Fabulous Little Things: Cast Acanthus Leaf Objet




Antiqued Silver Cast Metal Acanthus leaves
on Museum Mount Stands. 
At $349.00 for 11, they are a steal!  Sizes vary from 9" to 25".

  I am smitten.  I was out shopping the other day and while zooming past the open doors of Restoration Hardware, I did a double take when I saw the most amusing collection of scrolling cast Acanthus leaves displayed on a coffee table.  This is somewhat unusual, as Restoration Hardware, for the most part, sort of bores me.  How much reclaimed pine and Belgian linen can one person take before they start speaking in tongues? 

But I do love what they're doing with their accessories.  Large, high impact pieces have taken over the spaces once occupied by twiddly little things.  I do love twiddly, but it's nice to have an alternative, and a unique one at that.  Shown on Museum mounts, each is modeled on an original architectural detail.  RH says these are Art Deco, but any Designer or Consumer who has picked up a book knows these are pure Rococo.  They have a wonderful lyrical quality, and the simplicity of their bases is a great foil to the elaborate and organic movement that the pieces create when assembled together.

I think these are tremendous.  They're lovely for a coffee table, but they would be stunning on a credenza that backed up to a sofa, or even on a mantle balanced with wonderful candle sticks, their details reflected in a mirror.  Or, how about a garden room where they could be intermixed with maiden hair ferns in mossy Terracotta pots?  Or, perhaps an arrangement on the Dining Table when it's not in use.  Possibilities are endless when you have a thing of beauty to excite you.

- Ian