Lost Antiques Can (Almost) Be Found Again

Rose Gilbert
Sun, 19 Oct 2014 21:00:00 -0700
Lifestyle

Q: How to give our new house some Old World charm? I grew up with antiques (sadly lost in a fire) and my husband grew up in an orphanage. It seems important for us to establish/re-establish family roots for ourselves. How should we begin?

A: As you obviously miss them, replacing your lost antiques should be your first order of the day. I say "replacing," but antiques tend to be one of a kind, hence, irreplaceable. Which, of course, is one reason we develop emotional attachments to them.

Another reason: antiques — officially defined (by U.S. Customs) as l00 or more years old — are a tangible link to humanity's past. Their patina, their scars can be acquired only with the passage of time. So when we live with yesteryear's furnishings, we feel in touch with our own histories.
Updated: Mon Oct 20, 2014

Q: How to give our new house some Old World charm? I grew up with antiques (sadly lost in a fire) and my husband grew up in an orphanage. It seems important for us to establish/re-establish family roots for ourselves. How should we begin?

A: As you obviously miss them, replacing your lost antiques should be your first order of the day. I say "replacing," but antiques tend to be one of a kind, hence, irreplaceable. Which, of course, is one reason we develop emotional attachments to them.

Another reason: antiques — officially defined (by U.S. Customs) as l00 or more years old — are a tangible link to humanity's past. Their patina, their scars can be acquired only with the passage of time. So when we live with yesteryear's furnishings, we feel in touch with our own histories.

You can reclaim your history in two ways: Go antiquing or go investigate the wealth of antique reproductions available in furniture stores today. Aware that many home decorators want to continue living with the grace and charm of the past, furniture designers and manufacturers continually mine the rich history of decorative styles, at least, from the l7th century forward.

At the huge fall Furniture Market in High Point, North Carolina, opening this week, I expect to see many new "antiques," pieces inspired by yesterday but reinterpreted for life in the 21st century. Think new finishes — for both wood and fabrics that shrug off stains and wear —and new functions — chests designed to hold big-screen TVs, for example, and furniture adapted to serve the way we live today.

Here's an attractive example, a side table too enchanting to sit off on the side. Carved in grayed oak and cunning, with a fox-headed drawer (lined in grey polka dots), the Godwyn side table becomes the undisputed star of the room. Which is just what famed English designer William Yeoward had in mind when he conjured his eponymous collection (for Jonathan Charles Fine Furniture).

"A little fantasy always lightens the mood," says William, renowned as a tastemaker, retailer and designer of exquisite home furnishings — his last decorating job was for Lady Margaret Thatcher.

His collection, showing at the High Point Market, reprises one-of-a-kind antiques he has owned or remembered from throughout his travels as a decorator, and "wish I could find today," says the designer, who insists that we must "look forward but never negate the past.

"You do that at your own peril."

Q: My husband has always been active in local affairs and has about a dozen certificates of appreciation to show for it. I'd like to frame and hang them all together, but he says he'd be embarrassed. What do you think? Should I just do it anyway?

A: Yes! Such accolades deserve to be honored, but you also need to respect his modesty. Have all the kudus matted and framed to match, then hang them en masse, in a private area, say, his bath or den, or the master bedroom.

My good friend, once a crowned beauty queen, has made a small museum of her many photos and honors, modestly tucked away in a seldom-trod back hallway.

Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Manhattan Style," and six other books on interior design. To find out more about Rose Bennett Gilbert and read features by Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.CREATORS.com.