New Impressionist and Abstract Oil Paintings

More new oil paintings now available exclusively in our online gallery of original fine art!

Another beautiful country landscape rendered in the artist's classic impressionist style.

The verdant greens and expressive brushwork impart a sense of calm and restfulness to this shady meadow at the edge of a wood.

For the collector in search of a bolder more contemporary work of art we're excited to offer this large and dramatic oil painting in the style of abstract expressionism.

The seemingly wild kaleidoscope of colors is tamed upon closer inspection by a cross hatch technique in the brushwork that bring much depth and texture to this lively piece.

For more fine and decorative arts be sure to visit our online boutique!

Impressionist Landscape Oil Paintings

Knickerbocker is pleased to add these new American landscapes to our online gallery of original fine art.

This contemporary landscape painting vividly depicts a quiet county canal near the artist’s home in a modern impressionist style.

Lush coloring and bold brushwork capture the play of sunlight on the leaves of the trees as well as the rippling shadows and reflections on the water.

Another contemporary landscape painting depicts an early spring sunset over the fields and forests of a farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

The artist has again utilized bold brushwork, this time with a deeper color palate to render a traditional sunset landscape in a fresh and modern way.

Click HERE for more original fine art.

Shop New Arrivals Now!

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!

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.

A Garden City

When we took you on a tour of Lambertville, New Jersey’s historic homes last winter the bare trees were ideal for showcasing the unique architectural treasures, now with summer in full swing it’s the perfect time to see how creative gardeners use plants and flowers to transform this enclave of historic houses into a garden city.

One of the most unique examples of creative landscaping in town has to be the little graveled forecourt in front of this classic American Foursquare currently on the market for $1.65 million. Centered on a small flowerbed and surrounded by flowering bushes this simple yet stately treatment effectively turns a small yard into a grand entrance.

The deep front porch of this gracious ivy covered red brick mansion is nearly obscured with masses of flowers while ivy creeping up the side of the house further ties it to the site.

This grand red brick Colonial Revival house built in 1909 enjoys one of the largest gardens in town set behind an antique wrought iron fence.

A closer look shows the scrollwork detail under a shower of roses. Many houses here are fortunate enough to still be surrounded by original nineteenth century wrought or cast iron fences.

Here one of those beautiful antique cast iron fences protects a shady columned veranda from the street.

No discussion of fences would be complete without the classic white picket, and what could be more charming than a wild tangle of daisies poking through a weathered white picket fence.

This large mound of cheerful pink flowers compliments the red brick Victorian façade behind them.

Most properties in town have limited outdoor space so it’s always interesting to see the creative ways people utilize what space they do have, such as the lush planting alongside this porch.

Window boxes are a popular solution for those looking to add some green to their homes. This pretty one also incorporates the colors of the houses color scheme.

Here window boxes and large terra cotta pots holding geraniums and topiaries decorate the front of a townhouse.

This early brick townhouse sports some very elaborate window boxes dramatically finished of with pussy willow branches.

A sliver between this townhouse and the sidewalk was just enough space for a cluster of bamboo and some other interesting plants in various shades of green that look great against the gray painted brick

Not sure how the fantastic Victorian turret on this corner house thick with vegetation managed to escape the tower theme in our previous post.

Speaking of thick vegetation look at the brimming pots, overflowing planters, and trailing vines on this charming Victorian glassed porch.

Just around the corner is a private jungle in this shady sculpture filled garden.

The front of the woman’s club mentioned in the previous post is thickly planted around a wide tree trunk, giving a great example of how to garden in a small space.

A detail of old paneled shutters on the Victorian era clubhouse with flowers blooming against the buildings peachy color scheme. 

Right next door is Mary E. Sheridan Park, a beautifully maintained public space, almost more garden than park.

The park’s gazebo all swaged in festive bunting and ready for a mid-summer night concert.

Photos by KS&D.

Summer Slipcovers

In the previous post on our mid-century vintage Hollywood Regency sofa we told you it had another trick up its sleeve.

While we love the original orange silk damask upholstery we also love the fact that this bold statement sofa came ready with a custom tailored slipcover in crisp white Irish linen, perfect for a cooler more casual summer look. The large tapestry pillow was swapped for a small one in pale gray blue stripped silk that better shows the cushions along the back, now looking prim and proper in their individual slipcovers complete with welting detail. 

The antique bead board cabinet was reworked to include a set of eighteenth century books held by a striking pair of vintage brass bookends designed as armillary sundials. The collection of minerals and nature specimens continues to grow, including a pair of antique roe deer antlers signed and dated 1898.

In the end we just couldn’t resist the urge to include a hint of orange and a pair of vintage Hermes boxes do the job quite nicely, while a hand carved folk art elephant stool adds a fun ethnic vibe, and a rustic wood treasure chest lends some texture to the mix. As you can see the pup is especially pleased with the new linen slipcovers as the easy to wash fabric means it’s not the worst thing if she makes herself at home for a little nap when no one’s looking.

Click here to shop the latest arrivals at Knickerbocker Antiques and Vintage!

Photos and styling by KS&D.

Glynallyn Mansion in May

We recently had the pleasure of attending ‘Mansion in May’ a designer showhouse and gardens organized by The Women’s Association of Morristown Medical Center.

While interior photography wasn’t permitted the real design star of this showhouse has to be Glynallyn itself, the English Tudor Revival castle built between 1913 and 1917 by architect Charles I. Berg for the George Marshall Allen family.

The grand entrance portal as well as other elements where copied from Compton Wynyates in Warwickshire England. A sixteenth century castle visited by King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I. A close look at the masonry details reveals the irregular handmade bricks used to impart a sense of age.

The elaborate brickwork patterns on the mansion’s sixteen different chimneys were also copied from the English castle. The attention to detail even extends to the roof where antiqued slates of uneven thickness were purposely designed to appear centuries old.

The massive stained glass window at the center of the façade also replicated from Compton Wynyates, lights the soaring Great Hall within, where a rolling wall panel opens to reveal a secret staircase of uneven stones leading down to a vaulted stone dungeon.

The estate’s 7.5 acres have been beautifully landscaped with a number of lush garden spaces that have an almost “Alice In Wonderland’ like effect against the Tudor architecture.

This charming water feature stands in the gardens behind the house overlooking the deep wooden glen.
 

Here another elegant water feature trickles at the center of a deep grotto-like garden from the 1920’s restored for the showhouse after years of neglect.

Water originally played an even bigger role in the garden design of Glynallyn, which once featured a moat complete with bridges and lushly landscaped island gardens.

A period photo from a 1922 Harpers Bazaar article shows lily pads floating in the moat surrounding the entrance to a romantic gothic cloister.

Extending along one side of the rear terrace here is the same dramatic cloister seen today with the moat filled in long ago.

On the other side of the cloister a knight stands guard next to an entrance of leaded stained glass.

The house features endless banks of leaded stained glass windows, many of which were purposely broken and repaired to again impart a sense of age. The same reason stucco between the half timbers was purposely chipped off in some corners exposing the brick beneath.

One of the finest windows on the house has to be this intricately carved two-story stone bay overlooking the terrace and glen.

Inside the 32,000 square foot manor a veritable army of interior designers and artists have created 41 inspiring environments from the aforementioned dungeon turned jazz club to Mr. Allen’s onetime photography studio tucked in the attic rafters.

The showhouse is open throughout the month of May and is a rare opportunity to experience one of Morristown's last surviving Gilded Age mansions never before opened for public tours all while supporting a worthy cause. And if you should find yourself in the market this finely crafted castle is currently for sale at the bargain price of 5.7 million.

Photos by KS&D.