TRICKS OF THE TRADE | TELLING YOUR FAMILY'S STORY

Call me sentimental, but the lives of my ancestors, and your ancestors, very ordinary people from long ago, fascinate me. It's one of the main reasons I love, and sell, antiques! Mostly hard-working every day people {or in some cases, wealthy family members with houses filled to the brim with every day things of exceptional beauty}, our family members, no matter how humble, most likely had at least one beautiful thing they cherished. If you are lucky, you inherited some of these to bring your family story to your home. You don't have to inherit museum-worthy collections to pay homage to your heritage, though. I gladly mix in other antiques here at home that remind me of my grandparents and Mom, and just imagine that they would have loved and used them. Here are some easy ideas to inspire you to add to the beauty of your home with pieces that honor your heritage. Each antique has unique stories to tell, and adds a touch of the human hands that created them. Decorating with them is a joyful way to create a home that feels authentically like you. Every mended tablecloth, preserved piece of porcelain and slightly out of round silver spoon tells a story begun long ago, a story that hasn't ended yet. If you don't have anything passed down from generations before, you can acquire a beautiful antique that you imagine your great-grandmother would have loved. Or perhaps a piece that is like the one you've seen in photographs. I am always thrilled when clients email or call me, with tears in their voice, to let me know the antique sterling trophy cup they bought from FrenchGardenHouse, for example, is almost just like the one they remember from their grandmere's home, long ago. One of the best ways to display your heritage is to use family photographs. A collection of antique frames, filled with faces of the past you love, brings a charming personal accent to any small space. This little grouping of framed photographs, on the wall of my friend Marion's hallway, tells the story of her family's heritage so beautifully. Another friend has a group of antique French gilt frames she bought from me on a little demi-lune table next to her sofa. Not just for faces, a grouping of antique letters in simple gold frames make for a decorative reminder of the beautiful handwriting our great-great-great grandparents created. {Especially now that we are no longer taught cursive writing, old letters are becoming more and more collectible.} In our house, we've hung up all sorts of beautiful reminders of our European ancestors, like these old, old hand written letters over our sofa. The little black antique shadow box to the left of our couch {above} holds our collection of sterling silver napkin rings. {obviously this photo is from last fall-in this summery month the colors look a little warm, but it does make me long for autumn!} You can frame almost anything. My clients have the most exciting ways to create art for their homes with antiques. Some of my favorites - done by a client who bought all the pieces from FrenchGardenHouse to go along with one silver spoon she inherited - a collection of antique tea spoons in a beautiful shadow box frame. Another client framed a collection of antique French fans she bought from us. If you inherited, or are drawn to, a collection of a variety of small objet d' art, grouping them together will avoid a cluttered, chaotic look. Placing pieces on a tray will create a three-dimensional collection that will display like a scrapbook filled with memories and mementoes of your family's heritage. On my bedroom vanity, an antique mirrored tray shows off gleaming antique crystal perfume bottles and powder jars to perfection. The same concept, applied to a collection of sterling salt cellars. I took this photograph for a holiday story for a magazine, hence the faux snow, but you get the idea, right? I confess that I am drawn to little things. When I'm at a French dealer's showroom, looking for large, grand scale stunning statement pieces to enhance a client's home, I spy the tiny. little. sweet reminders of lives long ago. And group those in with the furniture, the Old Paris porcelain dishes, and the large scale finds I purchase for FrenchGardenHouse. {the tinies=for me.} I know, I know, they don't match my "elegant French Country" style, but well, what can I say? Love. At. First. Sight. So as not to make this a crazy messy collection, I place all these small charmers behind glass in one of our French armoires. It's where my grandmother's childhood poetry book lives happily ever after with a pair of glasses that remind me of my husband's John Lennon style glasses I hated and got rid of when he got new ones {still a bone of contention}, my father-in-law's Air Force decoration, and a little paper boat I made. In the background? Little porcelain doll legs stick out of a cup. Gather all your heirloom dishes, your antique glassware, silver baby cups, and treat them like the beloved treasures they are. Your antiques are gorgeous, don't hide them away behind closed doors! Show your antiques some love by displaying them like art. In our family room, I display antique toleware, French plates, and ironstone platters and tureens in a French armoire. Often, I throw open the doors to really let my favorites shine! There is such beauty in displaying antiques in your home. But you also don't want to live in a museum or antique shop. Think of interesting, unexpected ways to display your collections at home. In our guest bedroom, an old mannequin showcases a few antique lockets. Not only do they add the beauty of precious mementoes- both real and imagined "passed-down-jewelry" - this way the necklaces are on display as group, making a statement. Bonus= the lockets are readily available to add joy to your daily ensemble, no digging trough layers in a jewelry box. The decorator's trick to using antiques in any setting is to work carefully chosen pieces into the decor so they enhance the room. Priceless, over the top luxurious, or simple and country elegant, adding unique antiques to your home is one of the best ways to express yourself. Create a home filled with things you love, things that make you smile! It's the whole reason I launched FrenchGardenHouse and shop the world for one-of-a-kind antiques - to help you make your home just what you want it to be! A home filled with beautiful things, a mix of antique and contemporary, and a certain je ne sais quoi. I love what I do, and I thank you for loving and appreciating the artistry and craftsmanship of the antiques I sell at FrenchGardenHouse. Knowing that you appreciate them as much as I do makes it a whole lot easier to send them off to their new homes. Treasured pieces with a past, steeped in tradition, are a sure fire way to liven up your interiors. Don't forget to leave a comment if you want to be entered in to win the heirloom issue of One Layer Cakes by Hoffman Media. {Not an antique, but it's a keeper!} HOW DO YOU DISPLAY YOUR FAVORITE ANTIQUES AT HOME?