacture, but I like finding them in antique shops and flea markets, tucked away in unlikely spots. You can tell it is made from the Coors factory by its small green logo near the rim.
I bought these weights at the West Palm Beach Antique show in West Palm Beach, Florida. This show/ sale/ festival happens on the first weekend of every month. During the winter months, when it is freezing up here, this show is a great place to go.
I love the West Palm fair because I get to go with my sister, who lives in Florida. It also brings in a more diverse group of antique dealers from more areas in the US. There is a wide variety of merchandise there, both rustic and refined.
Please check their website for schedule and for their "extravangza" show, which brings in more dealers.
I found this lamp at an estate sale buried in a photo case in a basement. I love the scale of this one, the twist of the arm and the simplicity in its industrial style. We rewired it and it works beautifully.
We are not selling this lamp, but will be selling other lamps soon.
Most stylists acquire collections. I have boxes and boxes of flatware. Small forks for food advertising, a huge variety of spoons in different sizes, materials and shapes, and a large collection of knives.
I don't usually buy sets, unless I have no choice, but I do search out interesting knives with character. This is a small cross section of what I have found over the years. Some cost a dime, some much more. I love the bone handle, the curve of the wood, the stamp on the steel blade, the split in the bone, all the marks which make it individual and personal to me.
I had no idea what this mallet was used for when I found it, but I think it is beautiful. I imagine its amazing history through its texture and tone.
Although I found it with this handle, I do not believe it is the original one. I think it works really well with the tool nonetheless.
These exquisite hand forged spoons are made by special order in Brooklyn NY by Henry Street Studio. Each one is unique, heated and hammered to create the perfect shape.
Please email henrystreetstudio@gmail.com, to get more information and request custom spoon orders. Spoons vary in price from $125 to $200 each.
These glasses were originally sold as candles which burned for 24 hours. I have always saved them and repurposed them as glasses for wine and sometimes yogurt.
Two years ago, 2 friends and I opened a special little store in Nyack, New York, called Archive Home. We sell a combination of modern and vintage home goods. These vintage glasses are sold there, and are available for purchase. archivehomestore@gmail.com.
When we are on a shoot, I bring many props as options. As we are working, props sometimes gather on the side of the set not making it into the hero shot; but they are always nearby in case we want to use them. Many times, we look to the side, and there is a pile ready to go back onto the prop tables. This tray was one of those piles. I thought it was beautiful and definitely worthy of a shot for our blog.
My aunt Gladys passed away a year and a half ago. She had lived with my grandmother Mollie for her entire life, and coveted Mollie's belongings for decades. When Gladys passed, I was left with the task of cleaning out her estate, which was a cluttered NYC apartment.
Gladys took care of my grandmother's possessions and they are in great shape, especially her collection of teacups. They are a thin fine porcelain, some hand stamped, some handpainted, each a different pattern.
It was difficult cleaning out her home. There was a part of me that thought it would be exciting, unearthing treasures, but it was an arduous task. I felt responsible for finding the right home for her possessions, creating care packages for my siblings and parents, and finding homes for objects where I knew they would be appreciated. The teacups stayed with me.
There is a store on Madison Avenue called Bardith, www.bardith.com , where I used to get beautiful porcelain pieces for shoots. Back then I was doing a lot of work for New York Magazine and needed special gift ideas for shopping guides. Now, in addition to Bardith, I search on Ebay and Etsy for special pieces to round out this mixed set.
Sometimes I am surprised when, at the end of a day of flea markets, I unwrap my purchases and unknowingly, all of the objects are the same color, texture or material. This was a day of shopping for me. Every object had rust and age.
I always look for the rustic worn glass Christmas balls. They have character and exquisite beauty. The more imperfect the better.
Happy Holidays to you.
These white worn bowls from the photo on the bottom are made of cement. I found them at Ruby Beets, a wonderful antique store that opened as a pop up shop at Industry City in Sunset Park Brooklyn. They have a permanent shop in Sag Harbor, NY, and I believe are selling online now. www.rubybeets.com
They are new bowls, and they inspired us to work in white.
We begin this blog with a collection. I love the variety of these brushes, used for cooking, painting, basting, priming and cleaning. I have collected them over the years from so many different places, and feel like they gain importance and beauty as a group. I like when you go to an estate sale and people run down to the basement in search of the most valuable tools. I go downstairs and look for the interesting brush, with it's shape, color, age, texture, whatever works.
I know of a few artists who have used the brush as art- Jasper Johns with his famous "Savarin" painting, and Claus Oldenburg made a sculpture of a paint brush that resembles a torch that stands tall in Philadelphia. There is also an artist named Jeffery Jenkins who had an installation at Mildred's Lane in Narrowsburg, NY, of a phenomonal brush collection all hanging on a white wall. It becomes object as art. It is inspiring.