Something Different...........and Wonderful!!

Upon entering Something Different II on Main Street in Fredericksburg, I am struck by the eye popping colors and fabulous looking furnishings everywhere I look. I have to stop and just stand for a moment - taking it all in and deciding which way to go first.

Valerie Durst, proprietor, has long been known in town for her great taste. When we moved here 14 years ago, she owned a clothing store by the same name, "Something Different" . Local shoppers, as well as tourists who came to town just to shop with her, frequented the classic store.

To the dismay of many, she closed the store after a number of years and went on to do other things. Life changes and a love of art and home furnishings has brought her back, and man, oh man, is she back!!

Valerie has opened yet another amazing and beautiful store chock full of case goods, pottery, art, lamps , rugs, and anything else you can think of that is interesting and delightful for the home. I especially love the selection of Gorky Gonzales pottery from Guanajuato in Mexico. You may remember that it is one of the Mexican potteries that I have collected for years, and this shop will definitely be a weakness for me in this department.

This sign would have made a splendid Valentine for someone. I did show it to my husband one night through the window, but I guess he thought the sentiment and seeing it through the window was quite enough........

Valerie is very much an international shopper and she can't keep these telephone wire baskets from Zimbabwe in stock. Aren't they fun?

Of course, she has to have a few fashionable things to wear and these belts with Frida Kahlo and religious icon buckles are great looking.

Sweet.......another would of been good Valentine sentiment - actually a good sentiment anytime.

Love the pillows, love the tables and chairs, and of course, love the square Italian platters..........

Valerie has mixed in some vintage with new, and this old iron plant stand comes alive with the red pottery. This table is full of different sizes and shapes of this yummy red pottery.

Textile hangers from Indonesia..........who knew?

Of course, being the pillow addict that I am, I love the mix of color on the black and white zebra print settee.

For those who like a more neutral palette or things of an organic nature, great wooden bowls , woven baskets, and seed balls.

I am wild about this toile chair, one of a pair, as well as the wonderful rectangular sconces flanking the mirror. So handsome!

........and I will take the drum chandelier, too, thank you very much!

These are kind of hard to see, but the table and the chairs are woven wire to resemble bird's nests - love 'em!

Traditional as well as classic modern pieces are mixed together all through the store.

Art as well as rugs and accessories are blended in every corner and I had to walk through several times to even begin to se everything.

I

........love the sillouette of this beautiful lamp.

Cute striped slips on these chairs with a great mix of pillows.....ooh, and look at the great lampshade!

Love this boxy chair - one of a pair. Many of the upholstered pieces in the shop are made by Rowe.

Each piece can be custom ordered and Something Different II has over 800 fabric samples from which to choose.

I am not usually a fan of artificial plants, but these succulents are very real looking.

Gotta love that color!!

I noticed this very handsome sconce hanging on the side of the door - the tag says "Brimfield" which tells me that Valerie found it on one of her treasure hunting trips. Really, really nice..

A peek into one of the big front windows to see one of many colorful displays ..............

This is the view from the front door - just a glance around told me I needed some serious browsing time here.

Oh my...............beautiful Robin's egg blue leather chairs.......yum.

A modern version of a penny rug - all bright and bold with a modern circular table sitting on top

Uh oh - I am in trouble now. Valerie just got in a big shipment of pottery!

I really don't buy any more of this particular pottery unless is I see a piece that is very different from what I have or one that is very unusual

..........but aren't these big lidded jars and the orange pitcher so pretty mixed with the Mexican pieces on the wall?

Did I say I don't buy this pottery anymore? Who am I kidding?

A closer shot of the table with the blue leather chairs........ and the table set with more great pottery - this time black and white stripes with brilliant colors and animals.

Valerie regularly shops in Mexico in places like San Miguel de Allende, Cuernavaca, Guadalajara, Guanajuato and Mexico City, as well as our markets in Los Angeles and New York. I am looking for a spot in my house for this fabulous carved wood and tin lantern from San Miguel.

She carries fabulous lanterns, candlesticks and lamps. She also has wonderful Balinese folk art pieces cut from steel drums that she cannot even keep in stock, they are so popular!

I visited the shop last Saturday, Valentine's day, and the goodies at the front counter were quite picked over! Still a few treasures for those late shoppers, though!

Did I mention beautiful glass vases and whimsical chickens?

...............colorful side tables and multicolored orbs (sometimes "orbs" sounds better than "balls"!!)

So, the next time you find your self in the neighborhood, do stop in to visit this great addition to our shops on Main Street. Meanwhile if you have any questions or want to shop by phone, call 830- 997-2734, and any of Valerie's friendly staff will be glad to help you!

Mexican Pottery

I know we have visited my breakfast room before, but this is where most of my old Mexican pottery lives. I collect some contemporary pottery, but most of what I have is old tourist pottery bought at estate and garage sales in the United States(mainly Texas and New Mexico) over the years.

Actually, when I have hunted for pottery in Mexico, I have found that the old pottery, made in places like Puebla and Tlaquepaque, is not there anymore. Please don't misunderstand, there is still a ton of great looking pottery being made there, just not the tourist pottery that people used to bring home from vacationing south of the border during the 30s, 40s, and even into the 1960s.

The first "new" pottery I began to collect I found on a quick trip to Nuevo Laredo in the early 70s. I bought three square bowls with lions on them and they hang on the wall above the window of my breakfast room along with an assortment of other plates and platters from the same potter.They were designed and crafted by the well known potter Gorky Gonzales. Gorky is an educated craftsman who has chosen to work in an authentic majolica technique. While he was in a small studio in the colonial town of Guanajuato , Mexico when I first visited him in the mid 70s, he had moved to a much larger facility when I was fortunate enough to visit again in the 90s. He has more help now and my impression is that his son may have taken over his business at this point. I have collected many of his pieces over the years and have them scattered around my house - some decorative and some useful! If you are interested in learning more you can go to www.gorkypottery for a lovely and informative presentation.



The pieces in the front with the sort of drip glaze, are old and come from Oaxaca. I have a Mexican teapot collection, and a few of them are also included in this grouping. There is one Talavera vase tucked back there, but the rest is Gorky , along with a few on the right made by another contemporary potter named Capello. He is in the same region as Gorky and while his style is similar, he actually does some more formal looking pieces.

There are several good books on the subject of Mexican pottery. I especially love one of the first I ever read entitled "A Potter's Mexico"by Irwin and Emily Whitaker, published in 1978 by the University of New Mexico Press.

For more current study of Mexican pottery, try "Popular Arts of Mexico 1850-1950", by Donna McMenamin, published by Schiffer Publishing in 1996. Another one published by Schiffer is called "Ceramica, Mexican Pottery of the 20th Century", by Amanda Thompson in cooperation with the California Heritage Museum, Santa Monica, published in 2001.

I have now lost this post twice -once due to my mistakes and once I think due to blogger's outage - so, I will continue in another post but want to go ahead and publish this one before I lose it! (the post and my mind!!)