Coco Chanel once said, “An interior is the natural projection of the soul” and if that’s true, then my soul is well-lit with crystal chandeliers, shabby chic slipcovers, rococo antiques, object d’art and everything Baroque and beyond! As a decorating-obsessed diva, I’m out hitting the flea markets and antique shops during the days but at night, once the markets have closed and insomnia is in full swing, I find myself surfing the design blogs, flipping endlessly through shelter publications and pursuing online décor stores. Here lately a new kid in town is capturing my attention! Enter The Inglenook Décor, an online home & garden shop specializing in 4 decorating styles: Vintage Modern, French Chateau, Rococo and Shabby Country.
The brains and beauty behind Inglenook Décor, choreographing the charmingly eclectic inventory, is the darling Maureen. A physical therapist in private practice, Maureen dreams of “traveling the world à la Samantha Brown, checking out the world of design & decor”. She confesses impishly that she “longs to be an interior designer to entertain her creative side….” And speaking of entertaining a creative side, that is exactly what she does for me with both her online shop and her blog!
Oh, did I forget to mention - not only does Maureen run an online boutique (with a store website chocked full of useful decorating nuggets of wisdom) but she also writes a blog called Ingle Talk to boot. The design blog Odi et Amo posted a sensational interview with Maureen earlier this year, where Maureen explained among other things the origin of the company name and shed some light on where she finds the treasures for her online store!Maureen writes, “Inglenooks are built-in alcoves centered on a fireplace where friends and families gather. It's like the center of an old-fashioned cottage. Just like what this built-in alcove represents, I believe homes should provide warmth and should be a place of refuge from the outside world and a reflection of our own personal style and taste.”
To find inventory, Maureen started subscribing to trade magazines and checking importers from her home country – the Philippines - as well as going to several markets in the US. And Maureen explains, “Of course, (I go) antique and flea market shopping. This can be tricky, you have to separate the trash from real great finds. A little self-serving but some of it, I kept for me.... As for my archetypal customer? Highly independent, confident and creative individuals that thrive on making all of their choices definitely unique and their own. I picture them as sophisticated men and women who totally agree with one of Coco Chanel's famous quotes: ‘An interior is the natural projection of one's soul.’ A little frivolous for these times perhaps, but they realize that a beautiful surrounding inspires.”Thank You Maureen for being an Inspiration – You, my dear, are The Diva of the Day!
The Inglenook Décor
www.theingelnookdecor.com
Happy Shopping,
The Antiques Diva™
Holland, France, Belgium, Germany, Holland again, and again… I’m racking up more miles on the Merc than we ever thought possible! In the last month and a half I’ve slept more nights in other people’s houses and hotels than in my own bed! Needless to say, my poor husband who’s been left at home has suffered the consequences of Diva Tour’s success and has not only learned to cook for himself but he’s taken up ironing as a hobby!!! So today’s blog is devoted both to THE ONES I LOVE & a CALL OUT to some SPECIAL PEOPLE!
Thanks for putting up with my recent prolonged travels! I love you dear! We recently realized that in 6 months I will have spent half my life in his arms – and it’s been the best 18 years of my life!
Psst… If my Parisian host looks familiar it might be because this isn’t the first time she’s appeared on my blog! Remember the Guest Post, 
Marlene seen above waving an antique toy bowling pin in 
Lucretia seen here at W. Angevaren Oude Kunst en Antiek in The Hague while taking clients on a Diva Tour.
She embodies in one person my 3 European lives! I first met my German friend Sylvia when we were both living in Holland, though it just so happens she’s lived the better part of the last 2 decades in France, speaking French so flawlessly that everyone who meets her is awed it’s not her native tongue!
NOTE: THIS IS NOT A PHOTO OF LA MOM, BUT INSTEAD A STOCK PHOTOGRAPH LABELED INCOGNITO… I thought it was an appropriate filler since La Mom’s TRUE IDENTITY is SAFE WITH ME (and those Diva Clients to whom she revealed her true identity!)
Kim P, The Diva and Chantal
Readers, please ignore the fact that I’m wearing the same outfit on 2 different tour days - it’s a career casualty when living out of a suitcase! Back to the mirror - I paid a mere 125 Euro for this fab French mirror! When concerns arose that it might not fit into the back of my station wagon, Jessica graciously agreed to buy it off of me (for an additional 10 E discount off what I originally paid – LOL!) but perseverance paid off and it eventually (with a lot of pushing and shoving by Jessica and me) fit into my car! Until our next shopping adventure - Thanks for everything Jessica! 
In addition to covering antiques, I often write about home décor and art galleries and that’s where Agudo comes in! Not only is Agudo a talented writer, but she is also a photographer with her art work appearing currently in an Amsterdam art gallery! From Nov 7-Dec 5 you can view Agudo’s current series at 
Dear Diva Readers,
The concept behind 
“They bought souvenirs and these souvenirs became known as Grand Tour Souvenirs” – purchases made with an express purpose Robert explains, “of illustrating their knowledge and symbolizing their refined tastes. On their return home, these travelers exhibited the souvenirs as objects for study and discussion”
Don’t we do the same thing today when we antique shop abroad? A tour through my Berlin apartment is to tour through my travels. I sit in a bergere bought in Paris, sit my drink on a side table picked up in Budapest, Holland contributes the lighting, while the object d’art is pure Italian! Germany, Czech and Austria come into play in other rooms, as does Spain and Portugal, Tunisia and Greece… Each room I display souvenirs of where I’ve been which is a direct correlation with who I’ve become – the more I see and do, the more I train my eye, the more I change as a person. I’m slowly amassing my own personal grand tour collection….. and perhaps that’s why I’m so enchanted with Robert Schreuder Antiques – their Grand Tour collection isn’t just about my own personal memories, it goes beyond them, creating layers to the story, weaving through the annals of time.
On my antique shopping tours, I always ask clients why they buy antiques. The responses are often the same: they buy them because they think antiques are better made than modern pieces, because they like their lines or their patina, because they want to have home décor different than their friends, for eclectic style and because they transport us to another place and another time. The common denominator among all my clients is that they buy antiques because they are buying stories, pieces with a past and a personality. In Robert Schreuder’s Grand Tour collection, the past comes to life, bringing “black and white” to true “Technicolor”, vividly layering my present passion for antique “souvenir” shopping while living abroad like a delectable gateau “
Dear Diva Readers,
Going into its fifth year, The Urban Market Houston has become THE TEXAN event for dealers as well as bargain hunters who are looking to spend a day outdoors looking through tents filled with incredible antiques and treasures! The ever-charming Jackie Sharbrough has organized an amazing assembly of antique dealers for each of the three Urban Markets throughout the year. The dealers come from all over the USA and each has their own specialty with merchandise to die for. The market has the feel of a Paris flea market – Texan Style - with the tents and big wide grassy walkways.
You’ll want to sign up to join The Urban Market’s mailing list as this event is held 3 times a year and you’ll want to stay in the loop to learn when the next event will be held! Each February, May, and November vendors have one day – and one day only – to move all sorts of interesting objects, antiques, artwork, designer & decorators collections! A walk through the 
So, put the date on your calendar, call a friend and sneak out early Sunday morning, November 8th. For 
Clipping from Country Living Sept 2007 
Now, dear Diva Readers, you knew the Queen of The Netherlands held court in The Hague, but did you realize the Queen of Dutch Décor also reigned from ‘s-Gravenhage?
Ms. van Moorsel-van der Lande had me at “Goedemorgen” when I walked into her showroom and saw a lantern that was the answer to the question I’d been pondering for my own hall-way décor. As she shared pictures from a recent project at The Hague’s own 
