cataloguing your treasures
It occurred to me that I am always writing about ways to value, sell or repurpose things but haven’t addressed the wonderful art of collecting things. Let’s face it … people collect. Having run an estate sale business, I can tell you that people spend half their lives ‘collecting’ things, and the other half disposing of them. We are gatherers by nature, which explains our need for retail therapy. You should accumulate things you love: the value is in the joy the items bring you.
Of course, I am a collector. I collect art (17th- to 20th-century), crystal decanters, Lalique, Herend, Beleek, jade and ivory figurines, snuff bottles, books, china … a very long list. In 2017, I am trying to be a better, more organized steward of the items I have collected, for several reasons.
First, it is important to keep a current record of what you have in case of unexpected tragedy such as fire or earthquake. Second, at some point, these items either will go to a loved one when I pass, or be sold so the loved one can have cash. That means it’s important to provide the next curator of these objects with any necessary history related to them. Finally, some of them should be insured, so a detailed description is necessary.
I have a collector’s logbook given to me by a friend that I am filling out for the aforementioned purposes. In one place I can keep a photograph of each item, and in another, a description that includes size, material, construction, type of object, purchase date, price, maker and any additional notes that would help identify the item. This is not a small undertaking, but one I feel is necessary.
Collecting is a natural experience of life and a ‘green’ thing to do. Whether it is photo albums or medieval armor, saving parts of our life experiences for the next generation is a good thing.
design redux
And the 2017 color of the year is … Poised Taupe … no, Shadow! No, it’s Greenery! Wait a minute … which is it? Well, that depends on which paint company you believe. I want to go on record as stating that the whole idea of ‘color of the year’ is a bit ridiculous. I have never followed trends, as I believe a home should reflect the client’s lifestyle, not the general public’s. Having said that, I cannot deny that fashion and interior design are both driven by trends in color.
Sherwin Williams 6039 Poised Taupe is that company’s clear choice. UGH! This color doesn’t know if it wants to be beige, purple, mauve or brown. Note that Sherwin Williams is my paint source of choice, but I will not be patronizing this color.
Benjamin Moore has selected 2117-30 Shadow as its go-to color for 2017. Again, they seem to think that by going neutral they can appeal to a broader audience. In St. Louis, where the winters are grey, our interiors don’t need any help looking drab.
The 2017 Pantone choice is 15-0343 Greenery—now we’re talking! This color has life and is a timeless shade of green. It works well with almost any type of room, from a powder room to a dining room. This is the perfect backdrop for antiques, contemporary furnishings and artwork. I say, go green!
come to terms with … bed hangings
In my humble, professional opinion, the most elegant bedrooms have canopies of curtains, or ‘bed hangings,’ surrounding the bed. The abundant use of fabric in this treatment evokes feelings of romance, history and excess. Keep in mind, this can be achieved with inexpensive fabrics and a few easy construction tips … more on that later.
Going back to the 14th century, only noblemen and women had the privilege of using bed hangings since fabric was an extremely expensive commodity and beyond the meager means of most. These hangings were often highly decorated with embroidery of gold or silver thread, heightening their value.
To show wealth was one purpose, but the practical reason for all that fabric was to keep the cold out and offer privacy for the inhabitants. Often, these beds were raised to accommodate a trundle bed for a servant underneath, so I am not sure how much privacy was actually experienced. But that was a different time …
There are several types of bed hanging styles. Governor’s bed, lit a la polonaise, half tester bed, full tester bed and French pole are a few of the examples that can create a period style for your bedroom.
If you are handy, you can create them on your own with some PVC pipe, chain, brackets and a YouTube video. However, I highly recommend a designer or professional workroom to execute your desired look.
I am confident that Shakespeare was sleeping under a bed hanging when he penned Hamlet’s paean to shut-eye, “ … to sleep, perchance to dream … ”
