I love the colors of fall!

Fall is upon us, Halloween is past, the kids are filled with their favorite treats, and ready for the next season, but before we get to winter, let’s take time to enjoy fall! When I think of fall, I think of beautiful trees of colorful leaves, pumpkin spiced coffee, apple pie, racking leafs and of course the traditional colors of Orange and Black we use to decorate for Halloween.  I also look for the bold colors of fall to decorate the rooms of my home. We offer many beautiful rugs at the Brick House Rug Center that are inspired by the season of autumn.

Stoneridge
 5'x8' $458.00
 Brick House Antique Center

Red is a trademark color of fall, everyone knows the season has really come when the leaves start to change and scatter across the ground in this rich hue.  Drawing inspiration, we have several red rugs to pay homage to nature’s seasonal brilliance. One of my Favorites is the Stoneridge Dark Red.  This deep, rich red hue of this rug is perfect for giving your home a pop of seasonal color.  If you like browns, take a look at our First Impressions Rug in Wood Ash, or for a softer brown hue, it’s also great in Maple.  If fall has an official color, it would be Orange. Pumpkins, pies, candy corn—some of the very best things about the season have this color in common.  Our Basketweave Rug in Cinnabar Honey if perfect for a more subtle way to work in this hue.  Please take time to stop in and see us at Brick House Antique Center, 247 East Main St. Palmyra, NY, or shop online at www.brickhouserugcenter.com.  Remember that we offer many styles and sizes of rugs; call us with any questions at 315-597-3883. 

 Fall is such a fun season, so make a pumpkin pie, drink some apple cider and jump in a pile of leaves and, as always, enjoy Capel Rugs by Brick House Rug Center.

Until next time, The Brick House Blogger!

Enjoy Vintage Halloween Collectibles!

Enjoy Vintage Halloween Collectibles!

Although Halloween is an American tradition and holiday, we must credit the Scottish for bringing it to the United States.  The earliest Halloween decorations appeared around the turn of the 20^th century.  Halloween parties became popular in the United States during the Victorian times. Homes were decorated with pumpkins, cornstalks, vegetables etc.  Many early decorations were imported from Germany.

Paper-Mache jack-o’ lanterns

Today Halloween collectibles are 2^nd in demand only to Christmas collectibles.  Remembering the excitement one felt as a child dressing up in costume, going trick or treating, caving pumpkins, and bobbing for apples. The colors of Orange and black trigger nostalgia of our youth for many of us.  The variety of Halloween collectibles in vast.  Whether it be noisemakers, jack o’ lanterns, candy containers, paper of plastic goods, candy molds or costumes.  Collecting Holiday Collectibles can become a fun hobby; shop your local antique shops or flea markets to find a treasure to be displayed and cherished.

This blog features 2 Paper-Mache jack-o’ lanterns. Both of these items are for sale at Brick House Antique Center, Palmyra, NY and are featured for sale at www.brickhouseantiques.com. They range from $135.00-$200.00. 

Have a fun and safe Halloween……That’s all for today from the Brick House Blogger.

Coffee makes me happy!

Coffee, the universal beloved beverage can warm you up and it can also wake you up! So why not decorate you favorite room with the rich color of your favorite blend?

Brickhouserugcenter.com offers several rugs that fall into the rich, dark brown color way. Just like your favorite Café serving up several different varieties,  we offer area rugs in different colors and styles that are fit for any coffee-lovers caffeinated soul.

Filigree Espresso

For the straight up or double shot coffee lovers we suggest our Filigree Rug in Espresso, it is bold and rich, making it the perfect blend of classy and functional.  A color like this can go with anything. Try paring it with accents of fun Pinks and blues.

If you take a little cream in your coffee, check out our Chateau Floral Lace Rug in Coffee.  The Cream detail in this rug makes it the perfect touch of elegance while holding a neutral color palate.

For you Mocha lovers, we have a braid rug in our Hammock Rug line called Mocha!  This Capel anywhere area rug in perfect for your patio or sun porch and it is MADE IN THE USA!!

We are very proud of the rugs we offer at www.brickhouserugcenter.com. Take a minute with your next cup of coffee and check us out.

Until Next time…….The Brick House Blogger

Remember Big Little Books?

The Whitman Publishing Company stated publishing Big LittleBooks in 1932. The books look much like a four-inch block sawed off the end of a two-by-four. The outstanding feature of the books was the captioned picture opposite each page of text. The books originally sold for 10 cents. Readers had the pleasure of a big story in a little compact book.  The first Big little book, the adventures of Dick Tracy, came off the presses just before Christmas in 1932. Big Little Books have enjoyed three major periods of publication.

The Golden Age 1932-mid 1938. The books published during this time frame were the most interesting, influential and memborable books produced.

The Silver age mid 1938-1949 less innovative sets of books were produced during the Silver age.  Their production was influenced by the growing comic book market and paper shortage during WWII.

The Modern Age 1950 to the present is characterized by more than 40 years of sporadic and short-lived attempts to revive the books in different forms and with different content.

We have a number of Big Little Books for sale at the BrickHouse Antique Center. You can stop by the store at 247 East Main St. in Palmyra, NY,  or shop on line at www.brickhouseantiques.com.

Collecting American Stoneware

North American stoneware often referred to as pottery was made in the 19^th century and used daily in colonial households. Stoneware was used for anything we might use glass jars or Tupperware for today.  It held everything from water, soda, and beer to meat, grain, jelly and picked vegetables. American salt glazed stoneware was valued as not only durable, decorative housewares but as a safer alternative to lead-glazed earthenware, commonly referred to today as American Redware.

American Stoneware

Americans began producing salt glazed stoneware circa 1720.  The process began by making the item from clay, it was fired at a very high temperature, and the pottery would essentially become stone. Salt-glazed pottery is a type of pottery produced by adding salt to a kiln to create a glass-like coating on the pottery.  The sodium in the salt bonds with the silica in the clay, creating sodium silicate, or glass.

  A very commonly employed technique seen on American Stoneware is the use of cobalt decorations, where a dark gray mixture of clay, water and expensive mineral cobalt oxide is painted onto the unfired pottery.  In the firing process, the cobalt reacts to produce a vibrant blue decorations. 

Pottery with cobalt blue markings are highly collectible and can be very expensive. In the last half of the 19^th century potters in New England and New York State began producing stoneware with elaborate designs such as deer, dogs, birds, houses, people or historical scenes. These pieces are rare and a real treasure.

My husband loves to collect decorated stoneware, and we have many quality pieces for sale at our store, The Brick House Antique Center, Palmyra, NY. You can also shop through the pages of our website: www.brickhouseantiques.com to see what we have to offer.

That is all for today, from the Brick House Blogger!

American History inspires design

If you love history, you must plan to visit Williamsburg Virginia. Williamsburg is the place where George Washington and Thomas Jefferson established ideals of liberty and freedom for our country to enjoy.  Williamsburg’s legacy, as well as its extensive collection of period wallpapers and home textiles, inspired the Capel rug design team to create a line of high-quality rugs that celebrates classic American design traditions while meeting the needs and tastes of the modern consumer.  

Basketweave
Cinnabar Honey

Brickhouserugcenter.com is proud to offer this beautiful collection of area rugs.  One of the favorites of the Brick House blogger is the Basketweave collection. This collection will enhance the style of any room. The Basketweave cotton chenille braids were inspired by the traditional design in The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Collection, and best of all, these rugs are made in the USA!   Another, very traditional pattern is called Filigree, it is a plush hand tufted 100% wool rug, made in India.

Looking for the perfect in-door/ out-door rug to add beauty to your sun room or front porch, check out the Garden Maze collection, also inspired by Colonial Williamsburg.

Brick House Antique Center
Palmyra, NY

Any of these rugs will add decorative beauty to your home along with primitive antique furniture and household items.  Brick House Antique Center, located in Palmyra, NY has 2 floors of quality antiques. If you are trying to design a room full of classic furnishings full of history, please stop in or shop online at: www.brickhouseantiques.com

Lazy hammock day inspires rug design



Hammock rug offered by brickhousergcenter.com

Decorating inspired by the thought of relaxing in a hammock on a beautiful autumn day. This thought was the inspiration used by the designers when they created the new rug collection called Hammock by Capel rugs.

The Hammock Rug is made by using a unique combination of construction techniques, which add texture and visual interest to enhance each rug. Hammock is reversible, won’t shrink, is colorfast and resists water, mold and mildew.  The Hammock rug is perfect for in-door or out-doors patio settings.  And best of all these rugs are made in the USA!!

Hammock Rugs are available in five different color way, there’s sure to be one to compliment any area in your home. We love Spa if you’re more partial to blues or Camel if you would like a more neutral tone.  Outdoor living rooms are a big trend this year, and Hammock is the perfect addition to any outdoor space. So stretch out in your own hammock and relax—we’ve got you covered.

We are excited to offer such a versatile rug to add decorative harmony to your living area. When thinking of decorating that relaxing or casual space in your home, take a minute to shop through the pages at www.brickhouserugcenter.com or visit our retail store Brick House Antique Center in Palmyra, NY to look at the area rugs we offer in our rug center.

Decorating with Antiques

Tip #1.) Put thought into how you group antiques together.  Group antiques in odd numbers. It may seem funny, but odd numbers are more appealing to the eye! Marketers know this and that’s why they price things at $3.99 instead of an even $4.00. Landscapers also know this and often group trees, bushes and other shrubbery into groups of 5, 7, 9 etc. It is simply more appealing to the eyes.

Fiesta ware

Tip#2.)  Don’t scatter antiques and don’t crowd them together.  Don’t crowd too many antiques together and don’t scatter miscellaneous antiques throughout a room. Make a smooth flow of antiques from left to right. Crowding similar items together will make your room look cluttered.

Tip#3.)  Group similar objects together.  If you have Fiesta ware displayed on the shelves, don’t have one shelf full of antique dolls, then another full of Fiesta, then another full of something else. Don’t split shelves up with unrelated items.

Tip #4.)  Stick with the theme of the room. Don’t have one portion of the room be dedicated to Victorian pieces, and the other portion with primitive furniture. It would disrupt the flow and feeling of your room.

I hope these tips are helpful to you when you are decorating and looking for items to add to your collection.  When looking for new pieces stop in at The Brick House Antique Center in Palmyra, NY or shop online: www.brickhouseantiques.com. 

Hall China

We are frequently asked “Do you have any Hall dishes”?  Hall China, made by the Hall China Company of East Liverpool, Ohio, is very collectible. The most desired patterns are those made in the early 1930’s and late 1960’s.  To properly identify a piece of Hall China, more than one name is often necessary.  Most items will have a pattern name, such as Autumn Leaf or Red Poppy. In addition to the pattern name, individual pieces in a pattern will also usually have a shape name. An example of this is a red poppy tea pot might be an Aladdin or New York tea pot.   They are both tea pots, but are different styles and shapes.

My feature photo displays 2 patterns that we have available at the Brick House Antique Center. A covered casserole in the Gaillardia pattern “Radiance” style, and many pieces from the Silhouette or (Tavern) pattern.  The Silhouette pattern is an all back decal containing two figures seated at a table on two high-back bench-like chairs. 

Pick a pattern you like and start collecting. What a fun way to spend weekends shopping at Antique stores, flea market, or thrift shops looking for the next addition for your collection.

Made in the USA

I recently watch a TV news show with interest. The subject line was a family that had agreed to allow the reporters to remove everything from their home that was not made me the USA.  I was surprised to see the family return to an empty home.  I said to my daughter, “if they had shopped at the Brick House Antique Center, they would have rooms full of stuff”.  My husband and I own and operate the Brick House Antique Center in Palmyra, NY.  We purchase the items we sell from auctions and household sales in the area.  We specialize in quality antiques, most which are made in this part of the country!    Some items, like Hall pottery, is marked USA. Other items have no markings, but we can identify the part of the country that they were made by the type of wood and style.  We have Lyon’s jugs for sale which are highly collectible and were made 20 miles or so down Rt 31 in Lyons NY.

We recently added a new line of area rugs.  The braid rugs are made in North Carolina! These beautiful rugs are made with the finest wool, cotton and performance blend fibers.   Please take time to look through our website: www.brickhouserugcenter.com to see the variety of rugs we offer.

When you are thinking about redecorating a room in your home, challenge yourself to purchase items made in the USA.  Another challenge----shop in Antique stores, flea markets, and thrift stores. If you make a purchase you will be recycling and reusing unwanted items.  Let’s work together to keep Americans employed, and our planet as green as possible.

Buy American made!!!   Recycle and reuse!!! 

That’s all for now from the Brick House Blogger.

Recycle and Reuse!

In this tough economy I know that many of us are looking for creative ways to add charm and character to our homes.  It can be very expensive to purchase new items at department stores.  Many of the customers we service at Brick House Antique Center are looking for used items to decorate rooms in their homes.  I recently ran across an article in a magazine where they took old house shutters, cut them down, and made them into a glass top table! What a great idea. We have many sizes and styles of shutters available. They sell in our store from $6.00-$20.00. I have also had customers purchase shutters for room dividers or a decorative area to hang artwork or linens.

Shutters and other items availabe at the Brick House Antique Center

Our Antique Store is filled with 2 floors of recycled items, once loved by one or many families. We search high and low in many of the surrounding towns and counties in Western New York to find antique’s that we can purchase to sell to our customers.  We have fun doing it, and enjoy offering such a great variety of items to the public.  We offer many of the items on our website: www.brickhohouseantiques.com.  Visit us on line, or stop in to see us at The Brick House Antique Center, 247 East Main St. Palmyra, NY

Loving Lodge Décor

A Cozy Lodge or Cabin retreat gives many a feeling of comfort and peacefulness. These looks can be duplicated an any home in any part of the country.  Much of the Lodge decorating originated in the forest regions of Europe and Scandinavia. Log-building and woodworking skills date back to medieval times. When immigrants fled from Europe for the New World they left much behind, but they did bring along their skills at log crafting.

   Lodge decorating does not have to be expensive to duplicate. You can find many treasures at local Antique shops, or Flea markets. Thrift stores are also a great place to search for gently used items that will fill that décor gap in your home.  

At the Brick House Antique Center, in Palmyra NY, you can browse the 2 floors of antiques and find cabin decor from hand carved decoy’s, vintage snow shoes, wooden boat oars, and lanterns.  Let your imagination help you design a room full of Lodge décor that you and our family can enjoy every day! Featured below is a sample of the Cabin Retreat rug we offer. This is one of our best selling area rugs. Lodge cabin décor seems to be all the rage! Let us help create a cozy family room full of lodge decor. Give us a call or log onto one of our websites: www.brickhouseantiques.com , www. Brickhouserugcenter.com., Call us toll free at: 888-999-3883.