FRENCH DECORATIVE ACCESSORIES

• LIGHTING FIXTURES - Crystal chandeliers, wrought iron sconces, bronze and gilt wood candlesticks all add charming patina and soft illumination to any room, whether it is a formal dining room or living salon, or bedroom,
Increasingly one sees the use of antique lighting fixtures in less obvious places, like in today's large country kitchens. A wrought iron and crystal chandelier hanging over an antique table can tie the elements of the kitchen design together.
In today's master bathroom suites, the addition of crystal or plaster wall sconces contribute to the feeling of bien-être, which such sybaritic spaces are designed to create.
A lamp constructed of an antique gilt wood candlestick will provide a soft glow in a living room or den. If one should be fortunate enough to own an antique bouillotte lamp with "tole" shade used on the gaming table in the 18th century, that lighting fixture will become the focal point of its surroundings.

• TERRA COTTA OR WOOD BAS-RELIEFS - Occasionally one finds a bas relief from the 18th or 19th centuries featuring mythological characters, a pastoral scene or frolicking putti. These pieces are highly decorative and so sought-after that they are difficult to find. A fine piece may be used in virtually any room in the house. Depending on the scale of the piece, it could provide the "great idea" focal point for a powder room redesign.

• FAIENCE AND PORCELAIN COLLECTIONS - What is more charming in a country kitchen that an antique vaisselier (French dish rack, normally over a sideboard) filled with antique pieces of Quimper or Moustier earthenware?
We scour the lesser-known flea markets in France for antique pieces of French faience. We love to chiner (browse the flea markets) but since reproductions are continually being passed off on un-suspecting buyers, we exercise caution, especially when the price seems too good to be true. It is a mistake to assume because a piece in covered with dirt and dust that it is old!

• MARBLE SINKS - We adore using old marble church fountains for use in powder rooms with wall-mounted hardware.

• TRUMEAUX AND MIRRORS - Any interior will benefit, in our opinion, from the addition of mirrors. They reflect both the light and the beautifully decorated space on the opposite wall. Gilt wood mirrors can be either highly ornate in a Régence or Louis XV style, or simple and tailored as with a Directoire or Louis XVI style.

• For our money, even more charming and decorative are the 18th and early 19th century trumeaux, mirrors with oil paintings on the top, which were part of a wood paneled salon.

Jane Pierce Losson
Interior Design Consulting