Most of us have warm memories of cooking and baking, the kitchen is often our very favorite room in the house. Do you ever smell a pie baking, or a chicken roasting, and are right back in your Mom's kitchen? The kitchen really speaks to our hearts in so many ways; usually cozy, and warm, and filled with delicious smells.
Because of a renewed interest in cooking and entertaining at home, culinary antiques are becoming some of the most sought-after antiques collectors are searching for right now. They are some of the most popular antiques flying off the shelves at FrenchGardenHouse Antiques, and it's easy to see why!
Not only will they still be useful, they are so decorative, that even if they never serve another meal, they just look gorgeous displayed in any room.
French Country culinary antiques appeal to younger collectors in particular, who love how the 19th century cooking antiques compliment their farmhouse style kitchens.
TIPS FOR COLLECTING CULINARY ANTIQUES:
There are French Country culinary antiques for the casual collector and the serious connoisseur. Whether they come from the "below stairs" kitchen of an elegant chateau or a quaint country village bistro, culinary antiques are the perfect complement to your grand pursuits of dining, cooking and entertaining.
DISCOVER YOUR PASSION.
There are many different types of French Country kitchen antiques, and collectors generally fall into three categories: 1. Collectors who collect only one thing, striving to find better and better, or more rare pieces.
2. Collectors who collect a series of objects, such as everything made of copper.
BE FORGIVING.
As these were useful antiques, and collected for sentimental or decorative reasons, country culinary antiques don’t have to be pristine. Nothing evokes the Provençal countryside more than things that have lost some of their paint and polish. A little chip here and there, a crack, these show that country kitchen antiques have been used, you can virtually taste the heritage of these older pieces. Many collectors actually prefer pieces with well-worn patina and wear.
DISPLAY LIKE ART.
Using French Country antiques in your home and kitchen creates a link from today to a culture when every item was created with care, by artisans who cared about each detail. Eye-catching, culinary antiques connect the dots of that past to the present.
French pottery from the Provence, and Alsace region makes every kitchen speak French, fluently. You can use these old treasures to brighten up your kitchen, but they look just as stunning displayed as a piece of art amid a collection of antique books {cooking or not} or holding a handful of flowers or herbs from your garden as a centerpiece.
USE AND ENJOY.
A collection of antique kitchen or tableware is meant to be enjoyed, used and shared. They are precious, but were made to be hardworking and sturdy. They are not relics of the past, please don't be afraid to use them!
31 comments
I am hooked on hand crafted wooden spoons. But my favorite is my brothers. He was a great caterer. My hand always seems to pull it out of the antique copper wine bucket I keep all my spoons for quick access. I know he is looking down and leading me another great meal.
Lidy, I love antiques, and I especially love French antiques. Your posts are always so informative. I am going on a trip next week and will be able to do some antique shopping. I am going to remember your great tips. Thanks for sharing! I hope that you have a beautiful day and a wonderful weekend!!!
Oh what a beautiful post Lidy!….I have scrolled up and down looking at all of the pretty details of the collections…the French pottery is breathtaking!!!…
When I was a child we spent summers at our grandmothers home. She had 1 spoon that had
a beautiful bone handle. We would run to get to the kitchen first in the morning so we could eat our breakfast with that spoon!
Collecting is a sort of benign disease – and one that I love. Would that I could find more antiques and collectibles in Italia. They do not seem to be as readily available here or perhaps I have not found the right spot in Umbria as yet. Still looking….
I do love the old cutting boards. I’ve been on one or two home tours where they had collections of them on the wall. They are beautiful!
I have a flour sifter that belonged to my mom. It isn’t french but I treasure it as if it were a rare french antique.
Love the culinary antiques. Would love a kitchen full of them! Thank you for this informative blog post!
I love the crock with all the wooden utensils.
You are really helping me develop an eye for French antiques. I see these pieces here in France, and mostly my husband turns up his nose and makes some comment about how it looks like something his grandmother used before the war (not that he was born then). But that’s exactly the point! I love having utensils that I actually use that were made by hand out of “true” materials like copper or clay vs. plastic. Built to last. And usually beautiful, too.