Field Trip: Andrew Spindler's Antiques in Essex MA

There's a shop in Essex right down the street from Woodman's that I love to visit a few times a year to see what's on display. The pictures here are taken from Andrew Spindler Antiques, the smaller images are from the sold archive and the larger images are available for purchase. I'm not in Spindler's price range but going in to his shop is like walking into a temple of fine design. He manages to mix all types of pieces from all different eras and the result is so pleasing to my eyes. He gets pieces of furniture that look familiar but have some sort of twist that differentiates them from the pack. Very close to a religious experience, visiting this shop. Spindler was profiled in a 2003 Boston Globe article by Jenny Attiyeh and had this to say about his vision:

Spindler, proprietor of Andrew Spindler Antiques in Essex, is also an overseer and patron of the Museum of Fine Arts and a member of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities Council. Erudite, cautious, somewhat professorial, Spindler, 39, is a largely self-taught art historian with a growing following of collectors and designers who admire his unusual sensibilities.

"I'm not some kind of Miss Havisham stuck in the past, who's only interested in the old," he says, laughing. "I'm interested in design, period. I'm the first to be drawn to a beautiful label on a supermarket shelf, or a bottle of wine, or hardware, or bathroom fixtures, or headlights on a car."

Spindler favors what he calls "crusty" and "gutsy" objects that can transcend the time in which they were made, objects that cross boundaries both esthetically and visually. Abhorring ostentation, anything overly ornate, he prefers robust, honest objects that reflect their true function

I always come away learning about something new (to me) that I find exciting. Below is a plate designed by Eric Ravilious for Wedgwood from the mid century:


I put Spindler in the category of a curator and he has put together an amazing museum (a museum where you can buy things...who doesn't like that!). Read about him on his website.





This last trip I learned about Folly Cove Designs, a guild of designers from the Gloucester/Cape Ann area who were active from 1941 through 1969. They designed beautiful hand crafted fabrics that were used in clothing and home decor. The designs were printed onto fabrics and papers using hand carved linoleum blocks and (sometimes) an Acorn Press. My next field trip will be to the Cape Ann Museum where they have some of these items on display. Spindler carries some framed pieces for sale.