I just finished our third consecutive month at Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta GA!
Harlan McKenna Designs is of course the business my sister Brandi McKenna (Of
She's Off Her Rocker) and I have been working hard at. Things are lining up in place and we've got everything right where we want it!
This month our booth was about twice the size as last month and we brought much more to our space. It was delightful finding out what works, what doesn't what we want, where we want it to go, what we want to create.
Here is an ATLAS jar with little tidbits of nature inside, one of a pair of vintage industrial lamps with a killer patina, a landscape by my Dad Dennis Pearson that
perfectly captures the setting sun lighting up the pines at the Farm, all in front of a Depression Era vanity mirror.
Here is a small French Provincial drinks table that I painted my own Frenchy light blue and Brandi painted the soft landscape on three panels all the way around. She did a beautiful job of designing and painting a Rococo shaped decorative frame around the landscape.
Here is one of my favorite trumeaus I made with Brandi's painting and my woodwork and hand carving. See my reflection? Okay, now see the gentleman standing next to me?
That's Robert who is the self proclaimed "Mayor Of This Place" (
and after 20+ years he is) but we call him Grumpy Bear. He has a thriving business or two, one of which puts him at Scott's every month offering up some really stunning pieces to people of taste. This is our second time being his booth neighbor and we look forward to feeding him more yummy baked goods, mixing up Greek yogurt, berries and almonds and serving it to him in a pewter goblet, listening to him tell tales of working in the graveyard for his father's mortuary business as a kid, watching his twinkley eyes dart side to side and his left eyebrow twitch when his gears are turning, taking his sage advice and agreeing with him when he says "See? I told you so! What'd I tell ya? I told ya he was gonna bore-ass ya to death over here!". He really enjoys saying "What'd I tell ya?"
I told him we're going to make him a Mayor's sash. You know the kind, like in the period movies? I want to dress him up in really pimpin' WWI era Mayor's regalia and photograph him so bad! He would look
super cool photographed like that in sepia or black & white. I'll have to ply him with more treats but just you wait...
Here is a little Colonial Revival vanity I've been working on, all set up in our booth.
Here is the rack where we display Dad & Connie's paintings. Connie is Dad's girlfriend of 20 something years, so "girlfriend" isn't the right word. She's a member of the family and a fabulous artist.
Here's one of my favorite lamps and an Art Deco urn in front of one of Connie's still lifes.
After I cut up my home made brownies and fudge and arranged it all pretty under my best cake cover, I attached this sign as an afterthought.
If I had a nickel for every time someone stopped to look longingly at the tasty treats, I'd be rich right
now! We did give them away to our booth neighbors (who really enjoyed them) and I am a softie for anyone who looks like a Dad and wants one, so I was flexible with my own rule. After lots of cutting up with Grumpy Bear I was mightily pleased to see him helping himself whenever he pleased. I said "Oh that means you
really like us now!"
He likes us enough to hire us to paint this bed on site! It was this 60's, distressed French yellow and it really looks better in this photograph than it did in real life. So this is the "before" shot.
And here is the after! The photo doesn't do it justice. We did a 4 step painting and glazing process to build a soft and rich patina in silvery-blue hues that was subtle enough to allow the strong lines of the piece take center stage.
We had a marvelous trip and it can't be covered by one blog post. So please, be patient and "stay tuned" for the next installment of HM Designs World Domination!
Jubin is a master of his trade (in addition to holding his MBA in Finance from Golden Gate University in San Francisco) and can walk you through the specs, origin, history and provenance of each piece in his showroom, leaving you wanting to see more.
The walls are all linen white, the concrete floors finished in a clear gloss, the ceiling is black and holds rows of incandescent spot lights which all serve as the perfect backdrop for the neat piles, stacks and rolls of fine are. Walking on one literally gives you the feeling that you're rich beyond your wildest.
I couldn't resist one vain self portrait with this work of art as my background.
Here Jubin weaves a tale of this Tribal beauty that was once at auction at Sotheby's.
Towards the end of the viewing there were rugs flopped out all over the floor, rugs rugs rugs rugs!
Brandi & I were held captive in this museum environment and enjoyed every minute.
Jubin's new office, towards the back is equally as tasteful and rich as the showroom itself.
