Home Design Video: Vintage Collectibles in Tokyo

Irwin Weiner ASID - When I was still in South Africa, I worked with my mother in our own antiques store in Cape Town. It was great fun, and I helped her source beautiful objects, particularly English silver and furniture. In my interior design work, I carry that love of antiques into my clients' projects, and that's why I was particularly interested in today's featured video, showcasing a small 1920s wood frame house in the heart of Tokyo, Japan that sells carefully selected antiques and collectibles based on periods of time. You'll like the story of the two different shops, one downstairs and one upstairs, and you'll come away with an appreciation for the collector's eye. I dare say that this video might give you the bug to go to flea markets and antique stores this weekend, which is always an enjoyable way to add layers of interest and storytelling to your home decor.

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John Reeves, Designing the Antique Furniture of Tomorrow

Irwin Weiner ASID - I found a video of a furniture maker with a philosophy that's in perfect synch with my decorating and interior design ethic. UK furniture designer John Reeves tries not to follow design trends. Instead, he insists on designing clean, contemporary furniture with nods and twists to past periods and styles, but all with an attempt to create "antiques of the future," decor elements that someone can live with for a lifetime.

I'm tired of disposable decorating and furnishings. They insult homeowners and my clients. Good quality pieces hold or gain value over the years and, when mixed with more moderate priced pieces, add impact and timelessness to a room unlike anything else.

Reeves isn't buying into the disposable culture where you purchase a mass-produced item that will last only a few years and must be disposed of. And if you're making furniture for the long haul, it better be sustainable, too. Reeves only uses sustainably sourced timbers and he also uses discarded materials in his work, like scrap marble.

In his Sketch collection, Reeves uses old aluminum engine blocks from Vietnam and melts them down into recycled furniture (beautiful sand cast pieces that have a finish not unlike rough, washed river stones). Click on each image for more product information, and visit the Reeves Design website.

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Bunny Williams Video: Eclectic Decor Shopping in Belgium

Bunny Williams: Treillage Retail Store

Irwin Weiner ASID - Bunny Williams is one of my all-time favorite designers. Her eye for design is unerring, and she mixes it up like no other interior designer in the business today. I can't get enough of eclectic design, but it takes skill to make a mash-up of styles and periods work well together - and she pulls it off beautifully. In today's featured video, Bunny is whisked away on a shopping trip by Susan Feldman of One Kings Lane.

I learned from this video that the dealers in Belgium poke around for treasures in nearby countries, so you can get a good mix of styles and different national takes on design, all in one place. For eclectic shoppers like you or me, that's a great tip (Thank you, Bunny!). Check out One Kings Lane for their well curated home goods sales; you're sure to find special pieces to help complete your design scheme. And a must-shop experience is to be had at Treillage, Bunny and John Rosselli's great antiques and home goods store online (and also brick-and-mortar retail stores) - and check out Bunny's BeeLine collections for distinctive home goods, furniture, and accessories.

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7 of the Most Expensive Furnishings and Decor Pieces in the World

Irwin Weiner ASID - Eileen Gray's Dragon Armchair (top) was crafted between 1917 and 1919. It recently sold at auction for $29 million. Imagine if your interior designer were to suggest to you that you spend that much money on one item for your home! While I'd love the commission on such a purchase ... well, long gone are the days of decorators walking around with clients who have wads of blank checks stuck in their pockets.

Still, let's fantasize, shall we? Imagine having the Dragon Armchair or one of these other ultra-expensive items decorating your home. Click on each photo for more information. (Middle: Birds of America by James Audubon - $7.9 million. Below, from top to bottom: Harrington Commode by Thomas Chippendale - $5.9 million; Artemis and the Stag - $28.6 million; Great Silver Wine Cistern - $3.8 million; Badminton Cabinet, 1732 - $36 million; Qianlong Dynasty Vase, mid-18th Century - $83.2 million.) 

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