From Pigtown Design – For the next few days, the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show is taking place, and I had a chance to visit the show today, courtesy of my charming friends at Spare Room Antiques. The show is huge with almost 600 dealers participating. One of the fun things about this show is the full schedule of booth talks, ranging from how to tell good china from bad, and building an affordable collection. See the full booth talk series schedule here.

I thought I’d share some of the pieces that caught my eye, starting with the amazing flowers in massive urns that were scattered around the show floor. Each arrangement was at least five feet tall!
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One thing that struck us was the number of Flora Danica pieces that we saw. I am not sure whether you can decipher the price, but for a set of 60 pieces, the price is a cool $49,500, down from the original $104,000.IMG_2560 If you’re going to have that china, then clearly you need this silver chest to hold your silver.IMG_2586 It’s service for 24,IMG_2590with more than 800 pieces. The price is $295,000!IMG_2588 I’d have been perfectly content with this little set of mother-of-pearl handled knives and forks. Actually, it’s not unlike some that I already have.IMG_2574 If you’re dining on china like the Flora Danica and using the Reed & Barton silver, then you might think about wearing this set of jewelry.IMG_2554 Or maybe this blingy thingy.IMG_2621 One of the fun pieces we saw several times was an vintage silver plate meat platter dome, cut in half and repurposed as wall sconces.IMG_2609

I love trinket boxes and these are several that appealed to me.
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When I was mugged in April, I lost my beautiful Goyard bag, but I am sure that if I’d been carrying this one, the mugger wouldn’t have bothered to grab it.IMG_2636

I am always a fan of prints and ephemera, and this show had no shortage of that.
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One of my favourite pieces, which is hard to see, is this old metal dish rack from France. It was about three feet tall and had a row of hooks across the top for hanging teacups or mugs. Such a simple design, but such fun.IMG_2659 I am sure you’re wondering what I got at the show. Funnily, I went to a jumble sale at the Greek church next to my office right before I headed to the Antiques Show, and got some fun things there.IMG_2679But nothing I HAD to have at the Antiques show. For more information about the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show, please click here.

Read more at Pigtown Design.

Meg Fielding writes the local interior design and lifestyle blog Pigtown Design and is the past president of the Baltimore Architectural Foundation. She enjoys dual citizenship with the US and the UK.