Moditional

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ

973-383-6057

In one way or another, everyone loves all things traditional. It's that comfort zone of an acceptable, well-educated, grown-up environment. But lately, we are all tired of the safe, the bland, the cautious. It just feels right to add those "out-of-sync" elements that your mother would never have approved of. It's time to abandon the concept of "design ingredients that go together".

So maybe, just to show respect for our elders, we've latched onto "Moditional"...the style that says "yes" to a carefully mis-matched marriage of crisp, mid-century, funky or industrial furnishings alongside the well-chosen traditional.

Pretty Surrounded by Rubble

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ 07848

973-383-6057

There is something about a composition set in contrast that always seems to amplify the spirit of its opposites.

"Innocence" (the title of the 19th century litho pictured) becomes even more gentle among stacks of dusty, old foundry patterns. It is shockingly out of context. The colors appear unusually subtle and the subjects completely at peace. The sweet, childlike image rises above the strong surroundings, and kindness rules the day.

Thank you, Dayne, for the beautiful photo.

Made for Walkin'

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ

973-383-6057

And that's just what we do... antique dealers, that is. We walk, and then we walk some more. These buying trips to the UK really are a marathon. Staying with antique dealer friends, Francis and Barbara, means that my alarm clock can never sleep past 4AM, when we are off and running around antique venues in the pre-dawn light. Of course, that is the "Lucky Hour" when you find the best stuff, like oil paintings that have been asleep far longer than you.

I never grow tired of the early buyer buzz. And, seriously, there is so much walking involved in the hunt that it's given new meaning to the term "Boot Sale".

Road Trip

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ

07848

973-383-6057

Have you ever had the distinct feeling that you have stepped back in time? It is a by-product of being an antique dealer.

Several weeks ago on a quick buying trip to the UK, Barbara and Sarah (English pals) and I spent an afternoon road tripping along the antique trail. Laughing off the neccessary U-turns and mis-reads of our primitive map (no GPS for us veterans) we slid into an Antiques Warehouse. This centre offered an opportunity to have tea and a sweet (several choices of delicious looking pies and cakes) set out on an antique table in someone's pitch, all apparently self-serve and on the honor system.

Along with these temptations, we enjoyed piano renditions from the 1940's, played by a member of staff...a well-coiffed woman, handsomely dressed. The entire experience was hauntingly lovely, and certainly not to be found in today's mainstream shops.

When I step back in in time some sleepless night, this memory will be 5 star.

Carpenter's Tools

Carpenter's Tools

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ 07848

973-383-6057

As simple carpenter's tools get more colorful, more clean-edged, more slick...the more I like the old ones. There are brass-hinged wooden rulers with their numbers nearly worn off and mahogany-handled squares inlaid with brass designs, along with chunky, old handsaws that seem too sweet to ever threaten a piece of wood.

Arranged in haphazard or organized fashion, these manly old everyday buddies give you a world of interest at bargain prices.

When you feature these craftsmen-made artifacts, it is easy to see that they are not ordinary at all, but individual, personal and extremely beautiful.

Gathered Chandeliers

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ 07848
973-383-6057

If you were to gather up a beautiful bouquet in your hands and tie it up with a length of rope, you would have the inspiration behind the floral chandeliers of the mid-1900's.

As flowers are soft and fragile and metal so strong and durable, the very use of the material creates an appealing contrast.

Since the painted surfaces have had 40-odd years to mellow, these chandeliers usually possess nice old patinas whether pristine or worn and chipped. They are flowery fantasies that, once lit, lend a vintage garden flavor.

Everyone Gets a Pagoda

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ 07848

973-383-6057

In the late 1800's, the English economy was booming. Working folks, who formerly just wished they could own some beautifully decorated dinnerware, suddenly found it possible. It was called "transferware." Copied from earlier, hand-painted ceramics, these prepared, stock designs were applied in scenic patterns, whether Oriental, pastoral or floral. Quantity and affordablity made transferware the rage of the day. One can imagine the kilns of the English potteries never cooling off.

I think of the young women of the period, carefully choosing their favorite color (red, blue, brown, green, mulberry and black). So many choices. Instead of lunch or a book club meeting, "girl's day out" might have meant a trip to the mercantile to add another piece to the household collection. How lovely, meeting a friend to discuss the merits of a farm scene vs. an Asian landscape.

The introduction of transferware just may represent a turning point in anthropology... the moment when homes got prettied-up for pretty's sake and shopping for everyday furnishings became a working class pastime.

I think this highly decorative creamware was a brilliant, happy, comforting addition to civilization.