New England Finery at the Antique Show

The New England Finery hosted space at
The Boston Antique Design Show & Sale

Last weekend was the Boston Antique Design Show & Sale at the Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington, MA. I was asked by the show producer, Marvin Getman, to design a 20 x 20 foot space to promote both New England Finery Magazine and the art of using antiques in interior design.

New England Finery Magazine
February 2011 p. 28 – 29
Location: The Steven’s Estate
Photographer: Elizabeth Wertz

My dining room gallery mixed traditional antiques with modern pieces. On the walls were large photographs taken from the pages of New England Finery Magazine. Next to each image, was a QR (quick response) code that when scanned into a smart phone would link directly to the photo on its page in the online issue. QR codes are being used in all sorts of marketing and advertising efforts these days, and I wanted to see what kind of response they would get. I will have to try it again at another show ... even I couldn’t get a good read off my vintage Blackberry, but visitors with the latest iPhones were able to instantly connect to New England Finery online without having to type the web address. It was pretty cool.

Carpet: First Oriental Rugs of Danvers
A set of 8 Mirage Chairs were borrowed from
Peterson Party Center in Winchester

The Mirage Chairs, a reproduction of the Kartell Victoria Ghost Chair designed by Phillipe Starck, were a BIG hit. Everyone had to touch them or sit on them (they are remarkably comfortable). I thought these would be a nice tie-in to the whole feeling of antiques having a sense of history that brings with them ghosts from the past. These see-through pieces seem to float when combined with the heavy wood furnishings of the antique world, keeping the designed space looking fresh and inviting instead of overly formal and imposing.

Transparent stacking chairs like these can be purchased through Peterson Party Center or check online (StackChairDepot, AllModern, etc.) Prices range from around $100 for a reproduction, to around $330 for the Kartell version.

New England Finery Magazine
Summer 2011 p. 24 – 25
Designer: Honey Collins
Photographer: Michael J. Lee

Tableware was borrowed from Peterson Party Center

When I was little, my parents ran a catering business – mostly weddings. My job was to place the silverware and occasionally be the coat girl. We always set the table the exact same way. When I was setting the table for the show, I stopped myself, and decided to mix it up. I decided to go with a non-conventional table setting. Traditional with a twist. Silverware was placed with two knives on the left, two forks on the right and the teaspoon on the saucer as if it had just been used. The rest of the silverware was put away. This got a lot of visitors talking! Some guests who were brought up with Emily Post and formal dinners were visibly upset and had to restrain themselves from, ahem, “rearranging.” I gently tried to explain that it is okay to break the rules every now and then. Plus it is a fun way to get the conversation started – I certainly met some interesting people at the show this way : )

Vintage and antique pieces were borrowed from The Queen’s Vault in Wakefield, MA. They carry a blend of antiques, furnishings, decorative accessories and gift items at affordable prices. I discovered them when I was researching Cordani Shoes – which is right across the street – for issue one of New England Finery. A couple weeks before the show I stopped by and selected the items I needed to fill out my “curated” space.

Settee available at The Queen’s Vault

While this wasn’t a painted furniture kind of show, I chose a couple of pieces in this style since our cover shot featured antiques mixed with white woodwork, which really captures that fresh take on tradition.

Corner chair from The Queen’s Vault

I had an inkjet copy of New England Finery on hand for visitors new to the magazine. For future events, I really should have some printed and bound through MagCloud, which is able to turn online magazines into traditional magazines. On my to-do list.

New England Finery Magazine
February 2011 p. 70 – 71
Designer: Rosanne Palazola
Photographer: Wynne & Mintz

Since I had to work with the existing dark cranberry carpet that was on the main floor of the auditorium – plus not the best interior lighting – I chose a sunny gold color for the walls (which is great behind dark woods) and then picked up the red, yellow and blue of the carpet in the rest of the space instead of fighting it.

Flower arrangement created by Laura Thomson Designs
Lynnfield, MA • 617-966-0161 • lspillane65@aol.com

New England Finery Magazine
Autumn 2011 p. 26 – 27
Designer: Jane Derby
Photographer: Michael J. Lee

One shopper wanted to buy my antique shoe forms that I found at Brimfield but they were just for display. Sorry!

Frank Hodge of F.D. Hodge Interiors, whose work was featured on the cover of our Autumn issue, was one of my first visitors on Saturday morning. He is talented, charming and SO funny! I have always loved his designed spaces at the York Decorator Show House ... I was thrilled to have him come visit me in my space for a change!

Michael J. Lee Photography

Check out New England Finery on facebook
to see who else came to visit.

And now for one last designer trick ...

Can you guess what makes the antique lace table covering unique? Look closely. One end is finished with a dropped hem, the other is straight across. Many people loved it and asked “how much?” Along with the mahogany table (taken straight out of my dining room) the table covering was not for sale as it was from our personal collection. My mom found it at a yard sale years ago. It is actually a four-poster twin bed coverlet! That is the beauty of re-purposing antiques for use today. If you are shopping for antiques – whether at a tag sale or antique show – and discover something that you like, chances are good that you will find a special spot for it. And then you will have a “treasure hunt” story of your own to tell.

SOLD: this pair of lamps from The Queen’s Vault
went home with one of the visitors to my space.

Thank you to everyone who helped me put this space together (it took a crew, and my family barely complained about not having a dining room table for two days) and special thanks goes to the dealers and designers who inspire others to celebrate antiques everyday.

What kind of antique treasures have you brought home lately?

Preview Party Snapshots

The Gala Preview Party for the North Shore Design Show at the Wenham Museum took place last Friday night. It was hosted by New England Cable News personality Jenny Johnson (pictured above). We chatted about our mutual friend, Stacy Kunstel, who designed the eye-catching orange Dunes & Duchess candelabra that really stole the show. It was the last piece I added to my vignette and when I walked in with it, everyone “oohed” and “ahhed” over its dramatic scale and exquisite paint finish. Below is a better view of it ...



Not to be overlooked, the Turkish carpet in my space also received a lot of “I love it” compliments. Mary Donovan, pictured above, immediately dubbed it “zesty” when I met with her at First Oriental Rugs in April to choose my floor covering. See a close up of it in this post.



John and I enjoyed the signature cocktail which was a type of Mexican Sunset with fresh squeezed lime that I thought went rather nice with the Cinco de Mayo roses that decorate my space (which I found at Northeast Nursery which also has a designer vignette in the show). These terra-cotta red roses are deeply fragrant, and when fully opened they unfurl like the ruffles on a flamenco dancer’s dress.

Cinco de Mayo Roses

Mary with her husband (also named John)

Designer Patricia Finn of Finn-Martens Design popped over to visit. Her vignette features a to-die-for luxury spa which she created in what used to be the museum coat closet. You have to come see it to believe it!




Lindsay Diehl, the Executive Director of the Wenham Museum, is super supportive and always appreciative of the participating designers (seen here with Sally Wilson of Wilson Kelsey Design).

I have really enjoyed getting to know Sally who I first met at last year’s show. She and her husband (another John!) were recently seen in New England Finery Magazine (see page 15 of issue 2).

Leon Marten, John Kelsey, Kathy Marshall and friend (sorry --
I should write names down and not try to rely on my memory!)

Above is just a glimpse into the lovely space that this husband-and-wife design team cooked up based on the movie “Julie & Julia.” Read their posts about the process behind their design here and here. I love to see a space being enjoyed like this!

Gracyn Whitman and Kathy Marshall with significant others

Behind these beautiful people is a stunning room which includes a sparkling pantry and a colorful seaside lounge presented in the signature reclaimed barn structure of Marshall Whitman Design. There is a lot of gorgeous in this space including custom laquered aqua Shoji panels by Back Bay Shutter Company and some amazing large scale sepia tone photography.




Wenham Museum Trustee – and the graphic designer behind the NSDS – Willa Worsfold (on the right) chose to wear a piece from one of my favorite local designers to the party. Harper Della Piana of Seams Couture created this gray silk cocktail dress for Willa. It is from the Wrapture collection which was the cover story for issue one of New England Finery. Someday I will have one of these gorgeous dresses hanging in my closet (or you will see me wearing it out on the town!)




I have to say, the men were dressed to impress as well, especially Brian Hogan of the Myopia Hunt Club who was a special guest in The Gentleman’s Quarters designed by Marlene Pippins for Landry & Acari.



I couldn’t resist including a snapshot of this cute wooly little fellow from the Landry & Acari space! My vignette also includes a little lamb in honor of the 18 sheep that used to live on the small farm that is now the Blacker backyard (just 20 minutes from Wenham). If you make it to the Wenham Museum, you are likely to pass a lot of elegantly rural open spaces on your travels. It is such a beautiful town, and is still home to many horses and farm properties.




Wenham resident Elisabeth Carpenter was on hand to answer questions about the made-to-order modern pieces designed by her husband Sebastian of Sebastian Carpenter Design. SCD is also showing at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair this week, so if you are in New York for the show stop by booth 2076 to see more. SCD was also seen in New England Finery Magazine (are you starting to see a trend here ; )

The lovely Honey Collins entertaining in her warm and inviting space.
Custom wall panels are by Zoe Design.

By the end of the night, we were finally able to kick off our shoes and relax. It takes a lot of planning and teamwork to put together a design show, but it is always well worth the effort. Along with supporting the mission of the Wenham Museum which provides educational exhibitions and enrichment programs to over 35,000 visitors a year, being a part of the show is a great way to connect with North Shore creatives. There are over a dozen vignettes at this year’s show to see and enjoy up close that feature the combined talents of many local creative businesses.



Whether you are looking to hire a designer or find a talented artisan for a special project, stop in this week to see for yourself what the North Shore has to offer. The show runs through Saturday, May 22nd and tickets are available at the door. For more information, click here. I hope to see you there!