Posts by Inessa Stewart

Antique Gifts for Mother’s Day~ Treasures to Remember

A mother’s love! O holy, boundless thing!
Fountain whose waters never cease to spring!
Falling like dew, when all beside is sleeping,
The flowers around in life and beauty steeping:
O Love! the lord of many springs thou art;
Thy deepest, purest, in a mother’s heart!

Exert from Affection, a poem by Marguerite Gardiner, countess of Blessington (1789-1849)

Antique French EngravingMother’s Day is coming up this Sunday, which means most of us are running around finding the perfect gift to express our love and gratitude for the special mother-figures in our lives. Consider antiques and antique accessories as the perfect answer to convey your appreciation for all their years of  love and support with a one of a kind treasure. We all know she deserves much more than a silk scarf or coffee mug.

Antique Accessories  French Furniture Store

The giving of antiques, even with the smallest pieces, symbolizes a long held promise of joy and splendor frozen in time with history captured and extended through new memories.

Antique Furniture Store Mother's Day

How about adding to her existing antique box collection or starting one for her, which you can add to on future special occasions? Antique boxes are as useful for storage as they are beautiful to behold.

Antique Accessories  French Furniture StoreAntique Accessories  French Furniture Store Antique Accessories  French Furniture Store

Instead of the tired traditional flowers or candle, why not encompass those beautiful temporary gifts with everlasting treasures like an antique vase, candle holder, or beautiful frame? Something as simple as antique plate, pitcher, or vase can give your mother years of enjoyment as she arranges flowers in the vase or pitcher and displays her collection of antique plates proudly in her home.

Antique Accessories  French Furniture Store Antique Accessories  French Furniture Store

Flowers fade, candles burn out ~ but these treasures live on, and with them, our messages of cherished love.

Visit our online store www.inessa.com or our Dallas and Baton Rouge locations as they are brimming with classic treasures to make your Mother’s Day divine!

Inessa Stewart's Antiques

Antique Furniture ~ Modern Function: Antique Benches as Coffee Tables

Antique French EngravingJust about every week we have clients coming in looking for specific antique furniture solutions to their interior design problems. Antique coffee tables are one of their most frequent requests. Yesterday I happened to see this stunning pin of the day photo posted by Traditional Home Magazine on their Facebook page. In the center of the photo is a bench; just like one we have in our Dallas antique store ~ perfectly positioned as a coffee table.

Antique Furniture Benches Traditional Home

I love using antique benches, ottomans, and large stools as coffee tables, as many top designers do now. With the desire for a relaxing and inviting home ~ they give you all the glamour of form with their seductive lines while adding the perfect amount of comforting space to prop your legs on after a long day! It is definitely one of those antique pieces of furniture you don’t have to feel bad about putting you feet on!

Filled with timeless statement pieces of antique furniture, this fabulous room is inspired by the effortless elegance of European Country manors,  reimagined in a modern show home by a talented design team blending antique finery with everyday comfort and beauty.

Antique French Furniture Upholstered Bench

This rare Antique French Louis XIV Upholstered Bench is perfect as an antique coffee table, it measures 21.5 High x 65.5 Wide x 27.5 Deep ~ ideal proportions in front of a large sofa.

Antique French Furniture Upholstered Bench

Antique Furniture French Renaissance Pair of Stools

This Pair French Gothic Stools, hand carved from solid oak in the middle of 19th century, gives you the flexibility to serve as coffee tables or provide additional seating at a moment’s notice.

Antique Furniture French Renaissance Pair of Stools

For more creative antique furniture, visit us at Inessa.com and keep in touch with us on Facebook and Pinterest.

Antique Furniture french armchairs benches coffee tables

 

Best wishes for you and your home,

Inessa Stewart's Antiques

Antique Paintings – An Easter Surprise

Antique French EngravingAfter hunting for and handpicking so many wonderful pieces of antique furniture, accessories, lighting, and art, it is hard to choose just one item to highlight from my European antique buying trips for all of you.

The rich history of each of these antique items inspires me to take great care when selecting each piece. Being so passionate about antiques and picking each item, I look at each piece as a collector first and an antique dealer second because I know that they will soon become a treasured part of your lives, starting a new story in your home.

With so many pieces that will excite and capture your imagination, it was virtually impossible to single out just one antique that captures my heart and sings to my soul. However, on this last trip it was a small private collection that did just that…

Antique furniture art painting

As I was foraging markets in the chilly air of an early spring morning and rummaging through of one of my favorite antique warehouses, I came upon an unassuming file folder, yellowed paper wrapped around its contents. To my surprise as I opened the folder, it truly seemed that spring had leapt off the pages. Before my eyes were lush green landscapes, country pastures, and charming farm cottages with spring trees ready to burst with flower buds.

Artists from long ago captured the perfect greens and delicate blues of gorgeous European landscapes with rich texture, sprouting with the renewing spirit of spring.

Antique furniture art painting

One of these antique paintings helped us discover its creator with the signature of the Belgian artist Marcel Van Cauter, born 1919. Upon more research we found out he lived and worked in Brussels and was known for paintings of beautiful landscapes, charming forests, and vibrant still lifes. We can guess that long ago he must have also been inspired by spring!

Another Easter gift was this floral still life painting so beautifully created with hues of profound intensity showcasing every spring flower imaginable perfectly arranged in the white ironstone tureen.

Antique furniture art painting

To all of our dear friends, have a lovely spring and

Happy Easter!

Inessa Stewart's Antiques

Antique Flourish Engraving Print

 

Antique furniture art painting

 Inessa Stewart

Antiques in Style is a source of joy for me to create, and hopefully will be a source of inspiration for you! The variety, artistry and history of the antiques and vintage pieces that surround us every day provide pleasure, beauty and sometimes even intrigue.

The classics never go out of style, and each era, country, and even artisan's interpretations create an environment that is always full of surprises.

It is truly a pleasure to bring such timeless style together for every client and follower of my blog. And of course, your input is always welcome!

Archived Posts