Extraordinary Collections: French Interiors Flea Markets Ateliers

The art of collectingfrom artists palettes still freckled with oil paint, to sculpted picture frames, to a menagerie of wooden toy animalsassociating an accumulation of kindred objects is at the core of timeless French style. French artist, designer, and talented antique hunter Marin Montagut celebrates the joy of collecting everything from textiles to barware to architectural details, taking readers inside a dozen private homes, flea markets, and unusual ateliers to discover the most whimsical treasure troves in France. From a film prop houses array of leather sporting goods and playing cards to a travel buffs vintage maps and globes, and from a sculpture studios Grecian plaster casts to an amateur designers spiral staircase models, and from Montaguts own wonder wall assemblages to a cooks haven filled with porcelain dessert molds and copper potsobjects, when presented together as a series, create unforgettable interiors that radiate charm. Inspiration comes in repetition: wooden zigzag rulers with engraved numbers aligned on a wall in a herringbone pattern create an artful space. The spare wooden forms of capipotesdevotional statues used in religious processions, their eyes turned heavenward in ecstasyand silver ex-votos can be the point of departure for the theme of an entire room. Montaguts mood boards for each chapter provide endless ideas for the home.