The Antiques at the Armory Show - January 23-25 09 Americana

The armory show reflected "Americana Week". As stated in the Stella Show
Management website: "Featuring 100 select exhibits of fine and affordable American & European antiques, period furniture, Americana, folk art, garden & architectural artifacts, fine art and prints, and the list goes on..."
I spent some time with Elemental Garden's husband wife team Tracey Young and Dennis Kaylor. Tracey's clean and focused discipline is reflected in her selections at this show.
Several items stood out in the Elemental Garden booth, a pair of conical French urns, stone carved stepping stools, and a rare matched pair of stone carved life sized greyhounds.
The French garden urns, despite being concrete seemed light and delicate as they balanced on a their raised plinth. As Tracey pointed out "they are very French, you won't see this kind of form anywhere except France". We commented on the mutual grace and respect of the line evident in the urns, the step stools and the stone finials sitting prominently center stage.
I asked Tracey whether she sees any particular trend happening in today's gardens. Without hesitation she explained that all too often gardens are overrun with flowers causing an "expected" result, measured and tailored she explained they can be boring. Instead, Tracey sees gardens that celebrate texture as much more interesting. Much in the way that Chinese botanists developed a love of the orchid's leaves more than the orchid itself, Tracey has a love for the garden's many textures regardless of whether they are summer flowers or simply oceans of shimmering leaves, varied and changing as one proceeds through the garden.
Dennis explained that the pair of greyhounds in their booth were genuine pairs. According to Dennis not only are large stone figures often misrepresented as antique, they are not always matched pairs. A tip, Dennis says, is to look at the details of the animals, if there are opposing directions in the paws or tails for instance they are a matched pair, otherwise they are simply "alike", and not as valuable.
The Elemental Garden is located in Woodbury Connecticut

Michael Bruno - Founder of 1stdibs.com in the New York Times

Sinotique is a proud "pioneer" dealer on www.1stdibs.com, the industry standard website for antiques in America and Europe. Michael Bruno, the website's founder has been highlighted in the NY TIMES Magazine on line T Magazine.
Before 1stdibs.com there were a smattering of poorly designed websites for the antiques trade, often slow and cumbersome and more often than not a mish mash of unvetted merchandise thrown together haphazardly.
Michael Bruno brought a sophistication to the online antiques marketplace by making it easy (finally) to search for and locate the exact piece a busy decorator needed to find in a jiffy. With only 500 dealers on the site and a waiting list of over 800 more, 1stdibs.com maintains the kind of standards that their clientele expect.
Many dealers, Sinotique included, are the same dealers you would find at the Armory Show in Manhattan, numerous shows in the Hamptons, and Connecticut. What Michael has done has brought a level of confidence to buying online by vetting out dealers who do NOT have a brick and mortar location. Decorators and the public at large know that there is much less risk in buying from someone they can visit in person.
There are items on 1stdibs.com that range in price from $250.00 to 125,000.00 and over. It's common to hear of sales from 1stdibs.com in the $5000.00 to $20,000.00 range based solely on what a client sees on the site. That would never happen before on the net prior to 1stdibs.com, at least not so in the antiques world.
Today assistants who work for Martha Stewart , Sills Huniford, and Peter Marino are combing 1stdibs.com daily with efficiency, clarity and dare we say - fun?

a teak bench for a client's shower room

This bench was made for a shower room. It is made from teak that I procured while in Thailand. Thai farmers had used this particular teak in the rice field to thrash the rice plants upon to release the rice from the plant. After decades of use and exposure to the weather the teak has great character and we left the "raw" edge showing on the end of the bench to accentuate the rustic nature of the piece.
The natural oils inherent in the teak will protect the piece from constant exposure to water and moisture in the client's shower room.

Teak bench for a shower room

I made this bench from reclaimed teak I procured in Thailand. The wood for this bench was originally used by rice farmers in Thailand in the field. The original shape was slightly curved, and very rough, I cut it, then milled it so it was flat, and glued up the pieces to form the top and leg "slabs".
This client requested a bench that would withstand repeated exposure to water as it would reside INSIDE her shower enclosure which is large.
Teak was the natural choice as it has natural oils which repel water.

End of Season sale

Sinotique is having an end of season sale - most items are 50% off list. Stop in soon.

Kanik Chung at Sinotique - Mott St.

Kanik's latest work at the Sinotique Mott St. location.

Kanik Chung's tablescapes expand and contract, at times encompassing as many as two dozen pieces of his handblown glass forms. They are exquisite. I spoke to Kanik at length about his tablescapes and he told me that he envisions the pieces in relationship to each other. Negative and positive space play equally important roles in the total expression of his work. I believe the beauty and sensitivity of his work speaks for itself. Kanik's work is available through Sinotique.
Commissions accepted.

Buying Vintage is "green"

The website produced by Discovery.com - www.planetgreen.discovery.com
lists as #8 on their tips on going green 'buy vintage', here's what they have to say:
"Buy vintage -
With all the slick, mod, "eco" brands jumping into the market it can be hard to keep in mind that pre-owned goods can be the most green purchase of all. Vintage and second-hand and furniture requires no additional resources to manufacture, is often locally sources (cutting down on transportation), is pre-offgassed and eases the load on the landfill. Quality vintage furniture can also have excellent resale value (sometimes selling for the same price it was bought) which certainly can't be said for most new furniture, green or otherwise."


Those of us who have been dealing in antiques have known that for years but I suppose the public should be reminded that buying local, buying vintage, and buying antiques is far more "green" than purchasing a newly produced item.
I'm also in the manufacturing business and of course there is a place for high quality long lasting furnishings as well.



The mindset that furniture can be disposable is what needs to change, like many things in our world for every disposable piece of furniture you'd consider for your kid's dorm room, or starter apartment there's probably a comparable piece in a vintage quality used version. Buying low price does NOT have to mean buying disposable.

Although IKEA goes to great lengths on their website to explain how they are using sustainable materials and what they've done to reduce VOC's and their carbon footprint, the reality remains that their products more than likely will end up in a garbage truck and not being handed down or even in a thrift store for someone else to purchase. Think for a moment of all the American families who run to IKEA or K Mart stores to purchase throw away furniture for their kid's room or dorm rooms simply because it is convenient. There are quality alternatives in thrift stores and a can of spray paint goes a long way to update much of what is found.

Protests of thrift store finds not being "cool" by the kids who have to live with the pieces are a perfect opportunity to educate the next generation about the importance of reuseing what we've already created so we don't have to produce more.

In nations all over the world poor people used their lack of resources to fashion furniture from such mundane objects as car and bicycle tires. The access to resources we've enjoyed in America have become our biggest threat. We're literally drowning in what we produce.


Saving pennies to buy a quality piece of furniture, even if it is one slipper chair to go next to the bed, or a kitchen stool that will get used ten times a day, is worth the effort and the patience it takes to acquire since its life will likely extend beyond your's. Extend that to larger pieces in your home and you start to make a difference in your own "presence" on this earth and your impact on it.

My brother, Tim Lee, who has lived as a photographer in East Hampton for the past 30 years lives this philosphy virtually daily. His beautiful home is filled with yardsale finds and antique store treasures. His keen eye has scooped up plenty solid wood funiture items and vintage candlesticks for sure, however, his cooktop (an $1100.00 value) was bought slightly used at a yard sale for a tenth of that, as was his stainless steel cabinetry, 12' dining table and even bathroom tiles (which were over runs from a new construction).

Fortunately my parents instilled in myself and my syblings that there is value in buying antiques and vintage, and as such we were surrounded by wonderful mixes of furniture from many countries and many eras. Wwen we all "grew up" we all had some of their furniture for our own homes as treasured reminders of our childhood. It's not surprising that the furniture that ended up with each of us is not made of plastic or pressboard.

NY Modern show - Balsamo

Steven and Ray are friends I met while doing Jean Sinenberg's Bridgehampton Antiques Show, that was a good ten years ago. Since then their company Balsamo has branched out into interior and garden design serving the Hamptons, NYC, Connecticut, and even Mexico.
Balsamo is described in this way on their website:
"Balsamo Antiquités and Interior Design is housed in a renovated 1837 church in the bucolic town of Pine Plains, NY — just 1 3/4 hours north of Manhattan and 20 minutes south of Hudson, NY.
Balsamo offers an eclectic mix of European 18th, 19th, and 20th century antique furnishings and accessories for the home and garden. Capture and bring home the essence of Old World
sophistication and style."
The Balsamo color pallette usually leans towards dove grey, off white, camel, but their booth at the Modern show was edited to more accurately reflect the venue. It was edgy and urban though not "expected".
The booth was dark and masculine with highlights of brushed steel. Interspersed were wood tones and opaque milk glass clock faces with appearences of galvanized tin - a nod to their mainstay of garden related objets back in the Pine Plains store.
Steve told me one of his favorite items in the booth was the huge white clock face that he said could be illuminated from behind. We both loved the distressed numbers and art deco hands.

Balsamo's collection can be seen at Balsamo.1stdibs.com
and at www.balsamoantiques.com

The NY Modern Show - Dallas Boesendahl

If you've ever been to the Modern show at the downtown Armory you surely would have noticed Dallas Baesendahl's booth at some point.
To say that Dallas is a specialist in accessories is akin to saying the Pope has something to do with religion. He's a consumate collector of everything from 1930's shagreen to neolithic Chinese Jade "bi discs", to vintage signed photographs, to 1950's to 1970's German white porcelain. Dallas Boesendahl's collection is nothing if it isn't diverse, which is why his booth at the Modern show this October stood out from the other times I have seen him. His display was stark white, crisp, focused and pristine, a real departure from the overflowing shelves of mixed merchandise that he is known for.
Dallas was busy styling his booth, filling in empty spaces on his shelves where someone had recently made a purchase, when I stopped by to chat.
About 300 - 400 vessels in various shades of white were neatly arranged on Dallas's signature tiered shelving. Some were satin, some were high gloss and others bisque.
I learned that his collection of German porcelain numbers well over a thousand, good thing since many of his designer clients of late have been buying them in groupings of 6, 12, even 40 in one fell swoop.
One of the amazing things about shopping with Dallas is that his pieces are not only unique, he often has a selection of items to choose from to form an "instant" collection.
It would take an individual months if not years to comprise a collection of even a dozen suitable specimens to present to a client, but here at the Armory Dallas had over 30 manufacturers represented.
It was fascinating to me that the manufacturers reflected the sentiments of the era, whether it was an awareness of endangered species (as evidenced by the alligator pattern on some) to the op art movement of the 1960's.
Dallas Boesendahl can be reached at 212-308-7029 , he shows by appointment only.

More work by Artist Will Hubscher at Sinotique - Brooklyn

all images copyright Will Hubscher

Pennsylvania artist Will Hubscher is showing his latest work at the Sinotique Showroom in Brooklyn. This pair entitled "Endeavor" and "Excellence" draws on imagery
from early Japanese photography. They are among the largest of Will's works measuring 38" x 25" unframed. They are available at www.sinotique.1stdibs.com
The colors are saturated and the composition, a departure from Huscher's fractured planes, is dynamic and the figures are poised to explode into their next "pose".

Just made this desk

I made this desk with a reversable bamboo top, utilizing my signature handmade artisinal bamboo. One side is stained dark walnut brown and the other is natural with dark highlights. I kept the thickness rather light at one inch. The trim is reclaimed Brazilian jacaranda from an antiques dealer friend who imports directly from Brazil. The jacaranda I bought from him was orginally used as flooring for a factory built in the 19th century.
The legs are made from American oak. I added a simple chamfer detail to soften the angularity.

Audrey Lee's Latest painting

My sister, artist Audrey Lee Waller, recently completed this painting and I just installed it in my Brooklyn showroom. It looks wonderful! I've successfully represented Audrey at Sinotique for years. She's also represented by Mark Humphrey Gallery in Southampton, N.Y., after several seasons at Gallery Merz in Sag Harbor.
This painting is slightly over 6' tall by 6' wide. The medium is collage on board. Audrey uses many techniques including scraffito, collage, metal leaf among others.
It is one of my all time favorites out of the many dozens of paintings I have sold of Audrey's. Audrey was highlighted in the East Hampton Star.
Please make an appointment with me if you wish to see it.
Location: Sinotique Showroom 70 John St. Brooklyn, NY 11201

shapes from nature continue to fascinate me

I finally mounted these swordfish bills that I got from a collector some years back.
I used bubinga wood for the mounts, metal seemed too cold.
These are available at www.sinotique.1stdibs.com

My latest installation, a large dining table in bamboo

This huge dining table is 12.5' when fully extended. The table surface is inlaid with bamboo and the legs have bamboo veneered to the inside surfaces, a nice unexpected detail.
The trim is American maple and the leg veneer is anaigre.

The East Hamptons Antiques Show - Scott Estepp

Scott Estepp is definitely one of a kind, and I mean that in the most flattering sense. Anyone who is familiar with Scott can recognize his quirky and often off the wall inventory of found objects, American folk art, period and continental pieces often squeezed together in an unexpected yet somehow perfect composition.


Always humble about his work, Scott is never too proud to ask "what do you think" during setups. He's always ready to help out when I'm splitting hairs about my own booth setup, and I have to say he's one of the guys at the shows that taught me that its ok to think "out of the box" when it comes to collecting, display, composition and the importance of presenting your merchandise in the best way that you can.


For as long as he can remmember Scott has been a collector of things. As he says "I have a love of good design - anything that is well designed" is fair game for Scott's unwavering eye. He sums up his look as "sculptural objects" and for some inexplicable reason he says he's drawn to circular forms. We can see that from the folk art wheel sculpture made from fence pickets secured with handmade iron rings.







He travels hundreds of miles up and down the American back country, working with local craftsmen to fabricate armatures, stands, and bases for his numerous oddly shaped found objects and folk art that he has become known for. I once saw a wooden Winebago motorhome the size of a breadbox hung from fishing line in Scott's booth, it was a birdhouse. It was very "Scott", as dealers have been known to say.

Scott's selections for this year's East Hampton Antiques Show were no less odd and certainly no less amazing than any of his other shows. I especially loved the wall sculpture made of antique hand trowels, it is wonderful.
Scott can be found at scottestepp.1stdibs.com
and at "The Modernism" Show at the Downtown Amory in NYC, and at "The Pier Show", as well as The East Hampton Antiques Show annually.

The East Hampton Antiques Show - Linda Elmore Antiques

Linda and Dennis Elmore, like so many of the antiques dealers out there who are married couples doing what they love to do, exemplify what it is to be entrepreneurs.
Linda will tell you that their adventures into the antiques business started over 30 years ago when her husband had an extended business trip in Manchester, England.
Linda, a housewife at the time, was along for the trip to enjoy the countryside and shop for some furniture for their home. What comes next is a familiar story to many, the dealer convinced Linda to take a few more pieces to defray the cost of shipping just a few. Not only did Linda like the stripped antique pine she was buying for herself, she saw the opportunity to open a small business back home.
Once her container of stripped pine 18th and 19th century furniture arrived she took out a full page ad in the NY Times, and in two weeks she sold everything!. That was 30 years ago. During the next 14 years the Elmores transitioned from light stripped pine to darker woods such as mahogany.
More recently as the dollar has fallen and the price of fuel as increased Linda said they have transitioned once again to American furniture, and have included some mid century Danish. I saw Dennis wheeling two Danish end tables out of their booth when I stopped by to interview Linda.
Linda loves this 19th century Italian dresser. I love the lamps as well.
Linda can be found at www.elmoreantiques.com .

The East Hampton Antiques Show - Linda and Howard Stein

Linda Stein's booth was directly across from mine at the most recent East Hampton Antiques Show at Mulford Farm. I feel as though I've known the Steins for a long time since we constantly run into each other at various show venues either as exhibitors or when I'm browsing through shows. The Steins always have time to share a story, some advice (they've been in the antiques business for over two decades), and a laugh.


While at the show, I couldn't help notice the matched pair of creamy white dressers in Linda's booth. They were so compelling I had to walk over and touch them. My suspicions were correct, they were covered completely in genuine parchment.
Linda explained that they are 25 year old interpretations of original pieces from the 30's. They were not only beautiful, they were imaculate.


In between sales I had some time to ask Linda how they got started in the business. She explained that like many people in our business their love of good design and high quality home furnishings led them into collecting and then into selling at various shows in the tristate area.
Linda and Howard have built their business together from its start. Although I only saw Linda at this show since Howard was minding their two year old shop at 2400 Montauk Highway in Bridgehampton.
Linda describes their look as "elegantly eclectic" and their booth at this show was certainly that.
The dressers were definitely one of my favorite picks for the East Hampton Show this year. Linda had a special fondness for the coral in irridescent glass bottles.
Linda and Howard can be reached at 631-537-8848 and at lindahowardstein@mac.com
and at lindaandhowardstein.1stdibs.com

East Hampton Antiques Show - Marianne Stikas

I've known Marianne for nearly a decade. We have a mutual love of dogs and eclecticism. I found out some fascinating things about Marianne when I interviewed her for this blog. My conversations with her prior to this were usually about objects, people, and of course dogs, never about herself.
It was Marianne who said "what are you waiting for, just get a dog already, you'll laugh so much and you'll wonder why you waited", during the time I was hesitating to make the comittment to get one. She was right, we laugh so much more now that we have Kona. I loved meeting Izzy at the show, Marianne's pug.
Marianne Stikas is an artist with a career that spans three decades. She has shown in galleries in NYC including Holly Solomon, Leo Castelli, John Davis, and most recently with Baskervile Watson. Her medium is oil.
Marianne's eye for composition is evident in the often quirky objects she sells. Her antiques business was started out of her Walker St. loft selling to people she knew. A love of collecting became a business once she started selling out of her home and later at shows like the "Modern" , and "Bronx Botanical Garden Show", "The Pier Show", and the "East Hamptons Antiques Show".




Today you can see Marianne's collection at various shows like ones mentioned here, and in Stamford Ct. at the Hamptons Antiques Center, and at www.mariannestikas.1stdibs.com Marianne can be reached at 860-927-0028

Marianne and I love the wall decorations in teal blue, made of cut steel, they once hung in an amusement park.

Custom made alcove cabinet for a dining room

My client, designer Leslie Claiborne, and I designed this piece for her client's East Hampton home. It was made to fit into an alcove perpendicular to a dining table I am working on.
The material is the same as the media cabinet, pictured in another post on my blog, it's smoked oak from Germany paired with a solid oak face frame. The doors are trimmed in solid American walnut, with walnut handles and feet.