Spring Auction Season is Here

A Louis XV fauteuil stamped C. Sene. Est. 8,000 - 12,000 EUR. Image from Sotheby's. 

It is no secret to my close friends that I am absolutely obsessed with auctions. For me it's not simply about the thrill of the hunt, but rather seeing an individual's oeuvre first hand. With the Spring upon us, it's that time of year when almost every auction house seems to have an upcoming sale. Having just moved to Europe, I am dangerously close to the auctions of Paris and London, where some of the most exciting pieces are coming up for sale. In the coming weeks, these fascinating pieces could be yours or mine.

Enjoy!  

A Louis XIV giltwood console table in the manner of Nicolas Pineau. Est. £3,000 – £5,000. Image from Christie's.

A Dutch carved giltwood mirror c. 1720, in the manner of Daniel Marot. Est. £4,000 – £6,000. Image from Christie's.

Beautifully detailed.

A late 17th - early 18th C. Swedish mirror attributed to Gustav Precht. Est. 10,000-12,000 EUR. Image from Sotheby's.

An Anglo-Dutch Bureau cabinet, partially 18th C. Est. £7,000 – £10,000. Image courtesy of Christie's.

Louis XV bombé chest of drawers, mid 18th C. with rosewood marquetry and gilt mounts. Est. 10,000-15,000 EUR. Image from Dorotheum.

The Rothschilds at Hôtel Lambert

Built in the mid-17th Century, Hôtel Lambert is a spectacular mansion on the tip of the Île Saint-Louis. The mansion has an incredible history and been home to a string of notable residents, including Voltaire. More recently, the home has been home to the late Baron and Baroness Guy de Rothschild, who acquired the property in 1975 and worked with Renzo Mongiardino to refresh the interior spaces. The images above date to their days here.

The property's current owner, Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar, now wants to overhaul the structure including the addition of lifts, air conditioning, and an underground car park. Conservationists, neighbors, and former residents are all over this one, but what a shame. It's hard to imagine anything more perfect than the hôtel in the images below.

Images from Private Paris by Marie-France Boyer. 

Jacques Garcia at Home

A legend in the world of design, Jacques Garcia is perhaps best known for his contemporary interiors. So today I bring another masterpiece of his, but a much more historically-oriented one: his Paris residence as it was in the late 1980s following an extensive rehabilitation of the historic structure.

Located at 28 Rue des Tournelles, Hôtel de Sagonne was designed by Jules Hardouin Mansart (1645-1708), chief architect to Louis XIV, when he was just 28 years old. The mansion's construction commenced in 1674 but didn't complete until 1685 as Mansart was simultaneously working on other masterpieces including the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. When Jacques Garcia took hold of the property he performed extensive restorations to uncover the original ceilings and reinstate the boiseries and floorboards in a way that did justice to the original.

There are so many things I love about this space, beyond just the exquisite French antiques, many of which were royal pieces dispersed during the French revolution.

This former office of Mansart is intimate but also incredibly elegant with its original boiseries. The lit d'alcove looks like such a nice spot to do some reading, sheltered by the curtains and a warm space full of books.

The kitchen also serves as a dining room and features the original Delft tiles. This space is such a refreshing counterpoint to the enormous industrial kitchens so in vogue today, where everything looks as if it belongs in a car manufacturing plant. No enormous island. No stainless steel appliances. I'm really not sure where the refrigerator and range live and I rather like it that way.

Images from Private Paris by Marie-France Boyer.