Another antique store shopper~~not *every* piece of furniture/accessory, but I am very selective. I do mostly vintage, not necessarily what are the true antiques. A lot of what I have *could* be one of a kind(but do I really care?),and hopefully will not be mass produced and found in home stores. I have yet to see my ceramic white vintage urns in any of the stores mentioned, or my art, vintage pastoral prints, or oils. The table of antique clocks look like nothing i've seen in Homegoods nor the vintage birdcages i've been using way before they became popular. I find my vintage antique brass/crystal/tole lamps to be very unique, when i'm face-to-face with nothing but resin-based products.

I do have other art I 'work into' the mix, but they're definitely one-of-a-kind since they're painted by DD's mother-in-law, and very unique.

My house is very much complete, and i've not followed any trends or shopped catalogs or the stores they represent~the only one(catalog)I have is RH. I'm very confident saying I like what I like, and know what I don't like. ;o)

Several years ago I was strolling along the Rue du Bac and saw a large deed box cabinet in one of the antique shops. A true antique, the file boxes were the perfect size to hold CDs (the discs, not the investments).
Fast forward a couple of years, and I was strolling in a mall. A tall cabinet, looking very similar to the deed box antique cabinet, caught my eye. It was in the Pottery Barn window. An attractive adaptation of an antique to meet the functional needs of today. Or maybe yesterday, since everyone has all their music on ipods and such.

I think what is going to happen is that people will just get back to the basics...craftsmanship and wonderful materials. If you search out something well done, be it mass produced or hand made...you will get enjoyment from it.

I used to be a ferocious clothes shopper for my 8 year old dd when she was much younger....I really enjoyed finding beautiful, unique things for her to wear. Now, everyone and quite literally their grandmother, is making "distinctive, unique" children's clothing. I gave up, and now buy her well-cut, well-made simple clothes from quality fabrics. It is my hope that she will develop a classic taste in clothes AND other forms of design.

How did the deed box at PB compare in price? I'd rather have something old, but am not opposed to a good reproduction. However, many times the reproduction is less in quality and more in price.

I hit an antique store today that I had seen advertising items recently on Craig's list. Bought an old printer's tray to mix in with a wall display (gallery wall?) in our office and two old silver cups (child's cups). I remembered a picture from a magazine (I think) that showed some small pieces of silver used as candle holders. Snatched them up!

tina

There's too many of us on earth to be very unique anymore, once you get to a certain age you realize there are many like you. You are just another bean in the glass bowl of brown beans. This is bothersome! We all want to be the one rare gold bean. Trends...you gotta have them, there's no way around it. I came to this realization lately while helping son put together his first place. While I'm not a trendy person, "pops" and "trends" are very handy as he does not have a good handle on his style yet. Using the latest gray wall color trends and color pops has helped breathe new life into all his used furnishings. Many of us here may be sick to death of all the things that are seemingly being crammed down our throats but there is a big market out there.

"You are just another bean in the glass bowl of beans..."

Love it!

The deed box cabinet was many, many euros. at least 5 figures.

I want to be a gold bean! Not really. Well, maybe a little bit...

Yeah. Pretty much. With my limited resources, I'll have to settle for being a "goldtone" bean at best ;->

And my fingers are crossed that my PB shower curtain and duvet cover and my C&B end table aren't going to get me disqualified!

As someone who is hoping to get my Etsy shop up and running within the next few weeks (jewelry--not decor) I hope people AREN'T tired of OOAK stuff...because I generally don't make multiples. I've got too much of the "ooooo shiny" to repeat myself. I get bored...

I feel for writers who have to frequently produce attention-getting articles such as this. They often have to grasp at straws and create something out of very little. I don't get the 'overload' thing either when shopping in stores where 'authentic' items may be found. I'll continue to shop in antique and thrift stores and to occasionally attend yard sales for my possibly unique finds. I think PB's 'found' section is great for those who don't have the time or inclination to shop the pre-owned venues.

It's not a new idea for one-of-a-kind items to be copied and mass produced, it's been done forever probably. I know that factory reps from China haunt the handmade section of the giftware trade shows and take surreptitious pics. I've heard they can have knock-offs in the marketplace within weeks.

IMO the fun of decorating one's home is in the search for unique items whatever their provenance. How they are arranged is where 'uniqueness' comes into play IMO altho I know I am very influenced by bloggers who are good at doing vignettes so I'm probably a good copier and not very original.

I love that so many of the items I have come with a story which is very different than merely knowing/saying "I bought it at PB/RH/Anthropologie/etc. I will always also shop in the mass retail venues as well because not everything in my home must be an original and there are many things I like. Recently when traveling I had the opportunity to visit many of the large currently trendy retailers and can say I got a lot of good ideas for arranging my home and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, even RH - and I happily grabbed one of their huge catalogues while there! I bought very little as I cannot justify the prices when compared to those in the second-hand venues I prefer.

I don't deceive myself that every antique is one-of-a-kind as several pieces I have are very similar to those in my 1901 and 1927 Canadian Eaton's catalogues and my 1904 Singer sewing machine is not the only one to have survived. There were thousands of items made and many survive to this day in varying conditions.

It's not easy to be unique - I'm currently trying to decide what to do with the burlap coffee sacks I recently couldn't resist at $1 each. Is there something totally unique to be done with them? ;-D I'm beginning to doubt it altho perhaps I'll have to keep them for a few years before using them so they'll be less trendy, perhaps even dated. Or maybe I'll just thumbtack them to the wall as I haven't seen that done yet! JK LOL

One can so easily fall into the mindset of rejecting items one loves only because they have become ubiquitous. Anti-trendy may be just as snobbish as trendy and I know I can easily fall into that mindset. There is/should be a balance somewhere.

Is this what we have become?

Here is a link that might be useful: golden

This comment to the original story in the NYT is a bit much but I liked it.

This impulse to deny the truth of the cultural and political moment and instead seek refuge in an imagined virtualized "cozy" past seems to me the apogee of indulgent sentimentalist decadence.

Esty represents he triumph of mediocrity in design and creativity. The "designs" on the site are almost exclusively copies of copies, derivations of ideas that were done to death a decade ago. Esty is however a very clever and modern business model; a trope, seeming to help artisans market their "wares" but actually about monetizing clicks and an easy source for "trend spotters" and retailers to collate mediocre ideas to knock off.

This one was also highlighted: To me, the most authentic household objects are the ones made in America and built by workers who were paid a living wage. These older, well-constructed pieces of furniture, kitchenware and dishes are available for modest prices at thrift stores, yard sales and ebay. I toss the catalogs mentioned in the article straight into the recycling bin. I certainly have no interest in buying a supposedly unique table whose manufacture was "off-shored" to China.

I thought this comment raised an important point:
But marketers like Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn are apparently succeeding in selling this illusion by producing cheap verbatim copies of real antiques- antiques that have true value because of their history, their craftsmanship, and their scarcity, now somehow compromised by these reproductions.

This should be noted. Knockoffs can really destroy the value of an original. Why pay a lot for something real and rare when fake and common are cheap? The originals get cheapened not only in market prices, but in the eyes of beholders--who all think they came from PB.

"An attractive adaptation of an antique to meet the functional needs of today. Or maybe yesterday, since everyone has all their music on ipods and such."

This quote, and in fact the Times article, reminds me of the Pottery Barn "apothecary table" Rachel (a PB fan) and Phoebe (a fan of the original and unique) tussled over on "Friends" almost 12 years ago now:

"Rachel: I'll-I'll just tell [Phoebe] it's an antique apothecary table, she doesn't have to know where it came from. Oh! Look at this little drawers! Oh look-look it says that it holds 300 CDs.

"Chandler: Ahh, just like the apothecary tables of yore."

Becky, who at her age often feels like a has-bean

Palimpsest

I had to react to "All they needed was a credit card."

That sums up my complaint with a lot of decor and blogs. As I said in a similar context, let's not confuse good taste with simple good fortune.

Oh my, the Kitchen Forum is all over here?! Doesn't anyone else have way too much waiting for them, undone?

But I'm not complaining; I'm thrilled you're all over here for me to post a non-kitchen question to ...

Julie, I loved that link. I might have to watch that movie, even. But, um, not "now".

I think I understand the Kitchen Forum reference, even though I am not a participant there. I've been wondering why this forum has become so gosh-darn analytical all of a sudden. Then again, I'm sleep-deprived from painting into the wee hours (I've got Benjamin Moore in my hair to prove it) and an addled mentalpause brain at the moment, so I probably shouldn't even be attempting to delve into the psychological reasoning behind why I just bought a bunch of crap on Etsy.
;-)

Analytical is one word for it! Auntjen, I bet your Etsy stuff is adorable, and your freshened up walls will be well worth the hassle of painted hair!

What kills me are the people who have tons of money to blow on decorating who over-decorate or decorate entirely like sheep. We either see Tony Sopranos house or Martha's latest HD vision with no variation. It is rare that the expensive homes are decorated best.
As a kid, I always felt that if one had more money, they'd dress great and their house would be lovely. Obviously, based on many examples, money is a factor, but rarely the deciding one....

Eh, I don't care if you collect Paul Evans at $100K, or Pez at $1.00 but buying a "collection" lock, stock and barrel isn't really collecting.

This discussion, and so many others on GW about what's trendy, mass produced, etc. are always so interesting to me. I don't read decor blogs, I don't catalog shop, and the only regular magazines I get are Southern Living an BH&G.

That's not meant to be a statement about my creativity or non-trendiness, or whatever, it's just how I am. Most things in our house have come from thrifts, garage sales, antique stores, or curbside. DH and I both were thrift shoppers when we met, mostly out of poverty, rather than seeking some unique treasure. We never got out of the habit, though, and now that we can "afford better" as someone once said to me, I still very much enjoy shopping that route, because you just never know what you might find. Oh, and I'm too cheap to pay retail.

Friends and family don't really "get" our decor. It's different than what they have or see, but at the same time, in the decorating universe, it's not really that eclectic or different. The mismatched white dinner plates and mismatched vintage silverplate we use to entertain? I'm pretty sure Martha or Country Living was touting that years ago. The framed vintage ads in my laundry room? Yawn. been done a thousand times by someone else. Paint by numbers paintings as "art"...well, I still say I was doing it first, but again, saw it in a magazine a while back.

I've been collecting brass candlesticks. They were different, and pretty, and usually could be found for a buck or two at any thrift. Nobody wanted that tacky old brass, so everyone was practically giving it away. Now I see it's back on the "in" list, so I'd better go shopping before the word gets out at Goodwill. It was the same with those old printed tablecloths from the 40's. I could buy all I wanted for a dollar or two, until the cottage trend took hold, and suddenly they were selling for a lot more and even (gasp!) being reproduced.

I was almost embarassed to use burlap in last year's holiday decor (how trendy!), but it was the perfect color to go with everything else, and it did add a wonderful texture. But the response was "Burlap? I never would have thought of that!"

I know lots and lots of people who have never even heard of Crate and Barrel or RH. West Elm? Oh, that's the place downtown, right?

Maybe me, my friends, and family are just too isolated, too middle class, too interested in everything else that isn't home dec, or what, but some days, reading GW forums is like stepping onto another planet. The irony is that I never feel like I have a strong footing on either orb.

As to all of the outrage over the mass produced uniqueness...for someone like me, that just means it'll all be for sale in a few years when the next big thing rolls around. I don't think I can outrun the trends, or that any decorating idea that pops into my head is really my own, so I'm just going to keep on doing my thing.

Walter Benjamin is rolling in his grave with the irony upon irony here. He was the first person to write on 'The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction' (linked below). I wish he were around to day to comment on how the 'aura' of authentic works has been twisted and knotted and doubled-back on itself...

Here is a link that might be useful: this piece, his writings on history, and the Communist Manifesto are my touchstones for so much these days...

Tell me about it, Dianalo! The most expensive houses in my city are by far the most hideously decorated. They'd do themselves a favor to copy an issue of Martha Stewart Living! My gosh. There's only one word to describe it, and it begins with a T and ends with a Y. The "style" to which I am referring stems from a desire, no a compulsion, to display one's discretionary income. Period. I mean, if I have a gold-plated porpoise poised beside my bathtub, that makes it crystal clear that I'm doing quite well in the world, doesn't it? This is seriously what I saw in a bathroom listed at over 2 million the other day.

Fly - cool link. Thanks!

Well when I took some history of furniture courses at museums I asked, usually when we were looking at the bonheur du jours, usually covered with eglomise, Limoge plaques or somesuch. I would ask "Well this is a museum piece because the craftsmanship is exceptional and the materials are expensive...and obviously it's not a piece of furniture that is representative of what the vast majority of people had...but was this EVER in good taste, or were these owned by the 18th century version of Donald Trump?" Some of them in the small collection at the Philadelphia Museum are particularly hideous, imo.

We kind of discussed this but we couldn't come up with a pat answer. I think generally that most people don't have great taste, just okay taste, but sometimes the ultra wealthy who can fully express their tastes have really vulgar taste that they can take to the limit, because lack of money doesn't reign them in.

Auntjen--Then again, I'm sleep-deprived from painting into the wee hours (I've got Benjamin Moore in my hair to prove it) and an addled mentalpause brain at the moment, so I probably shouldn't even be attempting to delve into the psychological reasoning behind why I just bought a bunch of crap on Etsy.

I am SO stealing mentalpause. I laughed. Out loud. I, too, have been known to wear paint in my hair...

Palimpsest"collection" lock, stock and barrel isn't really collecting.--Thank you! That scenario has been bothering me...and I think it's one of the things I find irritating about books-by-the-yard.

I find wonderful handmade stuff on etsy...including components for the jewelry I assemble...

Right now I'm coveting some amazing needle-felted animal sculptures....although my favorite maker has closed her shop until she gets caught up.

We can get every more philosophical.

I have never been very political, but as I get older and hopefully a bit wiser I am at least attuned. I used to like touring grand castles and palaces and such in Europe, and enjoy their beauty.

This past summer we were travelling and instead, I was kind of appalled. It was the first time that it occurred to me how ridiculous it all was, and the first time I thought about the peasants living at the same time these palaces were built. I also thought about the darker side of elaborate public works ... courthouses so grand not to celebrate civilization but to intimidate citizens.

Maybe that's why I like downcycling. Foolish expenditures on things to make well to do pretend they are just everyday folks. Workbenches and old lunch pails a nostalgia for a time when people made things.

LOL ... that would be eyes.

"Foolish expenditures on things to make well to do pretend they are just everyday folks."

LOL! Why just this morning I heard on the news that Prince Harry, visiting America right now, went grocery shopping, filled his own cart, and bought "regular" munchies such as pizza and chips! The reporter said Harry harbors a "fantasy" of being a regular guy, and this trip to the U.S. is allowing him to indulge that fantasy. Maybe he should pick up a workbench and a lunch pail as souvenirs to take back to England! Poor little rich boy.

Natal, beautifully said!

Of course, Natal my opens could have be opened anywhere.

But like anything, the extremes are most thought provoking.

But I've veered off topic anyway, so nix that.

No, don't nix that! You make a point, and a good one, Mtnredux. Natal's comment was worth noting too. Both the grand and the mundane, the exotic and the homespun, can be "eye opening." Hopefully we don't miss the beauty of *whatever* happens to be in front of us at any given moment.

Having said that, I do have a hard time with gilded porpoises, wherever I find them.

Haven't read it all yet, but interesting essay. Reminds me of two things going on here.

First, someone mentioned the reinvention of a cozy past that's going on with all this faux-vintage stuff. I agree, even though I personally have always loved old things. In decades past artists and artisans struggled to come to terms in some way with the very biggest of the big issues of their day, including capitalism, industrialism, mass warfare and all that. Now it seems people have decided none of our big problems can even be addressed, much less solved, and they'd rather "wait it out" with their heads in a fantasy. I think vintage is always related to a longing for childhood.

Second, mass-marketed uniqueness really rubs your nose in the whole locust-swarm, parasitic nature of this beast.

Bad enough that these images of rustic Belgian domesticity are manufactured in a way that permits workers to be so exploited that they kill themselves; that produces deadly, eye-popping environmental damage; that poisons or injures consumers; and that destroys the ability of its customers to earn an income at their own jobs. That we knew about.

But it's now also clear how much this gig is designed to steal any idea it can, consume all of its value and leave nothing for its inventor or original discoverer. Once a craft object has been reproduced to death it no longer can earn a living for its original artisan, who can't compete with factory slave wages and fake materials. Similar to what's been happening with intellectual property--for several decades the law keeps changing to make it easier and easier to capture ownership of creations immediately, and then once stolen, protect them with copyright protections that go to now-ridiculous lengths.

Maybe this is why we're seeing so much retreaded stuff--nobody with new ideas wants to do anything with them, because all the rewards will be stolen anyway.

A porpoise with a purpose? Is this your guy - right next to the mythological frat boy blowing chunks?

Hopefully we don't miss the beauty of *whatever* happens to be in front of us at any given moment.

Yes, and part of the problem is when someone is so closed minded that unless it is something they would want in their own home it can't be appreciated.

*snort* Just read your "gilded porpoises" comment. Too funny!

I think I've said this here before, but the home furnishings industry is part of the fashion industry. Therefore there will always be trends that eventually make their way to mass retailers. We have always been a copycat society, & we can either accept or reject it. And marketing is the name of the game. And just as there are people talented to choose an outfit & accessories from clothing store to clothing store, there will be those who have to buy from the mannequin. There will be those who can afford to buy their clothes from Wal-Mart & those who can afford to buy from Ann Taylor. There will be those who enjoy shopping from store to store & those who don't. If you have the eye, you can buy from Wal-Mart & look better than Ann Taylor. Or combine purchases from both. It happens, & I think we here have the eye to do that. I haven't really seen anyone here who would pooh-pooh a more frugal purchase over a more high-end one simply for the sake of having to spend more to have the "label". We are fortunate.

As for Etsy, I think it's a win-win situation & a brilliant idea. I also can appreciate what RH, PB & Arhaus have done for the industry, as well as HGTV. But, like everything else in life, there's always a downside. But that's okay too. I think this "new" revolution for "unique" must be helping the antique shops that were lanquishing for years, holding on by a thread. Same for artisans & craftspeople with Etsy. Now they aren't dependent on craft shows & lugging stuff all over the country ALL the time & they are being rewarded for their passion. Some is tripe, some is awesome. I have no shame in saying that I enjoy it all, & if someone CARES about their apparel or home, they will develop their eye. The point is, they CARE. And if people DON'T care, then I don't care about that either. Haven't we all evolved over the years in our "taste level"??? I say...the more the better - bring it all on, cause it all has loveliness if you're open to seeing it as such.

I have always been a proponent of simplicity & "living small" & with prudence, having been turned off by extraordinary wealth & waste a LONG time ago, WAY before this "downsizing movement", but I can never assume that MY lifestyle or design philosophy will ever be understood adopted by everyone. (It's interesting to me that my clients assume or expect me to live in a lavish mansion fully high-end furnished. They look rather puzzled when I tell them I'm in an itsy-bitsy apt - I rather enjoy that RCA Victrola dog-look) Tis a wonderful diverse world out there & I love the sociology of all of it, whether I personally accept it as satisfying to me or not.

~Jeana

Goodness gracious, Auntjen...what finds! LOL! I'm sure the house I saw could *use* porpoise-shaped bath fixtures, but this was a large piece of umm..sculpture, gracing the baaath.

Allison, yes...I'll try to see the beauty of sea life captured and rendered in faux gold as a reminder of this country's abundant natural resources! (Do I sound like a Miss America contestant during the "interview" segment? Oh, and I want world peace too! LOL!)

Mtnredux, now this is off-topic...sorry!

Ohhhh! I obviously wasn't paying attention. I told you my brain was addled! ;-)

Jeana - very well said!

I LIKE all those faucets. In the right context.

I'm afraid I'll have to leave GW now that Flyleft brought Walter Bejamin into the discussion. I come here to get *away* from the hubby's discourses on Walter Benjamin and friends!

Just kidding, Fly! But I am sure he'll be tickled when I tell him that WB cropped up in the home decor forum :)

Seriously, great discussion and I really like Pal's point about how some of the more over-the-top decorative styles might have been in bad taste even at the time that they were commissioned, and that just because something cost an arm and a leg AND is 200+ years old, doesn't necessarily make it admirable from a design standpoint.

Yes, I agree with Auntjen, InteriorStylist...beautifully said! Do you find that designer types *are* on the frugal side, or at least not bitten by or smitten with the "more" bug?

Perhaps because you are so discriminating the things you own are selected carefully & well, so you don't feel compelled to accumulate extra?

Seems we can never have enough of what we *don't* want, while a smaller amount of "just right" satisfies. Food analogy: We eat an entire box of sugar-free cookies and feel bereft, while one wonderfully baked sugar-full cookie would have truly delighted us!

LOL pal - you have ONCE AGAIN corrected me (correctly) on my general terms!!! And I've been sooooo trying to correct this!!! But yes, thank you for doing so. However, I MUST say "LOVE" just as I'm guilty of over-using "pop" & "space" - HA!!!

I think that tacky is in the eye of the beholder, & it kinda doesn't matter (pal feel free to parse my words - I like a challenge!!!) & it doesn't matter in the long run AS LONG AS... a)It isn't your taste, your house, or your money or b) it IS your taste, your house, or your money.

As long as you're asking (!), have I ever done "tacky" decor for a client??? Well, seemingly so. However, the homeowner LOVED it. One was a completely blue bedroom in a completely blue home. And when I say completely blue, I mean COMPLETELY blue, from ceiling to floor. The story is too long to relate, but the long & short of it is that they already had a completely blue bedroom, but wanted it redone to be...completely blue. The bedroom was replete with a disco ball. I kid you not. They told me that they had 4 designers come in before me, & they would not do it. REALLY??? Are you kidding me??? Are some designers so smug that they have to completely change EVERYTHING (including the homeowner)about the room to suffice their decorating skills??? When I was done, it looked like the inside of a Tiffany box. And I often think about those WONDERFUL people & that experience...& wonder if they still have every room in blue. A priceless experience.

stinky_gardener, it's not like I'm perfect or have perfect taste, & I'm not trying to extol MY virtues as such, but instead I've learned that I can't have everything I LOVE. NOR will I ever have the interior that people EXPECT & ASSUME...nor do I care. I simply can't afford it nor do I have room for it, nor do I aspire to "have it all". It's just about editing, mostly...as someone else alluded to. And my dad, who taught discretion. I have stuff in boxes that I LOVE that is waiting for the house. Most of that is pictures & Goodwill/Salvation Army/road/antique shop finds. And your food analogy is right on - I have always been a "moderation in everything" person, though I am fascinated by the extremes as well.

~Jeana

I am not sure what I said?

But I do have another food analogy that my trainer, who is also a nutritionist has talked about and I have seen this myself. Sometimes the pickiest eaters are far from discerning. They have an extremely limited number of things they will eat and none of it is very good, or good for you. I work with a woman who will eat McDonald's Egg McMuffins or Bacon Egg and Cheese biscuits with impugnity, but at the end-of-the term get together she will often not go because of the entire menus of some really good (and not exotic) restaurants, there is not a Single thing on the menu she likes. One of the last times she went it was because they had a bar menu and she could eat the upscale version of McDonald's.

LOL!!! Pal, I must say, you're quite the enigma. AND entertaining!!!

~Jeana

I have antique ironstone, antique hutches and English/Irish pine tables found at fleamarkets and antique stores, as well as many CL finds that I've refinished/reupholstered. They're all mixed in with newer PB and RH pieces and Hubbardton Forge lighting that may be considered trendy but aren't to me because they suit my style.

DD's changing table was an early American drysink that I loved but unfortunately no longer have a home for, so it was given to a family member to use in her new baby's nursery. An antique dresser that DH modified with a copper vessel sink is now a vanity in my powder room.

My favorite piece of furniture is DD's antique iron bed from the 1800's, which is exactly what I would have loved to have had as a child. My second fav piece is my RH reclaimed pine dining table.

I'll probably keep most of the items in my home as long as they last. Not making any effort to be unique - I try to buy only what I love. Rarely does anything leave my house after it comes in!

My sister is the opposite - she gets bored with her furniture after a few years so she isn't as inclined to spend the effort refinishing furniture or spending extra on quality hardware. She has a beautiful home!

juddgirl2, the drysink changing table is a genius idea. Your home is lovely, and imo not trendy in any way. The RH table is perfect for your home and since you didn't shop the store for the rest of your DR things it's perfect.

I had no idea Hubbardton Forge was considered trendy. Are you saying that because of the finish you selected? I have a house full and love them all. A variety of fixtures, yet they go so well with the "old" house look we (you and I) were going for. The thing I like about them is they just blend in.

Thanks, Allison. No, I don't think HB lighting is trendy - I actually think they're more unique than most other lighting, at least amongst my group of friends. I included them in the wrong sentence - shouldn't post at midnight!

Mine are mostly in the ORB type bronze finish though, which some may consider a trend? I did learn about HB from reading GW years ago and probably after seeing your fixtures, so you were the trendsetter for me anyway!

I loved the drysink in my daughter's nursery. It had the original white milkpaint, the top fit a standard changing pad perfectly and the bottom stored extra blankets and changing supplies. As she got older it didn't function well as a bedside table so I regrefully replaced it with a small dresser.

It's been promised to my older DD for when she someday has a baby so we're keeping it in the family.

I mean HF lighting. Shouldn't post in the am before coffee either. I guess I'm just "tired" altogether!

(side question: leafy, what does your husband do? Any friend of Walter is a friend of mine : ))

I have a house full of mass produced items from PB, RH, C&B, west elm, homegoods and wisteria. Mixed in with these are items purchased from craigslist, etsy, antiques malls, architectural salvage and estate sales. We are also fortunate to have alot of original art and high quality hand knotted wool-silk rugs.

I'm not an interior designer and don't have the talent to sew or refinish or reupholster furniture. I work and have a young special needs child. We're just trying to create a nice comfortable home for our family surrounded by things that we enjoy. That's what makes it unique IMHO.

pps, I love your home and what you've created! Have you any recent projects to share?

Flyleft, he is a philosopher. I told him about the Benjamin reference and he was happy to know I just can't escape.....