Finding Vintage

When you love to pick antiques there aren't too many places you won't go.  

One great spot to shop is in Stratford, Connecticut. It's an easy trip straight down I-95 and the huge Stratford Antique Center is just off the highway.  One thing I love to find is a shop that is multi dealer so that I get a range of things to pick from as well as competitive pricing.  

This shop has about 200 dealers who each have a different aesthetic. I found early American paintings, garden ornaments, English pine pieces, victorian, lighting and primitives. As they say . . .  something for everyone.

The fun of this kind of multi dealer shop is that you can spend hours there. It's filled with lots of inventory and many dealers constantly bringing in fresh items.  I love the mix of pieces that they offer and if I'm going to spend the day antiquing I'm looking for a destination where I can get the most finds.

Connecticut is filled with great spots to shop but this is definitely on my hit list when I'm traveling through the area. Worth it!

From this to that . . . . along with a one story red barn that was used as a lean-in (old farm term) there sits a one and a half story stone barn.  This building was part of Holiday Farm and was used to hold two large water tanks.  These tanks supplied water to the wells on the entire farm. (Rumor is that Walt Disney stayed here). This building, although charming in it's dilapidated state, needs a renovation.

The problem that home owners of farm properties have is the up-keep.  We are not farm owners but have these outbuildings with great opportunity.  Do you spend now to renovate? Once it falls apart getting permits and rebuilding is a more lengthy and expensive process.

Preserving this history is definitely a passion of mine and bringing a building back to life with minor modern updates and a nod to it's past is the best part.

Follow along on my journey to remodel this small gem.

Happy New Year!

Tracy

Decorating for the holidays.  Fun or stressful?  

I don't feel the pressure of having the outside of my home look all decked out, maybe because I don't live in a neighborhood, but I do feel the pressure of having the inside of my home look festive and represent our relaxed family vibe.

The place I always start with, is with a collection and for some reason this just works for me. Could be because I hoard collections of white - ironstone, enamelware, porcelain or collections of silver - hotel, nickel, monogrammed or any other of my numberous, must have it, too good to pass up finds. My closets and barn are filled with these goodies that float in and out of our home depending on the event, the holiday and the season.

Although, I am not decked out yet I have my base. Taking a group of my white pieces: pitchers, West Elm vases and antique vessels and putting them on a table together is so much more impactful than having them scattered around the house. Trimming the boxwoods and pines outside is a good place to start. Putting a few in each container, adding holly, bittersweet, eucalyptus and possibly a miniature wreath might end up completing this display. Not exactly sure what the end result will be but that's the fun of it not the stress of it.  

So many different ways to decorate for the holidays.  Share your ideas, your hacks or things to avoid!  Next up . . . how to display the holiday cards? Always a challenge.

All the best,

Tracy

It may not be perfect but it's perfect for me.  The small red barn that sits just across from our kitchen window view has always looked like an opportunity to me. I could picture it fixed up, painted inside, little white twinkle lights. Very romantic visions for a Water and Main Studio.

I've been using it for years for storage but over the last few years it has further deteriorated. It needed a new roof (huge hole), barn doors were not attached so they couldn't slide to close properly, dirt floor with lots of tree roots finding their way throughout, definitely not airtight from outside intruders (any animal who lives outside), cracks in the walls and rot made it easy for the elements to get inside the building. The list goes on.

As with most projects or pieces. I see the potential but the timing isn't always right. It's like when I see a chair with great lines but horrible fabric (it just needs a facelift) or an adorable pine cottage bureau (the paint just needs to be stripped and the knobs need to be repaired).  Apparently, I like to create more work for myself.

This summer the barn project finally rose to the top of the list and I began to check off the to do list.  The roof is now brand new and the barn doors are back on their tracks. New fascia boards have been installed but need to be painted and sealed. The walls are single barn boards and will need some batten boards between them to cover some of the cracks/spaces. And the roots will have to be dug up and a floor created (concrete? pressure treated lumber?). I certainly have a ways to go but when the little white lights go up I'll celebrate. I saw the potential. Stay tuned to watch my progress.

I love finding hidden away antique shops, going to auctions, meeting people who are creating products and goods and hearing all of their stories.  That is the most interesting part of what I do.

Now that we've redesigned our website I'm hoping to be able to bring you more interesting content, current stories featuring sharp business owners, more inspiring photography, and inventory that is vintage as well as my own new designs. 

So take a look our website with fresh eyes and be prepared to stop back as it will continue to change and grow as we do!

Charleston, South Carolina is my new favorite place.  

I took my first trip there two weeks ago and four days was definitely not enough time to explore the art, history, shopping, foodie scene and architecture. 

(Painting by Brett O. Scheifflee - Robert Lange Studios)

Our trip included staying at the Vendue Hotel in Charleston and for art lovers this boutique hotel is a must.

The roof deck, cocktail hour and warm cookies at 9 were lovely but the art installments that appear everywhere in the hotel are a wonderful part of the Vendue experience. 

(Elizabeth Foster - Mitchell Hill Gallery)

At the end of this hallway just beyond the lobby is an incredible sculpture of a lion "Leo" which is made entirely from bullets. It sits in the window of the Vendue in downtown Charleston. My photo does not come close to doing it justice. (Mary Engel - Robert Lange Studios)

Bars and restaurants like SNOB, Husk and the Darling Oyster were a short walk or pedicab away from our hotel location as was the water, the boardwalk and historical downtown homes.

From photography, to oil, to mixed media and interactive art displays the Vendue Hotel was a gallery in and of itself. 

Amber Waterhouse opened up her antique shop in Hingham Square in April of 2014.  Not only does she have amazing taste in antiques but she's a talented painter who's been working on her craft for 15 years.  Combine the two and you've got one of my favorite paces to shop for art and antiques South of Boston.

Her shop is filled with pieces that look like they came from the English countryside.  A federal style mahogany sideboard, a pair of Stafforshire porcelain dogs, an Empire four drawer chest, a Japanese campaign chest, majolica and blue willow dishes and Asian garden stools.

Asked about her personal style Amber admits she will always love Empire period pieces, blue and white and all things collected over time which is probably why I love her style so much. That aesthetic is reflected in her carefully curated pieces and paintings are a big part of that.

The artwork that covers every wall is inspiring and personal. Amber has many artists represented as well as her own paintings and they mix seamlessly with the antique pieces in her shop.

Amber was an art history major in school and that's where her love of art took hold. "It's your personal signature" Amber says about adding art to a room and I think that's so true. One painting I fell in love with was a piece by Margaret McWethy.  Margaret studied at Swathmore then was mentored by Henry Hensche. This impressionist piece makes me wonder what is at the end of this lovely tree lined road. A beautiful antique barn? A hayfield? A pasture? This piece speaks to me (along with the bamboo chairs with blue pillows.)

I actually met Amber through my dear friend Cecilia Walker (Cecilia Walker Design) and ironically Amber and I both ended up having space at the Boston Design Center in the Market Stalls area of the building (art and antique dealers). Right away I loved her style. Because of the way she mixes her pieces you can easily envision how they would fit in your own home as statement or accent pieces.

Ambers knowledge of antiques and art makes shopping at Waterhouse a fun trip.  Lot's to see, to learn about and get inspired by. 

Waterhouse is located at 106 North Street in Hingham, Massachusetts. They are open from 11-5 Tuesday through Saturday. You can also see Amber's collection on facebook, instagram and pinterest at @waterhousedecor

I don't know when it happened that I fell in love with American flags but it happened. I obviously love navy blue and definitely love stripes so it's no surprise that I love to incorporate vintage flags in design.

More interesting is that the actual history of the American flag goes beyond how many stars are on it and which states were incorporated.  There are many flags from individual state flags, Navy flags, Indian flags and flags for specific regions of the country. We all know that Betsy Ross hand stitched an American flag in 1776 but did you know that in 1775 American ships in New England flew a flag called the Liberty Tree Flag which showed a green pine tree in the center of a white background? I saw one for the first time last summer at an antique show and had never seen one before.

As states were incorporated the pattern of the stars would change and would not be as symmetrical as they are now with 50 states. For instance, a thirteen star flag would have five columns with a 3-2-3-2-3 patter of stars. 

I have a small collection of American flags that I find everywhere. I find many at estate sales that are perfectly folded in a triangle because a family member was in the service. Antique shows have them in abundance - cotton stitched vintage flags, newer nylon flags or cotton with a flag pattern printed on it (these are usually the smaller flags that everyone waves on the fourth of July.)

Although, Ralph Lauren has used Americana in their styling forever, you don't need a big budget to get the look.  Share your American flag designs with me on instagram (@waterandmain)

If you're interested in reading more facts on flags here is a great resource http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagfact.html