Journal
The Journal
Notes, styles and perspectives on objects, past and present.
September 2026
Brocante in Belgium: where and when to hunt
Market squares, southern villages, weekly flea markets: how the Belgian brocante year works, and how to get the best from it.
Read the articleSeptember 2026
Antique dealers in Paris: the neighbourhoods to know
From the Carré Rive Gauche to the Saint-Ouen flea market: how the Paris antiques trade is laid out, and what you actually find there.
September 2026
The price of antique furniture: how value is formed
Period, timber, condition, fashion: the four factors that set a piece's price, and why two similar-looking commodes are not worth the same.
September 2026
Oak, walnut, mahogany: recognising antique timbers
Colour deceives, weight lies less: simple clues for identifying a piece's timber before you buy.
September 2026
Restoring antique furniture: when, by whom, at what cost
What to restore, what to leave alone, and how to tell an honest restoration from a disguise.
September 2026
Buying your first antique: where to start
Budget, category, condition, seller: the four choices that make a first purchase a doorway rather than a disappointment.
September 2026
Antique silver: how to read hallmarks
Minerva, rooster, boar's head: the small stamps on silver state the standard, the country and often the period — if you know where to look.
September 2026
Antique side tables: the pieces that change a room
Guéridon, work table, lamp table: why small antique pieces are the best place to start, and how to choose them.
September 2026
Furnishing a living room with antiques without a museum feel
One strong piece, two or three accents, the rest quiet: the simple method for bringing antiques into a contemporary interior.
September 2026
Antique mirrors: how to choose and place them
Mercury glass or modern backing, original gilding or regilt: what distinguishes an antique mirror, and where to hang it so it works.
September 2026
Antique faience: recognising the great factories
Delft, Moustiers, Rouen, Desvres: the marks, palettes and shapes that identify a piece of faience — and what makes its value.
September 2026
Buying brocante online: how to choose well
Photographs, descriptions, delivery: the five things to check before buying brocante online.
September 2026
Antique furniture: how to date a piece yourself
Sawing, hardware, glue, patina: four clues that give you a century, sometimes a decade.
September 2026
Antique armoire: choosing it, measuring it, living with it
Oak, walnut or fruitwood, two doors or three: what separates a fine armoire from a cumbersome one.
September 2026
Louis XV commode: recognising, dating, valuing
Bombé line, carcase, mounts and stamp: what separates a period commode from a 19th-century copy.
September 2026
Art Deco furniture: how to choose it today
Rich veneers, taut lines, brass: three rules for using an Art Deco piece without overloading a room.
September 2026
Brutalist furniture: understanding a taste that is back
Solid oak, welded metal, blunt forms: what the word "brutalist" really covers.
September 2026
Wabi-sabi: decorating with imperfect objects
An aesthetic of wear that goes far beyond beige: how to practise it with antiques.
September 2026
Objects of curiosity: what collectors are really after
Cabinets of curiosities, naturalia, instruments: a field where an object's story matters more than its material.
September 2026
Antique dealers in Brussels: where to look, what to find
Sablon, Marolles, Jeu de Balle: the geography of a remarkably dense art market.
August 2026
Recognising an antique chair: frame, upholstery and joints
An armchair is read from underneath: tool marks and pegs tell you its age.
August 2026
Antique glass and crystal: how to spot a good piece
Sound, weight and the pontil mark: three checks are enough to place a glass.
August 2026
The folding screen: mobile architecture
Born in Asia, adopted by European interiors, the folding screen is still the most useful object in a large room.
August 2026
Chinoiserie and Chinese art: telling the original from the interpretation
Two families of objects, often confused, with neither the same history nor the same value.
August 2026
The secretaire, a piece with secrets
Fall front, hidden drawers, locks: the anatomy of a piece made to write and to conceal.
August 2026
Delftware: blue, white and forgeries
How to read a mark, a glaze and a chip to place a Dutch piece.
August 2026
Mixing antique and contemporary without a false note
Three simple rules: one dominant register, a shift in scale, one shared material.
August 2026
Art Deco: recognising the real markers
Geometry, exotic woods and metal: what separates 1925 from 1980s pastiche.
August 2026
Belgian regional commodes: Liège, Namur, Flanders
Oak, carving and proportion tell you where a piece comes from.
August 2026
Buying an antique online: the right method
The questions to ask, the photographs to request, and what an intermediary does — or does not — guarantee.
August 2026
Caring for an antique without damaging it
Patina is fragile: a few simple habits are enough, and many products should be avoided.
August 2026
Understanding marquetry: reading a wooden decor
Quartered veneers, end grain, stringing and scorched shading: what a well-executed veneer tells you.
July 2026
Gilt bronze or brass: how to tell them apart
Weight, chasing and wear on the high points: three markers that give away a later mount.
July 2026
The Louis XVI style: the return of the straight line
After the curves of Louis XV, Antiquity becomes the reference again: fluting, rosettes and tapered legs.
June 2026
The Empire style: authority as decoration
Solid mahogany, gilt bronze and antique symbols: furniture designed to impress.
June 2026
Napoleon III: eclecticism without apology
Ebonised wood, mother-of-pearl, buttoning and revival styles: a period long dismissed, now much sought after.
May 2026
Brussels Art Nouveau, a short guide
Horta, Hankar, Van de Velde: a grammar born in Brussels, readable down to the furniture.
May 2026
Reading the marks on antique ceramics
A mark proves nothing on its own: it must be checked against the body, the glaze and the making.
April 2026
Recognising an antique mirror
Mercury, bevel and back: three clues to date a looking glass in seconds.
April 2026
Rewiring an antique light safely
What to replace, what to keep, and why you should never drill a bronze.
March 2026
Reading an antique rug: knots, wool and colour
The back says more than the pile: density, regularity and natural dyes.
March 2026
Silver hallmarks, without the jargon
Standard, maker, assay office: four small marks that tell the whole story.
February 2026
Antique clocks: what to check before buying
Movement, dial and case must all tell the same story.
February 2026
Looking at an old painting: stretcher, craquelure, frame
Three areas to examine before even judging the subject.
January 2026
Fifties Scandinavian design, beyond the cliché
Teak, oak and rosewood: recognising genuine Danish cabinetmaking.
January 2026
Seventies Italian design: colour, plastic and nerve
A decade when furniture became a manifesto — and editions matter as much as forms.
December 2025
Lighting an antique at home
Temperature, angle and distance: light decides what you see.
December 2025
What really makes an antique valuable
Rarity, condition, provenance, quality of making: the signature comes far behind.
November 2025
Provenance and certificate: what you should receive
A precise, dated and signed description commits the seller — and protects you.
November 2025
Moving an antique without unpleasant surprises
Dismantle as little as possible, protect the weak points, allow for acclimatisation.
August 2026
Antique vs vintage furniture: how to tell the difference
Age, authenticity, value: a clear guide to telling an antique piece from a vintage one, and buying with confidence.
August 2026
War and art: what conflicts left behind in our interiors
Naval battle paintings, commemorative bronzes, Empire furniture: how three centuries of war shaped the objects we collect.
August 2026
Flea markets in Brussels: where to hunt and how to buy well
From the Marolles to the Sablon, a practical guide to finding antique furniture, paintings and characterful objects in Brussels.
March 2026
How to recognise the Louis XV style?
Curves, bombé shapes and bronzes: the simple markers of a style that defined the 18th century.
February 2026
5 details that separate an antique from a reproduction
What we look at first: the back, the joinery, the tool marks.
January 2026
Why antique furniture belongs in contemporary interiors
A single antique piece is often enough to give depth to a new space.
December 2025
Art Deco: the pieces that marked an era
Geometry, precious materials and light: reading a style of the 1920s and 1930s.
September 2026
Your first antique: how to choose with confidence
Budget, condition, the questions to ask, the measurements to take: the concrete markers of a first purchase you will not regret.
September 2026
Antique dealers in Brussels: districts, markets and habits that pay off
Sablon, Marolles, Jeu de Balle: where to hunt in Brussels, when to go, and the questions to ask before buying.