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

The New York International Gift Show

We went to the NYIGF show last week at the Chelsea Piers and Javitt's Center. Natural forms, materials, surfaces and finishes, while traditional are a resurgent motif the Dovecote coterie applauds. We went for four straight days, and with 6 pairs of eyes scouring the stalls, we have plenty to share. The macro concept behind this year's offerings is authenticity and the continuing return to traditional scale and color. Imported Middle Eastern patterns and colors are still popular, nudging out the cold edgy recession griege that has dominated. Remaining neutrals persist as enduring classics. Urban chic,  rat pack, mid-century glamour and exuberant color continue to evolve and morph.

Stone, agate, marble and geodes were everywhere at Scott's and the Atlanta market and New York was no exception. This classic footed bowl, worthy of a Keatsian ode, literally glows.

Design trends reflect social, economic and political leanings and reactions. The emphasis on natural forms and semi-precious materials is a reaction to the mass market global manufacturing over the last three decades. Character, and the completely unique infuse current design direction. 

Solid jade, and rough hewn, this table evokes permanence, and ancient traditions. It is the perfect antidote to the volatile portfolio and sinking dollar.  Designers are integrating intrinsic value into functional and decorative pieces. Smoke and mirrors are out. Buyers want real things these days.

Crystals and minerals go vertical, and are mounted as Nature's work of art. 

Fabulous Finials

Ancient and patient, crystals can take thousands of years to grow, bestowing an eternal and serene quality to the surrounding space. 

Flowers are perpetual in decoration, and I have purchased these artisan crafted tole florals for years. Tommy Mitchell's are the best. More is more in my book. 

Antique prints take a modern twist on decoupage lamps and look completely fresh on Susan Carson's punchy new fabric line. 

Christopher Marley sums up the thread of current design with this statement: "My chief objective in working with obscure organisms is to foster a deeper appreciation of the masterful design found everywhere in the natural world." Indigenous tribes are able to preserve their lands and ecosystems, through the collection and selling of their abundant insect populations. We think they are glorious!

Mrs. R. and I snatched up these water buffalo horn frames, in a NY minute. Iridescent and completely unique, horn has been a traditional material for utensils and decor and is re-emerging on the scene with a vengeance. 

Beautiful things are happening in metal craft, as ingenious combinations of ceramic, horn and wood are revived. Hunting lodge comfort and appeal is evoked by these beautiful, informal yet very handsome table top accessories. 

Formerly clunky pewter is worked into delicate natural designs. 

Octopus candelabras ate truly original, and easy to clean.

Shell motifs and designs,  a fixed staple of beach decor, assume new expressions every market. 

More Later!! 

We have plenty of new product to be added to our online store, so feel free to call us if you see anything you would like to purchase! 

336-705-1316