hudson boston Archives

Shopping Trip: Brimfield Antiques Market With Abby Ruettgers of Farm & Fable

Back in May 2009, I went to Brimfield for the first time after reading about it for years in Martha Stewart Living. That it took me six years after moving to Boston to get there is kind of ridiculous, but finally, prompted by an assignment for Boston Globe Magazine, I trailed interior designer and shop owner Jill Goldberg of Hudson. You can see Jill Goldberg’s top ten Brimfield vendor picks here.

This year, Boston’s most darling publicist Nicole Kanner suggested I trail Abby Ruettgers, who owns the new South End boutique Farm & Fable, where she sells culinary antiques, vintage cookbooks, and new tabletop items. (She also hosts cooking & drinking classes in the basement and has two enormous friendly dogs.) The Boston Globe’s Food & Dining section editor thought it was a great idea, so I went with Abby and Nicole’s sweet assistant Liz Greene to Brimfield in May.

Today, the article “In Brimfield, Hunt is on for Culinary Collectibles“ appeared in the Boston Globe. Be sure to click through to read it to learn her strategies and tips for successful hunting. Here are my photos from the day.

Abby Ruettgers of Farm & Fable

V E N D O R S

For: Wooden crates, lockers, scales, and lanterns.
Shop: Bill Ziobro, Found Again Treasures, Sturtevants North.

For: Jadeite, Fiesta ware, cocktail glasses and shakers.
Shop: Joe Keller and David Ross, Keller & Ross, Quaker Acres, Booth L3.

For: Vintage advertising pamphlets, magazines, and books.
Shop: Joseph Prior, Quaker Acres, Booths 25 and 26.

For: Culinary antiques including Pyrex and kitchen tools.
Shop Nancy and Richard Lucier, The Good Home, Quaker Acres, Booth 82.

For: Wooden bobbins, spools, and such from textile factories.
Shop: Dennis and Judy Perry, The Meadows, Booth 50.

If you’re in Boston, stop by Abby’s boutique Farm & Fable,
located at Shawmut & Milford in the South End.

All photos by Marni Elyse Katz for StyleCarrot

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Shop the Post

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Design Diary: Leah Fish Does Up Her Brother’s Bachelor Pad

Photographer Dan Cutrona pitched this place to me for a local magazine’s “Men’s” issue, but since said man was transferred to the Midwest, we weren’t able to do it. It’s a great place in the South End, furnished by Boston area designer Leah Fish for her brother Ed Fish. Ed, 30, purchased the two bedroom condo when he was getting his MBA at MIT. He asked his sister to keep it modern and clean, with nice furniture and unique artwork. The condo was to epitomize his life’s next phase—although a student, he was more grownup than frat boy. Leah did a superb job putting together the perfect environment for a single guy who likes to entertain, and doesn’t need the hassle of high maintenance. Let’s have a look.

Ed on his new Eames lounge. Definitely a splurge, but Leah knew he’d have it forever. The vintage floor lamp is from Reside in Cambridge.

The living room needed to function as a place for watching sports on TV, but also socializing with friends.

Chair by Gus* Modern from Addo Novo in the South End.

The sleek credenza, also from Addo Novo, is a nice counterpoint to some of the more organic and vintage pieces. A terrarium by Lynzariums sits on top and an Alex Katz print (a forever investment), from Beth Urdang Gallery on Newbury Street, hangs above.

The coffee table is a gigantic piece of teak that Leah found at Hudson in the South End, for which she had a piece of glass cut for the top. The antique kilim rug is also from Hudson.

The vintage dining table and chairs are from Reside. They like the industrial feel of the chairs, which they Leah had reupholstered in black leather.

It wasn’t in the budget to do anything to the kitchen, but the dark wood cabinets were fine, and the appliances high quality.

Ed spent a summer interning in Japan with a famous ceramicist. The photo, taken by their mom’s friend, is of Ise, a sacred shrine.

The metal staircases add an industrial vibe. They didn’t need to refinishe the dark brown floors.

The half bath’s wall-mounted sink is space-conscious. A large window lets in a blast of light.

This staircase leads up to the roof deck. The abstract artwork, from the Howard Yerzertsky Gallery in SoWa, is by Brian Zink, who works in Plexiglass. It was a big purchase, and Leah points out that the photo doesn’t do it justice. She says, “It’s very crisp and contemporary. The thick panels of Plexiglass are very precisely cut, and give off a shine that makes it interesting.”

The roof deck has the ultimate Boston guy touch—two chairs from Fenway Park.

Photography by Dan Cutrona

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Get the Look: 46 Modern Dining Tables

Now that Meredith & Daniel’s dining room schemes are complete, I’ve put together my favorites from my exhaustive search for dining tables. I’ve included a bit of everything here—round, elliptical, and rectangular—including tables that expand and fold up. Most are modern in style, some are vintage, materials run the gamut from scrap wood to marble, and prices range from $179 (IKEA!) to a piece by Autoban for De La Espada for $12,595.

I’ve been a huge fan of #3 for weeks, and it was just in a kitchen I wrote about for the Boston Globe Magazine. I can’t help but love the Saarinen (I have the side tables and they’re just so satisfying). I really love the mix of marble & rough wood, not to mention the price, of #1. #16 is pretty, and #44 and #46 are great reflections of current trends—dipped and geo. Any favorites here, or that I may have left out?

S H O P P I N G

1 Rock Dining Table, $599 at CB2.

2 Alvar Aalto Dining Table for Artek, $1,905 at FinnStyle.

3 Fritz Hansen Super-Elliptical Table, $2,460 at Danish Design Store.

4 Adaptable Table by TAF Architects for Muuto, £1,395 at Haus.

5 Parson Dining Table by Milo Baughman, $6,800 at Galerie Sommerlath.

6 Nelson Swag Leg for Herman Miller, $1,699 at DWR.

7 Blu Dot Strut Table, $699 at Smart Furniture.

8 Drave Table by Samare, $1,830 at Matter.

9 Adams Solid Maple Extension Table, $1,499 at Room & Board.

10 Brewer Table, $1,199 at Thrive.

11 Saarinen Oval by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, $4,743 at DWR.

12 Welland Table by Ineke Hans, $1,492 at The Future Perfect.

13 PS 2012 Bamboo Dining Table, $179 at IKEA.

14 Shanghai Dining Table, $699 at CB2.

15 Eames Round Table with Veneer Top, $1,099 at Addo Novo.

16 Oly Studio Frank Dining Table, $4,050 at Zinc Door.

17 Breeze Table by Monica Forster for Swedese, £495 at Haus.

18 Flip n Dine Extension Table by Jonas Wahlstrom, $499 at CB2.

19 Simplon Table, by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini $4,131 at Unica.

20 T-Leg Table in Scrapwood by Piet Hein Eek, $4,254 at The Future Perfect.

21 M5 Short Frank Table by Established & Sons, $2,170 at Matter.

22 Cyclone Dining Table by Isamu Noguchi, $1,898 at Addo Novo.

23 Benson Marble Top Table, $1,549 at Room & Board.

24 231 Scrub Table by Autoban for De La Espada, $4,555 at Addo Novo.

25 Dovetail Remy Table, $862.50 at Candelabra.

26 Gio Ponti Dining Table, Casati Gallery, 1^st Dibs.

27 Bond Dining Table, $2,950 at Jonathan Adler.

28 Spoon Folding Table by Antonio Citterio for Kartell, $1,999 at Smart Furniture.

29 Bungalow 5 Fairfax Gray Cerused Oak Table, $2,015 at Zinc Door.

30 Peggy Dining Table by Pearson Lloyd for SCP, $2,400 at Woonwinkel.

31 Blu Dot Sprout Dining Table, $999 at Smart Furniture.

32 Woody Dining Table, $399 at CB2.

33 Teak Slice Expandable Table by Ethnicraft, $3,100 at Lekker.

34 Sputnik Round Table by Paul Delaisse, $1,520 at Lekker.

35 Pocket Extension Table by Slate Design, $499 at CB2.

36 PK 54 Table by Poul Kjaerholm, $10,600 at Almond Hartzog.

37 Astro Dining Table by Calligaris, $1,156.20 at AllModern.

38 Bungalow 5 Porto Dining Table, $2,535 at Candelabra.

39 230 Pebble Table by Autoban for De La Espada, $12,595 at Addo Novo.

40 Oly Studio Maisy Table, $3,37.50 at Candelabra.

41 Opus Oak Hideaway Dining Table, £150 at Next.

42 Kitchenette Light Oak Table, $189 at Crate & Barrel.

43 Extendable Table by Karim Rashid, $2,495 at BoConcept.

44 1/2 Nelson Cafe Table by Misewell, $1,580 at Horne.

45 Compass Trestle Legs Matthew Hilton for SCP, $750 at Horne.

46 Strala Table by Tom Strala, $7,900 at Horne.

If you are looking for sturdy dining tables then Top Furniture Ltd are worth a look. They offer round, rectangular, and square oak dining tables at great prices from their website.

Deal Alert: 20% Discount at Hudson

Jill Goldberg, owner of Hudson (and brand new mommy to baby Dylan) is offering a rare treat – 20% off all in-stock items at both boutiques, through Sunday, May 16th. A Mother’s Day treat indeed. I happened to be over there a couple of weeks ago, snapping plenty of pictures. What’s catching your eye? I’m loving the bumblebee pillow.

Hudson • 312 Shawmut Ave • Boston and 61A Central St • Wellesley

Shopping Trip: Jill Goldberg’s Brimfield 10

You might remember that I visited Brimfield back in May, tracking interior designer and Hudson store owner Jill Goldberg. I can finally share Jill’s top ten picks! The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine piece, “Antiques Roadtrip,” was published last Sunday in anticipation of this week’s show, which runs September 8th to 13th. I’m going back on Thursday and will source more vendors for you and take tons of pics. Can’t wait!

A-1 Salvage Quaker Acres, Booth 137 These architectural salvage specialists sell random pieces you might need to fix up an old house, including intricate moldings and pressed-tin panels. Jill likes to use this sort of stuff as decorative accessories. I liked the old type boxes

Antique Paper Memorabilia Quaker Acres, Booth L 4-5 Tons of really fun advertising posters, packaging, and labels, including uncut sheets of Monopoly money and popcorn boxes that have yet to be assembled. (Great for a movie-themed birthday party.) Jill snapped up several sailboat prints with a breezy, summertime feel. “We found similar ones here last year,” she says. “A designer purchased them before I could get them up on the wall.

Hindukush Quaker Acres This was my favorite booth, and coincidentally, the first one at which I stopped. I picked up old wood blocks used to print batik (ink included), and my friend purchased a great looking necklace. He also had baskets and rugs, all from Southeast Asia. Jill picked up a whole stack of these copper vessels, which did really well at her store. She says, “They make great vases, or pencil holders on a side table.”

Lansdowne Street Baseball Antiques Quaker Acres, Booth 104 I’m hardly sporty, but I was drawn to the lustrous patinas of the antique baseball bats and gloves here. Some of them date back to the Civil War.

Magoun Bros. Faxons Midway, Booths 8-9, 22-23, 35-36, 48-49, 61-62 Goldberg adores A huge array of backwoods accessories from Maine that includes canoes, snowshoes, oars, baskets. Jill LOVES their old signs. “At one point, my husband had to say ‘Enough,’ but they always sell.” Perfect in lofts and summer houses.

Industrial Age Antiques The Meadows, Booth 168 He’s got really interesting pieces from old factories and mills, and knows the stories behind them. Goldberg loved these mirrored-glass bottles, and bought a bunch. Other treasures included glass containers from a science-lab supply company and cast-iron parts salvaged from old machines.

One Stop Antiques The Meadows, Booth 179-186 Rows of light fixtures hang overhead and tables are piled with hooks, hardware, door knobs, and the like, useful to anyone refurbishing a period home.

Paper Tiger The Meadows, Booth 205-206 A must-stop for any magazine lover (that’d b me!) Noel Buscemi’s booth is chock-full of historical photos, vintage postcards, antique maps, and old periodicals. Jill sources images here for her line of decoupage plates.

Judy Chenille Central Park, Booth 100 Proprietor and seamstress Judy Greason, is all about chenille; even wrote a book on the stuff. She sells immaculate chenille bedspreads and other estate linens. She repairs and recycles her finds, creating pillows from spreads she is unable to restore. She couldn’t help but brag that the Martha Stewart gang often stops by.

Quality Pennants Central Park, Booth 57 Pretty much every alma mater seems to be represented in this perfectly preserved collection of felt pennants and pins. “I would use these in a kid’s room,” says Jill, “or even a funky powder room with a Ralph Lauren vibe.”

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