Furniture

Antique, vintage, and modern furniture, with design history and collecting stories.

Stunning Stingray Throne by Didier Guenard – An Oak Barrel Story

Front detail of Didier Guenard’s Stingray Throne, showing its curved dark fins and red-brown supports.

Didier Guenard is a known artist, furniture maker, and restorer from France that specialized in wooden art and décor. His signature creations are works of fine furniture made from vintage and antique oak barrels. Didier uniquely repurposed, perfected, and mastered the wood of these vessels, teaching the world – the art of revealing a straight line within a curve.

For centuries oak barrels have been used to store and transport wine and spirits, but they also have a second life as a material for making artistic furniture. The sturdy and durable oak wood can be transformed into unique and beautiful pieces that add a rustic and vintage charm to any space. The process of making artistic furniture from these barrels is a creative and innovative endeavor that requires a skilled craftsman.

French Restorer & Furniture Maker, Didier Guenard, Tells His Story of Creativity and Innovation

Upper section of Didier Guenard's Diaposaurus cabinet, with a dragon-shaped surround, mirror and fossil mosaic.

The different woods used in this piece were turned, sculpted, and include marquetry. It had six drawers, one cylindrical with a sprung ejection mechanism that can be used to store a bottle, and another with a retractable curtain closing. Pushing the button made of boxwood burl makes the midnight blue writing table advance, revealing a half-cylindrical pen holder. Opening the door with the horn handle reveals partitions and two small drawers with varnished interiors. It goes without saying that this piece also contains a secret space … location of which must remain a secret!

PIGUET HISTORICAL AUCTION: The World Swiss Foundation & The Minkoff Collection | Total $3-4 Million

Decorative keys and medals arranged with a green sash and an oval portrait.

PIGUET HISTORICAL AUCTION – Total Estimate: 3-4 Million CHF

The World Swiss Foundation – over 500 lots.

The Minkoff Collection – over 300 lots.

Rare oil painting by Ferdinand Hodler.

Bronze by Rembrandt Bugatti from Alain Delon’s collection.

Many exceptional historical treasures are listed at auction for the First Time!

20 – 21 September, 2022 | Geneva, Switzerland

Ben’s Automotive Decor – Exclusive Interview with Ben Harvey | Part 2

Glass coffee table resting on a red engine block with exposed circular cylinder openings.

“While supporting a growing family it is daunting to take the plunge from a safe, secure, and stable job, to the uncertainty of being a self-employed artist. I have sacrificed a career that I really enjoyed working as a mechanic. I left a very enjoyable position, working on a great variety of high-end cars with a good team in order to pursue my art career.”

Ben and Chloee Harvey are a young, successful couple living on the Central Coast of California. Years of training and experience as an Automotive Technician have given Ben the skill set and vision to create unique automotive furniture. With Chloee’s background in customer service and office management Ben’s Automotive Decor is a well oiled business machine. Here’s Part 2 of our exclusive interview with Ben.

Ben’s Automotive Decor – Exclusive Interview with Ben Harvey | Part 1

Glass tabletop supported by pistons above a blue and silver engine block.

Ben’s Automotive Decor (B.A.D.) specializes in modern furniture made from genuine car parts, creating truly unique works of automobile art.

Ben and Chloee Harvey are a young, successful couple living on the Central Coast of California. Years of training and experience as an Automotive Technician have given Ben the skill set and vision to create unique automotive furniture. With Chloee’s background in customer service and office management Ben’s Automotive Decor is a well oiled business machine. Here’s Part 1 of our exclusive interview with Ben.