DOUBLE VISION: Painted Buffet Deux Corps

Need some interior design inspiration? See what we've found! Source your favorite finds at

Lolo French Antiques et More.

House Beautiful
Nancy Price, Interior Designer
Eric Piasecki, Photographer

Lolo French Antiques et More
Item #LFALO1103
19th Century French Painted Louis XV Style Buffet Deux Corp

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

 Need some interior design inspiration? See what we've found! Source your favorite finds at Lolo French Antiques et More.

Original Post from: Lolo's French Bloguette http://lolosfrenchbloguette.blogspot.com/
Copyright Lolo French Antiques et More - All Rights Reserved

 Need some interior design inspiration? See what we've found! Source your favorite finds at Lolo French Antiques et More.

Original Post from: Lolo's French Bloguette http://lolosfrenchbloguette.blogspot.com/
Copyright Lolo French Antiques et More - All Rights Reserved

WEDNESDAY'S WORD OF THE WEEK: TAMBOUR

TAMBOUR

tam·bour [tam-boo r, tam-boo r]  

noun [tam-boo r, tam-boo r]

   

1. Music. a drum.

2. Architecture. a wall that is circular in plan, such as one that supports a dome or one that is surrounded by a colonnade.

3. Furniture. a flexible shutter or roll front, made with narrow mouldings or strips of wood that are transversely glued onto a heavy canvas or linen backing, the ends of which fit into grooves on the inner sides of the piece of furniture. It may be used as a vertical rolling or horizontal sliding door on a cabinet or chest. 

Origin:

1475-85; < Middle French: drum ≪ Arabic tanbūr lute < Medieval Greek pandoúra

The tambour was first used in France in the 1760s when King Louis XV commissioned Jean-François Oeben, Ébéniste du Roi (Cabinetmaker to the King), to create a new type of writing desk for the king's private study that could be shuttered and locked. The desk's appearance and functionality were important to Louis XV, but security was his main concern. Confidential, diplomatic papers would be kept inside the desk's secret drawers and compartments, so a great deal of time was spent making sure the rolling top and mechanical locking devices were theft proof. There was only one key and the King had it in his possession at all times.

Louis XV's Bureau du Roi, Château de Versailles

The desk, known as the Bureau du Roi (King's Desk), is one of the most famous pieces of furniture ever crafted and one of the most opulent creations of the 18th century. Oeben didn't live to see it completed, unfortunately. He died in 1763 and his protégé, Jean Henri Riesener, was left with the task of finishing the work Oeben had begun. The challenging design and royal history of the iconic desk assured its fame and many 19th century ébénistes attempted to create similar versions.

Lolo French Antiques et More
Item #LFA276
Pair of Louis XV Style Chevets with Tambour Doors

This pair of chevets with tambour doors is a perfect solution for accessible storage when space is an issue and hinged doors don't work.

Lolo French Antiques et More
Item #LFALO1011
Louis XV Style Bureau à Cylindre

And this lovely desk  is finished on all sides and can float in a room. Imagine all the letters written with pen and paper at this desk. How long ago did you write your last proper letter?

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

Origin:


1610–20; New Latin, Latin < Greek ákanthos bear's-footACANTHUS a·can·thus [uh-kan-thuh s] noun [uh-kan-thuh s] 1. Plants. any shrub or herbaceous plant of the genus Acanthus, native to the Mediterranean region but widely cultivated as ornamental plants, having large spiny leaves and spikes of white or purplish flowers. 2. Architecture. a design patterned after the leaves of one of these plants, used especially on the capitals of Corinthian columns. Origin: 1610–20; New Latin, Latin < Greek ákanthos bear's-foot

Original Post from: Lolo's French Bloguette http://lolosfrenchbloguette.blogspot.com/search/label/word%20of%20the%20week
Copyright Lolo French Antiques et More - All Rights Reserved

ACANTHUS a·can·thus [uh-kan-thuh s] noun [uh-kan-thuh s] 1. Plants. any shrub or herbaceous plant of the genus Acanthus, native to the Mediterranean region but widely cultivated as ornamental plants, having large spiny leaves and spikes of white or purplish flowers. 2. Architecture. a design patterned after the leaves of one of these plants, used especially on the capitals of Corinthian columns. Origin: 1610–20; New Latin, Latin < Greek ákanthos bear's-foot

Original Post from: Lolo's French Bloguette http://lolosfrenchbloguette.blogspot.com/search/label/word%20of%20the%20week
Copyright Lolo French Antiques et More - All Rights Reserved

TO MARKET, TO MARKET

To market, to market...but not to buy a fat pig! Lolo was looking for buffets, bergerès and bonnetieres. 

Period Directoire Buffet

Period Empire Enfilade

Louis XV Buffet

Country French Buffet

Louis XIII Enfilade Buffet

Louis XV Bergère à Oreilles (with Ears)

No bonnetieres at this market, but baskets, benches and bedside tables were plenty.

Boulangerie Baskets

Louis XV Bench

Louis Philippe Chevet

Louis Philippe Chevet

Louis Philippe Chevet

And though he didn't buy a fat pig, it seems he did get the fat hog! 

Period Louis Philippe Bibliothèque

So it's home again, home again jiggety-jog!

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

A HARD DAY'S WORK

"Where do you buy your pieces?" is one of the first things customers ask when told Lolo is in France on a buying trip. They're always curious about how and where he shops. Many follow up with, "I would love to go with him!" They are under the assumption he stays in four star Parisian hotels and sips fine French wine while eating pâté and foie gras in between sights! Granted, his maman's house is worthy of four stars and he does eat delicious meals of crab, oyster, lobster and the likes while he's "home." 

Fresh Oysters

La Cotriade d'Armor (Breton Fish Stew)

But you won't find him strolling the banks of the Seine. He's too busy crisscrossing the French countryside in a 24 foot truck, lifting and loading furniture, heavy furniture.

Pair of Louis XV Bedside Tables

Drop Leaf Table

French Art Deco Period Coffee Table

Set of 6 Louis XV Cane Dining Chairs

Washed Oak Louis Philippe Buffet

Louis XV Music Stand

Louis XV Buffet

Louis XV Desk

And when he arrives home after a 16 hour day, everything has to be unloaded and put in storage before he starts out the next day. It's not glamorous and it's hard work. But it's his job, a job that he loves.

Louis XV Armoire

Set of 8 Louis XVI Dining Chairs

Inside of Warehouse

He loves the thrill of the hunt, never knowing what he'll find or who he'll meet. He loves having a laugh and a joke and maybe an occasional glass of wine with a stodgy old dealer. He loves stumbling across what many would consider a piece of junk, an armoire or buffet in such disrepair that nobody wants it, knowing he can restore it to its original beauty. He loves being able to spend time with his family in France. And ever so often he'll get lucky and fill his truck early and enjoy the afternoon visiting a beautiful botanical garden or 13th century abbey.  

Jardin des Plantes

Family Outing

His joie de vivre is most evident, though, when he arrives back home (Birmingham, AL) and animatedly tells a couple about the piece he stumbled across in the back corner of a little shop off the beaten path. He realizes, as they both begin smiling, that he found exactly what they were looking for, making all his hard work worth it. 

You can let Lolo do the hard work for you, also. Just "Let Lolo Know" and he'll find that Empire armoire or ten foot farm table you've been wanting. You'll be the one smiling then.

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

WEDNESDAY'S WORD OF THE WEEK: CABRIOLE

CABRIOLE

cab·ri·ole [kab-ree-ohl; French ka-bree-awl]

noun, plural cab·ri·ole [kab-ree-ohlz; French ka-bree-awl]

   

1.   Furniture. a type of furniture leg, a curved, tapering leg curving outward at the top and inward farther down so as to end in a round pad, the semblance of an animal's paw, or some other feature: used especially in the first half of the 18th century.

2.   Ballet. a leap in which one leg is raised in the air and the other is brought up to beat against it.

Also called cabriole leg.

Origin:

1775–85; < French: from cabrioler to caper, leap like a goat; so called because modeled on leg of a capering animal (see cabriolet) 

Printed in 1897, Bibliographisches Institut Leipzig Germany,
as an illustration for the 5th edition of "Meyers' Konversations Lexikon".

The cabriole leg is a sinuous, double-curved form used in legs (and feet) of furniture, with the upper portion curving outward and the lower portion curving inward in a gentle "S" shape, a conventionalized representation of the rear leg of a leaping goat.

Illustrations by Nan Richards 

While used extensively in French furniture, especially the Louis XV period of furniture design, the shape originated centuries before with the ancient Chinese and Greek furniture makers. Furniture historians can often determine the origin of an antique based solely on the form and detail of its cabriole legs.

Pair French Antique Louis XV Walnut Fauteuils

Pair French Antique Louis XV Petite Side Chairs

But there's no mistaking the signature "S" shaped cabriole legs on Louis XV chairs. Besides being very attractive, the graceful, curved lines of the cabriolet leg are also very practical. They create the balance needed to support heavy pieces of case furniture on slim legs without the use of stretchers.

Antique French Louis XV Walnut Side Table

Frédéric Schmit Pair of Antique French Louis XV Style Rococo Revival Buffets

Antique French Provincial Louis XV Chateau Armoire

18th Century French Country Louis XV Commode Sauteuse

What's more symbolic of 18th century furniture than the cabriole leg? 

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

A BIG DEAL

Once considered old-fashioned and stodgy, antiques are now hip and en vogue. Designers are mixing antique furniture with modern and traditional interiors to create a look that appears as though it's evolved over time. They're often choosing antiques over mass produced furnishings, thanks to Karen Luisana and Amanda Lane Kinney, the visionaries behind the Antique and Design Center of High Point. Antiques aren't thought of as just brown wood anymore. They're actually très chic...and green, whether brown wood, painted or gilded. Karen and Amanda founded the Antique and Design Center of High Point in 2010 in an effort to create a central location for designers and buyers attending High Point Market to find beautiful, one of a kind pieces. TheHighBoy.com is taking their concept a step further. They're making the antiques we're so passionate about and fond of available to the masses. The HighBoy is a fabulous source for everyone, not just designers. 

Antique Louis XV Bureau Plat

As the newest competitor to online antiques and design mega-site 1stdibs, The HighBoy is not just "kind of a big deal," as it states on Instagram and Twitter, it is a BIG DEAL! Being included as an established dealer on their new website is also a BIG DEAL! We were thrilled to receive our dealer kit from them this week. 

The Highboy Dealer Kit

Lolo and I met The HighBoy founders, Douglas Scott and his wife, Olga Granda-Scott last fall in Round Top, Texas, during Antiques Week. When they asked us to be a part of their new venture, we were certain they were serious about refurbishing the antiques industry. According to Douglas in an article published by the Wall Street Journal this week, "he wants The HighBoy to be seen as 'a little raggedy, but sexy and fun and appeal to a broad audience.'" They want to change the way people think about antiques and art. They're bringing sexy back to the wonderful world of antiques! 

Art Deco Dining Table and Set of 6 Leather Chairs

The HighBoy's tagline, "Antiques simplified," is just that. The HighBoy is simplifying the process by finding vendors and dealers that are knowledgable and trusted, and offer a wide variety of curated antiques. Only established dealers are approved to sell on the site. There's no yard sale junk listed. Dealers sign an annual contract and every item is vetted by a committee before it's posted. The HighBoy's mission to make antiques more accessible to potential new consumers and easier for dealers to reach them is just what this business needs. The Wall Street Journal is betting on them, "The HighBoy is young, but you could say its odds of success get better every day: In the world of antiques, after all, value comes with age." Yep, The HighBoy is a BIG DEAL.

Country French Bassette

Antique French Empire Chest of Drawers

Pair of Louis XIV Fauteuils

Look for Lolo French Antiques et More on The Highboy next week! 

Á Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi