Your Bed, Your Sanctuary Part Two

This Miles Redd bedroom is among my favorites. Contemporary beds, such as this one, do come up at auction from time to time and generally sell for within their estimate of $1,000-$1,500.

Earlier in the week, I wrote about antique wooden beds. Today, I'm covering more of a mixed bag--gilt beds, metal beds, upholstered beds--which is incredibly fun. It's also fitting. Your bed should be something special and unique: your personal haven, your own little world. After all, it's the single most important piece of furniture, not only in your bedroom, but in your entire house--where else do you spend as much time?

With that in mind, let's take a look...

A 20th c cast metal queen-sized canopy bed. At Christie's on February 28th , estimate, $1,200-1,800.

If the bed above, is too Spartan for your tastes, consider using it as a base for a more elaborate design...

photo, courtesy of: At Home: A Style for Today with Things from the Past

Suzanne Rheinstein draped a simple, metal-framed lit a Polonaise in celadon silk...

 

...but gave some metal frames a simpler treatment, below.

photo of Suzanne Rheinstein's NY apt, courtesy of Elle Decor

Charlotte Moss also likes using a metal frame as a platform for her creations...

photo from:Charlotte Moss Decorates: The Art of Creating Elegant and Inspired Rooms

I am obsessed with this French Directoire bed. It's narrow but long: perfect for a child's bedroom or a tiny guest room. At Neal Auction Company in New Orleans on February 4th, estimate $600-900.

Green velvet tester bed, at Christie's, London on February 21st, estimate ~ $3,200-$4,700.

This green tester bed is at Christie's in London, which has house sales even more frequently than the New York branch. The auction house now has an internal shipping department that will find the lowest estimates for you from a list of respected carriers. Quite a bed!

I've shown this picture before. I am crazy about the interplay between the wallpaper and the Italian Neoclassical bed in this Michael Smith designed bedroom. From Michael S. Smith: Elements of Style. Nothing as nice as this one around right now. How about a flashy brass bed instead?

Brass and porcelain bed, at Fontaine's in Pittsfield, MA on Feb 11th, estimate $1,500-2,500.

Let's face it, above bed is not for the fainthearted. It has cupids on the frame and is part of a fancy three part suite, which would be very intense in one room. Still, fun to see. Late 19th century bedroom suite,  at Cowan's Auctions on February 25th, the estimate a jaw dropping $10,000-$20,000.

Pair of giltwood, Louis XV style twin beds, at Leslie Hindman on February 12th, estimate $800-$1,200.

Also intense, albeit in a different fashion, is this set of twin beds. I could see them in a light filled bedroom with a french floral cotton on both the walls and furniture in the house of a true Francophile. Perhaps the master bedroom would have a headboard like the one below, adapted from a pediment, which I just adore.

King sized, Italian polychrome headboard, at Christie's in New York on February 28th, estimate $1,200-$1,800.

 That headboard made me think of this room, courtesy of Elle Décor...

So all those are grand, but if you really want to make your bedroom your temple, look no further...

Chinese Wedding bed. At Great Gatsby's in Atlanta on February 4th, estimate, $1,200-1,800.

 Have a great weekend everyone--and happy bidding!

Lamp Week: Lesson Two: Gilty PLEASURES

Photo courtesy of  Mary McDonald: Interiors: The Allure of Style
 Mary McDonald used her gold pineapple lamp in a show house to great effect.

 A little bit of gold in a room is never a bad thing: after all it reflects light and exudes warmth, two things that benefit nearly any space. Thus, it's only natural that for my second installment of LAMP WEEK, we are going to focus on gilt bronze, or bronze doré, lamps.  Several great pairs are coming up for auction soon, including these lovely examples at Kamelot, in Philadelphia.

Two pairs of 1920s gilt bronze lamps, at Kamelot on September 24th, estimate $800-1,200 (above) and $1,200-1,800 (below).

 But before we look at more examples, what is gilt bronze, exactly? Well, it means what it sounds like (phew!): a bronze object that has been gilded with gold. But we're not entirely out of the woods because the decorative term has several synonyms. Gilt bronze is also called gilded bronze, bronze doré and ormulu--the latter two being French terms that are variants of their word for gold, or.

Charlotte Moss loves gilt lamps. Here's one from her book, Charlotte Moss Decorates: The Art of Creating Elegant and Inspired Rooms. Note how the gilt lamp, which can look intense in an auction photo, seems appropriate when viewed in context, and complements the lacquer screen (below).

Bronze doré as I prefer to think of it (because I took French and need to feel like I didn't forget all of it), is a decorative technique that peaked in popularity in 17th and 18th century France (Hello, Louis XIV). It's created when mercury and high karat gold are mixed in an amalgam and applied to a bronze object. The object is then fired at a high temperature. The mercury burns off, the gold stays behind, and- volia!- just the kind of grand and shiny object that set Marie Antoinette's heart aflutter.

The technique is very effective. Too bad it's also highly toxic. Most gilders dropped dead before the age of 40 of mercury poisoning, so in 1830, France outlawed the practice. Today, most bronze-doré is actually electroplated, and often doesn't really have much gold in it at all. If you can find the early stuff, grab on to it-- but say a little prayer for the poor gilder and his family.

Okay, enough with the gristly details. Let's get to the goods! If you prefer your bronze less doré, this pair should do the job nicely...

Gilt metal lamps, at Michaan's in California on October 2nd, estimate $200-300.

 Most gilded lamps you'll find at auction tend to be parcel-gilt (partially gilded, though the word is parcel). My favorite style is the bouillotte lamp, which is absolutely as classic as a Kelly bag. (I've probably done enough history for one day, so if you're curious about bouillotte lamps--which do have an interesting story --please view my Art & Antiques Glossary.) Lots of love has been shown to the bouillotte, and if you keep your eyes peeled, you'll see them everywhere. Michael Smith uses them...

Courtesy of Michael S. Smith: Elements of Style

Mary McDonald...

Courtesy of Mary McDonald: Interiors: The Allure of Style

 Bunny Williams (if you can see it!)...

From Point of View: Three Decades of Decorating Elegant and Comfortable Houses.

I could go on and on, but I think I've proven my point about these handy elegant lamps. Several nice examples are coming up for bidding--so look around your home to see where you can add a little shimmer of gold. You won't regret it. Happy bidding everyone!

Louis XVI style gilt bronze lamp, at Leslie Hindman on October 2nd, estimate $600-800.

Pair of 1940s bouillotte lamps with candlestick holders, at Kamelot on Sept 24, estimate $700-900.

Pair of snazzy red bouillotte lamps. At Bonhams in Los Angeles on Sept 25th, estimate $700-900.

Pair bouillotte lamps, circa 1920, estimate $300-500.