Tuesday Tip

Shop at home!!! There could be a collection hiding in the back recesses of cabinets, cupboards, drawers, storage boxes or the attic.

This is just one of the pocket watches belonging to my client. The red crocodile wallpaper is from Schumacher and was slated for the powder room, but ended up on a waste can instead! Don't worry, the PR was covered in a goreous paper.

And such was the case with the project I just completed. The client told me she had no collections. But when we started the process of pulling things out, she remembered something and we went upstairs and she showed me these:

The collection of pockets in this old shadow box belonged to the wife's side of the family.
The two on the right were from the husband's side.

She asked if we could do anything with it?  This is the sort of thing that gets me really excited when I'm working with clients. Initially, I wanted to use them as art, since she had just a few pieces and we were practically starting from scratch in that area too. But as things progressed and the rooms came together, I thought a table display was the way to go.

The best part of taking apart the shadow box is that it solved the mystery of who these pocket watches belonged. Someone had taken the time to pen a name with each one, such a lovely gift for the client!

The client polished all the combined pockets watches from both sides of the family and turned them over to me for a solution.  I put them in a simple glass display box lined in green velvet, leftover from chairs that were reupholstered:

I took this from the floor to get the best view.

All six watches gathered together for all to enjoy. The photographer loved this idea and said he has pockets watches and might have to copy it- that made me smile. I can't wait to see his photos capturing them!

After the pocket watch discovery, I asked the client what else she might be "withholding" and it turned out she had these:

Things ended up on the buffet when space ran out on the dinning table the day everything got pulled out for our meeting to review accessories.

Ten silver Jefferson cups, all inscribed with initials or dated to commemorate a special event such as a wedding or birth,  packed away in her buffet. They now are prominently displayed in a glass fronted cabinet near the kitchen to be enjoyed everyday!

The cups are on the upper left. Sorry for the blurry picture, but I helped myself to the bar after the photo shoot- kidding. But I did enjoy a glass of wine with my clients to celebrate their new spaces.

Btw, this is Tuesday Tip #75.  It doesn't seem possible!