Good Buy, Friday...Hello, Albemarle!

Pretty house, don't you think?  David Easton designed it for Patricia Kluge. It's called Albemarle House and it's located, shockingly, in Albemarle, Virginia. Last year, not long after Kluge decided to downsize, its contents were auctioned off at Sotheby's.

...Well, not all of its contents. A few pretty things were left behind...pretty, flowy things. I'm talking curtains: grand, David Easton-designed curtains that can be yours for, if not a song, surely not much more than the cost of a playlist or two.

Curtains at auction. Perhaps the suggestion surprises you. I'm sure it seems odd that custom made items would ever be smart auction buys, but they can be. See, often when curtains make it to auction, they are amazing designer specimens that were designed for large-ish windows. There is no reason you can't get them sized down. And the reason you'll be inspired to do this is because curtains, even those which originally cost thousands and thousands of dollars and were designed by AD 100 decorators, often go for next to nothing at auction.

Don't believe me? Check out this lot of large cotton curtains that was for up for bidding at the April at Christie's house sale. They had a very pretty floral design and were in great condition. See a detail, below.

Now, the estimate was $400-600 for ten pairs of 54 x 116" lined designer curtains in excellent condition. They sold for $125, total.

Seriously.

Are you inspired now? Good, because Christie's has several more lots of curtains up for bidding in the coming weeks, in New York. The first sale, June 6th, is of a Park Avenue interior designed by Mark Hampton. A lot of silk damask peach curtains designed for the dining room appear below. The estimate for two pairs of  the 125 x 80 curtains is $800-1,200. There is also a set of three pairs of Brunschwig & Fils yellow silk curtains in the same sale, estimate $1,000-2,000.

Mark Hampton designed silk damask curtains, at auction June 6th, estimate $800-1,200.

In the upcoming Christie's House Sale on June 22nd there are several sets, including two pairs of pretty cotton curtains, detail below, for those of us with less opulent interiors, estimate $700-900. (Note that you will almost never see a reserve put on a lot of curtains and you will typically get them for much less than the estimate.)

But let's get back to Albemarle. Because on June 11th, The Potomack Company Auctioneers in Alexandria, Virginia is auctioning several lots of curtains from the Kluge estate. Designed by David Easton, the curtains are grand, of course, such as the green and cream pair below, 95" x 72", estimate $300-500.

David Easton designed curtains, at auction June 11th, estimate $300-500.

If those don't tickle your fancy, perhaps these coral beauties will, estimate $300-500, crown valences included.

David Easton designed coral curtains, at auction June 11th.

Or these...

David Easton curtains with harlequin valence, above, or hound and floral, below,
at auction June 11th.

There are thirty lots in all (It is, after all, a forty five room house. Perhaps the Trumps found them too understated), so there really are a lot of lots (!) to choose from here. Many of these photographs and descriptions leave something to be desired (ie type of material?). Do not hesitate to call the auction house and ask for more photos and a condition report! They will--should--happily provide you with that information (just try not to call the day of or the day before). In the interim, get measuring! I hope there's some over the top opulence in your future--that you get for a steal, of course!