Our guest blogger this week is Victoria Shaw-Williamson, a specialist in Furniture and Decorative Arts and Associate Vice President of the Interiors Department of Christie's, the venerable London-based auction house founded in 1766. Victoria is a certified appraiser with over 17 years of experience in the world of art, antiques and auctions.

 
Victoria Shaw-Williamson

Presenting monthly sales in New York, London, and Paris, Christie's Interiors department offers a wide range of material in all areas of fine and decorative art.  Working with estates, private collectors, and museums, the Interiors department is uniquely positioned to present material at a moderate price point.  With an average lot value of $2200, the Interiors department offers material that is fresh to the market.  The strength of the department lies in its diversity, and the ability to offer a property in a broad swath of categories including paintings, sculpture, furniture, rugs, silver, porcelain, glass and Asian works of art.  With prices startings at $500 and 90% of our lots offered with no reserve, Christies's Interiors has something for everyone.     

A French Panoramic Wallpaper, Zuber, 20^th century, sold at Christie’s South Kensington sale 5372 lot 486 for £3570

Our South Kensington saleroom recently offered a set of Zuber wallpaper panels in the “Décor Chinois” pattern, Designed by Eugene Ehrmann and Georges Zipelius in 1932.  This is an interesting 1930s re-interpretation of the French 18th century version of the Chinese aesthetic. This is also a great example of material that works well with upholstered furniture.     

Louis XV Style Bergeres, 20th century, sold at Christie’s Paris sale 5476 lot 41 for €1000

While these chairs are traditional antiques, they are a good example of the French re-interpretation of the Rococo period with an eye towards comfort, using curved recamier style arms that echo the cabriole carved legs.  The pairing of a crimson silk damask with a giltwood carved frame is a traditional solution to upholstered furniture. 

A Pair of Hostess Chairs, By William (Billy) Haines, Circa 1960 est. $6000/8000, sold for $22,500

Collectors of modern design and followers of Billy Haines’ interiors were particularly taken with this pair of chairs.  Haines took a traditional design from a George III cockfighting or writing chair and imbued it with more modern proportions, color scheme and scale. This pair of chairs came out of a home that had been completly designed by the Haines firm in the 1960s.  Other than the occasional reupholstering, the collection had remained intact since 1960 and at the time of our auction was one of the last remaining Billy Haines interiors. 

 
A Pair of Zebra Skin upholstered benches, sale 2301, April 2010, sold for $6250

One very popular trend that consistently comes up in our sales is the use of animal hide for upholstery.  We usually see animal hides paired with Art Deco or Neoclassical style lines, and the combination is particularly sought after by collectors.  This particular example works well because of the ebonized frame which mirrors the dark striations in the zebra hide. 

Pair of tub chairs, possibly Leleu, sold at Christie’s New York, Sale 2141 lot 579, for $3250

Great pair of chairs, and exactly what they should have sold for at auction. Naturally a dealer would sell these for much more in a gallery, so this a good example of the bargains that can be found when shopping at auction. I do wonder if this is the right upholstery for the chairs, since the tones of the wood and the upholstery are so close that the fabric doesn’t seem to stand out much. 

Set of 6 upholstered dining chairs, sold for $63, April 2009

Quite a bargain!  Possibly these chairs failed to inspire bidding because of the challenging upholstery?  This is a good example of how a creative Interior Designer can breathe new life into a set of chairs with the right fabric choices for the frame.  

This pair of chairs will be offered in our upcoming June 23 and 24th sale with an estimate of $1500/2000

As with most 19th century French furniture, proportions are larger than what you would find in the 18th century.  The carving on these chairs is spectacular, with a delicately carved crest rail and upholstered arms which terminate with carved egg-form hand-holds within foliate surrounds.  Working with Robert Allen/Beacon Hill, we replaced the traditional aubusson style upholstery that had probably been on these chairs since the 1950s with Beacon  Hill's Sea Rose in Lilac.  The result is a look that retains the luxurious quality and texture that is appropriate for these chairs, with a more updated color palette that complements the giltwood carving of the frames. 

The Interiors department June 23-24 sale is on view beginning Saturday June 19, and includes our core categories of fine art, furniture, rugs, silver, porcelain, glass and Asian works of Art.  Our June catalogue cover exemplifies the spirit of "Everything Old is New Again", with the pairing of traditional and modern furniture with a pair of earthenware urns by contemporary artisan Peter Lane.  We created this vignette of cool earth tones against the backdrop of the vibrant Beacon Hill fabric Papageno in Lilac.  The colors of the fabric against the warm hues and pale colors of the objects are a perfect complement to each other. 

Our guest blogger today is Beacon Hill Design Director Alexis Audette.  Globetrotting since the year began, Alexis just returned this week from Italy. We asked her to share a few of her impressions from this trip to a country known for its great design.

Alexis Audette

I have just returned to New York from beautiful Italy.  Although torrential rain, a weak dollar, and volcanic ash added texture to my trip, nothing could dampen my ardor for the land of Caserta silks, Fabriano paper and the limoncello digestif.

My first destination was Proposte, the renowned textile exhibition on the shores of Lake Como.  After gathering up fabric confections for upcoming Beacon Hill collections, I headed for Milan, that city of gothic cathedrals and visionary design.  Wandering through the quadrilatero, Milan’s premier shopping district, I was enchanted by how Milanese contemporary fashion harmonizes with historic buildings, arcades and piazzas; rich layers of past and present form Milan’s magic.

Prada, The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

This graceful interplay between old and new provides the backdrop for certain recurring design approaches and motifs.  Over time, the Milanese have imagined and re-imagined the following subjects and ideas to exquisite effect. 

Floral Embellishment 

 
The Duomo                                                                                      Dolce and Gabbana, Quadrilatero

Collage

 
The Biblioteca Ambrosiana                                                               Missoni, Via Monte Napoleone

Play of Light 

 
The Duomo                                                                                            Sergio Rossi,  Quadrilatero

Blue Outerwear 

 
The Duomo                                                                                  The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Strappy Sandals

 
The Duomo                                                                                                               A Quadrilatero Boutique

I left Milan delighted by the Milanese art of reinventing motifs and design approaches, and inspired to try the same at Beacon Hill.

Our guest blogger today is Mindy Miles Greenberg, whose interior design firm, Encore Décor Interior Design, has locations in Manhattan and on Long Island.  If Mindy looks familiar, you may have seen one of the dozens of segments she taped as a Guest Designer on "Decorating Cents” for Home and Garden Television.  You can see them on Mindy’s website www.encoredecor.com.  We thought Mindy is the perfect person to tell you about this year’s “Design on a Dime” benefit for HousingWorks, a NYC-based charity providing services for homeless men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS.

Mindy Miles Greenberg

I never need a reason to shop. I shop “be-cause,” is a good enough reason for me. However, between May 6 and 8 there was a really great reason to do what I do best.  It was the annual Housing Works “Design on a Dime” benefit in New York City, this year promoted as the “Get a Room” Event.  Consider this event the ultimate NYC flea market.  Many fabulous and often quirky items that even this professional obsessed shopper doesn’t stumble on every day, were assembled in fantasy room settings.  By the way, I took these shots with my brand new Canon SLR Rebel T2i and tripod.  The camera's image stabilizer technology comes in handy!!

The vignette shown above was created by Asler Valero. The “rules” are that designers use furniture and accessories either donated to HousingWorks or items they own or get donated from industry resources. Everything in each vignette is for sale.  

A lesson for non-designers who may be reading this blog is that non-traditional items, interestingly placed furnishings and the less than a “perfect” layout of a living space definitely makes for an intriguing room.  Many clients get so caught-up in seeking “perfection” in one piece and then again in the next piece, that they miss the essence of a style of decorating I call “Casual Elegance.” The vignette above, designed by Gabriel de la Porta, gives a feeling of this style.

Here’s a vignette by designer Giovanni Nasso.  Another good example of “Casual Elegance,” the look is lived-in, seemingly non-crafted, good looking and comfortable.  Furnishings effortlessly seem to have been acquired over a lifetime. There is a welcomed aesthetic, like the undeniable comfort of a pair of worn-in jeans.

My final photo from “Design on a Dime” is the vignette by Jarret Yoshida.  I think it’s amazing what these designers accomplished given their constraints.  I’ve always believed that the essence of a healthy home life is a comfortable home life.  Carefully analyze the anatomy of these rooms.  Nothing predictable and everything interesting.  Remember that these spaces were crafted by designers, in a short period of time – not over a lifetime.

This interior is one I designed.  I’ve made it my mission to liberate the “perfection” process in good design.  Mix it up: Vintage with new, precious next to industrial, colorful touches playing off the monochromatic.  Walls filled with collectible art, color and textures overlapping.  The old, slightly worn, rich with character, imperfect pieces to live side-by-side with the new-upscale.  A healthy mix! 

I’ve marked my calendar, with annual reminder, to save-the-date for next year’s “Design on a Dime” event. I want first dibs.

But if I save all my shopping in one night, what is left for those lazy summer afternoon antique fests that I crave??

You can meet me in person when I present "The Art of Casual Elegance" at Robert Allen | Beacon Hill showrooms in Woodbury (June 9 at 1:00 p.m.) and in New York City (June 23 at 1:00 p.m.).  See www.robertallendesign.com/showrooms for showroom locations.  More details to follow.