Flotsam & Jetsam has been rolling around in my head for several years. Antiques have been central to my aesthetic since high school when I began to develop my own sense of style. I went to college and worked freshman year at an antiques mall in town - From there, I worked at historic homes giving tours. Then I went to grad school for Museum Studies. While attending, I was employed by a super fabulous French antique store (more on that later).
So - Fast forward to graduation and interviews ... Three years of them. For each job, I was either over qualified or under qualified - Let's just call it the Goldilocks Syndrome. Well, I prayed for something that would bring me the joy curating did - Voila- the creation of Flotsam & Jetsam. Since I'd been selling other people's antiques for years, I decided to sell my own! This September, F & J celebrated its one year anniversary - And I'm not planning on slowing down anytime soon!
So, now you know the story ... F & J is more than my job - It's my life, an integral part of my being. With my work comes a definite need to understand interior design and what works well. For me, anything goes as long as its old!
My biggest influences are books and random images, especially paintings and historic designs.
Interior design books are a passion of mine...
I devour them regularly and gleam tiny tidbits from their lush pages.
Bazaar Style is one of my top 10 books for inspiration, and I love the color it introduces into interiors. Hot pink, yellow, orange, green- Anything goes! Patterns are embraced in this look - Mix and match to the limit ...
As the title implies, Bazaar Style takes those wonderful finds from the flea market, antique shop, and your Grandmom's attic and teaches you how to combine them in an interesting, unique way. Selina Lake incorporates old and new world styles to fashion a fresh environment free from clutter yet still warm and inviting.
With a look that makes you feel as if you're in an antiquarian techni-color wonderland,
Bazaar Style is a definite read for anyone who has a love for bright hues, antiques, and unusual finds.
Bazaar Style:Decorating with market and vintage findsby Selina Lake with words by Joanna Simmons and photography by Debi Treloar
Published by Ryland Peters & Small 2008
Photos here found on Cover, Frontispiece, page 58, and page 59 respectively
While recently visiting the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, I was stunned by a breathtaking piece in their collection ... Not an oil by Picasso or a Cassatt canvas-- Rather, a three dimensional wax sculpture by contemporary artist Petah Coyne. 
With materials including both real and artificial fowl, feathers, silk flowers, hatpins, and willow branches, Coyne's work is an eclectic mixed media artist's dream. Like walking figments of imagination, these creations are 19th century mourning art meets Tim Burton. 
If you have a free afternoon, I encourage you to visit Nasher. Coyne's neo-gothic work is a jewel among many in the museum's crown. 
