FOUND OBJECTS AND THE COLLECTED LOOK

Found objects and the collected look.  I love the term  “found object”…that unique something found in an antique or vintage store, a resale store, a flea market or discovered during your travels.

Interior designers talk about the collected look…those special items that are fun to incorporate in your home design…the mixing of different styles…the juxtaposition of the old and new. I love using these special finds in my still-life paintings as well as displaying them throughout the home.

Nothing is more fun than scouring antique and vintage shops searching for the right vessel for a flower arrangement. Many times I use some old vase that has been gathering dust in my armoire…or a sentimental item that sits on a vintage piece of furniture. (One of my favorite vessels is a pewter samovar that belonged to my Grandmother).

On this wall in my sunroom I surrounded an antique planter’s desk found in the North Carolina mountains with 3 of my flower paintings. On top of the planter’s desk is a collection of antique medicine bottles all in purple or aqua and part of a collection of perfume bottles.  The purple and blues set the theme.

photo by Lynn Tennille Photography

My painting to the right of the desk captures an antique buffet with “a painting within a painting”.  I painted this antique buffet,  including a section of an Ellen Diamond painting I own, with  tulips in my grandmother’s samovar and a photo of my parents celebrating their engagement.  This is a  nice way to capture a client’s special niche or a favorite display of their collected items.

“TULIPS IN GRANDMOTHER’S SAMOVAR”

And you don’t have to put all of a collection together in one spot.  I used only perfume bottles on the planter’s desk that had the correct colors, blues and purples.

The rest of my perfume bottle collection is on an antique chest in the bedroom, also including an vintage oil lamp, and antique mirrors.

photo by Lynn Tennille Photography

When remodeling our old family home, as with every home we have built or remodeled, we have always combined the old and the new.

I’ve always loved antiques and vintage finds, especially in case goods…armoires, desks, buffets, apothecary cabinets and small antique bamboo cabinets.  It seems upholstered pieces wear out or go out of style and many times I will replace an old chair with a new chair or a sofa with a new sofa, although sometimes I enjoy recycling pieces that stand the test of time with new, updated upholstery.

After son James, had a real estate showing of an old Fernandina Beach home, he asked me why there are no closets in (really) old homes…and my reply was they used armoires, buffets, chests to store their items.   When Dave and I remodeled our old family home, we knew we would not have as much storage as in some of our larger homes.  I find that I am using my antique armoires to store vases, table decor, chargers, and glassware.

photo by Lynn Tennille Photography

I use an old, antique apothecary cabinet  I bought from The Plantation Shop on Amelia Island, to store  napkin rings and dining room accessories, such as platters and place cards.  Love the mirrors and hand carving on the doors.

What a great way to utilize all those drawers!

I am using an old bamboo armoire in the toliet room of our main bath to store bed linens, towels and toliet paper.

I have collected antique bamboo cabinets over the years (most of them bought at The Plantation Shop on Amelia Island.)  These cabinets with glass fronts are perfect for holding different unique collections.

In my bathroom a cabinet holds my mother’s old lace gloves, vintage mint julep cups, Jefferson cups, art deco perfume bottles, vintage mirrors and my parents’ framed wedding invitation.

photo by Lynn Tennille Photography

This antique bamboo cabinet houses a collection of sugar and creamers.

While showing a friend the wooden shoes my father brought back from The Philippines after serving his country in the army in both the European theater and the Pacific theater during WWII, I decided to leave them out.  Enjoying them every day.

The opposite wall has another antique bamboo cabinet with my collection of coasters.

I love visiting other homes, seeing how people like to decorate and display their collections.  Julie Johnson of Julia Hall Interiors along with Benjie McEntyre have helped me with 3 homes and are experts in all areas of design, from kitchen design, lighting, plumbing fixtures, coordinating colors, choosing fabrics to reupholster the items I want to keep…Any and everything I’ve asked them to do. They know how to layer your collections to give you the most enjoyment out of those found objects!

Thank you for the good photos by Lynn Tennille Photography…the others were taken by me with my trusty iPhone….not nearly as good as Lynn’s but that’s why she is the professional!

I hope you enjoyed seeing a few of my special collections…and would love to hear about yours!

Next post I’ll share with you a few more of the crazy, fun things I’ve collected over the years.  Now the problem is where do I house them all!  You should see my closets!  I’ll tell you more next time.

I’ll save you a seat in the collected home.