Holiday Sparkle
Add a little holiday sparkle to your table and your gift giving ideas with silver trays and crystal bottles. We have a wonderful selection of both antique and new pieces in the shop right now!
Read MoreTreasure Hunt
We happen to live in an area where you don’t have to travel far to come upon some wonderful auctions and even entire house sales. The Hudson Valley is filled with auction galleries, antique stores, consignment shops and flea markets. We love to take time to peruse them in order to find just the right piece for a customer or something to add to the shop. Take the wonderful red chinese table pictured here; we simply upholstered a cushion to place on top and it now is the centerpiece for a customer’s dressing room. It’s all about the hunt!
Read MoreNew William Bartsch Art
Well, we consider ourselves very lucky to have 28 new pieces of William Bartsch Art in the Shop as of last week. As the exclusive dealer for Bill’s work, all of his pieces that are for sale have now been consolidated at Bertolini & Co. If you are a Bill Bartsch collector or fan, please check out the “new” pieces now hanging in the shop and represented here on the website. There are incredible new large landscape oils, still life oil paintings and oil portraits of people, dogs and horses. There is a large selection of ink wash work, and some beautiful water colors. ...
Read MoreBamboo Goes Anywhere
It’s funny how we just can’t seem to find a place where bamboo isn’t a welcome addition to a room. One always thinks of bamboo as a very casual or an asian decorative accessory and but there are 3 species of bamboo that are native to this country and were used here in this country by native americans and european settlers alike. We have even found 200 year old American Windsor Chairs made partially of bamboo. After new species were introduced into this country in the 1880s there was a renewed interest is its usage for furniture. The strong stalks lend themselves to...
Read MoreAntique and Vintage Footstools in Fun Safari Prints
Molly is not the only one who craves a good footstool to enhance her comfort…we are on a kick of covering some newly found vintage and antique footstools in a couple of fun safari fabrics that we like. See how they modernized and emphasized the nice lines of...
Read MorePolypropylene Replacement for Sisal Carpeting
We always love to save our customers money by comparison shopping for them, but it isn’t every day that we can find a replacement product that not only is less expensive but also more resistant to wear and tear and extremely easy to clean! That is the case with the polypropylene carpeting that we have been using as a replacement for the extremely popular decorator’s choice of sisal carpeting. Sisal has long been popular as a decorating tool because it’s texture and uniformity often provide the casual or visually calming touch needed to balance some rooms. The polypropylene...
Read MoreNew Asian Treasures
Lately we have been particularly lucky to find some very beautiful and sometimes extremely rare Asian antiques to add to the treasures in the shop…so much so, that we have added an an entire page for Asian Treasures on the site that will remain comprehensive and current. Sometimes adding one Asian antique brings the flare to a room that you might be missing. Here are a few of our newest objects.
Read MoreThe Simplest Decorating Advice You Will Ever Receive
By Michael Bertolini I have been helping my customers create warm and beautiful spaces that are a reflection of themselves for over 60 years. If I were only allowed to give one piece of advice to each of them, it would be this: “Take your time, don’t rush, listen to the house”. I find that most customers are in a great rush to finish the project right away and if interior design is done in this manner, you might well miss out on the things that you will love most in the end. Additionally, it may take time to clarify your own style. Just like fashion, style is putting our own...
Read More18th, 19th and 20th Century Chandeliers
We have a wonderful variety of Continental and American, period and vintage chandeliers in the shop. They represent beautiful craftsmanship from the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries. They are all stunning, unique and in excellent condition. 1870 French Chandelier, Electrified Gasoleir 19th Century Chandelier from Siena, Italy SOLD – Pair of 1910 gilt, brass and crystal chandelier Continental Brass Chandelier, c 1840 19th Century Etched Glass Hall Light
Read MoreDecorating with Pairs at the Design Shop
January is not over yet but it’s already been a great year for finding great pairs of antique and unusual objects. We are always on the lookout for them but often one of an original pair has been separated over time or one of the pair has been broken or compromised . On their own, each of these remarkable objects below, are quite worthy of praise but when they are paired, they then add balance to the beauty they bring. We love to balance a mantle with a pair of lovely candlesticks or unusual sculptural objects such as these elephants. We believe that this pair of beautiful and rare...
Read MoreHow to Get Ready For Your First Meeting With An Interior Designer
It is the first job of any great interior designer to get to understand their customer’s personal and distinct preferences for color, textures and styles. Once that is discovered, they will then be able to translate those preferences into a beautiful room that is a reflection of the customer and not the decorator themselves. Before your first meeting with your decorator, we always recommend spending several weeks collecting pictures of rooms, vignettes, fabrics, furniture and even flowers that particularly appeal to you. Aside from tearing out pages from design magazines like Architectural...
Read More18th and 19th Century Religious Icons For Christmas
Many religious homes in Russia have icons hanging on the wall in the “krasney ugol” or “beautiful corner”. The icons are meant to educate the viewer in the teachings of the bible and are typically painted on either wood or copper. We think they are quite beautiful, as well as educational, and currently carry four examples of lovely 18th and 19th Century Greek and Russian Icons in the shop. They are perfect Christmas presents for those who wish to remember and honor the upcoming Christian holiday within a gift itself. Fun facts: The reason that creating an icon is referred...
Read MoreBertolini & Co. wishes you a very happy holiday season!
Holiday Decorating Tip… Our favorite decorating supplies are found right outside the door. When working with evergreens be generous and use variety. Don’t be afraid to add in other plentiful greens, like boxwood, for texture. Pick up those large pinecones and look for color from holly, cedar, and hypericum berries, or whatever else you have handy! We have hundreds of unique gift ideas currently in the shop. Don’t forget to tuck some of our fragrant Italian potpourri in with your gifts and stocking stuffers! Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season!...
Read MoreSymbolic Birds
Birds…they symbolize an array of positive characteristics and for centuries have been a favorite subject in art, sculpture and home decor. This is especially true for country homes in the United States where folks choose to live close to the land and nature. Bird cages (antique bird cages in particular), like the 19th century continental walnut cage pictured below, have long been a favorite decorative item because of their strong architectural and sculptural lines. They easily add interest to any corner of a room. The Indian Bronze Parrot Lamp which is featured on the home page this...
Read MoreDecorating with Beautiful Mirrors
Mirrors are quite simply the most useful yet underappreciated decorating tool readily available to all. We happen to love using them in almost every of room of the house and often using more than one in a living room, parlor, dining room or hallway might be just what we recommend. While a particular frame might lend you to believe that the mirror is intended for a certain type of décor, most mirrors are actually very timeless and versatile and will blend very well with any interior. The frame itself might just add that hint of balance or experimentation with another style of décor that you...
Read MoreIt’s time to think “Garden”
The seed catalogues started arriving a few weeks ago and yesterday I received my first garden furniture catalogue. The view on to the terrace is bare and bleak…even though we are having unseasonably warm weather. So, it’s time for me to think about what the terrace will look like come the real warm weather. The outdoor furniture I’ve been using for many years is due for a makeover. Or, maybe its time to completely rethink the look. Something more contemporary appeals. It’s the influence of all those catalogues I think. At the shop all the summer stock is bundled...
Read MoreWhat’s new in the shop?
We’ve added several new items to the shop and selected a few highlights. First, a French wire basket circa 1890, filled with blue and white porcelain balls. These are in our garden room and would make a charming addition to a sunroom. The French wire basket is priced at $275.00 and the blue and white porcelain balls (there are 18) are priced at $160.00. At a recent country auction we were fortunate to pick up an English copy of a 1750 kneehole desk in burl walnut and inlay. Probably around 100 years old this versatile piece would be at home in a bedroom, study or living room. One...
Read MoreWarwick Grove
This home in Warwick Grove was blessed with high ceilings, wonderful wood floors and a fantastic floor plan. The living room was open to both the dining area and the kitchen. We painted the walls in Farrow & Ball’s Red Earth, a warm, inviting red. The windows were treated with sheer linen curtains and a documentary print by Greeff called Calico Bird, for side panels and valances. The dining room chair pads were covered in a carmel and red check. The sofa was upholstered in a natural linen/cotton with a fine red stripe by Lee Jofa. In the kitchen we choose a Miele Hood in...
Read MoreWarwick NY – The Ketchum House
Michael Bertolini is the curator of the Warwick Historical Society. His residence is in one of the Societies properties, the Ketchum House on Church Street in Warwick. The Ketchum House was built by Aziariah Ketchum in 1810 around the same time he was hired to build the Old School Baptist Meeting House in Lewis Park, Warwick. While Aziariah was born in Warwick, he learned his trade in New York City. While there he became familiar with the local architecture of the Federal period. Consequently the Ketchum House looks architecturally like a New York City townhome. Come inside and see for...
Read MoreBeautiful breakfront – Ketchum house
Second floor pride of place is given to a wonderful breakfront
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