[Masterclass] Incorporating Antiques into Contemporary Designs
In our September Masterclass, Dering Hall was joined by Charles Peed and Cris Briger, co-founders of Get the Gusto / CASA GUSTO, to discuss the philosophy and elements associated with exposing furniture to different settings – primarily antiques in a contemporary setting.
In this Masterclass, Cris and Charles provide some beautiful examples of antiques placed into contemporary design settings. Explaining their design thinking, they start by breaking the process down to 4 components:
Object
Their design process tends to start with the object first, using the Klismos Chair from ancient Greece as an example of how ancient forms are constantly adapted and repeated – often making them the most modern.
Setting
Having the object in mind, next you have to consider the setting. Cris and Charles gravitate more towards contemporary over modern. Modern spaces tend to follow stricter style formats while contemporary has many variations in its interiors.
New vs. Old
Get the Gusto prefers to incorporate pieces that have a back story and can be used as a conversational piece as opposed to modern pieces which are more functional and less interesting.
Principal
Having an inclined preference for antiques and objects of age should not make it prohibitive to decorate in a modern or contemporary setting. It’s the actual setting of the interior that dictates the overall mood, rather than the contents.
As a personal preference, individual appreciation of the original driver behind the buying strategy at Casa Gusto. The appreciation of objects, especially antiques, are the main driver in the design process. According to Charles, “it is not the function first mantra but the object first.” The idea is to really take the objects of the past and put them in the modern or contemporary setting. For specific examples and detailed insights on the design process, please check out the full video above.
Dering Hall would like to extend a big thank you to Cris Briger and Charles Peed for presenting this masterclass and sharing their expertise and insights. If you have any questions for Charles or Cris regarding Get the Gusto / CASA GUSTO, please feel free to email charles@getthegusto.com.
About Get the Gusto / CASA GUSTO:
There are often words in a language that is not our own that capture a meaning that is precise, a feeling or description so perfect that we must bridge over and take from the other land and claim it. GUSTO is one of the words capturing in Spanish and Italian a vibrant feeling of taste and pleasure.
GET THE GUSTO is just that. A newly hatched company of antiques, objects, and artworks is now opening its doors as CASA GUSTO on Georgia Avenue in West Palm Beach Florida. The space is filled with goods old and new gathered and invented from around the globe.
17th and 18th-century furniture mixed with a dose of mid-century to hand-painted and thrown Talavera from Mexico evoking Andalusia. End runs and vintage fabric cushions coming together to make dowry quality comfort. Hand molded ceramics from France where earthly pigments dress the table in colors that you can almost taste. Lively and exotic canvases of the artist Catharine Warren making the walls on which they are hung come to life.
"Sexy and provocative is the goal as well as wanting to repurchase everything in the shop for myself," says Cris Briger co-proprietor with her son Charles Peed. The two exude excitement for all that is within. It is a very personal journey sought after in a mutual love of the hunt, chase, and capture of all that is..... GUSTO.