Container Love and Lust

We were at the store at the crack of dawn the other day, loaded up with Starbucks and jumping up and down with excitement.  It was Container Day and we couldn’t wait to see the fruits of our hard shopping labor finally arrive at Huff Harrington. We hired Ninh, our adorable photographer, to also arrive at the crack of dawn to photograph the pieces as they were unloaded.

 

The first piece comes off the container. We can hardly stand it, we're so excited.

The container is always a really big deal for us.  We get to fly to France and hit antique fairs and markets, ooohing and aaahing the whole time, negotiating politely and of course finishing the morning with a glass of bubbly.  Honestly, it’s the best perk of having the store and we thank our lucky stars everytime we find ourselves chatting with a nice vendor in the freezing cold at 7 a.m. in some exhibition hall or a field in the middle of nowhere.

Of course, we’re like kids in a candy store – and who wouldn’t be tempted with treats like these:

The ideal outdoor table; already beautifully weathered & patina-ed to perfection.

And, here it is in the store, proudly displaying our Laduree collection:

Safely arrived and on floor...

 

We absolutely couldn't resist these darling little Italianate chairs.

..or crunchy gold candlesticks.

And see how wonderful they are in their new home:

 

Perched daintily on a faux-bois table.

Ann found these funny little plaster manniquins from the 1930s. She was smitten, so she picked out three that we think have quite a resemblance to some of us here at the store:

Do these look like Huffingtons?

What about this one?

 

We think she's very sporty in her French Legionnaire's hat.

The fun of the fairs is that you see everything: from gorgeous 18th century fruitwood buffets to pristine and shimmering Louis VXI mirrors and even the odd relic from Napoleon’s days:

These got away... and we'll never stop missing them.Camp chairs that date

 from one of Napoleon's campaigns.

But we stumbled on these, which we are delighted with.  The only problem is they missed the deadline for this container so it will be a while before they arrive at their new Atlanta home.

Even though they missed the boat, we can't wait to have these..

We have a soft spot for fine old pieces that gleam with a patina that only age and use can give.  Feast your eyes on these:

 

This 18th century walnut buffet is just about perfect.

And then there's this beauty: an 18th century French

oak buffet. We just died when we saw this...

Et voila:

Here's the lovely buffet paired with a Louis XVI mirror, our

favorite modern wing chair and two gorgeous grisaille canvases we just got.

A dainty little Parisian Louis table with sexy legs finds a new home:

 

From the streets of Paris to the streets of Atlanta..

Two little Louis tables are perfect for an HHH vignette.

We’re often get asked what exactly it is that we’re looking for and that’s a hard question to answer.  Anything crusty, crunchy, patina-ed, whimsical, practical and just plain different will catch our eye.  And if there’s a good story, even better.

Gorgeous peeling containers that got snapped up one 

second before we arrived...

Love these!

 

And these..especially with their little iron baskets.

Crunchy & crusty always gets our attention.

 

These clocks made the cut for the container & are now at the store.

We think they're perfect for a family room, porch or media room. And,

they've got a good story: they're from a church in France near the Swiss border.

 We also have a slight table fetish going right now.   We like them rough and rustic, elegant and refined, painted and gilded – and we had lots of them on the container:

This is a 19th century console used for washing.

We just had to have this tres elegant glass and gold three-piece coffee table.It's

new but we are crazy about it.

And how were we supposed to leave this faux bois piece behind?

We couldn't!

We’re all about pairing the old with the new, the crusty with the sleek and the humble with the high-falutin’.  It’s always the mix that makes life so interesting.

We love a collected look. This is a perfect use for

a crunchy old bureau paired with a simple lamp & 

an interesting painting. From My Country French Home.

A splendid fruitwood buffet and a glowering portrait.

This is so European looking. From House and Home blog.

We also gave our walls a thought and fell in love with a gorgeous set of framed wildflower botanicals that date to the early 19th century:

Funnily enough, one of our very favorite blogs, Things That Inspire, just did a post on framed sets and botanicals  so we guess we’re not the only ones drawn to the elegant and organic personality of these.  We loved this image from the blog:

 

A glorious set of botanicals from Things that Inspire.

 And, at the end of long day, there’s always the wonderful reward:

This adorable monsieur was pouring bubbly at 11:30 a.m.

so we actually didn't have to wait all day.

This topped everything off:

The most delectable dessert was the perfect end to the day.

And…not to worry.  We’re already planning the next shopping expedition…

Ta ta.