Crystal, Gilding, and Lilies

We’ve decided to bring the Waterford crystal decanter collection out of the dark breakfront to sparkle in the light of an antique carved marble lamp.


The crystal ball filled with internal bubbles also sparkles beautifully while adding a fun less formal counterpoint to the traditional cut crystal, and the polished brass stand adds a metallic note picked by the gilded bracket shelf and unusual rococo mirror. The little shelf along the top of the sideboard is just right for holding two vintage crystal vases.


Next to the decanters sits a blown glass urn brimming with lilies, a wonderful way to scent your home that’s more potent and longer lasting than candles or atomizers. At the florist buy as many closed buds as open flowers so you can toss out the older flowers as they wilt while the new blooms open over the next few days. Refresh the water every couple of days and you’ll have flowers all week.

Photos and staging by Knickerbocker.

The Work of Photographer Slim Aarons

Everyone likes flipping through a pretty “coffee table book”, and with their lavish swimming pool cover shots two of our summertime favorites have to be Once Upon A Time and A Place in the Sun featuring the work of photographer Slim Aarons.


As portrait photographer for Town and Country, Holiday, and Life magazines, Slim once described his career as “photographing attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places”. From WWII until the 80’s he traveled the world photographing the rich and famous in their natural habitat. From high society and royalty to titans of industry and Hollywood celebrities the pages of these books are filled with the one glorious image after another.


Our books are seen here with a simple bouquet of daisies, the perfect summertime flower, arranged in an antique French Country china creamer. The swirling striations of the antique Venetian glass bowl beautifully match the soft sherbet hues on the books spines. Now all we're missing is the newest book, which appropriately enough is simply titled Poolside with Slim Aarons.

Photos and styling by Knickerbocker.

Tabletop Crystal & Glassware

Here is another look into our long breakfront featured in a previous post, this time showing a section devoted to our crystal and glassware collection.


The top shelf is centered on a large elaborately cut compote with cover that shares center stage with two beautiful Waterford crystal wine decanters in the Lismore and Glandore patterns. Surrounding these are a set of exquisite goblets handcrafted in Murano, Italy exclusively for Asprey, the London based luxury purveyor to the British royals.


The lower shelf centers around an elegant Waterford crystal ships decanter, so named for the unique bottom heavy shape designed to keep the piece from tipping in rough seas. Assembled around the decanter are a set of antique cut crystal glasses by Tiffin, a set of sleek Baccarat beer glasses, and yet more of the generously sized Asprey goblets.

Blue & White at Balderbrae

Our recent posts on the blue and white color scheme and the sale at Albemarle House reminded us our favorite use of blue and white was that used by David Easton at Balderbrae, his Hudson River Valley country house.


This image of the lofty main room shows an envelope of warm honeyed hues punctuated by a symmetrically hung display of blue and white porcelain along the walls. Another favorite decorative device of ours are the corbels used here to display a number of jars and vases. To be honest we love just about everything about this space especially that great round table piled high with books, yet another one of our favorite things!

The Perfect Summer Color Scheme

Summer certainly is one of the busiest times of year at Knickerbocker Antiques. With the warm weather comes tag sales, flea markets, antique shows, and auctions full of unique and eclectic treasures to be discovered. Between the humidity and temperatures reaching into the nineties there’s nothing more refreshing than coming home to a cool palate of crisp blue and white.


Here a shelf of our rustic cabinet features a display of blue and white china from around the world including an oval platter by Lomonosov, porcelain supplier to the Tsars of Russia, in the Cobalt Net pattern designed for Empress Elizabeth and used at Stalin’s own table. To take off the cold formal edge of the blue and white and impart a nautical summertime feel we’ve added a pair of Venetian art glass dolphin candlesticks and two white coral branches around a Blue Willow pitcher. Filling out the display are two Blue Fjord plates, a delft box, a small Chinese dragon pitcher, and a row of intricate Chinese porcelain cups.


On the upper shelf a simple arrangement of white lily and iris in an antique delft vase continues the color scheme among a group of classical sculptures including a copy of Michelangelo’s David, a distressed antique marble bust, and a graceful female figure. One entire corner is filled by a large art glass vase which fades from cobalt blue to clear to a bold aqua at the rim. A carved gilt corbel turned upside down, and a framed antique French print, lend a metallic sparkle enhanced by glowing votives.


The ornately carved wooden chest on the bottom shelf is surrounded by a number of art and design books chosen to compliment the color scheme with all bold bindings removed in favor of blues, whites, and neutral tones.

Photos and styling by KS&D.

Beauport Glass Display

Our recent art glass storage project reminded me of the ingenious glass displays created by interior designer Henry Davis Sleeper at Beauport, his fascinating home in Gloucester, Massachusetts.


The house itself is an architectural wonder filled with curiosities and incorporating salvaged historical architectural elements. Here in the Central Hall is a breathtaking collection of amber glass viewed through a graceful arched window. The window, which actually looks into the pantry, has been backed with frosted glass to allow light from the pantry skylight to naturally illuminate the honey-hued glass items. Just below the pantry skylight are two brilliantly designed mirrors on cranks allowing for the maximum amount of natural light to be focused directly into the display case.

Photo via Beauport website.

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.