STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET, U.K. – A Tudor manuscript designed to help with swan-keeping in the era when mute swans were owned by the English crown comes to auction in the summer. The two-volume manuscript in Sworders’ August 23 sale of Books and Maps was used from the 16th to the 19th century by landowners in Norfolk and Suffolk. This example, consigned from the estate of Cambridgeshire antiques dealer Peter Croft (1924-2001), is estimated at £8,000-£16,000. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
Interior designers freshen decor by mixing styles
NEW YORK – The freshest style in decor these days is … mixing styles.
Traditional and contemporary often work well together. Think abstract art with an overstuffed chaise, or an 18th century-style toile wallpaper with an ’80s-era lamp. The appeal is in the pleasing tension between the styles; sophisticated, artsy, yet livable.