Fresh from Palm Beach

We're Bond & Bowery, a website with the most diverse selection of antiques, design, and fine art in cyberspace. We highlight quality pieces without the clutter of competing ads and excessive editorial content. B & B understands the importance of a valuable acquisition and its contribution to home decoration.

Your B & B Host: I'm George Evans, and I've spent the last 20 years importing and exporting antiques and fine design pieces from Europe. I'm a New York City dealer and I have two showrooms in Lambertville, New Jersey. I was delighted this past week to have been one of the select exhibitors in the prestigious Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. This is perhaps the most glittering fine arts and antiques event worldwide, and we brought many beautiful and unusual items to the show this year.

One piece I didn't sell at the show, and it surprised me, was this Adam Style Console Table. The incised marbletop console is an 1895 piece with many decorative elements, and it's a true product of the Gilded Age.

Look at how it's almost Over the Top. The piece is beautifully crafted with a polychromed incised marble top, fitton on a lower case. I particularly like the carved and gilded ribbon swags with the legs flanked by diminutive oval Wedgwood neoclassic jasperware plaques. The tapering green painted decorated legs are outstanding.

I love this piece because it's a less uptight version of the same period French console that's more typical of what you see in homes and stores. The block feet and Neo Classical architectural details add a refreshing sense of whimsy and exuberance. The design is brave and strong!

I'd happily place this console in a more contemporary setting. It would work well with a predictable gilt mirror and sconces, but seeing it below a mirror from the mid to late 20th century would be great. Not seeing it placed against a paneled wall or one covered with damask wallcovering, is a must. Look how terrific consoles look against a wall that's a fresh splash of color as in this update of a classic Michael Taylor San Francisco interior by designer Suzanne Tucker.

Our console, more decorative than the ones in the above photo, would look beautiful standing in front of a wall that's covered with horizontal planking that's been whitewashed in a pale color. The finish would relate to the painted finish of the table, but the application would be updated. Although we've seen it a lot, a pair of inexpensive Philippe Stark's Ghost chairs on either of the console, would complete the scene.

We know our console table will look great in your home!

For a more in-depth discussion about the amazing Palm Beach Show, see my By George! interview with Design2Share. And visit Bond & Bowery for the item detail page and direct dealer contact information on the Adam Style Console Table.

Photo Credit: House Beautiful