Fade to Pink

My own photos 
Ocean Drive in Kennebunkport, Maine

As summer gradually gives way to fall and the sun sets earlier every day, the clouds reflect soft shades of pink much like this hydrangea.  Another admirer said that the blooms are white all summer and turn pink as the August nights become cooler. Maybe it's Mother Nature's reminder to savor these last few weeks of summer.

Withington and Company Antiques

Last Friday, while I was off from work, I drove up to York, Maine for the Museums of Old York Show House at Twin Cottage and to meet with Frank Hodge of F.D. Hodge Interiors and see the gorgeous living room he designed for the house (more about that in my next post). The show house is open for a few more days until August 14th (go to www.oldyork.org for details) and features many beautiful rooms. The house is a must see if you are in the York, Maine/New Hampshire Seacoast area.

After I finished the house tour (and after going back to look at Frank's room a second time!) I could not wait to stop in a few antique stores along Route 1 in York. One of my favorites was Withington and Company Antiques. The store is very large and has antiques from four different dealers in addition to those of Bob and Debbie Withington. The store is not arranged with separate areas for each dealer, but is instead a mix of all the dealers' items pieces arranged mostly in settings, which is great because it gives you a sense of the scale of the pieces and how they might fit into your own home. There are antiques from the mid to eighteenth century and Withington ships to clients all across the country. There is so much I wanted to take home with me, but did not. Although, I did buy a really nice white ironstone fluted compote filled with silver and gold mercury glass Christmas ornaments, which will be great for holiday decorating.

Please excuse my camera flash in the mirror! Patsy who works at Withington was so kind and let me wander around the store and take some photos to share with you. Patsy is so friendly we had fun chatting about the store, antique shops and other places to visit in York. Thank you, Patsy!

I have a soft spot for gilt mirrors and candlesticks these days!

This settee has be recovered in a pretty green toile fabric. The lamps look to be made from wood architectural elements.

There are plenty of urns and the most unique lamps I've seen anywhere, all with great shades.
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Unfortunately, my photo does not do this setting justice. The floral fabric is amazing in person. The lamps are alabaster or marble with linen shades. I have a pair of lamps like this at home, but these shades really enhance the lamps more so than the average shade.

This neoclassical mirror with candle holders caught my eye.

Here's a close up. It's one of a pair of mirrors flanking a doorway.

I love this creamy white alabaster column lamp with pleated linen or burlap shade, which looks custom made. This is also one of a pair.

Black iron urns with shells. I've recently gone through a shell display phase so will definitely keep this idea mind. I like the contrast between the pale shells and black painted iron.

These antique dealers all have great taste and an eye for beautiful things.

Withington does not have a website, but their email address is withingtonandcompany@yahoo.com and the phone number is (207)-363-1155. The store is open year round Monday through Saturday from 10:00 to 5:00 and Sundays from 11:00 to 4:00. They're located on Route 1 North in York, Maine and the other dealers at Withington are Michael Winslow Antiques, Schwarz-Smiith Antiques, and Kate Alex and Co. Acquisitions.

Crane Beach

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, so we drove up to Crane Beach in Ipswich for a long walk and dinner in town. Here are some photos of the day.

Others have the same idea...

One of many clam shells

Plenty of wide open space

A rhythmic pattern of shells

A lone gull, but not for long.

Surf's up (well, not so much).

Love Birds?

Flying solo

Footprints

Making inroads

Driftwood

More of the same

Last one

Lobster Dinner. Or, as some Bostonians would say "Lobstah Dinnah".

Two Alligators

I hope you're enjoying the weekend wherever you are.

Timeless

A funny thing happened the other day when I read Linda Merrill's blog Surroundings and the post she did here on the Nantucket Home of interior designers Lee Bierly and Christopher Drake featured in New England Home Magazine. I  bought the issue for a closer look at their beautiful home and while thumbing through it, discovered a Connecticut home that Charles Spada had designed twenty years ago, but that he'd recently "refreshed" for the clients. My Charles Spada folder is well stocked with photos of his work and I immediately recognized this bedroom from several years ago...

And here it is in an earlier photo from hgtv's website. The quality of the New England Home photo is much better than hgtv's and the room looks warmer now with a new rug and bed linens including a taupe coverlet. My bedroom needs some sprucing up and the refreshed bedroom has a look I'd like to match--classic style with French flair that will never go out of style.

Top Photo: "New England Home Magazine", July/August 2010 issue. Title of article "Refresher Course". Photo by Bruce Buck. Interior Design & Architecture by Charles Spada. Article text by Stacy Kunstel. Visit the New England Home website for more photos of this home and the article here.

Bottom Photo: hgtv.com. Interior Design & Architecture by Charles Spada. Photographer and writer unknown.

Lovely to look at, delightful to hold...

I received an email update this week from Skinner, Inc. about their upcoming July 10th auction of European Furniture & Decorative Arts. The auction will feature the Wedgwood collection of Joe Skirchak and Pat Cerra. Apparently, Skirchak and Cerra have collected Wedgwood for 30 years and have been dealing in Wedgwood since 1984. According to Skinner's website, the collection "encompasses the full breadth of Wedgwood’s manufacture, the collection numbers approximately 350 lots and includes many fine examples". Here are a few pieces that caught my eye. These items have estimated auction prices of less than $800, but I suspect that the sales prices will far exceed some of the estimates.

Here is the classic Wedgwood Creamware that many of us love so much. These are four 19th Century pieces from England.

I've seen plenty of Cream Ware fruit baskets around, but have never seen any with chocolate brown enamel like this Queen's Ware late 18th century English basket with underplate.

I usually prefer the all white Cream Ware, but this set of Queen's Ware "Mared Pattern Items" from England, late 18th Century each with a blue feather edge and onion border is just beautiful.

This is an 1882 calendar tile with "Bonner's Map of Boston" printed on the reverse. I would love to hang this on my kitchen wall.

A Diceware "coffee can and saucer" with three-color Jasper dip, England mid-19th Century with "green ground with yellow quatrefoils between white foliate banding". Can you imagine sipping your morning coffee from this cup?

I'm drawn to the Wedgwood Terra-Cotta pieces too like this classical English cooler circa 1865.

This English food warmer set from about 1800 looks to be in fine condition.

Above is a Diceware teapot, sadly with broken handle and a Queen's Ware monteith with foliate handles and blue enamel trim. I'm not sure what one does with a monteith (even after a quick Google search), but I'd fill this with soft pink colored peonies and set it on my dining table.

Charming rabbits on "Daisy Makeig Jones Designed items", English 1923.

And lastly, I've never anything like this before. So unusual (to my untrained eye) and elegant. This is a boxed set of George III Silver and Wedgwood Blue-Japser Handled flatware. I'm sure these require hand washing only.

All photos and information from Skinner, Inc. Click to visit the website and register to be notified of upcoming auctions. This is not an advertisement and I'm not affiliated with Skinner, Inc. (although I'm not opposed to the idea). I just like nice things.

Ode to a Dining Room

Image via Antique Shops and Designers Magazine, Volume I. Designer, J. Randall Powers

Photographer, Unknown

Caramel, butterscotch, and gilded arms

Oh, how your parchment painted walls hold such charm

Touches of gold punctuated with green

Old and new together, a lovely scene

No Crate & Barrel nor Pottery Barn, hmmm gosh darn

It's all beyond my budget

But thanks for reading this bit of a yarn

No, it's not bad poetry week in Boston. I'm just fresh out of creative ways to express my admiration for beautiful rooms and the talented designers that create them. Hopefully, you're laughing with me and not at me. And, to view more work of J. Randall Powers, visit his website.