Shopping Worth Avenue in Palm Beach During High Design Season: First Stop Mary Mahoney!!

Palm Beach was thankfully THE place to be over President's Weekend with the Palm Beach Jewelry Art and Antique Show coinciding with a huge Kofski's estate sale, not to mention the Lilly Pulitzer Estate Sale Preview. It was a shopping stormageddon with blue skies and perfect temperatures while every other state was paralyzed by snow and ice. The Dixie Highway was mightily stocked for the upcoming West Palm Beach Antiques Festival, so it was nice to get a leap on the inventory.  If there is a more beautiful shopping street in the world than Worth Avenue please let me know, but I won't believe you. Addison Mizner's old world patina is groomed to perfection with bromeliads and orchids dangling from the trees. It takes my breath away.

I love to wander the labyrinth of Vias off of the main "drag" to discover more unique and curated boutiques in the inner courtyards.  Lunching at Renato's off the Via Mizner is always a highlight for both the food and the people watching.

This is how men shop with their wives in Palm Beach. They read the paper in splendor while their family works their way around the perimeter.  Clearly the orange shorts memo has spread. So lets begin with my hands down favorite store...

Mary Mahoney

I had to devote this entire post to Mary Mahoney as each setting is a different inspiration artfully composed mixing infinite combinations of china patterns, glassware, exotic linens and flatware. Table top doesn't get any better than this. Take it from me, I still have my 1961 FAO Schwartz tea set and have been arranging tables ever since.

Can anybody name my favorite doll of all time? She really is due for a come back!

Design Note: The one jolt of yellow in the beehive honey pot stops the eye and allows you to see all the patterns within the blue and white spectrum. Place your fingers over it and look at the table again--it makes it!

Tommy Mitchell's magnificent tole flowers are liberally scattered throughout the store. I should have been buying 2 a year for the last decade, what was I thinking? Shopping remorse is always a problem. 

My complete addiction to ceramic fruits and vegetables, especially miniatures, is a standing joke in certain circles. Thank you Eva Gordon!! Where have you been all my life?

I would be very well behaved indeed with this limited edition size (100) Herend Fireworks Dragon guarding the wine bottle!!  Sadly, for $3,850.00 I don't think it will come any cheaper, as it looks to be sold out on the Herend website. Maybe I could talk the neighborhood into buying shares in it.....

Might I add...that people who will not walk into high end stores because they are too expensive are MISSING THE BOAT! Sorry for the typographical shouting, but I have never seen such stunning table tops and will return to these images often for inspiration for my own soirees. Well, we haven't made much progress down Worth Avenue, but I could not leave a single vignette out.

More Later!! 

Don't forget to visit our online store 

with over 1,440 selections of 

furniture, lighting and accessories

High Point Market is coming April 5th-10th if you would 

like to schedule a day or afternoon of shopping!

liz@dovecotedecor.com

336-705-1316

Modern History: Antiques, Reproductions, Fine Art

High Point Market starts early this year (April 5-10) and it is time to start researching and planning your trip. A great way to incrementally jumpstart this process is to use High Point Market's: My Planning Tool.  Modern History is a favorite destination for our coterie, and our proximity to High Point makes it a year round reconnoiter. It should be a day 1 stop on your tour. We love to snoop through the warehouse before market to see the treasure that flows from the containers and to cherry pick Modern History's extensive line of fine art by registered artists, not to mention their Paris Flea Market finds!

Antique architectural columns are great solutions for empty corners and this chic Parisian light fixture will enlarge the vocabulary of your possessions and articulate the continuity and style we want our homes to portray. 

As the founder and CEO of Modern History, Michael Beaver translates these finds into meticulous reproductions. Veranda Magazine highlighted Modern History as one of the 12 most venerable furniture design companies and we completely agree as we return to the showroom off-season to learn what he has gleaned from his latest travels.

Growing up in a furniture manufacturing family, Michael has quality, proportion and infallible taste embedded within his DNA.  He is a generous and thoughtful man to interview with an encyclopedic knowledge of art, antiques, vintage....you name it. The best designers have traveled, sifted and constantly explore the world of decorative arts honing their skills. The marriage made in heaven is that Michael Beaver knows how to execute his vision with uncompromising accuracy.

I cannot say how much I enjoy the breadth of this line as we wend our way from the showroom to the antique space where the foundations are revealed.

Before

And.....After

This fine hand painted Italian chest gets its make-over in Vietnam, which is where many of the high-end case goods vendors turn for fine painting, finishing, hand carving, gilding and construction. Traditional lost wax techniques are employed to recreate the authentic hardware completing a piece that shines with integrity. There are subtle nuances to finish and Michael's experience helps him strike just the right chord. Additionally, I find the prices at Modern History to be excellent and even surprising. This is a great resource to share with your design loving friends before market, so give them a tweet....a Like...a pin... to spread the word.  Modern History is located on 430 N. Wrenn Street in High Point and for your day one destination it is good to combine this stop with some of the other vendors  in that neighborhood who have one of a kind items for cash and carry like Halo styles.

If you would like to buy beautiful Modern History Pieces
or arrange a tour of their showroom during market

contact us at Dovecote Decor

336-705-1316

Atlanta Market and Scott's Antiques January 2014

"Nothing comes cheap though the educated eye

 will always spot very nice things for the least money."

                                             Albert Hadley

The Atlanta Market for me always begins with a trip to one of my favorite antique sources-- Scott's Antique Markets on the South side of the city near the airport. It is the perfect destination for loading up on furniture, paintings and other accessories. The best time to attend is during the Atlanta Furniture Market downtown at America'sMart in January and July, as more dealers participate to accommodate the design congregation.  It is a huge and I would allow time for shopping Thursday before market. It opens to the public at 1:00p.m.

This bucket made my list. I was looking for an attractive container for firewood for my family room as I am converting my fireplace back to its original old school function.  For under $100.00, it was a no brainer.

O.K. so shoot me now. I saw this map in a booth and was quite taken with it. My picture is terrible so I uploaded this image for you. It was unbelievably fascinating as it maps the largest engineering project of  17th Century Europe. The Canal Languedoc Royal which connected the Mediterranean to the Atlantic provided safe inland passage for cargo that was endangered by rampant piracy on the high seas--yes maties, the Barbary Pirates.  The cross sections along the perimeter depict the numerous locks, aqueducts, tunnels and dams. The circular emblems flanking the center medallion illustrate the heraldic crests of the families contributing to this massive project. The royal landed houses of the region had compelling reasons to finance and provide labor for the endeavor. Le Midi is dry and their crops and other commodities were precarious at best. Other than navigation, irrigation was possible by managing the water assets that could be moved at will, or stored in reservoirs.

People think shopping and collecting is a flibbity-gibbet activity. The price for the map was $1,800.00 at Scott's. I am not making a purchase from Sotheby's or an established dealer. While the price is low for a potentially fabulous possession the question is: Is it worth the gamble? Do I want a fake print in a bad frame? Not one article or auction resource described the underlying material. It was not hand made paper and it looked like velum to me, but I couldn't quite confirm. So, I walked. I regret it and should have trusted my eye. One finally sprung up for sale on Monday for $10,500 so I am a tad ill. I saw that one sold recently at auction for $2.300; a fairly wide spread in price. So much for the drama of collectibles. I know a great deal more because of my agony than I knew yesterday. The highly vertical AmericasMart is on the docket for the next day. While horizontal High Point Market is my metier, I am braving AmericasMart for the third time by scheduling design events.

Annie Selke image via Pinecone Hill/Haskell Harris image via CalderClark 

I could not resist the Annie Selke, textile genius founder of Pine Cone Hill  and Dash and Albert, interview with Haskell Harris, contributing editor to  Garden and Gun and author of the blog Magpie by Haskell Harris. Who can resist a discussion titled: "Great In Bed?" I met Annie at The Design Bloggers Conference a couple of years ago and she is hilarious and brilliant company. Annie is one of those authentic people whose taste and style goes repetitively viral. I honestly think her secret is that she lives fearlessly with enthusiasm, has personality and is always delighted by seemingly random passions. For example: visit Annie's YouTube video's  documenting her new love for tractors, chainsaws and other heavy equipment.  Haskell, I have known since she was an adorable toddler--legacy to a delightful, eccentric Southern family. The interview could only be symbiotic and entertaining--birds of a feather and all of that!

The Atlanta Market launch for Bunny Williams new rug collection for Annie's Dash and Albert line is a marriage made in heaven. The quality of Dash and Albert combined with Bunny's exceptional taste and livable elegance will make this line hopefully eternal. It was riveting to hear about the photo shoot at Bunny's beautiful home in the Dominican Republic and her incredible hospitality--hint: anticipate guests every need! Visit Annie's blog to see more tropical eye candy from B.W.'s gorgeous get-away.

I also attended the Steven Stolman/Scalamandre event sponsored by their Port 68 collaborators. Steve has been the president of Scalamandre since July 2011 and has written an iconic history of this eponymous fabric house. Scalamandre Haute Couture is a must-have book for your design library. I will say Port 68 is greatly enhanced by the iconic fabric patterns. I need those tiger ottoman/cocktail tables.

On Saturday, I wandered around Building 2 to view the beautiful table top options. I started on the ground floor of the gift building to taste all the food, which surprisingly gets old rather quickly. As I ascended through garden and outdoor, I found myself delightedly in the D. Gaber and Associates showroom and had the great good fortune to meet the renown equestrian artist, Julie Wear, as I admired her beautiful china. I have seen a great deal of sporting art over the years, and Julie's work defines the apotheosis of this genre in our time.

Photo by John Nation

 Julie Wear's painting for Queen Elizabeth II of her beloved Stallion

The Broodmares of Woodford County

Since I seem to have gotten on to an animal riff, the Lacefield Designs dog beds are the best--ever. 

They are not quite up on the website yet, but call us if you want them!! 

Visit Our Online Store with 1,400+ Furniture, Lighting and Accessories pieces

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liz@dovecotedecor.com

Dovecote Decor's Most Popular Posts of All Time

Happy New Year!! While we take time in the New Year to make resolutions and choose direction, we also reflect upon highlights of the past. So.... looking back on the blog, here is a round-up of our most popular posts of all time. Thanks to the magic of Pinterest, these are the articles that get pinged with delightful regularity.

#1:Fashion and Decor Boldly Collide - Equestrian Style endures

By Liz Morten 

and Christine Storch

#2: Bobby McAlpine: A Sense of Place

#3  Nieuw Neo Georgian! Ruard Veltman's Mountain Masterpiece

House Beautiful has a fantastic spread on this beautiful mountain retreat in the April issue. We posted this article in August of 2010 and thought you would enjoy our thoughts on the subject as well.
Ruard Veltman collaborated with my friend "Mrs. G.," creating a spectacular home for her family of 6 in the English country vernacular of Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens:  "Sir Edwin, father of  neo-Georgian architecture, please meet Dutch born, Ruard Veltman, of nieuw-neo-Georgian architecture!"

#4: Devotion: The Country Farm Estate of Blitz and Dick Reynolds

As many of you know, I live across the street from the Historic Reynolda House Museum, Gardens and village. Our pastoral, small city is highly cultural and well preserved greatly, by the perseverance and generosity of the Reynolds family. I noted in my last post, on the Reynolda Estate,  that R. J. Reynolds was a highly progressive thinker who married an educated and energetic wife, to whom he accorded a great amount of personal autonomy. The estate was purchased in her name and Kate had full control over the vision, execution and management of this self sufficient enterprise--in 1917.  R.J. Reynolds died soon after the house was completed, which was a terrible loss.

#5:  Old Long Island Estates: A surviving James W. O'Connor Playhouse

Long Island is famous for its Gilded Age Estates, immortalized by F. Scott Fitzgerald and chronicled, with vigilance by Zach L. in his blog Old Long Island.  The American Country house movement was propelled by the tremendous fortunes earned in steel, railroads, shipping, coal and oil. Vanderbilts, Whitneys, Phipps, Morgans, Pratts, Graces and Hearsts, to mention a few, erected spectacular weekend estates in Nassau County as private country clubs. Palatial homes in every idiom sprouted with architectural stables, polo fields, and Playhouses. Architect James W. O'Connor  cornered the Playhouse market. A Playhouse is a separate house, containing an indoor tennis court, occasionally a swimming pool, guest rooms, and a large gathering living room overlooking the tennis courts. This Playhouse survives today, and is one of the few private Playhouses remaining in the country.

#6: 17th and 18th Century Prints Leap from Old Volumes onto Lamps, Furniture and Fabrics

#7: Luther Lashmit's Adamsleigh: The Junior League of Greensboro and Traditional Home's Showcase House April 2013

 #8: Glorious Palm Beach and Shopping the Dixie Highway

I have been following fellow blogger, Jane Schott of Empress of the Eye, since she had her Fortuny pillow giveaway. I'm still sulking, since I was not the winner, but I've gained a bird's eye view into, literally, some of the best shopping in America. Jane is The Dixie Highway Chick, no question. Like High Point, it is a great jumble of shops and junk with some serious steals, but... you need to know where you are going. Jane knows.

#9:  High Point Market at Hickory Chair with Alexa Hampton--Video Tutorial

We have been saving the highlights from last April market to get everyone geared up for October! Watch our video of the always inspirational Hickory Chair space and listen to Alexa Hampton's take on the importance of scale in furniture selection.  We are touring with Pat Bassett who has taught me every thing I've ever needed to know about shopping High Point. 

#10: "A" List Design Destinations in L.A.: Hutton Wilkinson's Casa Contessa

The Bloggers conference was a glorious excuse to visit L.A. at the end of February. Daughter number 2 and I arrived early to see some of our favorite haunts.  The highlight was visiting Hutton and Ruth Wilkinson's new masterful Hollywood Regency Palazzo, Casa Contessa. It is next door to Tony Duquette's iconic Dawn Ridge which Hutton uses as a design studio for his fabulous jewels and his HSN reproductions.

A fantastical chandelier floats down the stairwell beneath the skylight at the roof level, like a magical underwater creature. This shot is actually looking down the stairs and the skylight is reflected in the high sheen of the floors.

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Holiday Entertaining With A Joyce Farms Black Heritage Turkey

"For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison {to the Bald Eagle} a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America... He is besides, though a little vain and silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on."

Benjamin Franklin

1784

With my three domestic divas in the kitchen conjuring mouth watering recipes over Thanksgiving, I can say with confidence that we had our best holiday meal ever, ever.  We began with a Joyce Farms Heritage Black Turkey, a first for me. Recognized as one of the original American Turkey breeds, Joyce Farms raises these pheasant family cousins on small farms in North Carolina--the old fashioned way--free range, antibiotic free, vegetarian fed, small batch, under a watchful eye. As the preparation begins,  I don't care what anyone says--I stuff my bird for the symbiotic effects that the moisture, herbs, and juices marry to create a succulent whole. Trust me, I've done this before.

Trussing the bird with sturdy kebab skewers and kitchen string works easily for me, especially on a big bird like this. Because I use convection and the bird browns rapidly, I drape cheese cloth drenched in butter and protect the bony tips of the wings and drum sticks with foil. Chopped onions beneath the turkey help brown the juices and add flavor to the gravy. I'm a baster, so I pour more melted butter over it approximately every 40 minutes.... And Voila!! There is a great deal of debate regarding basting but old habits die hard. I'm going to have to buck up and try to restrain myself for reasons of comparison.

Our tried and true menu is below: 

Fresh Cranberry and Fig Chutney

Food and Wine Magazine

Kale and Butternut Squash Tart

(adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook)

Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Wild Mushrooms

(Gourmet 2006)

Tyler Florence's Roasted Chestnut and Sausage Dressing

We topped off our beautiful meal with

Ina Garten's Apple Tart

with vanilla ice cream.

The question is, would I spend the extra money for Joyce Farms Heritage foods again, and the answer is a resounding yes!  While you pay a premium to cook a bird that takes twice as long to reach maturity, it is still a bargain compared to the price of visiting France or the very top restaurants that buy from this very special family farm.  Saveur Magazine calls their poultry Bird's of Paradise and we wholeheartedly agree. 

Thank You for joining our virtual feast.

We are thankful to our readers, online clients, interior design customers and blogger friends! We wish you blessings for the holidays!! 

Be sure to visit our online store

DovecoteDecor.com