A Very Vintage Christmas

For our first Christmas in the country we’ve decided to trade the tabletop trees of years past for a towering conifer freshly cut from a local grower.


This grower doesn’t shape his trees, as most do today, making for a naturally shaped tree with more space between the boughs like those seen in old movies from the 40’s and 50’s. This gave us the idea to go for a full out vintage theme complete with loads of blown glass ornaments, icicle tinsel, and even a charming snow village spread out beneath.


To really get the look of a true retro Christmas tree we made sure to have the big old-fashioned multicolored lights that cast such a wonderfully warm glow, and of course yards of traditional popcorn and cranberry garlands to lend that final homey touch.


Nearby an elaborate Italian nativity finished with moss, straw, and greens is displayed below a three-tier wooden German Christmas pyramid surrounded by a squat pair of nutcrackers and a cheerful collection of Santa figures.


A bowl of clove-studded oranges is a simple and inexpensive project that not only makes an elegant display but also has a wonderful aroma that adds much to the holiday ambiance.


Outside greeting guests an old cast iron grotesque mask is transformed into the Ghost of Christmas Past with a sumptuous halo of holly and pine.


The old carriage house door gets into the spirit with a simple country display of a weathered copper barn star generously decked out with pine and holly.

Decor and photos by KS&D.

Our 100th Post!

Knickerbocker Style and Design is proud to celebrate our 100th post! We've loved sharing our treasures, ideas, and inspirations with you from our eclectic vignettes, to books and movies, design history, holiday decorating, even our move from city to country! We hope you've enjoyed the journey and continue to see what's new in the world of Knickerbocker as we start on our next 100 posts!

Eclectic Holiday Decor

Now that the Thanksgiving dishes are cleared it’s time once again to think about decorating the house the winter holidays. Why not begin with a unique antique or vintage find?


The kindly old gentleman in this charming vintage German oil portrait bears more than a passing resemblance to Santa Claus, especially with his red and green attire and pipe.


Where would Old Saint Nick be without this reindeer? This regal pair of brass deer figures, complete with dramatic antlers, certainly make for an elegant alternative.


Who better to watch over your holiday celebrations than this primitive carved folk art cherub corbel so beautiful you’ll want to keep her around all year long.


The snowy mountain landscape of Mount Fuji depicted on this hand painted antique Japanese porcelain plates makes them perfect for the winter holidays.


Here a cheerful set of tole cache pots features elegant scalloped rims and hand painted wreaths with gilded ribbons and white berries.


Trim the tree with a strand of antique blown glass beads that proudly display the softened patina of Christmas past, and for the most unique gifts for under the tree be sure to visit our shop Knickerbocker Antiques and Vintage!

Eclectic Holiday China

With Thanksgiving a week away it’s time once again to start thinking about setting the perfect holiday table.


Incorporating a unique piece or two of antique and vintage china with your existing pieces is a great way to add interest to your table setting. A special piece of porcelain such as a compote dish or gravy boat also makes a wonderful hostess gift that can be brought out and enjoyed year after year.


An elegant platter or unique serving tray always makes a beautiful and useful addition to any china collection, while more specialized pieces such as a sugar and creamer or a set of tiny butter pats are a charming way to add that little extra touch.


For a hint of whimsy why not add something purely decorative? Our pyramid of majolica fruits and vegetables or the colorful Italian ceramic pheasant figure are both perfect accompaniments for any harvest feast.

Photos and styling by KS&D.

An Uncommon Autumn Vignette

Orchids may be an uncommon source of inspiration for an autumn vignette, but the rich red and orange hues of these delicate petals are bold as any fall foliage.


A trio of hand carved wooden folk art figures sit surrounded by deer antlers and an elegant pair of French rococo style sconces, adding an unexpected touch of glamour that echoes the curving lines and points of the antlers. Even the humble pumpkin, a most traditional symbol of the season, takes on a twist displayed under a bell jar.


The whimsical figure of an elegant turbaned hunter stands with rifle at the ready and a charming Staffordshire style lion resting at his feet. The rustic folk art figures of a horse and rider are carved in a primitive style with movable hinged arms.


Looking over the scene is the regal figure of a brightly plumed folk art Indian maiden specially adorned for the occasion with delicate strands of vintage glass beads.

Photos and styling by KS&D.

The Greatest and Grandest

Browse the most eclectic mix of unique antique and vintage home accessories from the comfort and convenience of home! Enhance the design of any interior with Knickerbocker’s carefully curated collection of American, European, Asian, and African fine and decorative arts. Our ever-changing inventory features an array of objects and artifacts from Victorian to Mid-Century Modern including lamps, sconces, art pottery, fine china, porcelain, crystal, art glass, prints, oil paintings, sculpture, folk art, primitives, nautical décor, and much more!

Click HERE to shop our newest arrivals now!

Fins and Feathers

The 500 Years: Decorative Arts Europe sale to be held this week at Christie’s is packed with amazing treasures, but these whimsical pieces inspired by creatures of the sky and sea really caught our imagination.


This fantastical late 19th century Venetian turtle-form chair is designed with a hinged back that reveals a silk upholstered seat. The sculptural base is charmingly detailed with starfish and shells scattered among the rocks.


This spectacular set of 18th century Chinese wallpaper panels depict a variety of winged creatures including caged birds, peacocks, hawks, butterflies, and insects all among a background of flowering branches.


Lastly this wildly playful Victorian porcelain fish service by Bodley, with an almost Disney-like whimsy, is resplendent with seriously lavish gilt detailing.

All photos via Christie’s.

Cool Calm and Eclectic

We all crave more calm and serenity so why not introduce some into your own environment with these cool eclectic home accessories.


The exotic shape of the onion dome birdcage plays well against the blue and white Chinese porcelain, the elaborate wire scrollwork echoing the intricate floral motifs of the vase and carpet, while from above the tranquil profile of the great poet Dante looks down from an antique plaque.


An elegant mid-century Danish modern blue and white porcelain bowl by Bing & Grondahl rests before a romantically distressed vintage Buddha garden sculpture, which sits alongside a pair of hand blown art glass vases, one a wild riot of free-formed molten glass and the other a vessel of perfect simplicity.

Photos and styling by KS&D.

Architectural Americana Part II: Colonial Revival Interiors

As promised in our earlier post on Robert J. Collier’s country estate here are some interior views of the Colonial Revival mansion at Rest Hill originally published mere weeks after Mrs. Collier’s uncle John Jacob Astor perished the richest man aboard the RMS Titanic.


Architect John Russell Pope, better known for lavish Beaux-Arts projects like the Jefferson Memorial and the National Gallery of Art, maintained the simplistic theme of the façade in his interiors. The floor plan centers on a wide hall running the depth of the house and dominated by a dramatic double flight staircase that meets at a landing above the front door.


At the far end of the hall French doors flanked by built-in arched corner cabinets lead out to the Mount Vernon inspired porch with its commanding view of the countryside. Wide archways at the foot of each stairway open into the dining room on the left and the drawing room on the right.


A view of the archway to the drawing room shows the acres of simple rag rugs that were spread across the floors of all the main rooms lending a homey country feel in keeping with the Colonial Revival theme. Further unifying the hall, dining, and drawing rooms was the lush foliage of hand-painted scenic wallpaper lit by cut glass light fixtures.


From the drawing room a passage connecting the vestibule with the west wing leads into an intimate library cum smoking room cluttered with antique prints and exotic hunting trophies. The door next to the fireplace leads to a hall with two guest rooms and a bath as well as a staircase to the family rooms above.


The dining room mantle features a simple marble surround flanked by narrow fluted pilasters supporting a high ledge. Another expansive rag rug provides an informal foil for the elegant Chippendale furnishings.


A view from the dining room into the hall shows more of the lovely scenic wallpaper that envelopes the spaces as well as the clean lined moldings that help define them. In 1927 Mrs. Collier donated Rest Hill to the Sisters of the Good Shepard to establish a home for troubled girls, the organization continues to maintain the estate now open to children of all ages as Collier Youth Services.

Photos from Architectural Record June 1912

New Arrivals at Knickerbocker

Browse the most eclectic mix of unique antique and vintage home accessories from the comfort and convenience of home! Enhance the design of any interior with Knickerbocker’s carefully curated collection of American, European, Asian, and African fine and decorative arts. Our ever-changing inventory features an array of objects and artifacts from Victorian to Mid-Century Modern including lamps, sconces, art pottery, fine china, porcelain, crystal, art glass, prints, oil paintings, sculpture, folk art, primitives, nautical décor, and much more!

Click HERE to shop our newest arrivals now!

Vintage Globe Vignette

A charming trio of vintage globes lends an air of adventure to this romantic vignette.


Adorning the background is a shield emblazoned with a lion and crown flanked by a pair of antique reverse painted glass wall panels intricately hand painted with elaborate classical motifs. Resting on the romantically distressed antique Indian jewelry box is a pair of just as beautifully distressed antique carved wooden clock hands.


The dramatic antique Victorian statues, both rich with wonderful old patina, add a note of grace and elegance to this eclectic vignette.

Photos and styling by KS&D.

Riddle of the Treasure Hunt

Question: What’s harder to find than…


a finely hand-painted vintage reproduction of an eighteenth century British marching drum,


an intricately hand-embroidered Thai wall tapestry depicting the signs of the zodiac,


or an antique hand-decorated folk art saint portrait still displayed in its original faux grained wood frame?


Answer: A reputable online dealer to ship them safely and speedily to your door!


Shop our newest arrivals here now!

Architectural Americana: The Mount Vernon Deluxe

Lazy days on the porch are a beloved symbol of summer in America, call it a piazza or veranda if you will, but whether it’s on a southern plantation or seaside bungalow no piece of architecture is more quintessential Americana than the slender columns of Mount Vernon.


Architect John Russell Pope clearly had this in mind when he designed Rest Hill the Robert J. Collier residence in Wickatunk, New Jersey in 1911. Robert Collier, editor of Collier’s Weekly magazine, inherited the dramatic hilltop site from his father, publisher Peter F. Collier, who acquired the estate to pursue a passion for foxhunting that remains a Monmouth County tradition to this day.


Enormous size and extreme simplicity seem to have been the architect’s main guidelines in this restraint Colonial Revival design, making the massive yet wholly unpretentious house unique among gilded age mansions. Approached through an old orchard rambling right up to the facade provided a perfectly patriotic country setting while helping to conceal the buildings vast scale. The simple elements of cypress shingles, louvered shutters, and basic moldings echo those seen on local farmhouses throughout the region.


The cavernous recessed entrance porch overlooking the orchard was charmingly furnished with high backed chairs and potted trees while a huge pair of hunting trophies flanked the Chinese Chippendale balcony over the front door. From here one could look out over the orchard toward Collier’s private polo field and the landing strip for the private biplane this aeronautical pioneer purchased from Orville Wright, a friend and guest at Rest Hill.


The Mount Vernon porch sprawls along the rear façade commanding a spectacular view down the hillside to the valley below. From this vantage point Collier would host legendary entertainments, most notably a three-day housewarming extravaganza attended by thousands that combined the old money pastimes of polo and foxhunting with stunning displays of the latest in aviation technology.


Another view of the rear façade showing one of the wings that flank the central block gives some idea of the scale of this massive house, nearly three times the size of Mount Vernon itself. Be sure to check back soon for an interior tour of Rest Hill, domestic domain of Mrs. Collier nee Sarah Van Alen, a granddaughter of the legendary Caroline Astor.

Photos 1, 3, and 5 from here, photo 2 from here, and photo 4 from here.

Click here to read more on Collier's wild housewarming including how he accidentally scared of one of J.D. Rockefeller's horses to death.

Eclectic Elements

Blending art glass, ceramics, oddities, artifacts, and elements of nature.


At the heart of this eclectic display the goddess Athena presides over a collection of minerals with the bold graphics of an antique French plate and a nautical English tile providing a suitably noble backdrop.


Tucked among this eclectic treasure trove before an artfully displayed branch of faux white coral sits a charming miniature globe spinning on its tiny brass stand.


The clean lines of the elegant long necked blue and white Chinese porcelain vase echo in the huge vase of free form art glass; the wild molten glass trails providing a foil to the traditional floral motifs of the ceramics.

Photos and styling by KS&D

A Unique Antique Boutique

Browse the most eclectic mix of unique antique and vintage home accessories from the comfort and convenience of home! Enhance the design of any interior with Knickerbocker’s carefully curated collection of American, European, Asian, and African fine and decorative arts. Our ever-changing inventory features an array of objects and artifacts from Victorian to Mid-Century Modern including lamps, sconces, art pottery, fine china, porcelain, crystal, art glass, prints, oil paintings, sculpture, folk art, primitives, nautical décor, and much more!

Click HERE to shop our newest arrivals now!

Albemarle Revisited

Our piece last year on Sotheby’s auction at Albemarle House remains our most popular post to date. Now with the estate and Patricia Kluge once again making headlines lets revisit this infamous Virginia mansion that continues to fascinate.


Here in the entrance hall a massive piece of Greek art pottery displayed on a pedestal does double duty as a hat stand, the basket of firewood lends a rustic note to the classical formality.


The doorway to the left of the fireplace leads to the Gun Room with masculine wood trim and a view over the forecourt of the rolling Virginia countryside subsequently purchased by the Kluge’s friend Donald Trump.


The fireplace is flanked by custom Asprey gun cabinets and sports an elaborate gilt convex mirror that pops against the deep green walls. Not far from these finely housed firearms sits a Chippendale dresser set up as a chic little bar for serving after-hunt libations.


A marbleized Palladian window framing a distant piece of garden sculpture, dominates one end of the Drawing Room. The fluted Corinthian columns mirror those flanking the staircase on the opposite entry wall seen in our previous post. This scheme of a curved stair framed by columns and mirrored by a Palladian window is repeated again in the Dining Room to dramatic effect.


Yet more marbleized classical moldings are off set with trompe l’oeil swags of fringed fabric in the series of galleries linking the entrance hall with the main rooms and twin staircases. These faux-finishes that characterize the interiors typify the lavish style of the era.


The Library returns to a more masculine atmosphere with rich wood paneling and a billiard table filling one end. The view through the curtained doorway looks into the stately Roman Gallery furnished with a set of swaged neoclassic stools custom designed by the architect David Easton.


These lavish little jewels complete with architectural detailing, faux finishes, and elaborate trimmings seem to sum up the design philosophy of the whole estate, if not the opulent spirit of 80’s excess that created them. Now these furnishings like all the rest have long been auctioned off while the sprawling red brick manse that once showcased them sits emptily awaiting its fate.

All photos via Sotheby’s.