Tania Vartan

One thing that I have noticed about suffering from information overload is that it really takes something unique and clever to catch my eye. That was certainly the case a few days ago when I first learned of the talented decorative painter Tania Vartan. I'm sure that for many of you, Tania is not a new name. I'm only just learning of her work, but, as they say, better late than never.

Tania started her career in the 1970s as a New York based fashion designer, later moving into the field of decorative painting in the 1980s. As a painter, Tania has executed stunning murals and trompe l'oeil paintings for the likes of Mark Hampton, Mario Buatta, and Lee Radziwill. In addition to mural work, Tania's other mediums include reverse glass painting, small oil paintings, and fabrics. Her fabric collection, available through John Rosselli in New York and George Spencer Designs in the UK, includes many prints that Tania first designed decades ago for her fashion collection. Now, though, they're available as furnishing fabric.

I've included a sampling of Tania's work below, but really, this is just the tip of the iceberg. I encourage you to visit her website to see more photos of her beautiful work. Tania recently wrote a book chronicling her work as a painter. Tania Vartan, A Memoir of the Decorative Arts 1970 to 2011 is available for purchase through her website as well.



A Robert Adam style ceiling in a private dining room.



Acrylic on canvas panels for a music room in a private house.



Rain Forest, a trompe l'oeil painting by Tania



Baroccoco, another trompe l'oeil painting




Radishes, gold leaf and oil on panel




Study in Brown and Green, oil on canvas



After Leon Bakst, reverse glass painting



Another reverse glass painting




A reverse glass painted mirror




A hand-painted pillow





Tania's fabric collection

All images from Tania Vartan's website.

Give a Dog or Cat a New Leash on Life

On Thursday, November 10, a group of design-minded dog and cat lovers will be hosting a very special luncheon to benefit New Leash on Life, an Atlanta based charity whose mission is to save the lives of homeless dogs and cats. The event, to be held from 11am to 1pm, will take place at the beautiful Buckhead home of designer Alison Womack Jowers. The big news is that renowned designer Suzanne Rheinstein will be our guest speaker; a booksigning and lunch will follow her talk.

The other hosts and I have been hard at work to make sure that this will be a most memorable event. I do hope that you'll consider buying a ticket to attend the luncheon. Not only does it benefit a worthy charity, but it promises to be a fun event too.

Tickets for the event are $100 per person with proceeds going to New Leash on Life. If you are interested in purchasing a ticket, please email me at jennifer@thepeakofchic.com. For more information on New Leash on Life, please visit their website.

San Francisco Antiques Show

Attending the San Francisco Antiques Show has become an annual tradition for me. It's an opportunity for me to see my San Francisco friends (including Diane Dorrans Saeks, Grant Gibson, and Scot Meacham Wood), to salivate over beautiful antiques, and to party. Let's face it- the show's organizers sure know how to throw one fun Preview Party!

This year's show did not disappoint. The show's theme, Hidden Treasures, served to highlight pieces that, in the organizers' words, "have something to hide." At the front of the exhibition hall, curated vignettes were displayed that featured hidden treasures owned by San Francisco collectors. These treasures included pieces with trompe l'oeil decoration or hidden compartments. Many of the exhibiting dealers also included a hidden treasure or two in their booths.

There was so much to see that, quite frankly, I could write a week's worth of show-related posts. I tried to winnow down my photos to those pieces that really caught my eye. Below is a sampling of show highlights.

So, San Francisco Antiques Show, until next year...



I always look forward to visiting the Therien & Co. booth. In addition to being one of the most attractive booths, the mix of antiques and 20th century furniture is always intriguing. You can see a few of the Therien vignettes both above and at the top of the post.




This c. 1920 Constructivist Polychrome Painted Tabouret at Therien & Co. caught my eye, as did:




this c. 1935 cabinet by the Hungarian artist, Andrew Szoeke. Trained at the Weiner Werkstatte, Szoeke's pieces "exhibit a unique combination of Mittel European iconography executed in exotic wood inlay and Moderne form."





Also at Therien, a c. 18th century Spanish Mudejar Giltwood Drop Front Arca.






One of the most decorated booths at the show has to be that of Galerie Steinitz, based in Paris. Walking through it, you feel as though you're in someone's very elegant Parisian drawing room.







In keeping with the show's theme of hidden treasures, Engs-Dimitri showed this 18th c. Mexican painted marriage chest. Opening the chest's lid reveals a charming painted scene of a betrothed couple. On the front of the chest is nail head decoration.





This English naive painting of a coaching horse and dog is what drew me to the booth of Earle Vandekar of Knightsbridge Inc. I always find naive art so interesting because oftentimes, a painting can look slightly contemporary despite its old age. This painting dates to the 19th c.



Vandekar sells all kinds of wonderful antiques including porcelain, one of my weaknesses!









Another specialty of Vandekar is Sailors' Woolworks, needlework that was done by British sailors while at sea. I'm fascinated at how they depicted the water, especially the chevron-print sea in the first example. If you look at the detail shot (the photo immediately above this text), you can see that the stitches were quite long. The examples seen here date to the late 19th century.






And finally, Vandekar had the most amazing set of Chinese watercolors of insects. Look closely, and you'll see that the insects were painted on lacquered leafs. These date to around 1850.





Not everything at the show is old. This Alexander Gorliziki miniature painting, The Hero Departs (2010), was displayed at the John Berggruen Gallery booth.





Being a dog lover, I couldn't resist photographing this 19th c. English engraving titled "The First Lesson"; available through the Daniel Stein Antiques.







The Lucy Johnson booth boasted this 19th c. Italian or Spanish scagliola tabletop, one that is decorated with trompe l'oeil maps of the Persian Empire circa 500 B.C. I don't know if the bronze table base is of recent vintage or not.

All photos copyright of The Peak of Chic

Off to San Francisco

I'm heading out to San Francisco today to see my sister and attend the Antiques Show. Hoping to get a little bit of R&R, I'm going to take a break from blogging until next week. And if this trip is like previous ones, I might end up buying so many secondhand books that I'll have to ship them home. If only Atlanta had used bookstores like those in San Francisco.

See you next week!

Château de Groussay

Over the weekend, I came across some old photos of Château de Groussay that I had never seen before. At least, I don't think that I've ever seen them before. It's hard to remember what one has or hasn't seen thanks to the constant barrage of information that we face daily.

These photos were published in the May 15, 1955 issue of Connaissance des Arts. Some are in color, while others were published in black and white- typical for the era. And I'm sure that the article's text is interesting, but my high school level French wasn't very useful in understanding the details of the story. That translation will have to wait until another day. In the meantime, I think that the photos speak for themselves.





The images above are of the Dutch Salon






These photos show the Louis XIII gallery that leads to the Dutch Salon.

Christopher Norman Wallpapers

While I attended last week's Fall Market at the D&D Building, I stopped by the Zimmer + Rohde showroom to see the latest offerings from Christopher Norman. Let's just say that after seeing all of their wallpapers, I desperately want to buy a second apartment where I can paper the walls with abandon.

I feel a certain kinship with the Christopher Norman team. Like me, they mine the past for inspiration, updating it for the 21st century audience. The Christopher Norman collection includes Waterhouse Wallhangings, Inez Croom, and Thomas Strahan. These three lines were founded decades ago (in the case of Thomas Strahan it was 1886), so collectively there is quite an archive of terrific old prints. Some of the prints are of more recent vintages, while others date to the 19th c. What's so striking is that Christopher Norman has recolored many of these prints, making them look completely fresh and modern.

Take, for example, Moiré, Spider Web, and Shoot for the Moon, all part of Waterhouse Wallhangings. They are 19th c. document prints that Christopher Norman/ Waterhouse Wallhangings produced in conjunction with Historic New England. They have been reprinted in the original narrow width and repeat, but the colors make them look anything but old-fashioned. Seriously, looking at the coral colorway of Moiré (see below), would you have guessed that it's a 19th c. print?

The beauty of these papers is that if you are a historical-minded person, you'll be charmed by the lineage of these prints. And if you're history averse, well, I think you'll still be charmed.

Oh, and one more thing- I'm so glad to see that Christopher Norman still carries wallpaper borders. They seem to have fallen out of favor, but I really do think that in certain rooms and installations, borders provide the finishing touch. In fact, I'm thinking of ordering a Christopher Norman border for my bedroom.

In many of the photos below, I included multiple colorways in one shot so that you could see part of the color range. In addition to great wallpapers, Christopher Norman also produces beautiful fabrics too. Visit their website for showroom locations. If you're in Atlanta, Travis & Co. carries the line.



Moiré, Waterhouse Wallhangings through Christopher Norman



Salem Stripe, Waterhouse Wallhangings through Christopher Norman




Fauve Leopard, Christopher Norman Collection



Petite Pavillion, Inez Croom through Christopher Norman


Badminton Trellis was introduced by Christopher Norman in July of this year. (You can see it at top in a window display.) It currently comes in one colorway (off white and rose)although four additional colors will be added in January 2012.



Spider Web, Waterhouse Wallhangings through Christopher Norman



Celestial Swag, Waterhouse Wallhangings through Christopher Norman




Waterhouse Drapery, Waterhouse Wallhangings through Christopher Norman



Monuments of Paris, Inez Croom through Christopher Norman





Rice Birds, Inez Croom through Christopher Norman






Shoot for the Moon, Waterhouse Wallhangings through Christopher Norman



Honorable Bamboo, Inez Croom through Christopher Norman






An array of wallpaper borders.