GOING COASTAL? TRY ANTIQUING FOR AUTHENTICITY

With summertime upon us, strong thoughts of going coastal linger in the air. Having recently just visited Key West (for our anniversary last week) I too am embracing the coastal spirit... and what better place to do this, living here in sunny South Florida. Did you know, even Pottery Barn did part of their Coastal Style photo shoot down here, in the Florida Keys, back in January? And in their shoots, have you ever come across some detail or accessory you wish was for sale, but it was just a prop in the photo?

Pottery Barn on location in Islandmorada

Learn more about this Moorings Resort

Well... on their site, they have some "on location" videos, and one of those videos, narrated by Pottery Barn Style Expert Jeffrey Moss, mentioned one of their Miami finds: STONEAGE ANTIQUES. It's located right here in Miami, on the Miami River. Although the dust inside may be from the stoneage, this place has been gathering the mother load of all things authentically nautical - with a few other charmers - for the past 45 years. And after strolling through their packed aisles - my husband can't say diddly about our garage!

Welcome to the mother load...

and this is just ONE aisle from a maze of about twenty-four

Stacked here, these portholes could make

an interesting installation

set as a grid for a new focal point in a space...

Got rope?

Jute-roped bottles... only $55

Japanese styled jute roped orbs...

Authentic weathered lanterns...

Hello Key West...

You could seriously get lost

in this place for hours...

But you can be steered in the right direction...

And find some other wonderful pieces...

These doors would make an awesome

 new dining table, headboard, or

wall art as a backdrop to a metal sculpture...

Outside has goodies too...

This anchor is taller than me!!

And although some pieces are too large

to bring home in a Prius or Jetta,

you can still capture shots

and turn them into your own thrifty wall art...

edit your pics in sepia for an aged effect,

or b&w for a classic look to mix with modern

Or just keep them natural for a punch of color...

There's just no telling what you can find here...

Even a carved turtle for Ramona to "turtle-dance" with...

(if you watch Real Housewives of New York - you got that)

and speaking of New York...

even found this trunk from there...

So when you pack your bags to come to Miami...

Don't forget to save some room

to bring back your finds from

STONEAGE ANTIQUES

3536 NW South River Drive

Miami, Florida 33142

305.633.5114

It's an incredible collection of finds

and a fun place to roam...

whether you're looking for props for a restaurant, store,

or to accessorize your home.

Try antiquing for authenticity and

Happy Thrifty Thursday!

and BTW: don't forget...

Sex and the City 2

opening today at a theater near you...

(I heart SJP & NYC!!)

PS: Thank you for continuing to follow FOCAL POINT

and please pardon my absence for the past week.

I just needed a serious break from

blogging, facebooking, and tweeting...

and Going Coastal was just what the doctor ordered!

THE SEVEN MODERNS OF DESIGN - AS DEMONSTRATED BY THOMAS O'BRIEN

Well - I did it. And I'm glad I did. What did I do? While visiting the bookstore the other day, I picked up Thomas O' Brien's new book - American Modern. I'm so glad I did because I can TOTALLY relate to his thought process of design. You'll find in this book, through the absolutely gorgeous photography of Lauren Resen, O' Brien and co-author Lisa Light, will take you on a journey discovering the seven moderns...Traditional - Urban - Casual - American - Elegant - Formal - and my favorite of all: Vintage Modern....

TRADITIONAL MODERN

URBAN MODERN

CASUAL MODERN

AMERICAN MODERN

According to O' Brien, "American Modern is about the remixing of history, influence, and spirit to make your style your own". He also says to consider "Practicality, industry, boldness, scale, simplicity, sincerity, and innovation", when creating a space...

ELEGANT MODERN

FORMAL MODERN

O' Brien says, "Designing can be many things to many people - But it has always been about tradition in modern life." O' Brien has been "guided by tradition, both inherited and studied - which he'll bend to the moment he's living in."

VINTAGE MODERN

O' Brien's old Russel Wright bed, used as a daybed in his studio,

 is shown here "sheltered and surrounded by art".

VINTAGE MODERN

O' Brien says, "Adapting a vintage studio style allowed him to

have more creativity in his home - because he is

surrounded by the things that inspire him."

Two other books I came across on Monday's visit to the bookstore were

LIVING WITH WHAT YOU LOVE and THE FIND

LIVING WITH WHAT YOU LOVE

by Monica Rich Kosann

THE FIND

by Stan Williams

AMERICAN MODERN

by Thomas O' Brien,

Lisa light, and photography by Laura Resen.

Of these seven moderns, Vintage Modern,

as demonstrated by O' Brien,

 is definitely a style to be applied in a space

that is designed to LIVE - NOT designed to sell...

VINTAGE MODERN - A VERY

PERSONAL STYLE
"One must look back - in order to move forward."

Have you broken through your boundaries,

and surrounded yourself by what inspires you?

Check out these books, and you will...

THE EVOLUTION OF STYLE: AMERICAN MODERN

Are you a looker? Don't you just love to look at photos of interiors - on blogs, in magazines, and in books. We're all unique, and we all have our own style, collections, and ways of setting up a home. And now-a-days, a house can be designed to live or designed to sell. One example of a home style that is designed to live is featured in a new book from Designer Thomas O' Brien - called American Modern.

Designer Thomas O'Brien

[read MORE about O' Brien in

an interview from Ivan

at Meade Design Group Blog]

As featured in my April issue of Canadian HOUSE & HOME, the designer shares photos of his apartment - eight years ago as THEN and how it is NOW. Life can change within eight years - and those happenings can change the way we set our home...

O' Brien's Cosmopolitan apartment - eight years ago.

His style then considered the elegance of his 1930's apartment -

matching pieces, fewer shapes, sparse and serene then...

O' Brien's  Eclectic collection.

His reinvention of the way he uses space now...

O' Brien's Spare Fireplace.

His warmer side of modernism then...

O' Brien's Salon Style wall now...

NOT meant to be uniform and let's go of boundaries.

Thomas O' Brien's serene living room then.

O' Brien's living room converted to

a Studio bedroom now...

Even designer Ralph Lauren is not limited to only one style, and has evolved through the years...

Ralph Lauren clipping

Ralph Lauren Metropolis clipping

Ralph Lauren clipping

Ralph Lauren Urban Loft

Some of the  reasons for a home style to change can be as simple as our age, or as complex as joining your life with another - be it a partner or having a child. I do not have any children, but throughout the way my life has changed, I have adapted, learned, grown, and have always have tried to remain true to myself. I believe a homes style can go through phases - and does not just follow a trend. A home is a reflection of  the area we live in, the culture around us, and even a feeling we want to evoke in our home...

Our town home styling in 2006-09

Simple, clean, and balanced

my restyled town home - 2010

Breaking free from being restrained.

Our town home today has been restyled with

a salon style wall -

I started to build it in December - and completed it in January.

It is reminiscent of a style I had 

in my old apartment, back in 2000, when

I had fallen in LOVE with this Ralph Lauren wall...

Ralph Lauren clipping from old files...

I think today "the lines have been blurred" - by all the design shows and staging shows... but that's going to go off into another topic, for another post, on another day.

American Modern

written by Thomas O' Brien & Lisa Light

Available new & used at AMAZON

I'm looking forward to checking out Thomas O' Brien's book, American Modern... to learn more about collecting (buying what you love), curating (taking your time), and displaying (layering shapes, textures, colors & eras) artful objects in our home...

O' Brien's artful display of  layering shapes and eras.

My artful display of treasure in our home.

I read a lot of comments online over the weekend... One comment about the book said, "the book should have been called American Contemporary" ... but that too - the difference between Modern and Contemporary - is another topic for another day. And I also read a somewhat of an attack (on a post I made at RMS) of the way I styled our home "it looks like a mish-mash".

No matter what you read on blogs or books - style YOUR home YOUR way - and if you're happy with it... than you have captured the essence of focusing on what matters to YOU most.

Have a WONDERFUL day...