By Buzz Kaplan, Decorati Contributing Antiques Editor and author of The Buzz on Antiques.

A sconce, pronounced “skahnz”, is a wall mount that is fitted to hold a candle or candles. Here’s a typical pair of 18th century Italian giltwood wall sconces:

And here is another example, this one an amazing set at our gallery:

Aren’t these wild? I love ‘em.

When a simple wall sconce has multiple candles and is more elaborate and complex in design, it’s called a bras de lumíere, as seen here:

And they can become way more foofy like this Empire one, part of a set of six at C. Mariani:

But people in the trade use the word “sconce” to mean a whole variety of things that hang on walls. Most of these items are properly called wall appliqués (pronounced “AP luh kays”) since that’s the generic word for just about any item that mounts up on a wall.

A good example of an appliqué that everyone calls a sconce would be this bracket/shelf and others like them:

These types of pieces are more properly called wall brackets and, although they were indeed used to hold free-standing candlesticks, they were more frequenty used to display porcelain vases, figures, girandoles (I’ll cover girandoles in my next post!), other objet virtu etc. Here’s another of these versatile brackets that are great for flanking mirrors or to embellish a small wall area:

Buzz Kaplan is a graduate of UCLA where he earned both Bachelor’s and Juris Doctorate degrees. Buzz began collecting antiques in the late 1970’s, while he was still practicing law and for the last 28 years has been a principal of Kaplan & Co., a consulting firm specializing in antique and other investment grade tangible asset collections. His clients have included dealers, major banks, foundations and other institutions seeking guidance in the acquisition and deaccession of 17th and 18th century European antiques as well as investment portfolios in gold, silver and platinum commodities. He is currently Executive Director of C. Mariani Antiques, Restoration & Custom in San Francisco.

Check out Decorati’s exclusive interview with Chicago design stars, Shea Soucie and Martin Horner of Soucie Horner Ltd, to learn how they refine their clients’ lifestyles through graciously designed spaces.

Which comes first: lifestyle or product/design? Is it lifestyle that has generated the design changes, or is design the driving force that affects how we live?

We have to know what function design will have first. There is an intimate involvement with our clients from the start of a project that dictates the design direction we take in their home. Durability of fabrics is a great example. If you’re going for a damask sofa, in a household with children and pets, we may opt for a cotton damask instead of silk. The finished product is always beautiful design, but lifestyle plays a large part in that.

Was there any lesson you learned early on in your career that has stuck with you?

Build trust in a relationship with a client from day one. Always speak the truth; it takes you a long way.

How do you go about assessing a client’s/project’s needs?

We have targeted interview questions in the initial client meetings. We visit their current home to see where their start point is and what they do and don’t like about it. We discuss budget from the start. You find out quickly if this is a client that prefers 12 choices or just 2 and tailor our process to their comfort level.

What was your most challenging project and why?

When husband and wife have different ideas about what they want.

How has the onslaught of social media outlets and “design on the web” affected the world of design-for you personally, or in general? Do you see lasting change in design from this movement to new media?

It has helped to inform the consumer, our clients, and brought design to the masses. Companies now spend more time and money on the design of their product, whatever it may be. An example is the ipod; everyone has an idea of not just what it does, but what it looks like and many other products have tried to emulate that design.

What is your favorite Benjamin Moore paint color to use for walls, ceiling, and trim?

Black Bean Soup is our favorite color for cabinetry and trim. For walls, we like eggshell, for ceilings, we like matte, and for trim we like satin finishes. Aura has a great color lock system that appears totally saturated and has movement and depth.

Is the trend in green design a fad or is it here to stay?

Green design, we believe, is here to stay. It is the reaction to the need to sustain our environment which is an issue that is not going away. For it to really take off, laws will need to become stricter nation-wide and world-wide.

Do you see part of your role as designer being that of educator, expanding your clients’ awareness of green products? How informed do you feel you are on the subject?

We are here to educate our clients on many levels; an understanding of the lifestyle they desire can develop as well as a better understanding of their style and taste level. As far as architectural and furnishings products in the green realm, we have a couple of designers with a great deal of interest in the area, who bring a lot of information back to us. We also have vendor presentations on a weekly basis, such as Benjamin Moore, who explain the latest environmental advances in their product lines. Additionally, Shea is building a house right now for her own family using green materials. She is allowing herself to be a guinea pig when it comes to trying new product before rolling it out to clients. It has been a huge learning process that will aide immensely when making recommendations to our clients.

What will be different about the interior design industry in five years?

Trade cost vs. Retail. We think that there will be a lot more product accessibility and we will start to see many things once only available to the trade, going retail.

What is the ultimate goal of all your projects?

The ultimate goal of all our projects is to walk away knowing a client loves their home. It may not be the style or direction we initially had in mind for them, but they need to love it.

Cohen Design Centers (D&D, PDC, DCOTA, DCH) launched their much anticipated blog today - GoDesignGo.com.  Check it out for all the latest happenings in the design centers.

You are invited to join CA Homes publisher Heidi Gerpheide,  Dwell Magazine editor Sarah Rich, Decorati.com CEO and Founder Shane Reilly, and Public Relations Consultant Alisa Carroll to discuss the various elements of online presence for the modern designer. The lecture will include in depth explanation of social media, tips for web-based editorial, and the benefits of using specific online resources.

Shane will also be giving a sneak preview of an important new feature for designers on Decorati!

Wednesday, November 4, NOON

Event Location:

Wroolie & Company Showroom
San Francisco Design Center, Galleria

101 Henry Adams Street, Suite 215
San Francisco, CA 94103

By Buzz Kaplan, Decorati Contributing Antiques Editor and author of The Buzz on Antiques.

Eglomisé, pronounced “ay glow me ZAY”, also called called ‘verre eglomisé’ (”vair ay glow me ZAY”), is a decorative glass technique where the glass is painted or gilded on the underside and then backed wih a metal foil. Shown above is an 18th century German red and gold verre eglomisé mirror.

If I ever catch someone trying to steal one of my eglomisé antiques, I plan to yell, “LEGGO MY EGGLO!”
That’ll scare ‘em.

Below is another example of eglomisé, this one an 18th century Southern European panel showing a kneeling figure accepting a bishop’s mitre and crozier from the archangel Michael with an attendant angel:

Champlevé, pronounced “shahm pluh VAY” is a decorative metal technique where metal is etched or hollowed out and then filled with enamel that’s fired. Some people confuse this with eglomisé (see above) or cloisonné (see below) but they’re very different. Here’s a good detail of a champlevé surface:

Champlevé was often incorporated into elaborate antique boxes or reliquaries like these:

Finally, there is cloisonné (pronounced “cloy zuh NAY”), a different decorative metal technique. In cloisonné, metal wire is attached to an object like a vase, with the wire forming an outline of a design and then the empty spaces are filled with enamel, fired, sanded down and polished to create a very different look and feel.

Here is a cloisonné vase:

And here are some other examples of cloisonné, the first with garnet glass and the second of a Chinese dragon:

With cloisonné, the surface is mainly enamel and the metal wire gives it a filigree look. With champlevé, the surface generally shows more exposed metal.

Buzz Kaplan is a graduate of UCLA where he earned both Bachelor’s and Juris Doctorate degrees. Buzz began collecting antiques in the late 1970’s, while he was still practicing law and for the last 28 years has been a principal of Kaplan & Co., a consulting firm specializing in antique and other investment grade tangible asset collections. His clients have included dealers, major banks, foundations and other institutions seeking guidance in the acquisition and deaccession of 17th and 18th century European antiques as well as investment portfolios in gold, silver and platinum commodities. He is currently Executive Director of C. Mariani Antiques, Restoration & Custom in San Francisco.

I met David Phoenix in 2002 when he was already at the top of his game in the Los Angeles high-end design market…

Back then, I went to LA to see him because many of my designer clients told me “He’d be a great client for C. Mariani Antiques and Custom Work-he’s getting all the big jobs these days.” I found David to be charming, elegant, chic and absolutely not interested in anything I was selling. But I was still happy to meet him and continue to adore his work. Over the years, we’ve bumped into each other and he was always dressed to kill, and I was usually rummaging through dusty antiques and looked like “Pig-Pen” from Charlie Brown. But he was always gracious, kind, and the perfect gentleman.

Then a couple of years ago, I noticed that David wasn’t around as much and some designer clients of mine asked me “What’s David up to these days? We haven’t seen him in the showrooms like we used to.” I said “dunno” since I hadn’t been seeing him at all the usual places either. But I did know that his office was open since I stopped by one day while in his neighborhood. I do recall that David was offsite that day. I figured he probably high-tailed it to Portofino, Gstaad, or some other impossibly fabulous spot for some R&R.

Last month, I decided to give him a call to see if he wanted to do one of my interviews for Decorati, and he said “Definitely!” So we met for breakfast at the Bel Air Hotel and he was just as striking, sophisticated, and charming as ever. Except he looked even better, I think it was the lighting, but I noticed he had the greenest eyes and the same full head of hair (I think it’s the one I had but lost about 30 years ago. Coincidence? Hmmmmm.) So then I asked him to “entre nous” share with me the exotic and secluded resort he’d been at last year. And then he dropped the bomb on me…

He smiled and said, “Actually I was diagnosed with cancer.” He took time off to treat it and beat it, and that’s exactly what he did. In fact, he’s been cancer-free for more than a year, looks better than ever, and throughout this whole ordeal kept his business fully running and staffed. Every project was completed during that time… something David wanted to fulfill. Amazing, huh?

Let me just say that David’s last name is prophetic: just like the mythological phoenix, he rises from fire and apparent destruction to emerge even stronger and scale even greater heights than before. Talk about Phoenix rising, David is one for the books.

So I wanted to start my interview with a somber question that had lots of gravitas:

Buzz: Is it true your idol was Dinah Shore and you never missed her talk show?

DP: {David laughing}. Yes, that’s true! Through Dinah’s show I saw beautiful, sunny LA, and felt the need to move there. I loved Dinah’s personality. She was always warm with her guests, and charming, and one of the reasons I moved to LA was to be a part of that feeling. And believe it or not, I was inspired by her white sectional on the show too!

Buzz: Is it also true that you somehow got her famous brownie recipe and would you bake a batch for me?

DP: Yes. I coincidentally made a friend in LA that worked for Dinah, and I persuaded him to introduce me. Fast-forward, I found myself at her home and in her kitchen… we sat, we chatted, and I got that secret brownie recipe. As for baking a batch for you, of course!

Buzz: Speaking of cooking, I also heard you’re a great chef, and that you worked at a number of restaurants including La Cote Basque in NYC?

DP: Not exactly. As a child, I wanted to become a chef. At 18 I was offered an apprenticeship at La Cote Basque and I took it. It was actually the experiences I had working in kitchens day in and day out that made me realize that the culinary world was not my true calling. After that experience, I was only sure of one thing: I wanted to make beautiful things.

Buzz: True or false: you didn’t go to design school and are completely self-taught in interior design?

DP: Very true and having left home at 15, I never went to college at all. Experience has been my teacher. And I am blessed to have had many people believe in me and my work.

Buzz: So how did you transition from a baker to one of the top designers in the country?

DP: By chance, I heard of a position for a sample librarian at +gies of fabric, in the Pacific Design Center, and my design journey started from there.

Buzz: Describe your design style in three words or less?

DP: Comfort and quality.

Buzz: Tell us more about your style. Tell us why you tend toward the traditional versus the modern?

DP: I believe that you are your experiences. My aesthetic draws from both the timeless design traditions of American aristocracy and the laid back luxury of the West Coast. My projects are inspired by the diverse landscapes of New England and California. As a native Bostonian living in LA, I tend to meld a dual design perspective… spaces that are relaxed yet elegant.

Buzz: Some designers find a fabric they love and use it in multiple interior projects. Thoughts?

DP: I almost never use the same fabric on different jobs. There are so many amazing fabrics out there, and it seems like more come out every day, so there’s no need to reuse the same fabric.

Buzz: What are the essentials of a warm and welcoming space?

DP: An intuitive arrangement of seating and objects. When you design with comfort in mind, the end result is warm and welcoming for the person using the space.

Buzz: Who has been your most inspirational design mentor and what influence did that person have on your own design style?

DP: There are actually two, the phenomenal Michael Taylor and also Kalef Alaton. Michael’s sense of scale and the materials he used were perfect. And Kalef I admire for his use of antiques. He and his interiors were so glamorous and chic.

Buzz: On any decorating project, what is the absolutely first thing that needs to get done?

DP: A master plan between you and your clients.

Buzz: What do you think is the biggest mistakes most clients make before they hire you?

DP: They go out and buy all their rugs and they’re invariably wrong. People think “I’ll save the designer mark-up” and in the end it costs them more.

Buzz: When you walk into a home, what are the biggest mistakes you typically see?

DP: Bad seating arrangements and non-functional pieces. I’m big on comfort and spaces that are comfortable for people to live in. An intuitive seating arrangement - the right chair in the right place - will make the person feel more comfortable in their home.

On the Spot…Buzz: What is your FAVORITE:

Color: GREEN
Luxury: MY HOUSEKEEPER ROSARIO
Song: “BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE” BY TALKING HEADS
Food: COMFORT FOODS
Magazine: ELLE DECOR
Movie: TO CATCH A THIEF
Room in your house: BEDROOM
Room to design: KITCHEN
Hobbies: Other than cooking, SPENDING TIME WITH FRIENDS
Scent: GUERLAIN CHAMADE
Vacation destination: FIJI

Buzz:  You often work with antiques in your projects and what draws you to antiques?

DP: Each has a different story to tell.

Buzz: What is the single most important antique that you’ve incorporated into one of your projects?

DP: For the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, I used a rare pair of 18th century Irish Chippendale chairs. They were magnificent and she adored them.

Buzz: What are your favorite antique accessories that you buy for yourself?

DP: Boxes: alligator, tortoiseshell, wood, I love them all.

On the Spot…Buzz : Please fill in the following blanks as to how you feel about:

Art Deco - I appreciate it, but it’s not my style
The Mid Century modern craze - also not my style
Tassels on draperies- Depends on the tassels.
Tassels on people?-Depends on the people.
Danish modern- Not for me, though the Danes are lovely people.

Buzz: What is your favorite antique and why?

DP: My favorite piece of furniture is a lamp that belonged to my great grandmother. It was an Italian majolica urn lamp and it was in her front window. Every time I visited her she would wave goodbye to me with a warm smile and that lamp sitting there. I always told her I loved that lamp and one day she gave it to me. Now every time I look at that lamp, I remember her and her smile and it’s a great feeling.

Buzz: Has your health ordeal and recovery changed your attitude about issues that come up at work?

DP: Absolutely! I learned that YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING. Be honest and authentic in your work.

Buzz Kaplan is a graduate of UCLA where he earned both Bachelor’s and Juris Doctorate degrees. Buzz began collecting antiques in the late 1970’s, while he was still practicing law and for the last 28 years has been a principal of Kaplan & Co., a consulting firm specializing in antique and other investment grade tangible asset collections. His clients have included dealers, major banks, foundations and other institutions seeking guidance in the acquisition and deaccession of 17th and 18th century European antiques as well as investment portfolios in gold, silver and platinum commodities. He is currently Executive Director of C. Mariani Antiques, Restoration & Custom in San Francisco.

By Patter Hellstrom

San Francisco art season opens with fascinating work presenting themes of texts, stories and sequence images. These book-related images emerge and draw to mind the nature of a book, ripe with mystery and chronicling narratives. Stories both reveal and conceal meaning in this season’s fall art offerings.

The reoccurring text themes are clearly visible in the digital c-print by Idris Khan at the Fraenkel Gallery. ”Thus Spake Zarathustra… after Friedrich Nietzche” is an over-sized digital photo with many text overlays creating a book. The viewer is drawn into the mysterious layers of seminal texts and musical scores combined into poetic softness. In these meditations on culture, Khan masterfully balances light and shadow. (see above).

Toomey Tourell Fine Art presents the uniquely carved books by artist Brian Dettmer. These altered books also include digital video projection and music. The work satisfies the curiosity books intrinsically hold as they allude to a book’s unfolding story in a single viewing.

Dettmer cuts into older dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, engineering books, art books, medical guides, history books, atlases, comic books, and wallpaper sample books altering both the object and it’s intention. His innovative work was coincidentally used to illustrate the New York Times article, “Words Without Borders” in the Sunday October 18th, 2009 Week in Review.

Catherine Clark Gallery in the South of Market Museum corridor challenges viewers with a unique exhibition by Los Angles artist, Sandow Birk. American Qur’an is made up of mid-sized gouache and ink paintings on paper. This work is exhibited concurrently in San Francisco and Los Angles. Then moves on to New York City in 2010, offering a new vision of Islamic art. Birk’s illustrated panels speak to the nature of being Muslim in America. This ongoing project sets the goal to illuminate the Qur’an with scenes from contemporary American life written in English. Evidence of Persian miniature painting is an influence in his depiction of Americans in daily activities. This group of illustrated panels will be complied into a book moving forward.

Gallery 16 offers up a sequenced series of text related images by Rex Ray. The artist’s acknowledged influences are diverse ranging from the Arts & Crafts Movement to textile design and Op Art. The artist is playful, sequential and productive as he bridges the gap between fine and applied art. The show promises an endless variety of shape, color, texts and texture.

By Buzz Kaplan, Decorati Contributing Antiques Editor and author of The Buzz on Antiques.

In this recession, a lot of us fret about our work or lack thereof. I’d call this “fretwork” but I can’t because that means something entirely different in antiques.

So what do I call worrying the day away? Being a “Nervous Nellie”. And I sure don’t want to be one of those, so I try to think positively and never watch the local news. But getting back to fretwork:

Fretwork is a carpentry technique of cutting thin pieces of wood with a fine-bladed saw (called a fret saw) to form shapes or patterns. The fretwork pattern might be left “open” (meaning you can see through it), as often seen on mirrors (see above) or table galleries, or it might be “blind”, meaning it’s carved into or applied to a solid surface and therefore can’t be seen through. Here’s an example of blind fretwork on the top of a English chest on chest:

And here’s a terrific 1760 English Georgian Gothic Revival mahogany tea table with open fretwork gallery, legs, and apron detailing:

Open fretwork is also sometimes backed by fabric such as pleated silk or by mirrors, as shown here on an 18th century Italian giltwood looking glass:

Fretwork was a favorite technique of Thomas Chippendale, especially on his Chinoiserie pieces. See my earlier post on  Chippendale and his furniture. Chippendale would often have multiple tiers of open fretwork stacked on top of each other. What most people don’t know is that Chippendale never duplicated any fretwork patten when he did these multiple tiered layers. On a real Chippendale piece, each layer was completely different as shown here:

Although fretwork is most commonly associated with English furniture, it was used throughout Europe and Asia as a decorative technique. Here’s an 18th Chinese Huganguali dressing cabinet and mirror stand, from the Qianlong period:

Buzz Kaplan is a graduate of UCLA where he earned both Bachelor’s and Juris Doctorate degrees. Buzz began collecting antiques in the late 1970’s, while he was still practicing law and for the last 28 years has been a principal of Kaplan & Co., a consulting firm specializing in antique and other investment grade tangible asset collections. His clients have included dealers, major banks, foundations and other institutions seeking guidance in the acquisition and deaccession of 17th and 18th century European antiques as well as investment portfolios in gold, silver and platinum commodities. He is currently Executive Director of C. Mariani Antiques, Restoration & Custom in San Francisco.