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| Zebra Cube Tables |
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| Barnsley Dining Table |
For me to really appreciate a trend, I have to look back at it’s origins, because you know the old saying that there’s “nothing new under the sun”. Trends come and go, then come back again. While on my recent trip to Blogfest in New York, I decided to take advantage of my time at Newel Antiques. The heavy hitters in the world of interior design were all there – Jonathan Adler, David Easton, Alexa Hampton, Suzanne Kasler – sipping cocktails and mingling with the crowd. But the real stars of the evening? The endless amount of treasures throughout the building. I couldn’t help but snap away and notice how many items on display involved bone inlay, or some variation of inlay, whether marquetry (wood veneer inlaid into wood) , or pietre dure (colored stones inlaid into marble) Having just been at High Point and having seen all the bone inlay trends, the wheels started spinning and my curiosity got the best of me as I ventured from floor to floor. I was so excited and didn’t want to miss a thing and even strayed from the crowd and ended up on one floor alone, where I could swear that at least a few sets of eyes in the paintings on the walls were following me around the room.
The items you see below are the inlay predecessors and perhaps the inspiration behind Bernhardt’s current collection. While the bone inlay we see nowadays pales in comparison to the amount of detail in years past, the basic premise is still the same. Modern technology, the high cost of labor, and the lack of skilled artisans all contribute to the evolution of the trends and what they have come to be today.
Above is a 19th century Middle Easter Syrian pearl inlay armchair with an ebony and ivory shaped back and cabriole leg.
Above, an Art Deco rosewood with pewter, brass, bone and ebony inlaid sunburst top with a trestle base wrapped in embossed brass.
In order to appreciate the bone inlay and the trends I see today, I look at the past and I urge you all to do the same. One gains a totally different perspective knowing the history and evolution behind the items you see today.
P.S. – I’m still working on the post coinciding with my giveaway sponsored by Valspar Paints and HGTV Magazine, so keep posted – it won’t be long!
