A New Look For The Old Cabinet

Regular visitors to our blog might remember this three arch cabinet from last year when we curtained the windows to mask inventory for our online antique shop.

While the curtains were a good quick fix they weren’t exactly the most interesting things to look at.

Inspired by the tradition of decoupage furniture we decided to create a series of collage panels to display behind the arched glass doors that could be easily removed when desired.

After considering a variety of themes and materials like sheet music or playing cards we found the remains of a damaged 1870’s art book that still contained hundreds of random pages filled with illustrations.

The subjects include many famous works throughout art history and examples of decorative arts, as well as highlights in contemporary fine art of the 1870’s.

Even the fancifully decorated letters were carefully clipped and arranged like scrabble tiles to spell out words and phrases.

Here gothic letters arranged to spelling out “The Mad Poet” are used to frame an engraving titled ‘Milton Dictating Paradise Lost to His Daughters’.

The Victorian period art book was perfect for this project, as not only was decoupage a popular Victorian folk art, but the cabinet sits in a loft in a Victorian era opera house that was in it’s heyday when the book was originally published.

Since the illustrations are all black and white engravings, the finished collages have a neutral pattern-like appearance that makes a richly detailed backdrop for this colorful orchid and a selection of antique and vintage accessories.

Click HERE to see what’s hidden inside the cabinet as well as the newest arrivals in our online design boutique Knickerbocker Antiques and Vintage!

Photos and styling by KS&D.

Cuddling Money Bags

As promised in a previous post here’s a look at what we did with those old canvas bank bags.


Running them through the wash a few times softened the canvas enough that we decided to keep it simple and stitch the bags up into a set of fun throw pillows perfect for the outdoors. We made sure to stuff them firmly, after all who doesn’t prefer a plump money bag even if the filling is just feathers?


Don’t they look quite charming here on a weathered old chair in the sun with iced tea and a good book at the ready?

Photos and styling by KS&D.

Old Money Bags

When we came across these old canvas bank bags on a recent buying trip for our online emporium they were too much fun to pass up.


We’ve got a few ideas for these unique vintage finds, but you’ll have to check back next week to see what we come up with!

Autumn Eclectic

This eclectic seating arrangement which can best be described as "Baronial Bohemian Baroque", was inspired by none other than the autumnal hues of our vintage fabric throw pillows begun here in a previous post. A simple tea dying treatment was the perfect solution for muting the super saturated colors of this circa 1972 Schumacher fabric to something more akin to the hand printed cotton chintz of eighteenth century India.


With the pillows as a starting point we’ve amassed an assortment of autumnal art and accessories ranging from the Imari orange of a vintage porcelain shell bowl to the ox blood red of the Chinese porcelain jars flanking the arrangement. The gilded floral garland swags and antique Italian gilt metal and crystal wall sconce add a metallic sparkle to the mix that stands in stark contrast to the moose antlers that recall an old rustic hunting lodge.


The painted set of Hollywood Regency wall panels have a Chinoiserie fantasy motif complimented by the antique Chinese silk embroideries set in elaborate antique frames with incredible aged patina. The 1940’s vintage lampshade has aged to a lovely parchment like tone that casts a warm honeyed glow over the brown leather sofa and woven Scottish throw blanket.


The beautifully hand painted Italian majolica pitcher holds a perfect autumn bouquet of golden sunflowers and orange tiger lilies while nearby the last of summers velvety fruits nestle delectably into a creamy white alabaster bowl. As you can see Heidi the Rat Terrier heartily approves of her "Baronial Bohemian Baroque" surroundings and has already claimed these new pillows as her own.

Photos and staging by KS&D.

Vintage Wedgwood Schumacher

On buying trips for our shop we often come across incredible vintage fabrics but without a specific project in mind rarely stop to take a look. On a recent trip we had a definite project in mind and were lucky enough to stumble across the perfect piece of fabric for the job.


The fine fragile silk pillows seen here in a previous post all suddenly begun to fray at once (wonder who the culprit could be?) and vintage fabrics are a wonderful opportunity for unique throw pillows. At just over two yards this bold vintage Schumacher screen print was just the right size to make three pillow covers and dates from the early 70’s when this fine old family owned textile company was supplying fabric to the White House.


The pattern known as “Golden Cockerel” for the rooster motif was inspired by a now discontinued Wedgwood china pattern of the same name. The rich saturated hues in this fabric that were so popular in the late 60’s and early 70’s give the traditional pattern a fun more casual feel but are a little intense to contemporary eyes. A simple tea dying treatment will instantly tone down the bold colors and give the fabric a softer aged feel. Be sure to check back soon to see just how the finished products turn out!

Refurbished Vintage Curio Cabinet

As promised here is a look at our completed curio cabinet redo.


After an unsuccessful experiment with black lacquer (too dark) and contrasting highlights (too much contrast) we decided to rethink the project entirely by moving the piece to a new space and painting it the same gray satin finish used on the walls and trim. As noted earlier the cabinets angled sides reflected in the mirrored back give a “built-in” effect, which the new paint finish only further emphasizes. Now the piece fades into the wall beautifully showcasing the art glass collection within while emphasizing the graceful slender arches I’ve admired all along.


The Elizabethan armchair is an antique reproduction from the 1920’s, a previous DIY project that was our first and last attempt at reupholstering. The architectural salvage column holds a whimsical bowl in the form of a shell supported by monkeys, which seems to have dictated an animal theme continued with a Chinese horse carving, a colorful framed bird print, and a charming folk art elephant resting atop the antique palm frond corbel.


An animal or two even turns up inside the curio in the form of a Murano glass swan and small etched bird vase, but the majority are simply random favorites from the collection including an amber glass dinner bell, a blue Art Nouveau style vase, and a stunning Deco piece of ruby cut crystal. The print perched atop the cabinet not only looks great against the wall color but also makes a fine backdrop for the unusual antique copper statue of a mysterious gentleman in elaborate Elizabethan garb.

Photos and home staging by KS&D.

Art Glass Curio Cabinet

Ever in need of storage solutions for our online emporium Knickerbocker Antiques and Vintage we recently acquired this mid-century vintage curio cabinet to hold overflow of our art glass collection. The curio takes up practically no floor space and the angled sides reflected in the mirrored back give the piece the effect of being a built in column inset into the wall. I also must admit to loving the slender Venetian Gothic-like arches around the glass panels. The only drawback is the vintage speckled chestnut finish that doesn’t match a stick of furniture we have least of all the antique 1820’s painted Baltimore chair it ended up situated next to in the hall. Taking our cues from the black painted chair we decided to try a high gloss black lacquer finish, which really gives the piece a completely different look. The crown molding along the top makes a perfect perch for a print and sculpture collection including a copy of the David, a carved marble bust, and an antique metal female sculpture with great patina. The gilded mirror and abstract painting add light and color while complimenting the rich hues of the art glass items displayed within. The only issue now is the dark finish really obscures most of the detail including those great arches along the top and bottom. Looks like this is another DIY project that just won’t be confined to one post!

Experiments with Color

There is no faster or easier way to transform a space than through the simple application of paint. There is also no aspect more personal or of greater impact than the hue with which we choose to surround ourselves. Moods are often dictated by the color and light of our immediate surroundings, and the reaction between these two is important to consider.

After some years spent in the warming glow of the peach tone seen in previous posts it was decided a sleeker cooler tone was in order. Wanting to experiment with a gray we ended up with what in bright sunlight appeared to be an almost off-white. Once on the walls however, the color began to take on a decidedly lavender appearance, until after sunset when the room changed to a pale powder blue for the night. Setting out to choose the color I jokingly requested to paint the room opal after my birthstone and oddly enough that’s exactly what I got. As I sit writing this I can see off-white, lavender, gray, and pale blue from different corners of the room.

The color makes an excellent backdrop for gilding and dark woods. Over the brown leather sofa the mirrors have been replaced with a pair of beautifully detailed gilt floral garland moldings. Resting atop one of the salvaged columns is a hand carved bust depicting a stylized Native American Indian maiden similar to one displayed in the beadboard cabinet, both however have already been snapped up by a client in Europe. The carved cherub corbels and Chinese porcelain jars look great against the new color as well as the English porcelain plate at the top and the colorful gilt framed bird print below. As lovely a background as this opal makes for the rich accessories placed against it the color has proved a bit of a downer to be enveloped in all day and a lighter brighter shade has been chosen to replace it. After all you’re never more than a few cans of paint away from a whole new mood.

Photos and home staging by Knickerbocker.

Old Cabinet New Look

After weeks of scrapping and gallons of paint remover the cloud of fumes has finally cleared to reveal a new look for our old beadboard cabinet.

While I admit to being skeptical until almost the very end I really love the way it all finally turned out. It plays up the handmade rustic feel that I loved about the piece, while looking bright, clean, and refreshed at the same time. The soft faded graining of the beadboard also makes a perfect neutral backdrop for photographing items featured in our online shop.

The unusual arched glass front display cabinet shown here with a piece of Chinese porcelain looks wonderful against the new finish. Sharing the top shelf is a wonderful hand carved bust depicting a stylized American Indian maiden along with a selection of pitchers including a lavishly hand painted one from Sicily, a beautifully detailed little one from France, and a handmade rustic one holding hydrangea dried last summer. Finishing off the tableau is an old handcrafted wrought iron candlestick, an elegant art glass bell, and a charming antique carved wooden elephant.

The middle shelf is still a symmetrical display of Italian art pottery including hand painted plates, nautical candlesticks, and a pair of cruets. The centerpiece is a lavish majolica bowl featuring monkeys supporting a giant seashell. Fanning out behind the bowl is the intricately detailed rim of a platter by Lomonosov, porcelain supplier to the Tsars of Russia. Finally the collection of heavy art and design books and the old carved chest fill out the bottom with warmth and texture.

Photos and styling by Knickerbocker.

Paint Stripping Saga Continued…

As promised here is an update on the paint removal Odyssey begun in a previous post.

Though it may not look it you’re seeing the product of hours of work and an additional two quarts of paint remover, as I’m yet again out of the stuff I think the time has come to face facts and begin buying it in gallon size! You can see I’ve started on the beadboard interior, which appears to have been painted every color of the rainbow at least once. It takes a good five rounds of application and scrapping to get to the wood and that’s before you get down to attacking all those little grooves and beads.

Helping some friends move into a new apartment last weekend I noticed a pressed tin ceiling in the kitchen they’re thinking of stripping down to the metal. Not only is the surface heavily covered and intricately detailed it’s also completely overhead! Just imagining the sea of sweat and paint remover the job would entail sends shivers down my spine. Then again it would look really great when finished…as long as I don’t have to help!

So Much For Instant Gratification

After the success of my first paint removal attempt on an old oak mirror frame I have turned my attention to the decades of dirty paint on our old beadboard cabinet.

I headed back to the hardware store to purchased what will amuse anyone who has ever attempted a larger paint removal project such as this…I came home with a mere two pints of paint remover. I’m embarrassed to admit I somehow thought I would be able to remove 30 layers and a hundred years worth of paint with two little pints of paint remover!

If that isn’t bad enough I seem to have also underestimated the amount of time and effort this project would take! In my defense my only previous paint removal experience took less than half a pint of paint remover, less than two hours, and resulted in an instantly beautiful oak frame. This time around after nine hours and two pints of paint remover I barely have the two bottom doors clean! It would also seem the small scale of my first project must have kept me from coming into contact with the paint remover because this time I seem incapable of not splattering myself with the flesh burning slim.

I now consider myself fully cured of my brief addiction to paint scrapping, yet something tells me I have untold hours of this pastime to look forward to before this, the final paint removal project of my career, is finished! I’ll be sure to let you know how this one turns out.

Instant Gratification

I really love the mottled antique patina of the glass on this over-mantle mirror removed from an old Victorian shown here with an antique pair of carved Chinese door panels and three Chinese porcelain figures.



I was however less than enthusiastic for the high gloss black paint finish on the frame when I purchased it. Looking to lighten the piece up I decided bare wood would the best finish for framing such a heavily aged piece of glass. My love of old distressed finishes had until now kept me from ever attempting a paint removal project, but the inappropriate finish on this piece seemed a good opportunity for a first. I was surprised at how quickly the paint practically peeled itself away from the original varnished oak underneath.



It was instant gratification stripping off the black paint to reveal the warm golden oak underneath. Now I really love the way the aged wood frames the old beveled glass on this simple architectural artifact.



The soft aged patina of the piece looks especially beautiful at night in the glow of the unusual gilded metal Spanish candelabra.