In “Collected: Living With The Things You Love,” authors Fritz Karch and Rebecca Robertson, both expert decorators, present a tour of peculiar, elegant, and awe-inspiring collections from around the world. The book teaches readers the basic principles of the hunt while exploring the thoughtful and inventive ways people display their various collections, from the accessible and affordable to the aspirational extreme.
The featured collections range from dice and café au lait bowls to 19th-century French sewing tools, as well as from Chinese porcelian to dog-shaped doorstops and sand from world travels. All items featured illustrate collections as expressions of personal style. From no frills (The Modest) to ornate (The Exceptionalist), Karch and Robertson examine the selected collections according to personality type.
The authors explain how collecting is not an elitist pursuit and showcase a vast spectrum of material from homecrafted and quirky to extravagant and elegant.
The 352-page book showcases 15 different collecting personalities, each with its own chapter, featuring exceptional photographs, vignettes showing how the objects are displayed, and a collecting lesson. Published by Abrams, the $40 hardcover book is a must for antique enthusiasts who live with their collections and do not view them as non-tangible things for a safe deposit box.
An inspiring guide and examination of various types of collections, “Collected” explores the motivation for forming collections and serves as a how-to for collectors looking to display objects.
For ordering information, visit www.abramsbooks.com.
About the authors:
Fritz Karch was the editorial director of collecting at “Martha Stewart Living” for 15 years. He is also a lifelong collector. Rebecca Robertson is the former decorating editor at “Martha Stewart Living.” She runs her own residential interiors company and curates vintage glassware at her shop Pasanella & Son, Vintners, in New York City.