We have a love of art and antiques. It’s a devotion we labor under. Luckily, it’s a shared affliction, which provides some solace.
When it comes to living space there’s no question which fixtures come first in our lives: the antiques rule, and our lifestyle is arranged around them, not the other way around. Visitors can’t help but notice the old saddle (German silver conchos and longhorn studs!) in the living room or the cast iron hearth back hanging above the fireplace.
See, we like to be able to touch our things when we pass by 
them, reconnecting with their history and origins several times over the course of the day. We use the Pacific Mail Steamship notice board (Yokohama, ca. 1907) to house our umbrellas and family photos and we like to rub the pommel of our highback roping saddle (Martinez, 1890) for luck. It pleases us.
We know full well that not everyone would embrace this approach and, believe us, we get some questioning looks. But this is the way we do it and friends who share our affliction have adopted the approach, too. We just wondered if there was anyone else out there who had added an exterior courtyard for their collection of original bronze sculpture or a gallery to house their modern art.
If you’ve done anything along those lines and care to share with equally demented but appreciative neighbors, send us a picture. We’re interested to see what you came up with.
Wow! So that is what happens when you have a lot of extra money. It can be a problem! The cover photo: white walls, persimmon chairs, zebra rug, and primary colors on the glass table says Candy Store to me. Not present day, but maybe Candy Store 2030. Fortunately, my opinion of art is of no consequence to others.
We don’t have a lot of money, so you can squeak by without spending an arm and a leg. And you know you can make that pretty picture move by clicking on the right-facing arrow, right?
… and having an appreciation for art is a pretty individualistic thing, not everyone collects or admires the same thing, we just wondered if others have a fixation for wind-up toy robots, Pez dispensers, or Velvet Elvis paintings and have configured their space so they can live with their treasures.
Oh, I made the pictures move. I think Candy Store applies mostly to the still image, and you just know Elvis is loving that Zebra rug somewhere. And as I said before, please disregard my artistic “sensibilities”. They simply are.
I have a love for art and antiques. I don’t care to say if our home has fine art or valuable antiques (you never know who is reading) but I do miss owning an antique store, and wouldn’t mind owning an art gallery one day. Maybe in La Jolla when we retire. Do you still sell antiques? Just out of curiosity, where did your interest in antiques come from?
No problem, we’re into security ourselves. As for what set the hook it was always proximity to family history. And, yep, still joyously acquiring dusty old stuff.
It helps if you fall in love with something relatively rare and not terribly expensive. I’ve scrounged up maybe a half dozen Victorian feather fans, which began with a gift from an aunt in my teens. Found one in a barn in Maine, one in an antique store in Seattle. A few others here and there. They only take wall space, someday will donate to the fan museum in Healdsburg.
Very cool, no pun intended! We had a small collection of Victorian parasol handles once…