Design: Mixing Old & New

As I recently mentioned, now that I live in house that was built in 1908, I feel like I want to incorporate some old, charming, refined, beautiful pieces into our interior design. Yes, there will still be a lot of white and modern pieces (like lighting, I hope!), but I just feel like this home should not be filled to the brim with modern and shiny.

I’m not really spending time on one room at a time, but rather I’m going to use the approach of when I spot things we love, that we think will work in a room, and where the timing of the purchase is right, we’ll make the purchase. Slowly, we’ll build each room to our liking.

This approach is slow, yes, and it feels like I’m juggling things in the air a lot, but I also feel like it’s a bit hard to concentrate only on one room at a time. In addition, we don’t actually need anything (combing two houses means you end up with a lot of stuff!), but it’s moreso that we’re trying to add pieces to our existing collections that will enhance function and style in our new old home.

On top of all of this, I’m also practical and we do have a budget to balance. We do have to spend money on less fun things as we get settled – this week’s purchase was a water softener. Not so fun, but very much needed in Waterloo.

So, anyhow, I bought a beautiful antique desk a few weeks ago, which is setting the tone for my office. I think I would like to add a wood hutch/wardrobe to serve as a bookcase, and a new rug and light that keeps the room modern. I’m not yet sure about art. I know a lot of people loved the gallery wall in my first home, but I think a similar installation would overwhelm my new office, so it’s unlikely I’ll be recreating it. Besides this, some of the art has already moved to other areas of our home. The colourful rug is currently in my office, but it, too, feels like it’s overwhelming the space and doesn’t quite match the desk, so I’ll be moving it out soon.

With that, here are two options that I quite like at the moment.

Trivia Thursday: Fornasetti

Piero Fornasetti was in Italian painter, sculptor, interior decorator, and engraver. He may be best known for his pieces that include the image of a woman’s face in black and white. The face is that of operatic soprano Lina Cavalieri. In addition to this face, many of his pieces include images of the sun, time, and architectural elements. Now, his son Barnaba Fornasetti continues to design in his father’s name.

Piero Fornasetti

Occio side table

Bocca chair

Architettura cabinet

Teste Antiche umbrella stand

plate

Fornasetti’s plates are quite popular in the world of interior design. These and other Fornasetti pieces add whimsy and interest to many spaces as you can see in the images below.

Colette May, via Elements of Style

Colette May, via Elements of Style

House & Garden

 via Archimir

via Est Magazine

WGSN

If you have some time to spare, I encourage you to watch some of these behind-the-scenes videos of the Fornasetti Atelier. I enjoyed watching a bit of the design and manufacturing processes of Fornasetti’s pottery, textiles, and metal work.

Marketplace: Chair Table Lamp in Cambridge, Ontario

You likely already know that I have really enjoyed my move to the Waterloo region. For a relatively small region, it has so much to offer, and the people I have met and the places that I’ve been to continue to impress me. A couple of months ago, I visited Chair Table Lamp in Cambridge after seeing a cool photo of the store from Rox-Anne, and I was in furniture heaven.

I was in awe as I stepped in the massive space. Owner Terry was ridiculously knowledgeable about everything antique, and we had a delightful conversation about furniture, design, and travel. On a subsequent visit, I met co-owner Katie who was equally enthusiastic about all things furniture! I really enjoy meeting people who are so passionate about what they do.

The inventory at Chair Table Lamp is incredible. There’s honestly something for every design lover – from art deco chairs to gorgeous Chinoiserie pieces to mid-century modern dining sets to gorgeous French armoires. Honestly. This place is a treasure! (I adore this piece and this one, too). You’re not going to find garage sale prices here, but you will find fair prices for the uniqueness and quality of the pieces.

Amongst the black credenzas and the wood dining sets, I spotted quite a bit of white (mostly newly painted), so here’s a tour of Chair Table Lamp through this white-lover’s lens…

White-Cabana-Chair-Table-Lamp-3 White-Cabana-Chair-Table-Lamp-10 White-Cabana-Chair-Table-Lamp-1 White-Cabana-Chair-Table-Lamp-2 White-Cabana-Chair-Table-Lamp-8 White-Cabana-Chair-Table-Lamp-7 White-Cabana-Chair-Table-Lamp-6 White-Cabana-Chair-Table-Lamp-9 White-Cabana-Chair-Table-Lamp-5 White-Cabana-Chair-Table-Lamp-4 You can see more inventory on the Chair Table Lamp Instagram account and on the Chair Table Lamp website.