What do you collect now?
I mostly collect clothes and jewelry, especially Boivin jewelry from the 20s and 30s. The aesthetic of the 20s is really what I like. It’s clean, refined, and there’s always some originality, either in the choice of stone or the scale.
I don’t collect as much furniture because as soon as I see a very beautiful important piece I always offer it to my clients first. Usually, because I’m in love, I sell it so well that they end up buying it. Clients first, me second. That said, I started collecting a bit for myself five years ago when I got a space large enough for me to welcome beautiful pieces, like a Burlwood Art Deco cabinet and an Edward Wormley sofa I had been dreaming about for years.
I do collect silverware, ivory tableware (ivory is protected now, so I always make sure it’s original from the 20s and 30s), and anything with tassels, be it curtains or a 1970s Yves Saint Laurent bag or belt. I especially love tiny little boxes, which I arrange by color. You cannot put anything inside, but they actually take up a lot of space, but. Still, it’s so satisfying to have them. This is how you build a collection: you’re just attracted and don’t know why. You cannot help yourself. My friend told me that one day she will take my ashes and put them in tiny little boxes.