When I recently took a trip to Stamford to attend a talk by Chef Paul Gerard at Third Place at Half Full Brewery, I made a plan to explore the neighborhood a bit on my way. As I wrote last week, the trip was a thoroughly enjoyable one, and part of the reason was because of one of the unexpected and beautiful places I discovered that was a very easy walk from the train station and a very lovely surprise to find myself in on a warm and glowing spring afternoon.
The Antique and Artisan Gallery brought a smile to my face the minute I arrived at their driveway. Walking from the train station and looking for their address, I saw their sign on their building and realized that it was a much larger space than I'd been expecting. As I turned the corner to enter their driveway and saw the rows of antique garden statuary, benches and outdoor furnishings, I thought to myself that this was a place where I would never want to leave. The whole outdoor area was one that was filled with things that I love, and I could have wandered out there in the sunshine for hours, but thinking I had best first go inside and take at least a quick look, I walked in the front door and was greeted by the nicest people imaginable who explained that the gallery was a large one and invited me to walk around and explore.
Each area of The Antique and Artisan Gallery is curated with an Artist's eye. The website states that it was "opened by Bruce Wylie and Mari Ann Maher with the goal to create an unparalleled shopping experience" and it is a wonderful one. There are rooms with themes such as the textile room and areas that were set up to look like a room in a home. Different periods are represented along with different styles of furnishings and different types of art, and I honestly think I could have lived happily in any of of the areas or in all of them all at once. There is jewelry, too, and different kinds of art and artisanal work that are carefully added into the design of the different spaces. Antiques mingle with midcentury and contemporary art has a conversation with more rustic designs. Each piece in the space is a work of art, and everything, though placed carefully in its different room or space where it is meant to create a unique tableau, flows so beautifully together it makes for a lovely combination of old and new, classic and modern, all with a little sparkle and shine and the occasional whimsical touch added in.
Places like The Antique and Artisan Gallery are an adventure and a destination to return to again and again. With glass vitrines filled with objets d'art and comfortable beautifully luxurious furnishings, walking through the indoor and outdoor spaces brings a sense of peace and joy and adds inspiration to each moment. While visiting this carefully designed space we can dream the dreams of how beautiful life can be when we take time to reflect and nurture the beauty from the past and care for what is lovely throughout time.
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