What's New at Cupboards & Roses

Here’s another installment in Edith’s reflections her favorite things in the Berkshires. She skipped a few months while she was busy with her buying trip to Sweden and Denmark, a short but delicious visit to Mallorca, then the holiday rush. The topic this time seems just right for the new year.

One of my local favorites … Working out at Personal Best.

Personal Best, located across from Guido’s and sharing a parking lot with Great Barrington Bagels and Volunteers in Medicine (VIM), has been a lifesaver, or close to it, for me. Brian Clapp, the owner and my personal trainer, had made it possible for me to continue lifting and moving furniture with more confidence than ten years ago.

Brian specializes in one-on-one training using machines, various types of weights and other creative tortures. He watches your contortions carefully to prevent any possible injury – very important to me.

The place is spotless - you are asked to leave your street shoes outside his gym. He starts your hour with a bottle of cold water to see you through the lifting, pulling, bending, crouching and reaching. By the end, I’m most certainly ready to lie down on a comfortable mat while Brian does all the work, stretching my limbs for the last tem minutes.

Personal Best is conveniently located, and Brian will happily adapt to your schedule. In my opinion, he is extremely good at what he does!

If you want to defy aging, improve your balance and strength, and bring more zest to life, two visits a week with Brian will start you down that road.

Why not give Brian a call? And tell him I sent you.

Personal Best Fitness Studio
777 Main Street
Great Barrington, MA 01230
413-528-9286
personalbeststudio@gmail.com

For more information, check out www.personalbesttrainer.com.

We’ve always loved Veranda Magazine and we’re pleased to see that the feeling seems to be mutual. Our Made-to-Order reeded Gustavian-style commode, #110-01, has been featured in their January-February 2012 issue (see page 38 for their article on painted dressers). On-line, Veranda style director Eugenia Santiesteban Soto has included us in her “Swedish Shopping Resources.”

Thanks, Veranda!

Here at Cupboards & Roses, we’re still in the Christmas mood, so as a special New Year’s gift to our friends we’re offering free delivery within the continental United States for purchases made during the month of January. Contact us for details.

Our new shipment has arrived, and we’re busy unpacking and photographing it!  It’s the biggest container we’ve had in a while, so please be patient while we add the pieces to our web site.  Check back often over the next few weeks, and you’ll find something new each time.  In the meantime, we can still send you our preview to whet your appetite.

Edith invites you to celebrate Great Barrington’s 250th Anniversary with the Berkshire County Antiques & Art Dealers Association. 
Members of the Association are combining their expertise to bring you

The event will take place on Saturday, October 15, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm in the Old Parish House of the First Congregational Church, 251 Main Street in Great Barrington.

Admission is FREE for an appraisal of two items.  There is a $10 fee for three to five items.

Participating appraisers include:

 For the first time in many years, we’re going to a show!  Edith decided it would be good to get out of the shop on a beautiful Berkshires autumn weekend, and she signed us up for the Washington CT Antiques Show, a benefit for the Gunn Library in Washington Depot.

We hope you will come out to enjoy the weather and meet Edith at the Show.  We’ll have some of our best pieces there for you to see.

Click here for a map of Washington Depot, CT.

For those of you in our area, we are continuing our summer tradition of an “Indoor Tent Sale.”  We have moved a number of pieces into our sale area and have seriously reduced their prices.  There are chests of drawers, tables, hope chests, and lots of small items up for grabs.  No credit cards, please.

First of Edith’s reflections on the best of the Berkshires:

One of my local favorites … Dinner at Café Adam.
Very important to me, Café Adam offers a great selection of wines.  What’s equally important, they use local farm produce…whatever is in season.  I enjoy light fare – nothing with too much fat or too much sugar.  Regardless of what I eat there, I never feel stuffed.
My favorites at the moment:

• The Artichoke Caesar Salad…if I want a salad first - or when I’m in the mood to eat light, I can add roasted scallops… a great summer meal.
• Wild New Bedford Scallops…with silken parsnip, sea beans and local baby spinach…with parsnip chips and Riesling pan jus…
• Grilled Beef Tenderloin Salad…with local Equinox Farm arugula, portabella mushrooms and fried onions…with Spanish sheep’s blue, truffled aged balsamic vinaigrette.

Every restaurant I frequent should have a great calamari dish.  When on Mallorca in Spain my preference is Calamari La Plancha, but it’s not that easy to come by in the U.S.  So here I settle for fried calamari, and it’s very, very good at Café Adam.  Very lightly breaded, not “greasy,” and a wonderful sauce dip.

I generally skip dessert, but I have seen my dinner companions salivate over some chocolate fixings as well as a crucible of fruits in season.

Chef/Owner Adam Zieminski has created a welcoming space to display his original cuisine –light and airy with a laid-back feel and menus written on the walls.

Café Adam takes reservations, which are a must on weekends.  Tell them I sent you!  - Edith

Café Adam
325 Stockbridge Rd, Route 7
Suite 4   (in Whitehouse Square along with Hammertown)
Great Barrington, MA  01230
413-528-7786

For more, click on www.cafeadam.org

Edith is scheduling a buying trip to Sweden and Denmark in early September.  She says, “Should you be looking for something special, let me know.  I can always send you photos and information on pieces while I’m there.  I’ll be leaving the 6th of September, and the things I buy should be in the store in early October.”

If you’d like to add something to our wish list, just call us at 800-290-5762, or send us an email: .

We have a new container on its way from Copenhagen, full of antiques from Sweden.  Edith has been busy for months searching for great things, and she’s found a couple of period secretaries, a wonderful Gustavian bench with balustrade back, some special chests of drawers, and lots more.
 
You can request a preview by clicking here.  And check out the penguins on Page 5.

“The antiques business, which deals in the past, is being pulled into the future, as one of many sectors that are impacted by the trend towards online Internet e-commerce.

“Online commerce has not replaced the traditional ways of doing business such as bricks-and-mortar antique stores, personal relationships and word-of-mouth, or live auctions.  However, as detailed in the first part of this series in last month’s BERKSHIRE TRADE & COMMERCE, the traditional antiques trade in recent years has felt the impact of difficult economic conditions, changing demographics and other challenges.  The emergence of online commerce is further reshaping the dynamics of the antiques marketplace in ways that present both challenges and opportunities for dealers.

“Over the past decade, an increasing share of the sales and purchases of antiques is taking place online, through individual dealers’ websites and Internet auctions.

“For dealers, the Internet has been a double-edged sword, bringing both new opportunities and challenges.

“The most obvious advantage for dealers is the ability to expand their potential market beyond the physical limitations of their own regions.  With the Internet, even a small dealer can reach a national and global marketplace.

“On the flip side, it has brought a new dimension of competition to individual dealers by offering customers access to sources of antiques throughout the world.  Rather than being limited to visiting dealers in their own region, or having to travel to areas with concentrations of antiques stores, consumers can now browse and buy online from an infinite array of sources.
“Antiques dealers have widely varying opinions about this trend, ranging from an enthusiastic embrace of online commerce to pragmatic acceptance to outright resistance.

“They have also adapted in differing ways.  Most antiques businesses have incorporated some aspects of online sales into their operations, such as the use of email and a promotional website.  But, beyond that, there are many variations and levels of involvement in e-commerce.

“Some dealers, for example, simply use their website as an electronic calling card or billboard, to publicize their location, specialties and other basic information.  They may also use it to promote special items or sales.
“Other dealers take it further by including an extensive catalog of their merchandise, along with mechanisms for online purchasing.

“The Internet has also spawned a new generation of dealers who deal exclusively online.

“One strong believer in the value of e-commerce is Edith Gilson, owner of Cupboards and Roses at 296 S. Main St. in Sheffield and president of the Berkshire County Antiques and Art Dealers Association.

“While on-site display and sales activity in her Sheffield store continues to be an important core of her business, online sales through her website www.cupboardsandroses.com to national and international markets are now a significant portion of her sales.

“Gilson credits this with helping her business to withstand the impact of the economic downturn, and even to grow despite the difficult recessionary market.  ‘It has made a huge difference for me,’ she said.  ‘If I had not made the investment in a website, my business might not have survived.’

“As owner of a business that specializes in Swedish painted furniture and other items from Europe, Gilson noted that the Internet is a good fit because it links her with people interested in her niche throughout the world.  She noted that she was an early adopter of online commerce, and she placed substantial effort into establishing an Internet presence before it became widespread.

“‘Five or six years ago, people thought I was crazy to invest so much into a website,’ she said.  ‘They did not think it would be an effective way to sell.  But today the Internet is a major source of sales.  Now, dealers recognize that if they don’t have a good website, it will hurt their business.’

“Alex Sarbib, co-owner of Le Trianon Fine Art and Antiques at 1854 N. Main St. in Sheffield, believes the Internet is a useful tool but not a panacea.

“‘I think the Internet can be very beneficial, but it also depends on what you’re selling,’ he said.  ‘It also requires a lot of additional work.  Unlike a physical store, you can’t simply place an item on the sales floor and talk to customers about it.  You have to build a database with photographs and complete descriptions and constantly update them, as well as handle inquiries and orders.’

“Sarbib’s parents, Colette and Jean Henri, started Le Trianon in New York in 1978 and moved the business to Sheffield five years later.  The business launched a website www.letrianonantiques.com about 10 years ago.

“Today, Sarbib said, online commerce is an important part of their operations, but primarily as a supplement to traditional interactions.  He estimated that online activity currently accounts for somewhere around 20 percent of their business.

“‘It has helped us to grow from being strictly a regional business to one that deals nationally and internationally,’ said Sarbib.  ‘It enables us to show and sell items to people who might never actually come to Berkshire County.’

“(Le Trianon also now has a branch in San Francisco.  ‘Basically, my brother wanted to move to San Francisco, and that gave us an opportunity to have a presence on both coasts,’ Sarbib said, adding that the company’s website and online presence provide a virtual bridge between the two locations.)

“Sarbib believes the Internet is most useful for items that have potential appeal to a geographically broad base of customers.  ‘It’s less of a factor for an item that is primarily of local interest,’ he said.  ‘But it can be very helpful for items that are of interest to people in other locations.’

“He added that for buyers it is a double-edged sword.  ‘It has made it easier for customers in some ways, but also made it harder in others,’ he said.  ‘Instead of just competing with buyers in their own area for an item, on the Internet they may be competing with people all over the world.’

“Although Le Trianon’s business continues to be based more on traditional approaches to sales and marketing than on the Internet, Sarbib acknowledged that online commerce is changing the antiques market in fundamental ways.

“’We’re able to continue to primarily do business through our store and client relationships because we were already an established business before the Internet,’ he said.  ‘But if I were starting now, I don’t know if it could be done in the same way, because so much has changed.’

“As a market that deals with tangible items that also have intangible qualities and appeal, there is a paradox between antiques and the detached and virtual nature of online commerce.

“Sarbib believes that many people still want to see items and buy them in person, but they also use the Internet to make the process more efficient.

“’For example, many of our customers are professionals like interior designers in this region, and they are often looking for particular items for a client,’ he said.  ‘Before the Internet, they had to visit or call many antiques dealers in the region to find what they were looking for.  Now they can use the Internet to see which dealers have it.  So they still do their examination and buying in person, but the Internet saves them time.’

“Meanwhile, for other types of customers, antiques shopping is traditionally associated with experiences such as weekend afternoons spent visiting shops, savoring the ambiance, chatting with the owners and seeking out items that make a connection with them.”

Edith is busy filling a container with our next shipment of Swedish antiques.  She’s found a couple of great Swedish clocks, a wonderfully carved Swedish chest of drawers, a pair of primitive carved wig stands, the jardinière below, as well as tables, chairs, sideboards….

Watch for the preview soon.

“Antiques dealers have definitely been affected by the economy,” said Edith Gilson, current president of the Berkshire County Antiques and Art Dealers Association (BCAADA).  “But I’d say that a more fundamental change has been due to the Internet.”

“In general, the level of sales and walk-in traffic for dealers is certainly not what it was several years ago,” said Gilson, who owns Cupboards & Roses at 296 S. Main St. in Sheffield, and antiques business specializing in Swedish painted furniture and other items from Europe and Scandinavia.  “We’ve all had to contend with that.”

Gilson attributed this primarily to the economy and the downbeat public mood about other issues.

“Antiques are not an essential purchase,” said Gilson.  “Consumer confidence is important, because when people are worried about the future they are more reluctant to buy non-essentials.  With all of the negative news lately, that confidence had not been there.”

Gilson believes that the antiques market is also experiencing a residual effect of the years of the real estate boom.  “With the expensive prices people had to pay for houses back then, they often have not had enough money left over for added expenses like antiques,” she commented.

Nevertheless, Gilson noted that recently there have been signs of improvement.  “I’m more optimistic now than I was in the spring, because the activity for many dealers this summer was much better than expected,” she said.

Gilson noted that the market for art has also stayed relatively strong.  “European buyers are investing in art, and that has helped works of art to maintain their value,” she said.
However, the antiques business is also subject to the larger uncertainty about the timing and extent of recovery.  The shape of the market will also be affected by whether the present economic turbulence is simply the latest version of the perennial cycles or is a symptom of underlying structural socio-economic changes.

Gilson said she is concerned about the potential deeper trends in the economy and society in the United States.

“Something quite disastrous has happened to the middle class,” she said.  “The poor have become poorer and their numbers are increasing.  The middle class is being squeezed and is shrinking.  That is a real soci0-economic problem.

 “There will always be a segment of wealthy buyers, but the middle class have the greater numbers.  If America is not able to sustain a middle class, everything will be adversely affected, including the market for antiques.”

Earlier this year, the BCAADA launched a campaign called Antiques are Green.  “Antiques are relevant to today’s interest in sustainability, and that’s a message we hope to convey to younger people,” said Gilson.

Despite the present economic challenges, Gilson also emphasized that there have been silver linings and some signs of improvement recently.

And, despite the belt-tightening and some casualties among dealers, the antiques business in the Berkshires overall has held its own during these difficult times.

Swede Dreams!

That’s the headline our Imperial Style bed received when featured in the “Elements” section of the September/October issue of New England Home magazine.
 
For several years now, this has been our most popular style of reproduction Swedish bed.  Our clients have purchased versions with and without footboards and in sizes from twin to king.  Most recently, we’ve made a king size version to go to North Carolina along with a cornice from which fabric will flow to drape the bed.

You can learn more about our reproduction beds here, or visit the magazine on-line here.

Our Mora clocks are famous!

We’ve just received our copy of Heather Smith MacIsaac’s new book Lars Bolander’s Scandinavian Design, and eight of our clocks are featured in the section on Mora clocks.
 
MacIsaac has put together a beautiful survey of the signature features of Scandinavian design – clean, elegant lines, delicate color schemes, and spaces full of light, air, and natural materials.  Bolander, one of Sweden’s leading designers, contributes his thoughts about using Scandinavial elements in any décor.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy for your own library, it’s available here.

Edith is back from her recent buying trip, and all of her fabulous finds are on their way from Copenhagen.  We expect them to arrive in the store on Friday, October 8th.  They’ll be ready for your visit by the weekend.

We will be receiving several great pieces of Swedish folk art, including a pair of hand-painted mermaids from a fisherman’s cottage.  There are a couple of sets of dining chairs, some wonderful small tables, and a few charming small mirrors – among many other pieces.

To request a preview, just click here.

We just got word that our new container is in port and will be delivered to us on Thursday. We’ll begin putting the items up on our web site on Friday, but the preview is still available for the impatient.

Edith has found three beautiful painted writing desks, and several nice dining tables, but we are especially happy about a German paint-decorated armoire. The photos we have isn’t good enough to share here, but we can tell you that it’s the best example of this folk art form that we’ve seen on the market in years.

We’ve just finished a wonderful custom commode for a flat screen television. It is a replica of a high Gustavian three drawer chest with a lift for the television concealed behind the drawers. The lift mechanism comes with a clever little remote control so that you can raise or lower the TV from your bed. For more details, click here .

If you’ve had an idea for adapting an antique form to modern uses, please let us know. We’d love to help you realize it.

Our new shipment has arrived, and we’re busy unpacking and photographing it! Please check back often over the next few weeks as we add pieces to the web site. In the meantime, here are a couple of photos to whet your appetite.

Edith Gilson, in collaboration with our cabinetmaker (who also works in steel), has created this new Sundial dining table.  The geometric double base supports an oval top of repurposed steel.  It was specifically designed in response to a client’s request for a kitchen dining table and provides comfortable legroom to seat six.

We also have our round Sundial table, with a 29” diameter, in stock again.  In this batch, the tops were made of steel from the locks of the Erie Canal.

To see the original round Sundial table, click

Edith is in the final stages of assembling our next shipment of Swedish antiques. She’s found a wonderful pair of jardinières, a couple of outstanding chests of drawers, an early clock in original paint, a selection of tables and chairs, and – just for fun – these three Swedish horses.

Watch for the preview soon.

Our most recent shipment just left Copenhagen and should be in the store around November 7. Edith has found several nice clocks, three beautiful mirrors and some great sideboards just in time for holiday entertaining. We’re especially happy with two secretaries, both circa 1800 but with totally different looks.

Stay tuned.

What a surprise today when Edith picked up the new quarterly Gladys Magazine and found four of our antiques featured in their “Nostalgic Gift Guide” on page 94 of the 2009 Holiday Issue!

Gladys Magazine is a print and online source dedicated to helping busy women of all ages create & inspire change. With an editorial philosophy of positive encouragement and motivation, the magazine is dedicated to anyone who has been inspired to pursue their dreams by someone they love. Click here to see them online.

By the way, Edith is inspired by excellence and the natural world.

Our good friends Rhonda Eleish and Edie Van Breems have just published their second book, Swedish Country Interiors, and we are honored that that they have selected Edith’s home for inclusion.

The Swedish style has enjoyed great popularity in recent years. In this new volume, Rhonda and Edie show fifteen homes, each with its own interpretation of Swedish country and its emphasis on light, comfort and elegance. The mix of old and new, the bright color palette, and the painted clocks, furniture and bonads are shown in settings from New England to California to Florida.

Rhonda and Edie maintain a blog, that is dedicated to “discussion on the decorative arts, antiques, culture and lifestyle of Sweden that all combine to create what we know as ‘Swedish Style’." The book can be purchased from Amazon by clicking here. If you would like a copy signed by Edith, click here fore more details.

This past year has been a difficult one for many, and as we enter into the Berkshires’ most beautiful season, we would like to offer our customers something fun and festive. Cupboards & Roses, along with seven neighboring and very special antiques shops, will kick off a Celebration of Antiques & Fine Dining with a wine and cheese reception on Saturday, October 10, from 4:00 – 7:00. During the sixteen-day Celebration, we will include a $100 gift certificate for dinner at the Old Mill Restaurant in nearby Egremont with a purchase of $2000 or more. This won’t be your average wine & cheese – lots of special goodies – so If you would like an invitation, just click here .

The Berkshires are known everywhere for our beautiful fall foliage, but just as special is the concentration of antiques shops with great depth of inventory in their areas of specialty. For example, Corner House Antiques has one of the country’s best collections of antique wicker, Susan Silver Antiques is well known for English library pieces, and of course, we have a large selection of 18th and 19th century Swedish painted furniture. We hope you will join us for a fall antiques ramble.

Louise Devenish has posted an interesting overview of the history of painted furniture in her blog, “Louise’s Papers” on the website 1stDibs. Ms. Devenish AAA, Appraiser, Antiques Consultant, and Decorative Arts Professor has been a prominent member of the art and antiques community for over thirty-five years, and for the past fifteen years, she has conducted classes in antique connoisseurship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Take a look at this interesting survey here .

The 61st Annual Sheffield Antiques Show is here! This Berkshire County tradition – and the longest continuously running show in Massachusetts – is being held this year on August 7, 8, and 9 in the Mt. Everett Regional High School on Berkshire School Road, here in Sheffield. Proceeds benefit the Old Parish Church. There is wheelchair access, and this year the show is air-conditioned.
(Photo courtesy John Brush. )

Our most recent shipment has been unloaded and photographed, and all the pieces are now on our web site. Take a look around, and if you have questions about any of these great Swedish antiques, send us an email or call us toll free at 800-290-5762.

We look forward to hearing from you.

ANTIQUES SHOW AT THE JENNIFER HOUSE COMMONS

....This is the second in a new series of shows in the Berkshires, to be held August 1 and 2 on Route 7 in Great Barrington, MA ( 420 Stockbridge Road). The show is inside the Yellow House at the back of the driveway on the South side.

The first of these shows was very successful because of the variety and quality of the merchandise.

Looking for something special to do this summer? The Berkshires Arts Festival is scheduled for July 3, 4, and 5 at Ski Butternut in Great Barrington.

Now in its eighth year, the Festival has become a Berkshire tradition attracting thousands of art lovers who come to the Berkshires for theater, dance, music, and art. Founded by Richard and Joanna Rothbard, owners of An American Craftsman Galleries, the juried Festival attracts top artists from all across the USA and Canada.

There will be live demonstrations and workshops by some of the 175 artists and craftspeople showing, as well as great food and live music. The show is held, rain or shine, under large tents, inside the air- conditioned lodge, and outdoors.

The Festival in only 15 minutes north of Cupboards & Roses. We’ll be open all day Friday and Sunday, and 12 to 5 on the Fourth. We would be happy to have you stop by.

We’re putting together our next shipment, and Edith has already found a number of great pieces including this clock with its original painted surface.

If you have been having trouble finding the perfect piece for your home, please let us know. There is still time for us to contact our Swedish sources for you. (Our toll free number is 800-290-5762.)

Our container is scheduled to leave on Friday, June 19, and we expect to have the new things in the store by mid-July. Watch for our preview as the time gets closer.

We’re cleaning house, and starting Saturday, May 23rd, we’ll be selling our odds and ends in one big Indoor Tent Sale.

We’ve found Austrian ceramics, both new and old; painted hope chests; baskets, planters, and containers; hand-crocheted afghans and needlepoint pillows; antique cupboards; even a vintage red sequined dress.  The more we rummage, the more we find!

Why not stop in any day but Tuesday, May 23rd to May 31st, 10 to 5?  You never know….

The Sheffield Historical Society has mounted a new exhibit, Antique Hats, which can be seen at the Old Stone Store here in Sheffield weekends from May 16 to June 21.  Hours are 10 to 2 on Saturdays and 11 to 3 on Sundays.

We’re proud to say that one of our pieces, a German box from 1800, is part of the exhibit.  This box would have been placed in a storage truck on cupboard by a lady and used to hold her bonnets and other small items.  The painted decoration is charming: a young woman is seated between her suitor and her mother, who says to him (roughly translated), "You look good, but can you speak from the heart?"

The Old Stone Store is just a half mile north of Cupboards & Roses on Route 7 in Sheffield.

The BERKSHIRE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2009 is coming to Great Barrington, MA, May 14 thru May 17. This year, the film festival will screen over 70 US and international independent feature films, documentaries, and shorts from thirteen countries.

Why not plan a visit to the Berkshires that weekend, take in some great films, make a visit to our store, and complete the day with a meal at    in Great Barrington?

Lunch and brunch featuring Parisian street food and European classics are served from 11-3, and dinner is fine dining with a menu that features local ingredients and which changes almost every week. There’s a strong European wine list with many selections available by the glass.

Outdoor dining is available, a perfect way to celebrate Spring: good food, good wine, and the sun on your face!

Cupboards & Roses will be closed on Easter Sunday, April 12. Our entire new shipment is now on our web site, so why not shop on line.

If you would rather see our pieces in person, we will be here as usual, 10 to 5, all the rest of Easter week. To visit on us on Sunday, please call us at 800-290-5762 to arrange an appointment.

We wish you the best of the Passover and Easter holidays.

Our new shipment is due to arrive in the store on Monday, March 9th, with a number of Gustavian and Gustavian-style pieces, three clocks, and a very nice black-painted baroque secretary. We’ll be putting the pieces onto our web site over the following two weeks, but you can get a preview of some of the pieces by clicking the link in the upper right corner of our home page.

This winter, Cupboards & Roses Antiques will observe the following hours:

Open: Thursday through Monday, 10:00 to 5:00
Closed: Tuesday and Wednesday.

Of course, you can always reach us by email or by leaving a voice message. We check our messages and reply every day.

And when it’s cold and snowy, one of our favorite places to dine is the Old Inn on the Green in New Marlborough, MA. The dining rooms, furnished with mahogany tavern tables and worn Windsor chairs, are lit entirely by candlelight, and there is a cozy fire in each room. The $25 prix fixe Winter Welcome Menu is one of the best bargains in the Berkshires. For more information, give them a call at 413-229-7924 or visit www.oldinn.com . You can also email the owner, Peter Platt, at mailto:pplatt@oldinn.com. And tell him we sent you.

Winter has settled in here in the Berkshires. For the first time in several years, we’ve had an early snow cover, and with our very low temperatures, it looks like it will stay through the winter. Under the frozen blanket, we know that preparations for Spring are underway. Inside, we are working with our Swedish sources to put together some special pieces for our Spring shipment. We hope to have them here in March.

Meanwhile, we invite you to pay us a visit. The area skiing is great (check it out here ). And if you prefer something less strenuous, Canyon Ranch Lenox is our favorite place to spend a few days unwinding. In either case, we look forward to welcoming you into our store.

Our new shipment is due to arrive in the store on Thursday, October 9th, and it’s the biggest one this year. Edith seems to have had storage in mind while buying for this container. In addition to this cabinet with its great patina, we will be receiving four more large cupboards, six sideboards, five chests of drawers, and two writing desks. There are also lots of seating and a good selection of interesting smaller things. Just click on the button at the top of the page to request a preview.

Our new shipment is due to arrive in the store the week of July 20th, and we think you will like what we’ve found. Besides this wonderful pair of early Swedish chairs, we will have three nice center tables, two smaller tripod tables, a highly decorative pair of Gustavian centennial settees, and a collection of 18th century Chinese export famille rose plates. And that’s just for starters!

We are absolutely thrilled that 1st Dibs, the great on-line antiques resource has posted a special feature, Antiquing in the Berkshires. Susanna Salk from 1st Dibs toured our area and has reported on what to do, where to eat and where to stay, as well as on the Berkshires antiques dealers who display their wares on 1st Dibs.

This will be seen by designers and antiques lovers throughout the world! Click here to join them and learn what’s hot in the Berkshires. And the photo of Cupboards & Roses Antiques will give you a good idea just what our store is about.

The Berkshire Visitors Bureau is celebrating its 70th anniversary by showcasing 70 of our top cultural and recreational attractions at the Berkshires Summer Expo on Tuesday, April 29, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza, Pittsfield.

Edith will be there to tell everyone about the wonderful collection of antiques dealers and art galleries that have made the Berkshires home.

Summer is a great time to visit our part of the world. The weather is fine, the hills are beautiful, and there’s lots to do. Take in some music while picnicking on the lawn at Tanglewood . See some of the best dance in America at Jacob’s Pillow . Catch a play at the Berkshire Theatre Festival .

And of course, come to see one of the best collections of Swedish painted furniture this side of the Atlantic. We look forward to meeting you.

Recently we were contacted by one of our favorite clients.  She and her family had outgrown their much loved home and were moving to roomier digs in the same community.  The only problem was that they were leaving behind a very special fireplace surrounded by 17th century Dutch blue and white tiles.  Could we possibly help her find the same tiles for her new, much larger fireplace?

These tiles are not easy to find, and certainly not in the number required for this installation – almost 10 dozen!  We contacted our sources in Sweden, and someone knew someone who met someone at an auction….  Before we knew it, we had an email from a German gentleman who has a specialty tile business with his mother, selling both new and antique tiles.  He was able to find enough Dutch figural tiles to recreate our client’s beloved fireplace – and even sent a photo of how they would look when arranged! 

Our client is thrilled, and we are pleased that we could help. 

Oh, and we now have a source for antique tile stoves!

Our next shipment has left Copenhagen and is due to arrive in New York on April 7.  We’ve found some great bonads, four wonderful carved Swedish horses, and some great paint decorated Austrian armoires and chests of drawers.  Please let us know if you would like us to send you a preview.

Here’s one of the armoires that we particularly like.

Our new shipment is in the store and on our web site! Our new items include lots of chairs, including a great set of four in carved oak. Be sure to check out the Rococo cabinet with pull-out work surface!

This winter, Cupboards & Roses Antiques will observe the following hours:

Open: Thursday through Monday, 10:00 to 5:00
Closed: Tuesday and Wednesday.

Of course, you can always reach us by email or by leaving a voice message.  We check our messages and reply every day.

We are proud to have one of our bonads featured on the cover of this month’s Berkshire HomeStyle magazine.  In keeping with the festive season that begins in November, the editors have chosen a pair of musicians from a wedding bonad.
 
You can find the Berkshire HomeStyle at locations throughout the Berkshires and nearby New York, or check it out online by clicking here .

In the same issue, there is a feature article about the Swedish style which focuses on the home of one of our favorite clients.  Click here to read the article and see some of her lovely rooms.

Our new shipment is in the store!  We have three new Mora clocks, some beautiful servers and chests of drawers, and a great new rococo cabinet.  For those of you who can’t make the trip to Sheffield, we are posting some of the new items each day.  Stop by often for some virtual browsing.

Our Summer Shipment has finally arrived after more than two weeks in the hands of US Customs!  We are posting the pieces here on our web site as quickly as we can, but if you are looking for something special, don’t hesitate to contact us.
 
We love our new paint decorated Mora clock and our new chatol , a writing desk with integral clock .  We also have new horses, lots of chairs and benches, and several rococo tables.   Stop in for a look.  We’re here from 10 to 5, every day except Tuesdays.

21st Century Art Meets 18th Century Painted Furniture

Colorful illuminated globes that function as lighting created by artist Yura Adams will be on display at Cupboards & Roses Antiques in Sheffield during the month of August.  Constructed of cast paper and resin, the large round forms will fill the open space above the 18th and 19th century painted furniture in a provoking mix of contemporary and historical design. 

The imagery on the globes is figurative and depicts human faces, animals, and other contemporary cultural symbols that have been created with painting, drawings, digital images, and photographs applied directly to the surface.  The result is a collage of light, color, and form in each unique piece which, as a group, creates a distinctive installation.  The show will also include globes inspired by the beautiful hand-painting on the furniture in the shop and created specifically for the show.

About the Artist
Yura Adams hold a BFA and MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, has shown her work as a painter and intermedia artist throughout the United States, and is represented in both corporate and private collections.  She is a recipient of two NEA grants and has most recently shown her work at the John Davis Gallery in Hudson, NY, which represents her.  She has taught art at IS183 in West Stockbridge, MA, Columbia Greene Community College in Hudson, NY, and RISD in Providence, Rhode Island.

Opening and Exhibition Hours
The public is invited to view the works at Cupboards & Roses during store hours and to meet the artist at the opening on Saturday, July 28th from 4 until 7 pm.  Cupboards & Roses is located at 296 South Main Street, Route 7, Sheffield, MA.  Store hours are 10 until 5, every day except Tuesdays.

For more information, visit www.cupboardsandroses.com or contact Cupboards & Roses Antiques at (413) 229-3070.

Our Spring Shipment has arrived and is now in the store, and we are posting the pieces here on our web site as quickly as we can.  We are especially excited about the five new Mora and Swedish clocks.  We also have a great painted iron shop sign for a Scandinavian café and several black Gustavian chests of drawers.  Stop in for a look.  We’re here from 10 to 5, every day except Tuesdays.

Our new shipment has arrived in the store, just in time for holiday shopping.  We’ve begun adding our new pieces to the web site and should be finished with this process by Monday evening.

In keeping with this dark time of year, we have a new Swedish chandelier and several unusual pairs of candlesticks.  Our new Danish horse and our Spanish colonial mannequin would look great in any holiday setting.  We’ve also found two new bonads, a wonderful old Swedish secretary, and a couple of cupboards with original painted decoration.

We hope you will have a chance to visit us here in the Berkshires, but if that’s not convenient, we invite you to enjoy browsing here.

Once again we are honored to be included in Cottage Living Magazine’s list of “100 Best Shop Picks for 2006.”   Check out the entire issue online at www.cottageliving.com , or better yet, find a copy at your local newsstand.

Fall is here, and the leaves in the Berkshires are starting to change.  The swamp maples are already wearing their deep maroon colors, but it will be several weeks before the sugar maples turn to gold.  Keep up with the changes and plan your “leaf-peeping” trip with the help of the Leaf Chief at the Berkshire Visitors Bureau by clicking here . 

Please be sure to stop in to see us when you’re in the area!

The Berkshire County (Massachusetts) Antiques and Art Dealers Association , of which we are a member, was featured in the Summer 2006 issue of Passport Magazine.   The article profiles several member shops (including us) and provides a good sense of the offerings in our area.  You can read it here.

Passport Magazine is published four times a year by the Litchfield County Times and focuses on area around the Connecticut-Massachusetts-New York border.  It’s available free throughout the area or by paid subscription.  We recommend it.

Our newest shipment has arrived and will be added to the web site over the next few days.  We’ve found three wonderful clocks, one build into a chatol, or writing desk.  The one pictured is 18th century, given as a birth gift, then painted in honor of the girl’s wedding 17 years later.  We also have two great center tables, a settee and three sets of chairs, and a writing desk in white paint.  And for the first time in a while, we’ve located a German painted armoire with its original swiveling clothes pegs.  Please stop by the store to take a look or, of course, visit us here.

We are honored to have been featured in “The Thrill of the Hunt,” a survey of antiques and antiquing in the Berkshires published in Berkshire Living home+garden magazine.  Author Gladys Montgomery says, “Sheffield may have more antiques stores per capita than any other town in New England.  Savvy antiquers also know that the Berkshires are a hub for antiquing in a wider geographic region….You’ll find more antiquing in the Berkshires than you ever bargained for!”  You can read the article here.

You can request a copy of the premiere issue of this annual supplement to our favorite read at www.BerkshireLivingMag.com .  While you’re there, we recommend a subscription.  Since its first issue in December, 2004, it has showcased the cultural events, natural beauty, and eclectic personalities of our area.

The 58th Annual Sheffield Antiques Show is coming up!  This Berkshire County tradition – and the longest continuously running show in Massachusetts - will be held this year on August 11, 12, and 13 in the Mt. Everett Regional High School on Berkshire School Road, here in Sheffield.  Admission is $6, and proceeds benefit the Old Parish Church.  There is wheelchair access, and this year the show is air conditioned.  While Cupboards & Roses is not exhibiting, we’re just around the corner on Route 7.  We hope you will stop in to see us after you’ve been to the show.

Our new shipment has been released by Customs and is here in the store.  We’ll be adding the new items to this site over the next few days.

This is one of the two horses we received, a black painted Danish prancer from about 1850.  He joins our stable of Scandinavian carved horses which you can view here.

Here in the Berkshires, our spell of cold, wet weather has ended, and we’re looking forward to a warm and sunny Memorial Day weekend.  Just as a reminder, Cupboards & Roses Antiques will be open 10 to 5 every day all weekend, including Monday.  This just might be a perfect time to visit us!

Our new shipment arrived at the end of April and much of it has been sold.  Our next shipment will leave Scandinavia on Friday, May 26th, and should be in the store by June 20th.  We’ll be receiving three early Swedish commodes, a pair of night stands, a wonderful early clock, a library, lots of chairs, as well as this charming 19th century tray table with a faience top.

Our next shipment has left Copenhagen and is due to arrive in New York on April 24.  We’ve found three bonads, three tall case and one wall clock, several pairs of candelabra and sconces, as well as chairs, benches and case pieces.  Here’s a 19th century gilded French mirror that we particularly like.

“Indies” come to the Berkshires with the first BERKSHIRE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, May 12-14, in Great Barrington, MA.
 
BIFF will showcase not only the latest in independent feature, documentary, short, and family films, but also lively panel discussions and special events focusing on filmmakers and talented artists from both sides of the camera.

For more information, take a look at www.biffma.com.

We’ve added a toll-free number to make it even easier for our U.S. friends to contact us about our antiques.  If you have questions about any of the pieces featured on our web site, please call us at 1-800-290-5762.

If you should get our answering machine, be sure to leave your name and phone number.  We will call you back as soon as we get your message.

We’ve just received a small shipment of Swedish pieces and will be posting them on our web site over the next week.  We are most excited about a pair of Swedish candle mirrors from the mid-nineteenth century.  They have a wonderful presence, with the original silver gilt surface and eagles at the top.

We’ve also received a large bonad that hung in the gable end of a Swedish house.  It was painted by Abraham Clemetsson who worked with his father in the Allbo- Kinnevalds school, painting mural-like wall hangings.  We especially like his depiction of exotic animals which he had never seen in the flesh.

Country style comes straight to the city in the February issue of Vogue Magazine .  The “Index Checklist” (pages 263-264) includes two of our favorite pieces, a blue bride’s box with painted tulips and a wonderful Swedish side table with an unusual faceted pedestal base. 

Thank you, Cottage Living Magazine, for including Cupboards & Roses Antiques in your Web Bonus list of favorite shops. 

If you don’t know this publication, check it out at www.cottageliving.com.

Our clocks are famous!  They have been featured in Berkshire Living Magazine, inaugurating a new monthly feature “AntiquesHome”.

We recommend Berkshire Living Magazine to all our friends.  Since its first issue in December, 2004, it has showcased the cultural events, natural beauty, and eclectic personalities of our area.  Pick up a copy at your local newsstand, or subscribe at www.BerkshireLivingMag.com.

Click on the image on the right to read the feature story.

We have a new shipment arriving within the next few days.  There is a very special Swedish clock cabinet coming, as well as number of Gustavian pieces, most in white paint.  Please stop by the store or our web site to take a look

We’re in Vogue !

Our German dower chest #32-37 is featured on page 371 of the October issue of Vogue Magazine as a wedding gift fit for a princess!  The photo illustrates an article about the recent wedding of Fürstin Vanessa von Bismarck to Maximilian Weiner.  When the editors at Vogue asked the Princess what she would like as a wedding gift, she requested a traditional German dower chest.  This particular chest is an exceptional example, with its paintings of the bride’s family and of the happy couple.  Best wishes, Princess!

Our next shipment is packed and on its way from Copenhagen.  It should arrive here at the store middle of October, just in time for Leaf Peeping.  We have our fingers crossed that we won’t be selected for personal customs inspection, which delays delivery by at least a week.

We have found 3 new Swedish horses, several wonderful servers, Scandinavian chairs, Swedish sofa benches, and a Mora clock in original blue and salmon paint.  We are especially excited about a Bavarian Reiterschrank (an armoire with painted horsemen) and an early chest of drawers with wood graining and marbleized top.