Isabella Walker-Smith’s passion for all things French will never end. Join her outstanding edit of the best of France and refresh your home for the season to come, with the hottest looks people want right now.
You’ll find one-of-a-kind artisanal pieces, fresh from Paris to Provence and the French Alps, with some irresistibly low starting bids (considering the quality).
The sale has furniture, ornaments, and statement pieces – from Louis XV gilt mirrors to chandeliers, chairs, and commodes, farmhouse tables, vintage alpine seats, benches, desks, pots and art. Photo: Abbie Melle
There are more than 250 items in her September sale online now, reflecting Isabella’s instinctive flair for finding unusual and beautiful pieces while also fulfilling the need to travel and buy something from a far-off land.
It fulfills that wanderlust. Many are investment pieces and not just decorative items.
The sale has furniture, ornaments, and statement pieces – from Louis XV gilt mirrors to chandeliers, chairs and commodes, farmhouse tables, extension tables, vintage alpine seats, benches, desks, pots, candelabras, art, copperware, baskets, and much more.
“Nobody does interiors better – more effortlessly, more stylishly, than the French,” says Isabella. Isabella pictured in Paris at the Picasso Museum.
The sale is your last chance to get your hands on Lucy Montgomery’s custom artisanal hand-crafted items as Montgomery now only designs interiors. Grab, the designer’s iconic cushions, napkins baby quilts, glassware, Christmas wreaths, and more. No reserves.
Also on offer is Isabella’s favourite lighting she uses in her own home. Expect high-end things but not especially high estimates.
They’re not available for long, though – and the clock on this timed auction has just begun – so get in quick.
You will find personality pieces from charming chandeliers to vintage Provencal pine chests of drawers, authentic French timber kitchen chairs from the Alps, pine pews, confit pots, oak trunks, walnut dining chairs, old rattan chairs, good-value sideboards, dressers, 19th-century armoires, farmhouse timber tables, and handmade French kitchen work benches.
There are antique French gilt mirrors, 20th-century French bedsides with original paintwork, demijohn wine bottles, lanterns, and the best range of vintage copper cookware and charming antique French oil paintings, from $180, that will add instant pedigree and a personal touch to your home.
These pieces that will give your home a touch of that instant French je ne sais quoi easy nonchalance. Bet you can’t pick just one. We sure can’t.
There are great-value, big walnut farmhouse extensions tables that are dead ringers for the ones you see in the world’s best houses such as LOT 54, with parquetry top, (estimate $2600), or LOT 20, a splendid 20th-century antique French farmhouse table with original grey paint, (estimate $2800), or LOT 56, a 19th-century antique French oak table with carved legs is a classic piece that will do the trick.
For bargains, check French vintage painted beds, such as LOT 133, a stunning solid cream painted timber single bed on wheels, (estimate $200), or LOT 33, (estimate $300). LOT 85, an 18th-century French sideboard with original hardware, (estimate $450), LOT 105, a 19th-century French sideboard with original marble-top, (estimate $500).
Don’t miss LOT 39, a delightful wrought iron candelabra, (estimate $250), or LOT 96, a set of five 20th century French walnut dining chairs, (estimate $400). One of the top picks includes LOT 1, a pair of vintage Provencal chairs with cane seating, (estimate $400), and LOT 59, an antique French Louis XV-style fauteuil armchair with new linen upholstery, (estimate $600). You won’t go wrong with any of the lights such as LOT 112, a pair of new goose-neck brass table lamps with linen shades, (estimate $225), or LOT 107, a new classic aged brass floor lamp with Belgian linen shade, (estimate $450).
“My curated edits are about shopping and decorating with intention, rejecting throwaway culture, and standing up for sustainability,” says Isabella.
The collection is stuffed with French treasures including well-worn wooden things and the best range of vintage copper cookware that will add instant pedigree and a personal touch to your home.
Seek out LOT 132, a large old 118cm French “Farmer’s Market” clock from the Alps, (estimate $150), or LOT 129, a set of four appealing vintage copper saucepan lids that would look fantastic hanging on the wall, (estimate $200). Check out LOT 120, a pair of glamorous turned glass candlesticks, (estimate $50), or the range of vintage Provencal Demijohn French wine bottles, such as LOT 118, (estimate $200).
Lot 97: 19th-century antique French walnut commode from The French Alps.
Estimate $1,200, lawsons.com.au
Since launching in early 2022, Isabella Walker-Smith’s online curated auctions have gained a cult following with Lawsons Auctions in Australia, driving a new crowd to buy vintage and antiques – and teaching us old pieces are life-enhancing and sustainable.
This coveted sale will help you master the intimidating but deal-packed marketplace.
“The French lifestyle is the art of living life to the fullest: It’s about elevating simple everyday routines into something pleasurable with the pieces that surround you.
“With your cookware, your vases, and your dining table. I lived in London and Vancouver for a couple of years. Funnily, many of these pieces are triple the price in Paris and London, than in my collection.”
“Provencal design is more about a way of life than a particular style,” says Isabella. “There’s a casual and confident elegance to it— alongside a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor living. It never gets fussy.”
Isabella has done the work, so you do your deal-finding. They’re not available for long, though- the clock is ticking on this timed sale. Ends Wednesday, 20 September at 7 pm.
SHOP NOW – Isabella Walker-Smith’s Tour De Force & Gorgeous Lights
