a visit to the pasadena antique center (pt. 1)

y'all know how maison21 loves the old pretty things- can't ever get enough, actually- so it follows that we've never met an antique mall we didn't like. ok, that's not entirely true- we've been to plenty of antique malls that are so full of gramma's musty ol' doilies and entirely shabby & completely un-chic antiques, that we've never felt compelled to return. one antique mall we DO feel compelled to revisit again and again, is the pasadena antique center in duh, pasadena. in fact, on our last visit several weeks ago, we took something like 178,952,843 photos of things we loved and wanted to buy, and have spent every moment since our visit, editing them down into a more reasonable number for a post or two... ;-)

how can m21 find that many things he loves and wants to buy, you ask? well, every time we shop, we are shopping for three distinct entities: group one is real clients (sadly, always the smallest number of things needed- on this trip, we were really only looking for a small ottoman, some art and a few accessories); group two is imaginary clients- 'ohhhh, wouldn't it be fun to do an english inspired gentleman's library, or a chic art deco apartment for a woman of a certain age?"; and of course group three would be moi-self, maison21 (the largest number of items found by far): "omg, omg, that is the coolest ______ i've ever seen, i NEED it for the atelier! NEEEEED!"

so here are the 10 coolest things we spotted for moi-self's personal use, as well as for our clients, both real and imagined (part two of our visit will be a peek into the spaces of our 3 favorite vendors at the mall):

loving this rocker- recovered in a black kid leather, it would be very maison jansen-esque.

we were VERY tempted by the great price on these massive art glass bookends. the "tail" of the one on the right has broken off, but a visit to brookes restoration could remove the tail from the other to have a matched set...

this leather topped occasional table was absurdly cheap, and was the piece that sparked the "english gentleman's library fantasy.

and this concrete ram would look fabulous in his garden, all overgrown with ivy. you know how m21 loves the animals, both real and decorative!

m21 was crazy for this pair of portraits- so modigliani on a budget.

lacquered parchment waterfall table goodness, and we also dig the blackamoor inspired tables- totally kitsch, but could be groovy in the right setting.

this tiny porcelain monkey table was hot, and no, we aren't over monkeys. singerie is a classic decorative theme, and if it was good enough for marie antionette, it's good enough pour moi. "let them eat bananas!"

this giant clamshell planter on a wrought iron stand would be stunning full of orchids- m21 sees it on a travertine floor in a modern bath or entry..

loved this terra cotta roman bust- the bright white glazing against the area left raw makes it super-chic; and the dorothy draper-esque side tables would be fab in our imaginary lady client's art deco inspired pied á tierre .

this pair of vintage barrel backed chairs was the item m21 most longed to bring home for himself. so. damn. chic.

so which is *your* favorite? stayed tuned for the next installment of our visit where we'll take you to the spaces of our three must-stop vendors at the pasadena antique center!

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