In the spirit of Halloween



Cocktails, anyone? From Lorfords Antiques in Gloucestershire, England, a late-19th century baby crocodile, stuffed and mounted with a serving tray. €1,116.81 / $1,577.80
H: 68cm (26.8in) W: 48cm (18.9in)  

 
To honor this strangest of holidays, we bring you a spooktacular (sorry) selection of seriously creepy objects courtesy of Decorative Collective, one of the most fabulous and fun furnishings resources online.


A set of five late-19th century pharmacy jars, also from Lorfords. €336.18 / $474.95

H: 26cm (10.2in)   

From London’s Ebury Trading, an Italian silver-plated tin frame, mid-18th century. €569.80 / $805.00

H: 33cm (13.0in) W: 24cm (9.4in)  



An... unusual... painted-wood head, possibly North American, circa 1770-1800, from Britain’s Brownrigg.  
€626.78 / $885.50

Height:12.25inch (31.12cm) W:6 inch(15.24cm) D:8.5inch(21.59cm)




At first glance, I thought it was a Steiff... but no, it's a beloved English pooch, stuffed by his owners at some point during the last century. He's now called Bertie by the tender-hearted fellas at Brownrigg. €854.70 / $1,207.50

Height: 17inch (43.18cm) Depth: 8.5inch (21.59cm) Length: 18.75inch (47.63cm)



From Heremijntijd in Amsterdam, a mounted brass sconce, 18th-19th century. €375.00 / $529.79

H: 40cm (15.7in) W: 40cm (15.7in)

  

Late-19th century stuffed parrot, lovingly named Eric by the folks at Blighty, in his original glass case. €341.88 / $483.00

H: 43cm (16.9in) W: 28cm (11.0in) D: 21cm (8.3in)

And, we've saved the best (I suppose that depends on your outlook) for last:

Also from Heremijntijd is a 16th-century mummified cat that was found in the wall of a Dutch farmhouse, where it was placed to ward off evil spirits, witches, bad luck, or anything else that might have threatened the home.  The cat is still in remarkable condition, with intact claws and teeth. €875.00 / $1,236.18
W: 45cm (17.7in)  


Happy Halloween, everyone. Have a safe and fun night!

And love and protect your pets: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/halloween-safety-tips.aspx

Monumentally Creepy in Manhattan

Halloween seems to be a much bigger deal than it used to be. Or, it could be that since I have two kids who take it very seriously, I'm just paying more attention. As the month has rolled on, we've spent a lot of time exploring our new neighborhood and checking out the latest decoration developments. (Personal favorite: the caterpillar made of pumpkins and carrots).

Serious Halloween decorations are not solely the province of suburban Los Angeles neighborhoods, however. If you happen to be in Manhattan, the OC Concept Store has a frightfully appropriate window up today.

Behold:

Michael Benisty and Swarovski collaborated on this fellow, entitled Die to Live. He's eight feet tall, made of 1,100 pounds of stainless steel and features some 300,000 crystals. Check him out at the company's location at 655 Madison Avenue.

Now off to figure out my costume. Any suggestions?

Sweet Home Chicago

I seem to have Chicago on the brain—possibly because I stayed up way past my bedtime the other night watching The Blues Brothers. In any case, when one of our incredibly chic friends in the Midwest tipped us off about Bedside Manor, an absolutely dreamy (pardon the pun) source for incredible items for the bedroom, the bath and the table in the Chicago area, I was intrigued. I wanted to find out more about the company, so enter Meg Carroll, who graciously filled me in on the business.

How did Bedside Manor get its start?

We've been in business since 1985. We were inspired by an American manufacturer of brass and iron beds (Brass Beds of Virginia) and all the beautiful ways to dress them. To begin we carried handmade Amish quilts along with German down comforters and French linens. As we grew and the market for European linens did too, we began to add more and more linens from Italy, Portugal, India, etc.

What do you carry?

We now offer over 50 different linen designers, including our own brand that is made exclusively for us in Italy. We attend trade shows here in the states including New York, Atlanta and Dallas. We have also traveled to France and Italy. We try to select merchandise that is of high quality, is beautiful and what we feel our customers are wanting. We have a very broad range and try to cover looks that

are traditional, contemporary as well as transitional. We watch for color trends in home fashion as well as emerging themes. We always want to try to find merchandise that is not carried by nearby merchants.

How would you describe your aesthetic?

Our aesthetic is not neccessarily slanted one particular way. We offer so many different looks! One thing we always try to convey is the feeling that we have a lot. Our stores have a minimum of six beds set up and are dressed to display and showcase our vast array of fine linens. So, therefore, the looks are constantly changing as new product comes in, or items sell from the displays. We always want to look fresh and exciting. Then to support what we are showing on the beds, we have swatches from all the different vendors that we represent. 

How has the Web affected your business?

We have had a Web presence for somewhere around 15 years and have been e-commerce for 10. We know that it is critical in today's market. It has had a very positive effect on our business as it is in many ways the first place we are introduced to a new client. If they see our ad, they will usually check us out online before coming in to shop. Another very important aspect is when someone is looking for a particular manufacturer—we need to let them know what we carry! And it is a terrific way for us to keep in touch with our clients and those who subscribe to our mailing list. We send out 1 to 2 emails a month announcing any special offers or events we are having in the stores. Its a very important tool for us.

Bedside Manor has four locations around the Chicago area. In a couple of weeks, November 15th, to be exact, designer John Robshaw will be meeting and greeting folks and speaking about his collections at Bedside Manor's Lincoln Park (2056 N. Halsted) store from 4:000 to 7:00 PM. It's a great chance to see the shop—and hear from one of today's leading designers.

Carry it with you

The Tassen Museum, or the Museum of Bags and Purses, may now formally reside in a 17th-century canal house built for the mayor of Amsterdam, but for a short while a few pieces from its collection were on view at the Meesterlijk/Woonbeurs fair.

What began as the private collection of the late antiques dealer Hendrikje Ivo, ultimately became a family-run museum, and what is now the largest public collection of its type. Building on Ivo's foundation, the museum continues to acquire bags of all ages and styles, and its now 4,000-strong collection spans five centuries.

In ten photos, here's a quick look at nearly 200 years of handbag design:



Velvet handbag decorated with cut steel
France, circa 1820

 

Beaded purse with silver clasp
H. Fliringa, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, 1843



Mauchline ware handbag with transfer-printed images of Fontainebleau
Scotland, 1880s



Leather opera bag fitted with opera glasses, a notebook, a pencil, and a folding fan
England, circa 1906



Gold leather evening bag with silk embroidery and semi-precious stones
France, 1920s

 

Brocade clutch
Mayer, France, 1925



Plastic handbag with lace decoration
United States, 1950s



Handbag embroidered in petit point
Austria, circa 1950-70



Evening bag printed with Cartier's Tutti Frutti  jewelry designs from the 1920s
Cartier, France, 1980s



Bourgeois Teardrop handbag with shells, crystals and satin
Cora Jacobs, Philippines, 2008



Beyond the dram

Easter Elchies House, the heart of the Macallan estate in Craigellachie, dates to 1700

Yesterday afternoon Entra was given behind-the-scenes access to several exciting new projects from The Macallan, distillers of some of the world's finest Scotch whiskies.

Watch for a special post next week!





Photograph courtesy of The Macallan

Entra's now an ASID Industry Partner

We'd like to extend a very big thank you to Pamela Meyer, Katherine Fern, Deric Schmidt and Will Meyers, and all of our new friends at the ASID, especially the wonderful Industry Partners we met at yesterday's meeting.

Entra is thrilled to be part of the group!

Inspiration Central

Last week we visited with Frédéric Lazare at Bourgeois Bohème's new location on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles. It's a massive space, and filled with an eclectic ensemble of antiques and modernist pieces. There's also a growing collection of African art. One newly acquired mask will make curators swoon -- the only similar example known is at The Met.

As Frédéric talked about some of the pieces on view, I tried to take a few pictures of the overall space... but apparently my subconscious took over and I only shot chairs. For months I've been dreaming about a good pair of big comfy armchairs for our new apartment, and Frédéric's got them in spades.

A pair of 1920s English wing-back chairs (yep, that's the original leather) and a Louis Philippe walnut chest of drawers.

The Rive Gauche armchairs are part of the store's Atelier line. They're beautifully proportioned for lounging but the trim Regency-style legs and castors keep them refined. The chandelier was also incredible. The globes are blown glass but they look a bit like ostrich eggs, and the whole design (they offer several variations) really distills the shop's quirky historical -- but entirely modern -- aesthetic.

And my most favorite: an 1890s French wing-back chair and ottoman. I love the devil-may-care spirit of revival styles... this one's a little bit Charles II, a little bit Flemish, a little bit Portuguese, and completely wonderful.

For more, check out Bourgeois Bohème's 1stdibs page, too.