7/16/09 I took a lovely trip to the nation’s capital last weekend, and I couldn’t miss out on one of the city’s small, yet monumental art collections: The Phillips Collection. The art collection is housed in a very old mansion set amongst all the embassies, and it can be a bit hard to find actually, since it’s tucked away and sheltered by all the nations represented on the neighboring street. But the collection, an eclectic one at that, includes an El Greco, Picasso’s Blue Room, some Degas, and a beautiful piece by Ingres, a Rothko room, some Bacon and Lucien Freud pieces, and many more. It’s hard to believe that it’s all housed in one gallery and not a museum. But along with the pieces, there were various furniture and old house elements that caught my eye. Gallery furniture is often times a key representative of the space that houses the artwork or collection. Each piece is quite different from the next (again, they’re very eclectic) and seemed like a valuable insight into the gallery itself. I couldn’t help but notice the pieces, and felt like I wasn’t going to damage any artistic property by using my camera (but hence, the not-so-sharp photography coming your way, since flash was prohibited).

I enjoyed this pairing a lot. Little twin chairs. There were various sets around the museum, and I found the curvaceous back and arm rests as one piece very streamlined and different for wood furniture.

This little table or maybe even a nightstand is simple, yet matched the old mansion’s interior perfectly. And the key hole drawers give it a timelessness not seen in today’s furniture. I wonder what the Phillips used to lock up in there. . .

I’m such a sucker for beautiful tile. The detail is quite amazing, and blue tile for that matter gets me every time. This ornate detail in the house framed a fireplace in one of the rooms.

Steering away from the old and incorporating the new, here’s a chair that is recognizable and still popular in most office waiting areas or doctor’s offices but usually seen in white or black these days, but I have yet to ever see it in this color. Retro and the standard all in one.

This little guy was just begging for someon to take a seat.While the upholstery color might not be the greatest, it’s another classic design that could sit in any home office. I didn’t take a seat in it, for fear of some reprimand from the gallery workers, but I swear I heard it calling out my name to come rest my walking legs.

Posted by Kyra Shapurji