This weekend, we visited Milwaukee (my husband’s hometown). Don’t underestimate this mid-western city. To begin with, The Milwaukee Art Museum, expanded in 2001 by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, is one of the most beautiful and impressive structures in the country with two enormous metal wings soaring out over Lake Michigan. And then there is the food, and I’m not just talking about Kopps Frozen Custard, which is delicious all year round. Milwaukee has many excellent restaurants, like Sanford, which made Gourmet magazines list of the top 50 Restaurants in America. Thanks in part to the new Milwaukee Public Market, fresh ingredients from local farmers are brought into the city every day. We treated ourselves to steak and truffle frites at Carnevor restaurant on Saturday night-(a great rib-eye topped with melted butter, and great service). For me, starting the morning sipping a latte and munching on fresh baked scones at Milwaukee’s own Alterra Coffee at the Lake is my idea of heaven. Of course, no trip to Milwaukee would be complete without stopping by our favorite local consignment shop, Chattel Changers, on Capitol Drive in Shorewood. The knowledgeable owners of Chattel Changers sell furniture, antiques, decorative accessories, fine jewelry, china, silver, crystal, glassware, pictures, and collectibles.
Here are some of the treasures I found. I love to imagine the interiors of the homes where many of these items once lived. The next time there is a house tour in this area, please count me and Lauren in!
These elegant German dinner cups, saucers, and dessert plates from the 1930′s were part of a collection of a dozen or so. They were all different from each other and many of them had different markings including the one below, from Bavaria:Vintage jewelry (below) is one of Lauren’s passions. Many of these small accessories, pins, and bracelets were very inexpensively priced at under $15. Maybe it was a good thing that Lauren wasn’t with me on this trip. It would have been hard to get her to leave!Many complete china dinnerware collections were for sale. I’ve always like the way the Chattel Changer experts tuck their coffee cups into each other in a circle.It could be that I had Valentine’s day on my brain, but these bright red sherbet glasses caught my eye. They’d also look wonderful during the holiday entertaining season. I’d much rather purchase these than buy a knock-off at a retail store.Speaking of entertaining, how elegant is this lusterware cream and sugar set (below), complete with its own matching tray? For those of you who love blue and white kitchens, these antique English blue and white canisters (below) are a great find. We’ve noticed many pieces of English Beswick pottery on our trips to Milwaukee. This one was a great example. Look at that face!
Here’s what the stamp looks like:This pair of tall ceramic lamps caught my eye. They have raised snowflake patterns around the perimeter. They’d be really pretty in a bedroom with the right lampshades.And, last but not least, the best find of the day? This amazing Japanese silver platter and service including coffee pot, sugar, creamer and waste pot with lid. All in mint condition. The owner said she was clearing out an estate and found the entire set hidden in a closet covered in black. It had been there for decades.The platter was absolutely exquisite, extra large in size, with a really unique and beautiful pattern engraved in the surface. I could not walk away from this piece–it spoke to me. I think it will be perfect as the basis of Lauren’s first bar. Cocktails anyone? -S & L