A refinished antique ladies writing desk proves to be just the right size for displaying the homeowner’s dainty Limoges collection, giving those who round the corner an unsuspecting stop-in-your-tracks reason to study this charming array of French porcelain boxes.  Add in the re-upholstered chair in a lush fabric complimenting an exquisitely made and equally lush [...]

Last week, I met designer Jeffrey Bilhuber at a Doyle New York auction gallery exhibition where a signing for his second book, Defining Luxury, the Qualities of Life at Home (Rizzoli, $65) also was taking place.
While we were talking – more about why in a minute – he asked if I planned to bid on [...]

First moored off the coast of Nantucket in 1854 in an area known as the South Shoals, lightships (essentially floating lighthouses) were strategically placed around the rocky shores to aid passing ships in navigating around the perilous area.  Crewmen on board would raise whale-oil lanterns at night to guide these vessels.
Spending several months at sea, [...]

To my mind, having a lot of dishes in the house means I’m always ready for the holidays. And since I’m an out-of-sight-out-of-mind type, I love to have them easy to reach and on display.  I’m not much for closed cabinets, which always seem forbidding.
That makes me an old-fashioned dish-dresser person. Nothing shows off dishes [...]

Perhaps more than any other type of arrangement, picture walls are highly individual expressions of taste and style. Each time I see a photo of a wall composed of images or objects it’s like putting one more piece of a life-long décor jig-saw puzzle into place. I always learn something (even if it’s what not [...]

Decorating with a vintage bus scroll.  Photo via Country Living

Vintage graphics are one my favorite forms of art.  Advertising, postcards, labels, I’ve collected, framed and decorated with them for years.  It wasn’t until I was browsing through one of my favorite blogs that I discovered bus scrolls.

Antique dealer and fellow San Francisco Bay Area [...]