Marie Antoinette Pillows

Like most, I love Marie Antoinette. I love the style she represents, her carefree attitude, her love of life....

 I love the romance she exudes....

While my own personal decor is more casual, or what I coin French Farmhouse style, I appreciate Hollywood Regency, Roaring 20's and other more elegant decor schemes. Vintageweave is all about worn wood, hemp fabrics, chipped white & gold and touches of French red, with a weaving in many Louis XV and XVI items throughout the entire decor.  These other styles derive from Lucite, velvets, chrome, feathers and leather. I appreciate and adore them all. I think my friend Claudia Strasser masters this style beautifully and I love her new homage to it. Find a feast for the eyes and a bounty of inspiration  HERE.

So yes, I love the sophisticated elegance associated with the Marie Antoinette era. Her mere image conjures up a fairytale lifestyle surrounded by unspeakable beauty and approachable opulence.

Further, I am gaga for period piece films so needless to say I've watched the movie, oh...some twenty-one times (it played in the background one slew of late evenings at the warehouse)....
.... I love the exhibit in Paris....
...........I love the jaw-dropping boudoir and attire....

(all photos above from Wikipedia)

Got it? No misunderstandings here?

Love, love, love it.

So that said,  I feel compelled to reveal: I am a bit over it. (And have been for some time.) There. I said it. I am alone I know.

I'm not over HER mind you, or the decor associated with her era, but I prefer just that, a decor environment that resembles her persona, not images of her face on decor items. Seeing her plastered on everything is just so everywhere. From key chains to coffee mugs to hats to umbrellas. I'm not a lover of fads, but I do like trends (I recently read: Brittney Spears is a fad. Madonna is a trend. This sums it up nicely I believe.). Maria Antoinette's style represents TIMELESSNESS, thus the liberty taken with her image is gagging me, from ABC Home to Target to Z Gallerie.

When I had an opportunity to purchase MA-related items in January for Vintageweave, I declined. Again in March, I declined. And then again in April and June. Declined, Declined.  All items presented to me by these amazing French artists used only the finest of French silks and English trims. Elegantly done and beautifully crafted. Still, I declined....and without hesitation.

Fast forward to my recent Paris trip.  As so often happens in life, the universe sits back and smiles. Smiles that knowing, worldly, some-day-you'll-mature-to-understand, smug smile. It sees that I am laughing and contradicting myself.

Seen in Paris.
Drooled over in Paris.
Bought in Paris.
Packed in Paris
Shipped from Paris:

I love the juxtaposition of the linen mimicking burlap with velvet and silk trims and fabrics.
Several are even going HOME WITH ME

How's that for the Universe whispering "ITOLDYOUSO".

Trois Pink Party!!

{This giveaway is now closed!  T
Our first GIFT TO OUR BLOG READERS!

Pretty Paris in Pink

As seen walking around the Latin Quarter of Paris....

Vintageweave would work on reproducing lovelies like these, but we just love the well-loved and worn items far too much more...Alas, we shall buy the antiques and bring back the antiques to the States to share with you...

Every girl needs her some George Clooney...

even if that means a cafe break mid-day..alone with GC and his salt and pepper hair in one dimensional form. (Three dimensional is far too overrated.)

...busy, busy, busy on a lightening-fast trip to deal with a few last-minute design issues with our amazing Parisian artists...

Bulletin Boards

Found 12 amazing frames....

....all vintage....

...... all beautiful.....

........... all diffferent.

Made into corkboards just waiting for you to turn into your own  Vision Board or Inspiration Board.

 

Vintage and  Antique Frame Corkboards starting at $85 (2 foot) - $800 (6 foot)....

We ALWAYS have a waiting list for these, so they never last long. Call or email for pictures of current selection.

(My most favorite quote of quotes. Isn't it just lovely??)

Ingenious Lights

Feeling crafty?

Start with this...

...and end up with something like this (ok, you have to be pretty artistic to pull this off...Luv this!!!)

This is just insanely ingenious.
Creative people like this make me smile from ear to ear and back 'round again!




As seen on the beautiful coeurenprovence blog...

Santa Barbara French Festival

Celebrate Summer with a Fête Française!

....And in picturesque Santa Barbara, no less!

July 12-13

Strut with the Cancan Dancers, Moroccan belly dances, grand opera, cabaret singers and an array of French entertainers on stage from jazz, Cajun and classical. Strolling through the event will be troubadours and accordion players all donned in berets of course!

Ambiance will be littered with checkered tablecloths atop authentic bistro tables.
Several dozen chefs will offer up tempting crepes, quiche, delectable desserts and hopefully a decent cafe au lait. kiddies will be joyed by puppet shows and storytelling. And did I mention a wading pool? (how funny is that???)

On Sunday 13th, don't miss the Poodle Parade next to the mock Eiffel Tower. Sure to be a hoot, with their perfectly coiffed fur and upturned noses!

Raffle to win a trip to France!
Vintageweave has been invited to provide a booth, so do look for us offering up authentic French finds!
We can't wait!
C'est magnifique!

French Crowns

We interrupt this weekend to bring you...DROOLING.

Does anything else really need to be said?

Sigh....

I wish I had hundreds...but alas, only about 35 vintage crowns are in the boutique now.

You may continue with your drooling...


Call/email for your favorite selection:
323.932.0451 or vintageweave.com

And we're even offering up a cute vintage drool bucket, should you need ($75 under Antiques). 'Cuz, at Vintageweave, that's how we roll...

Dream a Little Kitchen Dream

A super large French Farmhouse kitchen is something I always dream of...

....I imagine being on holiday in Provence in a rented villa
Cooking a simple peasant meal of rosemary roasted chicken and potatoes...
....fresh greens tossed lightly with EVOO, a plate of heirloom tomatoes lighted brushed with sea salt..
...crusty bread and a few figs and cheese on the side...
....and an amazing vin du table red wine that costs only about 5 euro (otherwise selling for $50 in the States!)....

Join my on my dream, won't you?

Get me these chalkboards STAT! Don't you love this look for a casual farmhouse cucina? Of course most of us lack the proper wall space needed to pull off the dramatic look of seven. Gotta love the industrial cheese and meat cutter on the far right. I love a meat cutter in a kitchen. The sign of a serious cook.


I added an entire room to my small 1920's beach bungalow when I designed my own kitchen.

Here's a portion of the unfinished kitchen several weeks before I actually took occupancy. Eighteen days before the movers were set to move me in, I hauled a box of some creature comforts to place in the kitchen for an informal gathering; an air mattress and a several votives were also in the loot (The first informal night slept here was magical and wonderful). Imported Australian Cypress wide-plank flooring had many, many hiccups to obtain, but I persevered as I loved it so (and still do). With three coats of self-mixed gloss top coat, the floor is the 2nd biggest item commented on (second to the refrigerator!) Timeless planks I think.


{...it's rather different now that's it's finished but you'll see more of that when I decide to allow one of my favorite magazines to professionally shoot it. I keep my home private so I've been reluctant to date.}

Black granite honed and edges all chipped. At night or for a party when the lights hit the edges, the glorious stone particles glimmer.

My installer refused to provide the treatment I wanted of a chipped edge. He just couldn't grasp my vision. We argued and argued, so I took out a napkin on the spot, scribbled out a waiver, signed it and handed it to him. A photograph of it is now the front cover to his brochure! I just prefer a look that is unconventional.

After almost a year of searching, I unearthed amazing hardware in Paris, distressed and beaten pewter...


But after I designed the Island from reclaimed wood, I couldn't find the right antique hardware to suit my eye. I bought new and soaked them in a "secret" mixture which sat in the sun for 7 days...result was the perfect look for me.


Discovered at a small antique fair in the Champagne region, this antique meat cutter serves as a holder for the cookbooks most used--the rest stored in the pantry library...

An antique French door propped on a wall serves as a favorite focal point....


I love to have people over and cook for them. Before I opened Vintageweave, I was part of a group of amateur cooks where we'd gather bi-monthly to cook together rotating at one another's homes. Dinner parties are now "dinner gatherings"--more informal and spontaneous, which I love!

French Antiquing and Modern Technology

Because my home design and set design schedules get so crazy at times, I often can't just jump on a plane anymore to attend last-minute alerts of antique fairs/sales popping up throughout France.

But I only take on projects I love with clients I adore, so I have no complaints....(modern technology affords me this attitude, I can not lie!!)

As an antique dealer I'm often invited to "private" estate sales throughout the beautiful French countryside which, to no big surprise, are my most favorite of treasure-hunting expeditions!! Thank goodness for my two trusty ROCKS --one of whom lives in Marseille and another right outside Paris. They are amazing assets to Vintageweave.

With technology the way that it is and my being a gadget freak, it's so easy to get up at 2am...
make a pot of coffee...
light a few candles to set the "tone and mood" (if you've been to the boutique you know I'm all about the ambiance 24/7. I like lit votives even at a breakfast table)...
slip on a pair of comfy slipper socks...
fire up the Mac....
and go shopping! My ROCKS, coupled with their state-of-the-art cell phones, walk the antique sales, snapping, texting, snapping, texting...

Many dealers/business owners have "pickers", those folks who buy on their behalf because they feel they know the preferred style/era etc. This could never be for me. Instead, I have "alerters", dealers/private parties who alert me when they have something they feel I will like, but never ever buy on my behalf.

My needs change, my clients' needs change and let's face it, I'm a self-confessed control freak ---hmm, isn't this a core trait of an entrepreneur???---so I do 100% of my own buying. Yes, that's 100%. (If you've been to the boutique you will know what a job this is) For my business needs, investing in these phones for my ROCKS was a no brainer. It is a way of getting me to these fairs while accomplishing all my other lofty goals in any given week. As much as I love the past, I LOVE MODERN TECHNOLOGY! Juxtaposition: I'm walkin' it, I'm talkin it.



Usually it's big pieces I'm purchasing, but in the wee hours one morning I set the alarm for 1am, got up, made a pot of coffee with warmed vanilla soy milk, spread some fig jam on my toast, lit a Mariage Freres Rouge candle, jumped online and WENT SHOPPING!....Pascale sent photo after photo of delicious finds and I'd give thumbs up or down while he walked the fair. It was an intimate estate sale full of wonderful smalls which left me drooling. His camera phone took some of the photos and others were on his 35mm, and still others of the goods as they were unpacked here in the States...



Some of the items arrived today...So now you can drool, too!


Flower/coal carriers from the early 1900's....Enamel Coffee Biggins....



Lots of mini bibles and books...


And my most favorite....fifty-five antique French lunch pails from the early 1900's!$48/ea


None of these are yet online but contact us via email if interested: vintageweave@aol.com.

Ohhhh, who am I kidding?? Control freak, clients' needs, blah, blah, blah...none of that amounts to the REAL reason I do 100% of the buying: I LOVE SHOPPING.

To quote my dear friend J.....
....... "I LOVE SHOPPING. I WANT TO MARRY SHOPPING".

Malibu Gardens

Near Zuma Beach, feverishly working on surveying a client's home in Malibu and preparing it for a move in. The gardens have newly planted French lavender and Coleus...just how gorgeous is this??


Potted plants make for a stunning arrival.


Don't you love the chocolate walls against the stark white doors and frames? Honed black hardware add to the chic look.
Farrow and Ball paints are always a must. Their paint is simply superb given that the pigments lend themselves to an extraordinary color application....best of all this paint applies to walls like silk. The gorgeous doors and frames look extra chic in No. 239 Wimborne White. For a brown with fabulous results: 255 Tanner's Brown.


...Of course, the views may have something to do with wanting to live here more so than the stunning paint color....(click on photo to enlarge and see what I mean!!!)

Lots of work but what a setting to work in!