Yesterday, over a bowl of Rice Krispies, my 4 year old said, "Mommy, I know what an antique is... a chair you can't sit on!" My husband and I couldn't stop laughing.

Later that night, I wandered the aisles of the San Francisco Fall Antique Show and thought about his comment. Every antique that caught my eye passed through his filter, "Could I sit on it? Would I sit on it?" Price and "sit-ability" are often inversely related: price goes up, sit-ability goes down. So I focused on the art. 

Art drew me to one of the best booths of the night, Jayne Thompson Antiques. Jayne's daughter, Lori, brilliantly juxaposed thoughtfully curated English and Continental antiques with large, graphic fowl portraits by one of my favorite photographers, Paul Lange. The effect was modern and inspired.

I was also drawn to the Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge booth, which features a robust collection of woolies. Woolies are works of art sewn by British sailors during the mid to late 1800s depicting nautical scenes, often their own ship, flag or a familiar landscape. I became enchanted with this humble art, when designing my son's room that centers on a wooly I stumbled across at the Antique Swan in Austin. 

As always, Jeff R. Bridgman's collection of exquisite, antique flags is an annual highlight. And finally, I can't write about SFFAS without mentioning Sutro Architects, one of the event's sponsors. Stephen Sutro is a brilliant, San Francisco-based architect with keen eye for detail, light and scale. Selections of his work are peppered throughout this post and expertly blend classic lines with a modern sensibility.

All of this said, my son is sorta right - antiques are often not as functional as modern, mass-produced alternatives. The proportions can be off. The wood warps. And there's no doubt flags, fowl portraits and woolies fail the sit-ability test, but art - much like antiques - serve an important function in our homes. They add soul, character, texture... and like my son, they make us smile. Just check out these images for a little lift and see what I mean! XO, L