Admiring Finds from Antique American Wicker

Irwin Weiner ASID - While we're putting away our outdoor furniture for the fall/winter season, we couldn't help thinking about what we're going to be putting out for spring next year! It's exciting to plan ahead, and we found a few "wish list" outdoor favorites we would love to have in our home during the invitation-only opening night preview of the latest Antiques, Art & Design at the Armory show this past September 21 at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC, co-hosted by Ellie Cullman, Jamie Drake, and Dr. Eva Andersson-Dubin. 

Immediate wish-list gratification came in the form of the Antique American Wicker display - always near the front entrance of the Armory shows. The Nashua, NH entrepreneurs Michael Donovan and James Butterworth are experts at curating beautiful and complete sets of wicker furniture, everything from dining room sets and seating (we think the seating in the top photo would look great on our farmhouse front porch - if the porch was perhaps twice its present size!) to lemonade sets and tea services (see the handsome tea table trolly above) and appropriate period-perfect antique lighting (see the 1890s mercury glass lamp below). 

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Admiring the Luminous Artwork of Nina Maguire

Too Many Cooks ..., / Nina Maguire

Irwin Weiner ASID - We enjoyed attending the invitation-only opening night preview of the latest Antiques, Art & Design at the Armory show this past September 21 at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC, co-hosted by Ellie Cullman, Jamie Drake, and Dr. Eva Andersson-Dubin. 

Over 60+ dealers specializing in high quality art and antiques including:

French, English, Italian, Swedish and Continental furniture from the 17th century through mid-century modern ∙ fine silver including Early American, French, English, 20th century decorative silver including Tiffany, Italian, Jensen ∙ Russian antiquities and art ∙ rugs and tapestries ∙ Tiffany lamps ∙ antique enamels ∙ French Art Nouveau and French Art Deco furniture and objects ∙ art glass ∙ English and Chinese export porcelain ∙ pottery ∙ objets de Vertu ∙ whimsical objet ∙ antique wicker ∙ fine antique, estate and contemporary jewelry ∙ fine, modern, and contemporary art ∙ fine art lithographs and works on paper ∙ sculpture ∙ rare books and manuscripts ∙ canine and sporting art and much more.

One of the standout exhibitors for us was Cavalier Galleries in Greenwich, CT and Nantucket, MA. We were drawn to a wall of beautiful "new masters" paintings by award-winning painter Nina Maguire. Her work is delicate and expressive, using dreamy acrylic on canvas, sometimes with an incredible texture for her media provided by sekishu rice paper as in her Too Many Cooks ..., (top) and Opera Panorama - Intermission - Lincoln Center (bottom). 

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Secret Compartments and Hidden Drawers

Popular Woodworking

Irwin Weiner ASID - We came across Carlo Alfredo Clerici, an Italian clinical psychologist who loves to take videos - and he's a real history buff. We were drawn to the following short video where he explores all the secret drawers in a wonderful antique cabinet. We have a chest of drawers in our bedroom that has a secret drawer, too! You open up the top right drawer, feel along the top left side of the drawer cavity, and there's a little nub of wood that you lift up and your hands can slide out the central panel in the front of the chest to reveal a secret drawer. What fun when antiques can speak of a time when there was little privacy and security, and ingenious craftspeople designed woodwork with hidden compartments. You'll be fascinated by all the little tricky places to hide things in this cabinet . . . . 

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Great Design Idea: Sprinkle Buttons Throughout Your Home Decor!

Tender Buttons NYC

Irwin Weiner ASID - I risk straying a bit from our home design beat, but stay with me a moment! I love collections when it comes to interior design; collectibles can be grouped in tablescapes, small displays, and used everyday to insert more personality and quirkiness into your living space.

D2S TIP2SHARE: Look for something specific to collect, then plug an appropriate search term - like "Victorian walking sticks" - into eBay or do an online search and begin purchasing. Items can be large or small, and we wanted to show you today's featured video

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