Screw Paint Plus Pairing; let’s look at antiques!

I can’t believe how premature/naive I think it is for AT to recommend that people pick their paint color, just like that, without having gone out and bought new furniture or at least obtained swatches for comparison. I guess I’m a bit of a snob about this process after reading Maria Killam’s book, and also after seeing so many pals of mine throw paint up and later be annoyed by how it reads a totally different color at that large scale. Even professional designers do this! So I will be doing the paint part later, after getting at least swatches if not actually making purchases like sofas/rug/drapes, though I’ll still blog about my paint process at that point.

Style Cure Day 8 is also all about a “pairing,” which I just don’t get. I guess my project is bigger than this, and I find this task kind of vague and half-assed or poorly explained. Perhaps it just isn’t relevant to my space, or perhaps it just feels that way because I’ve already done most of the work/research, and am just waiting for quotes and the physical wellness to go out and act! So instead of thinking about a pairing, I’m going to show you some pictures of the cool bizarre antiques I’ve been unpacking.

My uncle recently passed away, and after his death my cousin shipped seven enormous boxes of family antiques from his estate, at my dad’s request. The boxes also included tons of stuff from his wife, my paternal grandmother who died when I was just five. I had to have my dad over to help me unpack the stuff, because I’m not supposed to be lifting heavy stuff/moving around a lot while I’m in recovery from LameTown. But it’s actually been nice to see him ooh and aah over stuff from his childhood! He’s 80 now, so this is some cool Old South Carolina stuff. I don’t yet know what Dad will keep and what I’ll hang on to, but we’ll see. Behold my favorite few items:

Antique metal horse and wagon toys.
My dad used to play with this horse and wagon set as a kid, and he remembers being admonished about being too rough with them! They’re all painted metal, and they say “MADE IN FRANCE” on them. And that little hat is real leather with a bone clasp for the tie, I think. The front wheel broke off and the horses went rogue, but still.
An antique porcelain bull.
My grandfather had a dairy farm, so I suppose this is thematically appropriate. Way more country than my usual taste in tschotchkes, but he’s adorable, right? This guy is Proper Sheffield English Porcelain, which is funny since you’d think I’d inherit that sort of thing from my English mother’s side of the family instead.
An antique snowshoe for horses.
This thing is a block you put on a horse’s hoof either to help shoe it, or in the snow as an EQUINE SNOWSHOE. Did you know such a thing existed? I did not.
Antiques: an autograph book, a bell, and two irons.
My grandmother’s autograph book from the 20s, full of beautifully-penned florid inscriptions and testaments to her popularity; a brass bell like Roderick on the Line uses; and two tiny but functional irons made of actual iron. I thought about doing the quarter for size comparison thing, but eh. They’re small, trust me.
Vintage china with a turquoise and floral pattern.
In addition to the MANY other china pieces, we got these salad plates and they’re my favorite of the china. The larger-scale floral is less twee and ditsy than more traditional patterns, and of course I love the turquoise banding. They don’t seem to have any matching cups/etc. These aren’t my normal style, but I’ll probably use them for guests from time to time, especially if they end up matching our new living room color scheme!
A mysterious iron and enamel antique footed vessel.
This cast-iron mystery is the most perplexing antique. There’s this inset bit that sets into the decorative frame, and the whole thing feels too small to use as a planter but that’s what I intend to do. My dad doesn’t recognize it. Let me know if you know what it is!

We still have two whole enormous boxes to unload, and by we I mean he since I pretty much sit there on the couch and watch and maybe help with gathering up packing paper that’s in reach. Oh well; I’m getting better at demanding and then accepting help instead of doing physical stuff myself, haha. At this rate I’ll be completely insufferable by the time I’m well enough to bounce around again on my own. Stay tuned!