Leave it to me to obsess over the details no one else notices. I was reading Lonny’s great roundup of unexpected color combinations, and instead of swooning over the legitimately pretty topic at hand, the pairing of deep navy and lovely trench-coat camel, I instead focused in on this:
Source: Lonny. Originally featured in this home tour, a project designed by Marianne Brown of White & Gold.
That sconce! The timeless shape. The pairing of two totally classic materials that somehow seems totally current, too. I suspected Visual Comfort as the lighting source, which a quick Google image search (string: black and brass sconce with shade) confirmed. It’s the Elkins Sconce, part of the brand’s glamorous yet masculine Thomas O’Brien Lighting collection.
Source: Neena's Lighting
The more I stared at it, the more I realized how much I’m drawn to the combination of flattish black and hints of gleaming gold. Sure, black and brass decor have been trending for some time, but usually the pairing is all flashy and glam—very bombshell. The pieces I’m drawn to are more French-Neoclassical-eclectic and even faintly stodgy.
Take, for example, this ram’s head table on Chairish that I’ve viewed 70 times and which is now following me via cookies on every device I own:
Source: Chairish. Don’t you DARE buy this before I come up with a spare $450. I will FIND YOU.
The combination of finishes paired with the kooky ram detail is so crazy-old-rich-lady, isn’t it? I have to have it.
Now, see how much it echoes this desk I fell for a few years ago at High Point Market (and that I stop by to touch on every subsequent trip):
Source: Van Thiel & Co. desk via Kathy Kuo Home
I find the whole look very reminiscent of Maison Jansen, the famed Paris design firm known for combining Empire and Neoclassical styling with a bit of modern glamour and Asian flair.
Ready for more? Check out these half-dozen finds. And remember, that ram’s head table is MINE.
1. Mary McDonald Annika table lamp, $429, Wayfair. 2. Paragon round wall mirror, $220, Wayfair. 3. Lacourte ebony side table, $895, Williams-Sonoma Home. 4. Maison Jansen black lacquer table, price on request, 1stdibs. 5. Pair of Maison Jansen sconces, $3,950, 1stdibs. 6. Billy Haines faux bamboo table, $3,240, Chairish.