Visiting the Vanderbilts // Some Tourist Snaps
Guess which photo is from my house and not theirs? Juuust kidding 😂
I have been extra MIA for the last week while my mom was visiting me from Colorado, and I really wanted to adventure down to Hyde Park New York to visit the Vanderbilt house there while she was in town. The house was completed in 1899, so just 9 years after my slightly less opulent place further up the Hudson. Luckily photos are allowed, so I can share a bit of the interior with all of you. The thing that struck me the most were the damask fabrics, so excellent! Those couches!! And all of the tapestries used in the more "masculine" spaces were gorgeous. I sorta want to replicate the green damask curtains in my foyer, the drape of the top that is, which creates that lovely shape with the window light, perfectly 'haunted mansion'-esk.
Which leads me to the last photo of my own foyer at present. Sadly no imported green marble in sight. My mom and I went to check out several antique stores during her visit, but we found this absurd lamp (table/lamp combo?!?) for a steal just hours before she flew home. In fact, we found quite a few great deals, so I will be making a bit of a haul show and tell video for the channel, but this piece was definitely the most bonkers of the bunch.
I have no idea when this lamp is from. The table/lamp has a cast bronze base and a marble stone table top, the globe is a milky ivory tone of glass with brass embellishments, and the lamp base above the table is made up of brass elements strung on a threaded steel rod. The marble is marked "made in Italy" on the bottom, but I haven't scoured for any other marks. I'm not sure if it is a genuine late 19th/early 20th century piece, or if it was something made in the 1960s. It seems to me like it has always been wired for electrics, because I don't see anywhere an oil reservoir could have gone, and the wire and plug are that brown-thin-and-mid-century-ish to my eye. If anyone knows more please fill me in! What's most important is that it looks truly ridiculous, like something from, again, a haunted mansion, and of course despite the large glass globe being ivory, I put in a color change LED bulb.
The chairs on the other hand are definitely from the 1960's, but are cute enough to serve the foyer until I can get these one day. We found the chairs in rather a rural shop down the Hudson, but I'll explain each find properly when I make the video.
I hope you are all doing all right. I'm going to put my place back together a bit and then film a bunch of stuff this upcoming week, so hopefully you'll be seeing me soon! Thank you for your support ❤️
Comments (26)
If you ever get a chance to see the house at the circus museum in Florida, it has even more spectacular vibes.
I love the chairs! They look wider than the average chair which I like. The link to the crazy velvet hooded chairs- makes me wonder if you could pad and upholster a cane chair of a similar shape?
I love the lamp. Who cares what it is. It's cool. Also, I like your channel back chairs.
I sent this to Christine McConnell my. Friend lives in the guesthouse house. The has now been sold and will be knocked down for development. Perhaps you can save some of what is inside.
https://upstatehouse.com/a-historic-lake-katrine-hotel-manor-comes-on-the-market/
Loved this photo tour! I agree, very sinister curtain dressing.
I spotted the green damask curtains right away. My first thought was "oh, Bianca needs those!" And the chair from Wayfair is amazing! It would be perfect for basically any room in your house. Sounds like the time spent with your mom was nice. It's great that she was able to come see you. How has the transition from living with your family to now living on your own been?
legislation for including country of origin did not really take begin until turn of century. depending on what label looks like.. i think a safe guess for table is 20th century? it reminds me a bit mid century hollywood regency-style furniture— like this: https://scrantonantiques.com/product/vintage-hollywood-regency-rococo-brass-floor-lamp-with-marble-table/
Love the table/orb lamp! Definitely made me think of a fortune tellers crystal ball, so spooky-house vibes accomplished.
What I wouldn't give to spend a day there with my Mom! A little further down the Hudson, you might enjoy Kykuit (Rockefeller Estate) and also Wave Hill. I saw both sites years ago, while at student in NYC. I'd love to see the Vanderbilt, one, though. Great pictures!
Lol, I'm intrigued by the toilet lamp!
I think it's actually a sconce. It looks like it's attached to the pipe, but if you look close, you can see the base attached to the wall. Maybe they put it there for those times when you need to spend a bit of time toilet reading?
That lamp is fabulous!
The ceilings are so good! I wish I could have fancy ceilings instead of plain white. Delightful orb lamp, and I look forward to the haul video!
I’ve always considered my aesthetic to be minimalist, but in seeing these pictures and also your home, I realized that I like the maximalist aesthetic a lot when the space is open enough to accommodate it. I’ve always lived in smaller apartments and minimalism keeps it from feeling like the wall are closing in. Especially as half my walls typically have floor to ceiling bookcases.
Love those balloon chairs...and I bet the cats will, too! Thanks for sharing these pics :-)
I hope you and your mom had a great visit. Love the lamp! The balloon chair is *wow*; definitely makes a statement!
wow! love the pictures, thanks for sharing
That foyer will be quite the entrance when visiting the Grand Dame on the Hudson. You are awesome.
Love the orb - what a fabulous piece
Wow! Those Victorian balloon chairs are er… uh something else! 😳😊
That's the Medici coat of arms on those tapestries. I don't know anything about the history of that lamp, but the style is very much like some I saw in Provence, especially if there are cherubs on the brass parts. I've been calling them Neo-Baroque.
Wow, fantastic lamp/table, very strange but beautiful as well. Glad you had a nice break xx
I'm glad you were able to take some time off with your mom! And that lamp is so perfect I love it
That is a magical orb sort of lamp, that's for sure. Amazing!
Exited for the show and tell episode. I hope you and your mom had a great visit! 🩵