By Laura Eckstein Jones By Laura Eckstein Jones | February 9, 2024 | People, Lifestyle, culture, Lifestyle Feature, Culture Feature, People Feature, Community, Creators, Apple News, City Life,
From decorative objects and artifacts to antique cars, these chic collectors are powered by passion.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT, PHOTOS FROM GETTY IMAGES/BY: SEPIA TIMES; TRISTAN FEWINGS; TIMOTHY A. CLARY; HAROLD CUNNINGHAM; FABRICE COFFRINI; DANIEL LEAL; IAN WEST/PA IMAGES
10 years ago, when designing and building her family home with architect William Hefner, Galerie Provenance (galerieprovenance.com) founder Sheila Bouttier dove into her passion for beautiful objects out of necessity. “We had to decide how to fill it,” she says of the home. “I had always loved art, design and fashion but knew very little about interiors and furniture, so I began searching for inspiration.” She credits Ellen Degeneres’ book Home as what initially sparked her interest.
PHOTO BY NICKI SEBASTIAN
"IF YOU CAN’T AFFORD A SPECIFIC PIECE OF DESIGN, TRY TO GET A PIECE IN THAT STYLE FROM THE SAME ERA RATHER THAN A REISSUE OR KNOCK-OFF—IF YOU SPEND WISELY, ANTIQUES AND DESIGN PIECES WILL ACTUALLY INCREASE IN VALUE.”–SHEILA BOUTTIER
“I gravitate to timeless pieces whether they are from the 20th century or 17th,” says Bouttier, who calls out a gallery wall by her grandfather, acclaimed artist Benjamin Abramowitz, as her prized possession. “I love the mix and weaving primitive pieces in with more sophisticated.” Other favorites include an Antony chair by Jean Prouvé and a set of pine Utö dining chairs by Axel Einar Hjorth she uses daily. She also collects Swedish root bowls carved from burl wood. “I... like the idea of imperfection and unexpected beauty, so I am often drawn to wood with patina or artifacts with broken edges and signs of a long life well-lived.”
PHOTO BY NICKI SEBASTIAN
“My biggest piece of advice is if something seems too good to be true, it often is," Bouttier explains. “I have found fakes even at legitimate auction houses. The more value pieces accrue, the more likely there are imposters in the market. Work with people you know you can trust.” She adds, “I never buy pieces solely as an investment. I only purchase pieces I love. If you can’t afford a specific piece of design, try to get a piece in that style from the same era rather than a reissue or knock-off—if you spend wisely, antiques and design pieces will actually increase in value.”
Careerwise, lifelong Angeleno Dion Der runs PINKYS (pinkysirondoors.com), the beloved-by-designers iron door and window company his father started in 1978. But since his early teen years, cars have been his passion. "I’ve always loved a diamond in the rough, finding rare and special cars that need work… I love working on fixers; it’s my form of meditation," he shares. "Similarly to the doors and windows I design that our customers use in their home renovations, working on cars is also about creating potential."
PHOTO BY NICKI SEBASTIAN
"EVERY CAR HAS ITS OWN UNIQUE CHARACTER… I PREFER TO BUY CARS THAT ARE AN EXTENSION OF MY PERSONALITY RATHER THAN OWNING A CAR AS A PET.”–DION DER
Unlike most collectors, Der enjoys driving—and sometimes racing—his cars and motorcycles. "The highlights of my collection are always about the memories we made with a car, as much as it’s about the car itself," he says. "I’m partial to Porsches and collect 911s from the 70s to 90s, but my favorite car is my 1964 Mercedes Benz SL 230 ‘Pagoda’... the car I drove off with my wife on our wedding day."
PHOTO BY ADRIAN MARTIN
"Every car has its own unique character… I prefer to buy cars that are an extension of my personality rather than owning a car as a pet," he says, adding that fixers should always be an option. "For me, bringing a car back to life is more fun than one that’s already mint." Also, be deliberate with decisions. "When in doubt, accelerate," he says.
Perfumehead (perfumehead.com) founder Daniel Patrick Giles' love of books connects directly to his creative process, especially when building scents for his L.A.-inspired line. "Books continue to inform the fragrances I create for Perfumehead, whether by directly citing a title as an inspiration or referencing an entire movement within an artist’s career," he says. "My library totals over 1,000 books, but its inspiration for ideas is infinite."
PHOTO COURTESY OF SUBJECT
Instead of focusing on one genre, Giles chooses tomes that inspire him, mainly centered around fashion, photography, art and architecture. "Some of the highlights are my SUMO books from Taschen that keep increasing in value yearly. I am lucky to own one of the original Helmut Newton SUMO books," he shares. "One of my most prized possessions is a book I found in Marrakech that’s all about Yves Saint Laurent’s love affair with Morrocco. On his wishlist now? Carine Roitfeld’s Fantasies and the book accompanying the Ed Ruscha exhibit at MoMA.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SUBJECT
Giles recommends building a collection around a category of interest and notes that a great collection doesn’t happen overnight. “A good place to start is in vintage bookstores (hurry, before they disappear) or a bookstore with a specific niche that you find interesting,” he advises. “Go with your gut and pick what you love. Don’t overthink it.”
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