Aged Well
Aging naturally can have benefits...at least when it comes to the patina that we love on some of the design elements in our home. Chipping paint, tarnished silver, well-worn wooden floors are all things of beauty--character. In other posts, we've talked about Collin's love of opposites when he is designing spaces. Pairing something crusty with an object that is more refined is always exciting because the opposite textures harmonize in the most perfect way.
One of our favorite flea market finds from The Elephant's Trunk
Last spring, we were walking through the Elephant's Trunk Flea Market on what seemed to be an "off" day. While there were not many vendors, we happened to find several great pieces. As soon as I spotted this bust of a priest, I knew it would be going home with us. I just wondered where Collin would decide the perfect spot for it would be. Unsurprisingly, Collin knew exactly where it would go. The bust now sits on a modern farm table in the dining room. This is the kind of mix that we adore.
Some people want pristine antiques, or fill their spaces with everything that is shiny and new. That doesn't work for us. We like the interest and beauty of imperfection. The gallery below gives you a glimpse of how Collin creates just the right mix here at Hound House. Clicking on an image will pop it open in a lightbox.
We made our inaugural trip to Brimfield last May. The first find we stumbled upon was a pair of large-format, hand-painted tintypes. We were looking for art for the Trophy Room and we knew these old photographs would more than do the trick. Can you guess what it was that we fell in love with?
If you guessed the amazing cracking paint, you're spot on. Of course, the subject is pretty special, too. We don't know her story, but we are sure it is an interesting tale. In a future post, we'll share how we framed and display the pair.
From cracking paint to cracked leather, we love it all. The chair below was purchased from Colonia Antiques in Hudson, NY just before we moved to Connecticut. It is French and fabulous, as most things French are. Some of our guests are a bit reluctant to plop down in it and we assure them it was built to last. We see it as functional art.
To find objects with beautiful patina is one thing, but to find a house with it's own fair share of beautifully aged details is another. Many of our floors, doors, beams, etc. are original to the home, which was built around 1790. Some people might have come in and refinished the floors and "restored" some of these original components--we love them just the way they are! They tell the early chapters of Hound House's story. From a design perspective, these elements allow Collin to play even more with the juxtaposition of objects.
