Calling ALL blue and white pieces!

When collectors begin collecting they often start with pieces they are drawn to. Probably the worst kept secret ever is that we’re drawn to blue and white pieces - of all kinds, no discrimination here! However, what you often don’t hear from collectors is that they start out small. I mean.. really small. This is the case for a multitude of reasons, for one, they are not sure what their collection will end up amounting to. They often think, ‘well maybe this is just a phase’ or ‘I’m not sure if I will be lucky enough to keep finding these types of pieces.’. A secondary concern that often arises is whether or not they will have the space for their growing collection within the confines of their current homes. Regardless of the reasons for WHY collectors star out small.. they often don’t continue to buy small!

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As our collection grew, we found ourselves with a large amount of smaller scaled blue and white pieces that began to make various rooms of our home feel cluttered. Worst of all..those ‘first finds’ began to feel neglected with none of them having the proper display areas.

As a result, our hunt began for the prefect way to group them all together to give them the attention they most certainly deserved! For us, that hunt took us into our garage of all of all places! This beautiful shelf made of mahogany had been taken out of our home a few years ago.. at the time it felt dated, too dark and overall no longer suited the feel of our home. Let this be a lesson to you, your feelings can change about the furniture pieces you own over the years so refrain from getting completely rid of things on a whim. Instead switch pieces out and keep them in storage or in our case, the garage until you feel the need to reintroduce them into your home.

Our big learning from grouping our smaller blue and white pieces together is that it allowed these pieces to gain purpose again. In fact, they began to play off each other and we started to notice details in each of these pieces that had not come to light before. Ultimately, it became a very whimsical way for our very traditional blue and white pieces to be display!

Good things come in three!

It's about time we spent some time gushing about these three new art pieces we recently acquired! Not only because of how stunning they are but because they gave from such a lovely home. One of our recent clients underwent a major renovation of her home and happens to be is a big time art lover - which is one of the many reasons why we LOVE her! We probably spent days and days admiring her art collection and carefully selecting which piece of art should go where. A new space required a new set of displays for her most favourite pieces. 

During one of our 'art sorting' days we stumbled upon these three charming oil paintings. Our client expressed to us that she could never really find the perfect spot for them in her home and always felt that the painting's themselves belonged in someone else's home that had all the right pre-requisites. We tried and tried to convince her otherwise but following the completion of our project she surprised us with generously gifting all the three paintings to us! We were absolutely floored at the gesture. I mean, just stop and look at these beauties!! 

What we know about these paintings is that they are oil and done on canvas. All three are signed by the same artist but the signature itself is hard to make out. We've tried to come up with the first half and the last half.. and then searched away but absolutely little comes up to match the depiction of these pieces. The frames are wood and carved with the most meticulous details. Perhaps one of the first most eye-catching components of these paintings - and when we discovered these in a dark storage space, it was the frame itself that made us think.. let's take a closer look at these. Most often than not, when something is framed with care and intention - it is a indication that the piece inside of that frame has some sort of value. 

Now, it's no secret that we are art lovers and art collectors. However, it is clear that these still life paintings are unlike any of those 'collectable' pieces we own. We tend to prefer paintings of people, specifically portraits or scenic Dutch landscapes. Despite all of those points.. we couldn't love these pieces more! These three paintings have a wonderful richness of colours, incredible depth to the still life set up (every time we look at them, we discover some new detail!) and they also pull at our heartstrings with those beautifully painted floral touches. 

This wouldn't truly be one of our posts if we didn't share some interior design wisdom with you when it comes to these pieces of art. This is what we've been able to gather that you can apply to pieces in your home! These three pieces were painted with a darker colour palette - however, not that dark that you are unable to decipher what the painting depicts. Age and storage have added to that dark appearance and these pieces would probably benefit from a good restoration. However, if you're like us you'd rather first start with trying a quick and easy fix. Remember, that art needs lots of light - whether natural or artificial. We strategically positioned these three pieces across from a large window in our home - it provides plenty of natural light without necessarily obstructing it with 'direct' light. Remember to be mindful of how any type of 'light' interacts with paintings of various materials (oil, acrylic, pastel etc.) 

Finally, we know you are itching to ask if these three pieces have to be 'displayed' together since they are all by the same artist and in the same style! As you can image, our answer is absolutely not!! We actually played around with how to hang these in our home - one wall, a pair of paintings, another wall with a single one.. next to several other paintings or on a simple panelled white wall.. 

We chose to keep all three together at least for the very start of their 'wall career' since these beauties haven't really had a chance to shine in unison yet! Once we get the inspiration to switch it up - you may very well see these pieces broken up! Have fun digging up some old storage art..we'll be busy over here gushing over these new pieces and our wonderful clients!!

xox

Vintage silk embroidery - The absolute must have!

We don't know where to start with this one. Not only do we love a stunning walk hanging but when the silk colours are as beautiful as this one.. we can't help but keep gushing! Silk embroidery is a significant part of Chinese history that are almost unanimous with the heritage of China long standing history.  However, Chinese legends provide another darling story about how silk became to be intertwined what we think of when it comes to Chinese art and craftsmanship.  

It is said that, Empress Hsi-Ling Lo-Tsu discovered silk one afternoon, while taking her tea beneath the shade of a mulberry tree. A silk cocoon fell into her cup and as she reached in to pull it out, the silk thread began to unwind, and thus the secret of silk was discovered.

Traditionally, Chinese silk embroidery was used to distinguish rank among people and was applied to garments purposefully, with designs, symbols and colors that were full of meaning.

Many of these vintage embroidery pieces are now draping the walls, tables and ottomans of modern 21st century homes. While several more of these pieces continue to be stored away for safe keeping in homes around the world to be passed down to through many generations to come. It's no secret that our entire mission statement when it comes to interior design and home decor pieces is that you should enjoy them! 

We believe that if you surround yourself with your utmost treasured pieces - your house becomes your home. In fact, it becomes a wonderful reflection of the places you've been, the treasures you've collected and those you love. It creates meaning and most importantly, purposeful living. 

These vintage pieces are a beautiful nod to ancient culture, heritage and craftsmanship. Make sure you give them the attention they deserve. So go ahead and hunt down that next must-have piece for your home - you won't regret it!! 

XO