Category — Photo Album

Piles of creamy linen sheets in an armoire, softly scented and begging to be touched and stroked. Anyone who loves linens, will know what we’re talking about here!

Linen presses holding these stacks of linens, often monogrammed and very ornate. An old tradition in France and many European countries. Prior to the 14th century, linens were usually held in chests that could be transported more easily when changing residences. These chests became ornate pieces of furniture as people became more settled, and did not move around as much. The actual linen press as we know it today appears in 17th century paintings from Holland (linen country by excellence) showing the armoires with their white stacks.

The tradition of the ‘wedding armoire’ or marriage trousseau appears later. The armoire would be sculpted with abundance and fecundity symbols and hold the entire trousseau of the bride. Such an abundance was more than could be used in one lifetime, explaining how so many linen pieces appear to never have been used.

The word trousseau evokes images of a whole ceremonial preparation of embroidered linens (sometimes with an inventory number) with the future couple’s monogram, adorned with symbols (wheat for fecundity, roses for love etc). The trousseau was also a way to show wealth and was meant to be displayed to guests.

A lot of linens from Europe are made of linen rather than cotton, mainly because these countries (France, Belgium, Holland, Germany) are big producers of linen. Cotton is not grown in those countries, and was harder to come by and more expensive at the time.

Early 20th century catalogs from show lists of what any young woman had to prepare for her wedding. She could order the stencils she would use to draw her monogram, and run down the list that would include 12 dozen towels, 2 dozen sheets and so on. Down to the very last detail including nightdresses, but also nightdresses for pregnancy and nightdresses for breastfeeding. Even the poorest girl would start accumulating linens from the age of 8 onward. In some areas of France, tradition dictated a trousseau had to represented about 5% of the dowry! And the trousseau did not just include the linens for the bride, but also for her servants (rougher sheets for example!).

The monogram is a whole story in and of itself. It can be the monogram of the future husband (if the embroidery is done during the engagement). Or it can be the monogram of the young girl if done long beforehand (she did not usually know the name of the husband yet!). Today, it is a matter of personal preference. If you find your own monogram, that’s wonderful. A combination of husband and wife names works well also.

The embroidered monogram on a linen sheet is usually on the turn-down part (the part visible when the sheet is turned over the blanket), about 12 inches from the edge. It is most often done in heavily padded satin stitching, and adorned with flowers, leaves, curlicues and such. Only fine linen sheets and blends lend themselves to be embroidered, heavy homespuns and hemp are too thick to be handled easily. Every day sheets and bottom sheets were simply often done in red and in cross-stitch. Wedding sheets were made of the finest linen (lawn), and regular sheets of a thicker and more durable fabric. Later, cotton and linen blends were also used (called metis in French). Hemp and heavy homespuns were for servants.

There are countless books and pattern books about monograms, with designs, explanations and more. It is possible to actually see the evolution of styles through the pattern booklets offered to future brides.

We posted earlier about monograms, see this entry.

If you want to learn a lot more about French and European linens in general, by far the best book on the subject is Francoise de Bonneville’s ‘Le Livre du Blanc’. It is out of print, and most often can only be found in French but the illustrations and photographs alone make it worthwhile. There are paperback smaller editions readily available in English. The English Title is “The book of fine linen”.

The concept store, MERCI, in Paris (near the Bastille) has been written about extensively, for example here, here, and here.

But as far as I can tell, nobody has really paid attention to something quite unique Merci does: the way they use ‘found’ items to display their wares. Think Anthropologie, but then edgier. And hopefully inexpensive, so that more of the store’s revenues go to their philanthropic goals.

Their entrance has been photographed by hundreds – yesterday the car had old crates in it:

On a recent visit, a few things jump right out: crowds (in a boutigue, during the week, around 2 PM, usually a fairly quiet time). Languages (no less than 5 heard in the space of a few minutes) and the different way things are displayed.

Right by the door, awaiting being put to use, these circles held together with straps:

It was possibly going to be used in this side room. The people in here were busy folding up hundreds of brown boxes and stacking them like a brick wall

This was very cool – those pressed cardboard pallets, about 19 or 20 in all for the tallest stack, with a sheet of metal at the top

Notice the long line at the cash register in the back. The place was hopping.

The Annick Goutal perfume bar is always a draw. It’s tiled with old subway style tiles, and painted black. The lady with the sleeveless top and the winter coat made me feel cold – wasn’t she freezing?

On the way upstairs, shelving show random things. Some intriguing stools, some old books.

Here’s another stroke of genius. But if these are vintage I’d love to know where they found them!

Who says armoires have to touch the ground?

And probably the cheapest but cleverest idea of them all – put together with scraps of wood and small 1/4 section of logs, and randomly forming a great modern sculpture. Later in the day I saw something similar at Le Bon Marché. Wonder who copied who?

Here is the Merci version

and here is the Bon Marché version:

I want this door (It’s a poster!)

This is my favorite of them all. Old armoire doors, all different, attached to shelving. Random, seemingly. Some lit from within, so the light shines through the old glass doors. What a gorgeous way to create fun storage!

The merchandise is fun, funky and well priced, very reasonable really. Mostly new items, although they had a gorgeous officer’s mess picnic basket downstairs, in mint condition, with all the contents intact. I forgot to check the price but figure if I had to ask, I probably could not afford it…..

Our first holiday Open House was this past Saturday.  The store looked almost perfect, but not yet totally finished.  We’ll get there eventually, it’s such a big space!

The music is by les Petits Chanteurs d’Aix en Provence and is an old childhood favorite….

We have now resumed regular store hours, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 to 6, and there are new goodies arriving every day!  Nothing photographed can convey the actual store, please come visit!

Just a few pictures, but nothing can convey how things really look…. it’s so much better in ‘real’

More later…

Arriving in Texas for Round Top Antiques Week is always exciting. We were lucky enough to have 2 days to wander the fields, admiring the displays already set up, talking to friends and generally taking it easy before the hard work began.

This show was probably the hottest one yet. We struggled for the first 2 days as we unloaded a gigantic truck.

The booth starts as a big empty space – almost 1,000 sq ft. In an old building with a corrugated metal ceiling, wood walls, beams, and wood floors. No air conditioning, sadly. In Spring not an issue but in Fall we’d probably sell our mothers for some cooler air indoors….

Here is the space as we prepared the ‘bones’

[Read more →]