Designer Missy Steffens makes over a traditional library with period antiques.
While working with Architectural Digest, we wanted show that antiques are meant to do more than just look nice in a home. Below is our conversation with Architectural Digest:
“I collaborated with photographer Carlos Eric Lopez, who wanted to create a set with the mood of David Fincher's movie Fight Club,” says Lee Stanton, the shop owner. “We came up with the color palette and furnishings that would work best to express a metaphoric story that, rather than expressing the struggle between two major characters, expressed the struggle between ourselves and the environment we live in.”
Antiques actually fit right into the EMA’s mission to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the environment. “In addition to beauty and character, antiques offer a quality, long-lasting, sustainable alternative to disposable pieces today,” Stanton explains. He counts many celebrities as clients, who come to him in search of pieces rich in history. “It is rewarding to help them as they seek beauty in their personal spaces with a vision for beauty on a grander scale in the world,” he says. Read on to see some of the event’s biggest names posing with Stanton’s gorgeous antiques, all of which are for sale at his store.
“The globe was so appropriate for Jaden Smith,” Stanton says. “Since the world is made up of 70 percent water, the globe illustrates Jaden's world and his fight for it today.”
Photo: Domaine Home
Setting up an intimate and airy bedroom is no easy task. However, with the right antiques anything is possible.
The chesterfield, an iconic staple of British furniture, epitomizes the sophistication and charm of English lifestyle. It was the 4th Earl of Chesterfield that requested a sofa that would allow a gentleman to sit upright in the utmost of comfort without wrinkling the garment. Ever since the creation of the chesterfield in the mid 18th century the style has continued to live on. The details revealing themselves in different furniture styles and eras, from the traditional wingback armchairs seen in libraries to midcentury designs in Paris.
A leather tufted wingback chair (sold)
The style of the tufting varies according to the furniture's designer. For example, these chesterfield chairs from Sweden have a very shallow tuft yet the stitching is iconic chesterfield. The ebonized carving of the wood legs in the style of chinoiserie design make this pair of chairs quite unique.
A pair of Swedish Chesterfield chairs with ebonized chinoiserie carved base and legs (BD152)
The English furniture style, while sometimes overly traditional, lives on through new mediums and eras. The iconic Barcelona chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich draws tufting inspiration from the chesterfield while being applied to an architecturally new body shape just as this Danish egg chair does by designer H.W. Klein.
A leather tufted egg chair with foot stool by Bramin in Denmark (sold)
As trends continue to evolve so will designer's inspiration. However, one thing remains constant, traditional English furniture will always be an inspiration and will never go out of style.
A vignette featuring an ebonized Louis XVI chair, a rosewood side table, French bronze sculptures, and a black vase by Vallruris.
Photo: Elle Decor
A strong table stands the test of time, and it usually shows. Patina is the sign of use and brings more character into your home.
