Home Design with Kevin Sharkey

1 At the Ellsworth Antiques Show at Woodlawn Estate in Maine, we stopped by George Subkoff's area. George is an old friend of Martha's and a very well regarded antique dealer with a beautiful showroom down the street from Martha's former home, Turkey Hill.

2 I never pass up the opportunity to stop by his shop to admire all of his treasures. We had no idea that he was going to be at this show, let alone have such a great surprise!

3 These are exactly the same chairs that were in the dining room at Skylands when Martha bought the house!

4 They are early seventeenth century Italian. Martha has decided to use them in a different room, but they are still very happily resting at Skylands.

5 George had the most amazing book, which actually had illustrations of the chair. Just one more reason to love old books!

6 He bookmarked the pieces he had in his booth.

7 Here is a photo of Martha's own early 17th century chair.

8 Sally Good, a dealer from Pennsylvania, was just the nicest person.

9 She spoke so lovingly about these three covered urns, originally intended to decorate a mantle.

10 I loved the delicacy and simplicity of the painted design - the decorative details have so much inspiration. The shape of the lid was also quite appealing to me.

11 That is my reflection in the mirror and I shoot a picture.

12 Martha loves barometers.

13 She spent a lot of time examining each beautifully made instrument.

14 One of Maine's finest antique dealers...

15 This is Wilmot M. Schwind, Jr. He is the dealer who owns the wine coolers and has a smile that just lights up a room!

16 This is the most beautiful and unusual pair of wine coolers that I have ever seen. It was very hard for me not to buy these. I was imagining the dramatic flower arrangements I could make in them as well as the delicious bottles of wine I could use to cool in them. Alas, I didn't think that they were quite right for my ultra modern dining room.

17 The colors, pattern and layout of this hooked rug I found particularly inspiring. It is almost modern looking in its graphic presentation.

18 Get ready to see some of the loveliest china you've ever set eyes on..

19 I loved this tableau of deleft china from Fiske & Freeman.

20 Martha and I really loved this chair. It is Georgian in style and one of a pair. Although the colors are bright and cheerful, I find the fabric distracts from the simple beauty of the silhouette and legs. These came home with us.

21 A before photo...

22 ...and after!

23 This is a beautifully constructed and extra long console that caught Martha's eye.

24 Isn't this bed amazing? It is a 3/4 bed - not quite a single and smaller than a full. If it were mine, I would paint it high gloss white or tomato red.

25 I love the details of this Mammoth Baccarat bowl.

26 Anything with a horn of plenty stops me in my tracks, as Martha especially likes the motif.

27 These are actually curtain tie backs in the form of roses. They must have been newly polished, as they sparkled like 14 carat gold. They were laid out on a piece of navy blue velvet which made the presentation especially dramatic.

28 Greg Nanamura is an excellent antique dealer from New York with a refined eye.

29 These, for me, were absolutely "Best in Show." In fact, they took my breath away. They are a set of seven nesting sterling silver circular trays with black bottoms. I really died when I saw them. Unfortunately, I never got to meet Greg!

30 I desperately want these trays but sadly they are out of my price range. One day, if I win the lottery, my first phone call is going to be Greg to buy these trays!