I personally like a bit of a mix if the mix is not isolated to one room. In particular contemporary lighting in older houses tends to work for me, especially the MCM globes or a simple drum shade fixture--because they are so plain and non-referential to anything other than a glowing white ball of light or cylinder of light. Many of the old houses in my neighborhood were rehabbed in the sixties and the hallways were out fitted with various sizes of (then Lightolier) globes. It was simple,and inexpensivee it was effective lighting, and it was not trying to (unsuccessfully) mimic a historical style...and these houses were too old to have been lit by anything besides candles and Argand Lamps...the most appropriate would be victorian looking gas fixtures (expensive) or early electric (also expensive)--some of the buildings have been re-rehabbed, and imo, the big glowing ball is still better than the sorta historical but not really period appropriate things that have replaced them

Amazing that set Justerilynn posted. I really don't care for it but I feel like I am back in high school visiting some friends. Most people had plastic covers.......... I grew up in a middle class neightborhood apartment in Brooklyn. We had one of the largest apartments with THREE bedrooms ( and of course, one bath). No one had dens or family rooms. The living rooms were the public rooms- the show rooms. So plastic covers really did preserve the furniture ( as you can see). I only remember actually having the for a little bit and I am prettty sure they were removed in the summer. But what fond memories. I am with sushipup though, not a real fan.

Grey and Walter Ltd., Are you suggesting I post pieces I really like right here? beckysharp, (still my favorite name) I understand what you are saying. I still love these timeless pieces I have because they were not designed really but were functional in a day in which solid wood was hand hewn and actual metal smiths forged the amazing locks and hinges. I still adore my hand made rugs. Grey and Walter Thank you for your input. I agree with you absolutely. I have been living with over scale in my small 50s 1/2 story for too long. Now that I am putting in an addition, for the first time, I do not have guidance. In my area (everyone in my upscale area has either torn down houses like mine or put on additions) and the designers I trust are busier than the time frame I have. As I speak they are framing the addition and want a kitchen and master bathroom plan when I do not have a designer to guide me. I completely understand your tongue in cheek comment about the "Road to Hell." One without guidance can make costly mistakes. I am taking down all of the walls so the concept has to flow. Then I decided that if I delineated spaces with partial walls, I would have more room for my art. I wasn't thrilled with my fiance's table at first because he has it in a poorly decorated home, period. He picked pieces because the black frame of a round glass piece matched an art fair acquisition. He collected Lladro, swarovski, and everything was in plastic "showcases" nailed here and there on walls with no rhyme or reason. I am not pointing fingers, but his wife just didn't care about such thing. The table was lost among so many design styles I couldn't see it anywhere, least of all among my rustic, French country pieces. Yet, he seems attached to it. I thought that if I put a partial wall deliniating the new family room from the the dining room, I could use the credenza which goes with the table and keep the red blown murino glass chandelier and that would be the end of the mid century modern. On the other side of the "wall" I could put my rustic many drawers piece and his "can't live without" television over it. I could use the dark wood "coffee" table which was actually used in the turn of the century for bread. It is so cool. I left wall space between two windows for my two large multi colored abstract. This way one would not see the table and credenza, which, to me, would fight with my transitional eclectic pieces that somehow go together. I am incorporating at least one of my 1800s armoires in the kitchen and using it as a pantry. I found someone who can reconfigure it. I don't mind because it isn't a museum piece and was already reconfigured to house a LARGE television in my first house when the televisions were giant. I like the idea of using the two tall red velvet chairs with arms on either side of the table. I do love my antique French country dining room table which is parquet inlay doesn't have leaves but pulls out from both side to accommodate more people. It has curved legs and is nothing like the mid century lines of the table and credenza. Well, I am going to post pictures of my favorite things here when I figure how to upload things. Ellie

Helen, really thank you very much for your input. Helped a lot to research more. I am not expert either of course and I just try to gather information that many times is confusing. I will definitely do as you suggest to contact galleries and auction houses to see if they are interested in the objects. Now I am in the documentation/research phase. Oliviag, very correct your remarks. This is what I think as well. There is something Grecian/Neoclassical but the angels and gold colors make it more baroque/rococo. The Hollywood regency term is also very interesting. I will look on that. Bisque term is also something new to me. Thanks! Also thank you for the condolences. Much appreciated. Indeed she had a great influence to my life, her, as well as all the products that I used to observe when I was little and everything looked so huge, so strange in the dim, warm light she used to have at home. A kind of goldish warm feeling. I have very mixed feelings letting everything go but objects need to serve the right place in the right moment. And these objects did that very well. Life moves on. With a part of the money, I plan to buy a nice mechanical (60s like) watch to remember her. A kind of transformation.