I must say, Lady Bricabrac and I thought that we knew, if anyone did, what the New Eclecticism was. We assumed (naturally) it referred to the recent mushrooming of curiosity shops in all their guises: antique shops and malls, vintage markets, consignment stores, and even the so-called “eclectic” co-ops. By offering alternative (repurposed, refinished, rediscovered,…
Beautiful things never go out of style. Classics endure. …Some pieces will be welcomed as they are, but others will need tender loving care or urgent cosmetic surgery. Choose a piece if it has promise. –Chalmers and Hanan, Flea Market Style There are many…
The place … was one of those receptacles for old and curious things which seem to crouch in odd corners of this town, and to hide their musty treasures from the public eye in jealousy and distrust. There were suits of mail, standing like ghosts in armor, here and there; fantastic carvings brought from monkish…
Former neighbors and good friends in Nashville, the Maxwell Beddingtons, had a maxim that comes in very handy when a collector has plenty of ambition but limited time. (I trust Lady B will forgive my French.) It goes like this: “If you see clothes, the yard sale blows.” This is true in the extreme. Excepting…
Now look at that old church. And them old houses. Did George Washington ever sleep here? Of course he did. This whole neighborhood just stinks with atmosphere. –Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) Brooklyn–of all places–“stinks with atmosphere” in Capra’s Arsenic and Old Lace. The main commercial streets off the central square once held a full…
The Old Curiosity Blog 