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!

Antiquaires: Paris Flea Markets

Flea markets are a weekend ritual for many people.  One of the biggest regrets that Stefan and I have about our trip to Paris is that we did not make it to the legendary les puces.  When we do finally make the trip, we will have a wonderful guide in Antiquaires: Paris Flea Markets by Laure Verchere.  You would expect to find antiques like Louis XVI chairs but the Paris flea markets also offer mid-century pieces and modern art.  You just have to find the right antiquaire as illustrated in the beautiful photos from Laziz Hamani.  The book also highlights the famous faces who frequented the stalls for inspiration including Madeleine Castaing, Coco Chanel, and Rudolf Nureyev.  I think I'm going to have to head downtown and I can see what I can find at the garage flea market. Happy hunting to those of you doing the same!

Photos by Laziz Hamani

Fabulous Flea Market Finds

Thank you so much for all the sweet Anniversary comments and emails! Some of you suggested that I go out and buy myself a little something and I was happy to oblige! I had a meeting yesterday morning that was conveniently close to the flea market where I bought myself a few treasures all of which cost less than the costume jewelry at J.Crew or Banana Republic. Happy Anniversary to me!

Weekend Finds

Everyone keeps asking me about the Domino sale so here is the scoop. I got up early and my friend Lori and I cabbed it downtown and got on line at 9:00am. At that time the line wasn't too bad but I heard later that it wrapped around the block. We were met by Stefan Hurray who writes the blog Architect Design, his friend Eric, my friend Jessica and man about town this weekend, David Jimenez. Before the doors opened at 10:00am, we were told the upstairs floor had the more expensive items but decided to check it out anyway which is where I found the pair of Asian cups and saucers. It's hard to tell but they are gold rimmed and look old. I made sure they weren't something from Pearl River before I bought them and they have a very cool pattern in the middle that might be my inspiration for a future HC logo. I also bought a cropped black Chaiken jacket upstairs.

Chase Booth and his vintage megaphone announcing the rule for the Domino sale.

Downstairs was the free for all floor of madness! I think most people grabbed stuff and then decided if they wanted it. I snagged the painting in the gilt frame with linen mat above for $40. There were a lot of bolts of fabric, throw pillows and covers in addition to decorative items, books and lamps. David Jimenez snagged a great curtain panel that he's going to make into pillows. We also ran into Tori Mellott and got to catch up with her. It was a bit crazy and none of needed any of the things we bought but it was fun and now we have other reminders of Domino besides are coveted back issues of the magazine.

Waiting patiently in line. Thank goodness it wasn't raining!

After lunch, everyone dispersed so Stefan and I took a walk through the West Village where we stumbled on the Perry Street flea market. The Perry Street flea market is a sort of urban legend. You can never tell what weekend it will be there and you can't find any information online. What's really funny is that I was just about to tell Stefan about the my favorite Carstens drip glaze vase (model 550-16) I found at the Perry Street flea market a few years ago when I looked down and saw the same exact vase! I can't believe I found another one in the same place and I am very excited to have a matching pair! You just never know when it's going to be your lucky day!

Flea Market Finds

Between the time change and a busy weekend, I got a late start Sunday but I decided to stop by the Antiques Garage on 25th Street anyway. The early bird may get the worm but the late bird gets the bargains! I found some really great things including a first edition of Colour in my Garden by Louise Beebe Wilder from 1918 with beautiful color plates of her garden, and large first editions of Van Gogh and the Paintings of Rembrandt for $5 each. They were actually from the booth were I found the fabulous Greek Key china but they were packing up early so they will be the first place I hit next week!

I love checking out all the costume jewelry and am always picking up long gold necklaces. The first one with the disks was only $10. Then I found another long gold chain necklace with two decorative accents on each side for $7. The chain is notched and matches the chain of a necklace I found at the Brooklyn Flea with turquoise disks. I also collect drip glaze pottery so I found a slightly ugly but pretty to me vase to add to my collection. It is marked 745 on the bottom and a little internet research revealed that it is a Brush-McCoy Pottery Onyx Bud Vase c. 1910-1930.

My favorite find was the Chinese blue and white lidded pot. I was told it was 19th-century and appears to be old but who knows if they were truthful. My research found that it is called a Kamcheng jar with lion dog (fu) finial and was used to store food. If anyone has any additional information, please feel free to share.

I went to the flea market to look for props for an up coming photo shoot and the Van Gogh and Rembrandt books will be perfect but it looks like I will have to go back next week to more objects for styling. Stay tuned in the coming weeks to hear all about it!

Flea Market Fun with Eddie Ross!

I would have been happy with receiving just an email from Top Design contestant and Martha Stewart Living Senior Style Editor, Eddie Ross, but to go to the flea markets with him was a both a treat and an honor! Eddie is so amazingly talented and knowledgeable that I joked that I was learning from The Master but it really was the truth! Luckily, we got to take a few photos and enjoy the outdoor flea market at 39th and 9th before the deluge began!


Eddie, not surprisingly, had already done a walk-thru before we arrived and had started making a pile! His partner Jaithan, who also couldn't have been sweeter, joked that when they are driving Eddie can spot a tag sale and be out the door and have things under his arm before anyone else is even out of the car and I believe it! It was amazing watching him find things that the rest of hadn't even seen! You gotta dig!

Not only does he find things that others over look but he thinks outside the box so a ceiling light fixture could become a cake plate if placed on top of a vase! He is a creative genius!

Some of Eddie's purchases included a fabulous bar cart and Christmas ornaments because he's already thinking about his holiday decorations! Somehow this doesn't surprise me!

I saw these great marble lamps on his blog from his visit to the flea market last weekend and to my surprise the dealer still had them this weekend so I scooped them up without hesitation! They were $100 for the pair and had already been rewired so now they just need new harps and shades. One will look perfect on my desk now and the pair will look great flanking a sofa later when I have a larger apartment! We saw a similar pair later for $150 that didn't have anywhere near as nice a patina as mine.

The best part about Eddie is his incredible knowledge. He knows exactly what every utensil is to be used for like the cake fork and sugar spoons we saw today. I like to think I know a lot but being with Eddie made me realize that I need educate myself more about china and flatware! Anyone have any good book recommendations that would help with this task?

I loved all the beautiful wood, ivory and mother of pearl handled flatware on Eddie's blog and unfortunately we came across a treasure trove in the garage flea market on 25th Street after I had already spent well over my budget! Eddie was also great at teaching us how much is fair to pay for certain items at the flea market which was very helpful!

Another good rule of thumb is to think about a price that you are willing to spend on an item before you inquire as to how much they are asking. When I saw this fabulous box of gold Greek key bordered china from Heinrich & Co. of Bavaria Germany in a box on the floor, I was a little nervous as to what the dealer was going to say so when he replied $40 it was a no brainer! (I think I might have gotten an Eddie special though since he's a regular!) There were 10 dinner plates, 11 bread/dessert plates, 8 tea cups, 4 saucers, two different sized bowls and a creamer. More than you could ever get new for $40! The only problem is that I'm obviously missing some pieces and I can't figure out what pattern it is yet on Replacements Limited. If anyone knows or can figure it out, I would be eternally grateful!

The china is so beautiful that I can't stop looking at it! I might have to start drinking tea just so I can use them everyday! There is nothing that sounds as lovely as the tinkling of a tea cup and saucer! I recently bought some gold rimmed champagne and wine glasses at Housing Works that could lean a little too Donald Trump with the gold rimmed china but I think they might actually look nice together. (I also styled this photo as an homage to Eddie and his professional looking photos on his blog!)

I also bought a few other odds and ends including these chic gold cuff links for $10! I might give them to the Bachelor or save them for someone else who might appreciate their elegant simplicity. I also found an old book entitled Furniture and Decoration from 1941 for only $7 and a few accessories for the Bachelor Pad.

All in all, it was a fun and educational day and I want to thank Eddie Ross for being so gracious and sharing all his secrets! I always say that the people I've met are the best part about blogging but it's really true! We have to wait until November to see who wins Top Design but it's clear that Eddie is already a winner in my book!!!