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Historically Inspired

TOMORROW'S CLASSICS

Tara Shaw's Collection
Produced by Jill Austin and Jordan Barkin
Text by Catherine Lee Davis

For Tara Shaw, "It was love at first sight." With its blue-gray patina and subtle hints of gold, the antique bookcase found in a French Flea market not only became the cornerstone of her office but the prototype for Tara Shaw Maison, her own line of reproduction furniture and accessories. As a purveyor of antiques for over sixteen years, Shaw has developed a discriminating eye for one-of-a-kind pieces imported from France, Italy and Sweden for her eponymous stores in New Orleans and Houston. In summer 2008, the designer introduced Tara Shaw Maison to allow interiors professionals and her elite clientele to enjoy the same look as the antiques from her private collection. With detailed carvings, hand-rubbed paint finishes and selective distressing, the line is comprised of over sixty pages, ranging in style from Swedish country to Directoire. An Italian lantern resembles a fixture purchased for Shaw's own foyer. A Swedish rococo bench and lyre clock recreate the same distressed finish and color of the originals. An Italian table features a mirrored top and hand-carved legs. Based on seventeenth-, eighteenth- and nineteenth century designs, the pieces in Tara Shaw's Maison line offer the promise of becoming the "new classics."