Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Visit to Wynwood Art District, Miami, Florida

I love Miami and I find a way to go whenever I get a chance.  Last year Karen and I visited for the Miami Beach Antiques Show, which was, and is fabulous.  It's coming up again at the end of January and I highly recommend it for anyone that loves antiques and art.  It's a very high end show featuring rare finds from Renaissance to Art Deco. 

This year I finally made it for Art Basel, a huge international art show that occurs in Miami Beach, Hong Kong and Basel, Switzerland every year, with hundreds of galleries showing the work of great masters of modern and contemporary work as well as the latest generation of emerging stars in every medium.  It was also amazing!  I was overwhelmed with all the fabulous art that I saw.  You can see some of it here.  

While visiting for Art Basel, people kept asking me if I'd been to Wynwood.  I sheepishly said "not yet" as I didn't want to admit that I had never heard of this place that obviously everyone else knew about!  Well we learn something new every day, so I rented a car to make my way from South Beach over to Wynwood to see what the fuss was all about.  Wow!  I was once again kind of overwhelmed with the fabulous street art that I found in this once run down warehouse district.  The late Tony Goldman had an idea in 2009 that all these warehouses with no windows would be fabulous canvases for the greatest collection of street art ever seen in one place.  Since 2009 the project has seen over 50 artists from 16 countries represented and has become a must see destination in Miami where the streets are lined with galleries and cafe's.  One man with an idea can really make a difference!  I left inspired and hope you will be too.  There are several websites dedicated to the art district of Wynwood where you can learn more about the artists and the project. 
 















 















Monday, December 22, 2014

Happy Holidays from The Antique & Design Center of High Point

Wishing you and yours a warm and peaceful Holiday Season and all the best in the New Year!
From, Amanda, Karen, Chandra and all your friends at The Antique & Design Center of High Point.








Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Five 2015 Home Color & Design Directions

Spotted at the Antique & Design Center by  The Decorating Diva - Carmen Natschke

Exciting trends in home decor and color direction for 2015 were spotted in all areas of the fall 2014 High Point furniture and design market from new furniture collections debuting in a multitude of showrooms to the aisles upon aisles of fabulous vintage and antiques gracing the floors of the Antique & Design Center.  At what can easily be referred to as the best furniture and design market that I’ve attended in the last four years, furniture manufacturers, showrooms and exhibitors laid out their fabulous and magnificent design vision for the home as we head into 2015. I share a few of my favorite vintage and antique discoveries from the Antique & Design Center which serve to illustrate some of the color and design trends I noted at the fall furnishings and design market.

1. DESIGN DIRECTION: BLUES

The presence of blues, from Powdery Blues to Inky Blues and every hue in-between, had a strong showing at market.
Antiques and Vintage Furniture and Decor (from left to right): Watercolor Painting - Lusiana Designs & Antiques // Antique Bird Cage - Amanda Lane Design // Beaded Crystal Wall Sconces -Lola & Bess // Vintage Blue Chair - Parham & Company // Regal Decorative Pillows - Craig Ringstad & Don Fields Antiques.

2. DESIGN DIRECTION: GREEN

In the same vein as blue, green appeared to be a market favorite among exhibitors. Greens, in a spectrum from yellow-greens to blue-greens and grayed-greens, were signaling a fresh re-emergence in home decor.
Antiques and Vintage Furniture and Decor (from left to right): Vintage Asparagus Motif Fine China - Acanthus Studios // Green Retro Barware & Stemware - The Pink Door // Vintage Chartreuse Highback Chairs - 20th Century HKFA // Vintage Chanel Advertising Poster - Maxine Wolff Shapiro Antiques // Faded Lime/Citrine Antique Chest of Drawers - Davon Antiques.

3. DESIGN DIRECTION: FABULOUS FURS & HIDES

Furniture and decor dressed and draped in sumptuous furs and luxe hides furthered the cocooning and embracing concept of home as sanctuary.
Antiques and Vintage Furniture and Decor (from left to right):  Chair Covered in Chic Cow Hide - The Barn on Sweetwood // Vintage White Fur Throw - DeLoach Modern // Voluptuous Sheep Skin Rug - Antiques on Holiday.

4. DESIGN DIRECTION: WILD ALLURE

The allure of animal magnetism was inescapable - from: striking Leopard and Cheetah prints to Scalamandre Zebra stripes;  elephant statues to intricately sculpted animal representations in furniture and art (like the stunning cocktail table shown below); horns in natural bone or Lucite; and natural or color-dyed hides.
Antiques and Vintage Furniture and Decor (from left to right):  Vintage Metal Chair Upholstered in Leopard Print Velvet - Stout's Great Stuff // Exotic Elephant Statue/Table - DeLoach Modern // Porcelain Cheetah Statue - Kevin L. Perry // Antique Louis Chair in Leopard Print - J. Comb Home // Glass Top Cocktail Table with Brass Ram Head Base - Sandy Luther Antiques and Architecture.

5. DESIGN DIRECTION:  INDUSTRIAL CHIC

The spellbinding attraction of a well-worn piece that has survived through history passed on from one home to another - carrying within its tarnished, rusted, distressed and patina-covered exterior a storied past- was on display in various style settings from contemporary to traditional giving the design a rich, layered and interesting appeal.
Antiques and Vintage Furniture and Decor (from left to right):  Weathered Decor & Garden Statues - Sleepy Hallow Antiques // Patina-rich Grasshopper & Wood and Metal Box - Peridot Antiques // Burnished Sun Wall Art - Carol Pollard // Distressed Wood Table - YM Design.

The Antique & Design Center is excited to welcome Carmen Natschke as a guest writer for our blog!

http://highpointantiquecenter.blogspot.com/2014/08/be-moved-antique-design-center.htmlCarmen Maria Natschke is a freelance writer, speaker and the founder of the internationally acclaimed blog, The Decorating Diva. Her passion for design has her traveling the globe as a lifestyle and design expert sharing her love of art, architecture, design, and trends.
 

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Art Basel Miami

I have been hearing about the Art Basel festival in Miami for years and finally had the opportunity to visit this year.  It was amazing, and I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of this collection of gallery exhibits.   This is a very quick tour of what I saw last week at Art Basel and I apologize in advance for not crediting each artist and gallery.  I started out photographing each description as well as the work and then ended up with so many photos it was hard to keep them straight.  Please enjoy this whirlwind tour and be sure to check out https://www.artbasel.com/miami-beach to learn about the individual galleries and artists.  

As described on the Art Basel website... "Leading international galleries show work from masters of Modern and contemporary art as well as pieces by newly emerging stars. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, photographs, films, and editioned works of the highest quality are displayed in the main exhibition hall, while ambitious artworks and performances become part of the landscape at nearby beaches, Collins Park and SoundScape Park." www.artbasel.com