Monday 17 October 2016

Specialist Article by Stuart Shuster


Specialist Article by Stuart Shuster
 
 

As most of you will know, my shop is in Church Street, London, NW8 8ED. I have been trading there for about 32 years & have seen many changes myself. In fact, I am now the oldest individual shop here & unfortunately, probably the oldest dealer in the street. 
 
Church Street is quite renowned for antiques, trendy furniture & decorative items. We have Alfie's Antique Market & many other shops in the street, all of who make it a very attractive venue. The location is also very convenient, with Marylebone, Edgware Road & Baker Street train stations nearby - plus, we are not in the Congestion Charge Zone & there is easy & cheap parking in the street. There is also a very reasonable car park nearby for about £2 an hour.

Unfortunately, amongst the original items, there are quite a few brand new items & some of them are being passed off as original by unscrupulous dealers. You will find this happens in all areas of the country & online too. 
I don’t have any problem with dealers selling these items, but I do hate it when they are being passed off as original. It also gives the street a bad name. What happens is that a very small minority represent the items as old & original by clever marketing methods. Often they will mix new items in with old items so you don’t notice.
 
There is a very simple way to protect yourselves from making the mistake of buying something new & often mass produced. 
All you need to do is ask for a written receipt, stating the age of the item & the same if buying online. If they are a reputable dealer, then they will have no problem with that. If they won’t give you that, then don’t buy.
I wouldn’t worry so much about whether it’s 1950’s, 1930’s, 1910, 1860’s, etc. As long as there’s a rough dateline, you will know if it’s new or not.

Actually, online is more worrying for misrepresentation, but again it’s very easy to protect yourselves. Just ask the relevant dealer if the item is new or roughly how old. Look out for long vivid descriptions about the original maker or designer, which are often copied out of wikipedia or something like that. These are often put in there to impress you & divert you from the actual age of the piece.

Please be aware that most of the dealers in the antiques trade are honest & genuine people, but as always the minority can give us all a bad name.

So, once again, don’t be afraid to ask the obvious question about the age. 
Regards, Stuart
 
 

 

 

Italian Lamps by Piero Fornasetti

 

 

Pair of Retro Italian Lamps by Piero Fornasetti Vintage 1950's

 
 


 

 

 
 

 
A rare and beautiful pair of lamps by the famous Italian designer Piero Fornasetti. They are exquisitely decorated, and are a fantastic example of an extremely sought after artists work. These date from around the 1950's, and show some signs of wear, commensurate with age. The black lamp is in the better condition of the two, with only a few tiny chips here and there.
http://interiorboutiques.com/en/pair-of-retro-italian-lamps-by-piero-fornasetti-vintage-1950s

Sunday 16 October 2016

Our Latest Find: Vintage Soccer Table from Aeology at Relic

Vintage Soccer Table: from Aeology at Relic


Vintage Soccer Table from Aeology at Relic on Interior Boutiques

An incredible piece is shown in the corresponding images, a French table-football game table crafted circa 1935-1940. The piece was found in the south-coast city of Marseilles and, considering its age, was found to be in good condition. The piece is a marvellous curiosity, evoking images of jovial young men drinking and sharing jokes whilst playing the game.

Vintage Soccer Table from Aeology at Relic on Interior Boutiques This piece is made predominantly from wood with a two-toned finish. That being said, it does feature some interesting details to be noted; the ‘players’ were crafted from iron and surprisingly, the entire game is still in perfect working condition; even the coin slot still works and regardless of that the system is very easily bypassed. The most notable detail though is one which immediately attracts intrigue and certainly would look unfamiliar to anyone who has played on such a table before; the table includes sloping corners made using chamfered wood, the purpose of which is to avoid the stagnation of play by continuously insuring that the ball rolls towards the central players should it find itself on the outskirts of the board. The reason this piece inspires such intrigue is resultant of a few collective features - the ones described here are obviously visual and provide the piece with a very eye-catching quality and an identity unparalleled. Subsequently, it is likely it would be very difficult to find another piece with the same character and personality this one possesses. However, as with most vintage artefacts, there are more, subtle, details which go unnoticed at an immediate observation. 

Of course, vintage means well aged but, especially with items such as this, it has the implication of housing stories and experiences. This specific piece was designed either briefly before the German invasion of France or during it and it has survived a brutal war in still working condition, despite virtually being in the thick of it. Additionally, the connotations of this board game, still widely played today, of exuberance and the casual passing of time, provide a humorous irony to the nature of the piece; it was created and played during a time of genuine hardship and it survived. 

Vintage Soccer Table from Aeology at Relic on Interior Boutiques - Close Up ChampionnatThis piece would make a fantastic addition to any collection, home or indeed any bar-type establishment as not only is it valuable as a vintage item, it is a piece which attracts attention for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, the very nature of the size and stature of the game - if it’s placed in a room it will likely be the first thing someone entering the room will notice. Secondly, the shock of finding out the age and subsequently pondering of who had played the game given its circumstance. Third, the intriguing design aesthetics of the piece are to be marvelled at and examined carefully by all viewers. 

A wonderful piece with a story to tell, this table is offered at a price of £4,475.00 GBP. This is a piece which boasts bountiful character and aesthetic appeal - anyone would be lucky to make this treasure their own.

For more details on this piece and to make an inquiry, visit:

For more from Malcolm at Aeology at Relic, visit his Interior Boutiques store at:
http://interiorboutiques.com/en/aeology-at-relic

For our full range of football tables from our dealers, visit:
http://interiorboutiques.com/Catalog/ShopByCategory/?q=football

For Interior Boutiques, visit:
http://interiorboutiques.com/Home/index

Thursday 6 October 2016

Decorated Vintage Bowl: from Arundel Eccentrics

Decorated Vintage Bowl: from Arundel Eccentrics



Butterfly Vintage Decoupage Bowl from Arundel Eccentrics at Interior Boutiques Close Up

A truly marvelous piece can be seen displayed in the corresponding pictures; a decorated vintage bowl, made in Germany circa 1980. This piece would make a lovely addition to any collector’s home as it’s got all the makings of any large and stunning work, crammed into a smaller item. It’s got a striking and bold aesthetic and yet is still simultaneously subtle, it’s both extravagant and reserved, it’s both lavish and yet modest. What may, at first gaze, look like just a lovely bowl, actually has a beauty that may be overlooked, had the detail not been broken down.
Butterfly Vintage Decoupage Bowl from Arundel Eccentrics at Interior Boutiques Front ViewThis bowl was in lack-lustre shape until its refurbishing; it was given a new life after having been painted, gilt, filled with decoupage butterflies, varnished and aged. This amazing piece, having undergone its rejuvenation, is the piece which is being sold. The gold and red tones are enticing and rich - it adds a truly eye-catching quality to the piece and elevates it completely, making it an item which will attract a lot of attention from any onlookers able to observe it. The butterflies are just spectacular, applied with care and the utmost attention to detail; they add a down-to-earth element to this impressive piece, cutting though the extravagance of the gold and the fact that it is vintage provides it with value as a collector’s item. 

However, there is so much more than meets the eye with this unsuspecting treasure.

Butterfly Vintage Decoupage Bowl from Arundel Eccentrics at Interior Boutiques Close Up ViewThe butterflies bring this item to life in the most fantastic way, the visual presence of these butterflies make the piece so much more incredible than it would have been, had they not been there. Take the same bowl and picture it without them, or even another equally beautiful design, flowers for example. Yes, it is still a gorgeous piece and by all means would still be worth the attention of any collector, but a fundamental part of the bowl’s character would be no more; it would remove the bowl of the piece which provides it with an identity. 

Additionally, this piece was created with a lot of thought, when an item is gilt, the first thing an observer will notice is likely to be that very detail, it is such a dominant and overpowering feature that can literally outshine the other competing features. This has been avoided by the maker via careful and attentive designing, mostly regarding the decoupage butterflies; their colour, their nature, their freedom, all these things counteract the overbearing nature of the gold both visually and psychologically, and they make the item far more balanced and subsequently extremely easy on the eye. 

This item is listed for £180.00 and would make a welcome addition to any home, decor or collection, particularly if vintage luxury is at the core.
A fabulous idea, well thought out execution and an altogether marvelous item. 


For this item, please click this link for Interior Boutiques:
http://interiorboutiques.com/en/decorated-vintage-bowl

For other items from Arundel Eccentrics - featuring gorgeous rejuvenated decoupage pieces, click here:
http://interiorboutiques.com/en/arundel-eccentrics

For our other boutique shops, please visit:
http://interiorboutiques.com/Home/index