Marjorie Cohen

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and a wonderful Labor Day holiday!

It has been busy times at Ghent Antiques. Dan was away in Washington, DC and found some beautiful new things for the store. Washington, DC has been a bustling place with the Senate’s August recess the shortest in decades and the funeral of Senator John McCain this past weekend. Here are some of the best new things from Dan’s trip!

• Balloon & Tent-eight arm crystal chandelier (circa 1930). This would be gorgeous over a formal dining room table or in a hallway entry. $1200

• Gold gilded French-four arm chandeliers (circa 1930). $995 for the pair.These fixtures are just beautiful. I imagine them over a kitchen island, or in a bathroom or hanging in a fabulous dressing room.

• Washington DC Federal style, heavy weighted brass hurricanes (use 7” candles). $225 for the pair. These would work well on a mantel, dining room table or positioned in a bookcase. They are traditional and very versatile. A great decorator’s choice as you can use them anywhere as an accent piece!

• Decorative porcelain rose topiaries (circa 1940). So sweet at 12” tall! $225 for the pair.        Nice for a fireplace mantel, bookshelves or sitting atop a few books on side table. Love the colors on the porcelain roses!
• Last but not least…Art Nouveau glass women with wine figurines (circa 1935). $225 for the pair. A modern, classy look for a mantel or shelves.

Hope you will stop by the store to see our new selection.

Ghent Antiques/Spertner Jewelers

Fine Antiques.Estate Sales

1414 Colley Avenue

Norfolk, VA

757.623.3311

Hours: M-S 10: -5:30 S 1:30-4:30

It is the last week in August already! Are you ready for September?

Here are some of the best end of summer finds at Ghent Antiques!

• Antique hand painted oyster plate from Union Porcelain, dated 1879 $495
• Framed canvas girl painting $60
• Framed canvas landscape with house $65
• Conch shell light $65
• Sea shell, light blue dish/platter by local Norfolk potter Steve Cook $125

Hope everyone enjoys this last week of summer! I am going to make it a good one!

Cheers

XO

Marjorie

Ghent Antiques/Spertner Jewelers

Fine Antiques. Estate Sales

1414 Colley Avenue

Norfolk, VA

757.623.3311

Hours: M-S 10:-5:30 S 1:30-4:30

The Art Book Sale at Ghent Antiques is still on! Books range in price from $20-$40.00

Last week I talked about great art books for coffee tables and how to stylize your coffee table.

This week I want to add to that by giving some suggestions on how to use books along with other collectibles to stylize your bookshelves.

• – In the first image, the high stack of books goes wonderfully with the eclectic boho chair. (Lyn Fisher image)

– Compartmental shelving creates plenty of options for combining art and books.

– Color code: Arranging books by color adds visual interest to a room (Rikki Snyder image).

Come on in to Ghent Antiques and have a look around. Need help with stylizing your bookshelves? Just ask Dan or contact me through this post with your questions.

The books are really a great bargain and there is still time left to enjoy some good summer reading!

Ghent Antiques/Spertner Jewelers

1414 Colley Avenue

Norfolk, Virginia

Phone: 757.623.3311

Hours: M-S 10: 5:30 S 1:30-4:30

Cheers,

XO

Marjorie

The Sale is on! Ten great Art books for sale at Ghent Antiques. The books range in price from $20-$40. The question is…what to do with all those beautiful books? Books aren’t just for shelves! Here are a few suggestions from HGTV on how to stylize your coffee table:

• Convert a coffee table into a library
  • Stack books horizontally, and create separate and distinct stacks.

• Maintain Balance
  • Tape off sections of a coffee table to form a grid and position objects within a square.
  • To keep the coffee table balance, vary the scale of the items and stack or group like objects together.

• Make Seasonal Swap-Outs
  • Rotate seasonal decorative elements. Spring-vase of tulips. Summer-place a sea conch on a stack of books for a beach vibe. Come fall-swap out the shell for a pumpkin or gourd.

• Three’s Company
  • Age old rule of three! Divide table top in three separate sections. This is especially true for long rectangular shaped tables.

• Use a Tray
  • A tray is both practical and stylish. A tray is useful for giving structure and to a free form table, anchoring items to that they don’t feel like they’re floating.

Come on over and browse the Art book sale!

Ghent Antiques

1414 Colley Avenue

Norfolk, Virginia

Phone: 757.623.3311

Hours: M-S 10: -5:30 S 1:30-4:30

Cheers,

XO

Marjorie

Hi everyone!

Ghent Antiques just received a new shipment of Claire Burke Home Fragrance Sprays and Potpourri. After sampling the new line of scents, it made me think more about scent and how it can instantly transport you to a new surrounding! I wanted to research this a little more to find out what other folks do to make their places smell amazing. Here are some tips from Jessica Matlin from Cosmopolitan:

First and foremost, make sure your place doesn’t smell-you know in a bad way. Some of the biggest culprits are mildewy towels, cat litter and stinky cooking smells.

Jessica recommends you think beyond candles! Candles are not the only way to scent your space and they are not great if you have little kids or pets running around. She suggests supplementing with sprays, essential oil diffusers and sachets!

Less fruit, more forest-Scent is very much a matter of taste. The woodsier scents have a way of “dressing” up a space so much more than the sweeter stuff. That doesn’t mean you place needs to smell like a campsite-it just means that a bit of spice, smoke or toasty finish is a way of elevating your space and making it warm.

I really like this last tip of hers-create a house scent! You can stick with one scent but I love the idea of having a couple of scents at a time. Pair something masculine with something feminine.

My Carriere Freres candle has both rose and mint scents that is just divine. You can also try pairing a gardenia candle with vanilla for a more custom scent.

Claire Burke Fragrance and Claire Burke Potpourri each $12

• Original Claire Burke
• Wild Cotton Claire Burke
• Citron Verbena Claire Burke
• Vanilla Bean Claire Burke

Stop by Ghent Antiques and try out these new Claire Burke scents!

Oh, and let me know if you come up with some interesting house scent combinations of your own! I would love to hear from you!

XO

Marjorie

Still sticking to summer themes, I want to talk about Haint Blue. As you know, I am a native New Yorker, so when I moved to Virginia about a decade ago I heard my neighbors talking about painting their porches Haint Blue. At first, I thought I was not hearing the pronunciation correctly. Were people talking about painting their porches a faint blue color?

Haint Blue is not a single color. Haint Blue refers to any number of soft pale blues from aqua to periwinkle. Its popularity for porch ceilings originates in southern folklore. Evil spirits called Haints cannot cross
water, and painting porch ceilings and doorways the color of water was a way of tricking the evil spirits into leaving a house alone.

Even if you don’t believe in evil spirits, painting a porch ceiling sky blue is a charming way of blending the indoors and outside. Atmospheric and Blue Horizon are two Sherwin Williams colors used to get the Haint Blue color.

Some items from Ghent Antiques remind me Haint Blue so here they are again!

• Framed signed canvas shore scene $65
• Antique hand painted oyster plate from Union Porcelain $495
• Haint blue painted porch ceiling

Hope we all get to dry out soon and enjoy our porches soon!

XO

Marjorie

Ghent Antiques/Spertner Jewelry

1414 Colley Avenue

Norfolk, Virginia

Phone: 757.623.3311

Hours: M-S 10: -5:30 S 1:30-4:30

Style File

July 24, 2018

The Editor in Chief at Veranda has a list of ten goals for summer. I thought his manifesto for summer was enlightening and I am sharing it with some edits of my own!

1. Keep it simple-whether it is entertaining or doing chores, don’t sweat it!
2. Immerse yourself in fun! Golf, yes! Gardening, well, I am trying to go with the flow.
3. Experts say use rainy days to clean out closets and junk drawers but I say go see a good movie.
4. Don’t overthink things. Planning is good but obsessing is entirely different!
5. Treat yourself. A splurge of ice cream on a hot day, and the world didn’t end.
6. Make merry and invite people over!
7. Savor the vitamin D along with some SPF, of course.
8. Be thoughtful and send a hand-written note.
9. Pick some flowers!
10. Inspiration is everywhere-like right here at Ghent Antiques!

These paintings at Ghent Antiques all say summer time! These beautiful scenes are hand painted, signed and framed! They are reasonably priced for canvas art. They are just the right size to hang side by side or stack two or three of them vertically on a wall. Framed canvas art makes a nice collection anywhere in a home.

• Framed canvas girl $60
• Framed canvas shore scene $65
• Framed canvas landscape with house $65

Hope everyone gets to relax and enjoy the rest of the season!

XO

Marjorie

Ghent Antiques/ Spertner Jewelers

1414 Colley Avenue

Norfolk, Virginia

Phone: 757.623.3311

Hours: M-S 10: – 5:30 S 1:30-4:30

Hi Everyone!

Mention my name, Marjorie Cohen or as Dan always calls me Margie and receive 20% off any one item at Ghent Antiques this week! *Please note that discount may not apply to some consignment items.

Now is the time to pick up some of the lovely Waterford crystal I have been writing about or those super cute and highly collectible hand painted Oyster plates! Another favorite of mine is the white damask Stickley sofa. Gustav Stickley was an American furniture manufacturer. Stickley led movement for the American Craftsman style that we still cherish today. Last but
not least, a new and very intricately designed Sheffield silver plate teapot circa 1830!

• Vintage Waterford decanters &195-$225 each
• Antique, hand painted oyster plate from Union Porcelain, dated 1879 $495
• White damask Stickley camelback sofa $2200
• Sheffield silver plate teapot circa 1830 $995

Just a note, Ghent Antiques has a Lay-A-Way option too.

Hope to see you at the store and don’t forget to mention my name for your 20% Summer Celebration discount!

Cheers,

XO

Marjorie

Ghent Antiques/Spertner Jewelers

1440 Colley Avenue

Norfolk, Virginia

Phone: 757.623.3311

Hours: M-S 10: -5:30 S 1:30-4:30

I enjoy a good glass of wine and I don’t consider myself a wine expert by any means. I recently came across an article about wines recommended by another design blogger that I found really helpful. I am sharing the article here: How to Order Wine Like a Professional.

To go along with a good wine, I recommend indulging in a Waterford decanter or two! Red wine in
a decanter just adds elegance to the experience! Waterford also produces many fine patterns of cut crystal glasses that are both beautiful and sturdy enough for everyday use.

• Two vintage Waterford decanters $195-$225 each
• Glenmore tumbler glasses-set of 6 $250
• Introduced in 1962 and retired from production. Inspired by the historic city of Glenmore where the Annaghs Tower house was built over 500 years ago.
• Crystal ice bucket $95

Cheers everyone!

XO

Marjorie

Ghent Antiques/Spertner Jewelers

1440 Colley Avenue

Norfolk, Virginia

Phone: 757.623.3311

Hours: M-S 10: -5:30 S 1:30-4:30

Style File

July 3, 2018

Tomorrow is Independence Day, also referred to as the Fourth of July or July Fourth. It is a federal holiday in the United State commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Traditionally, many people celebrate this day with picnics, parades, and fireworks, and you can join in the celebrations anyway you would like!

Spertner Jewelers recommends showing some fireworks by rocking sparkling gems in patriotic colors-rubies, diamonds and sapphires. Here are a few of Martin’s favorites!

• 14K estate ring with twelve rubies and nine diamonds in a channel setting.$1,450 special
• Diamond stud earrings, one carat total weight $3,950
• 14K Sapphire and diamond pendant necklace $575

Please note: Ghent Antiques/Spertner Jewelers have Lay-A-Way options

I hope everyone has a safe and meaningful July Fourth holiday!

Cheers!

XO 

Marjorie

Ghent Antiques/Spertner Jeweler

1440 Colley Avenue

Norfolk, Virginia

Phone: 757.623.3311

Hours: M-S 10: -5:30 S 1:30-4:30