In 1880 English textile and interior designer William Morris famously declared to his Birmingham audience: “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” Behind his statement was Morris’s passion for true craft and his hope to persuade the masses that their homes should be filled only with the beautiful. He would have loved the new boutique at 12 Macleay Street, Antique and Decorative Art, owned by Ian Hadlow.

His new gallery is jam-packed with the most beautiful object d’art.

He is particularly pleased with this new space and its cathedral-like space, having moved here from William Street Paddington three weeks ago.
His gallery celebrates the rare and beautiful that talented artists and crafts people have created and which inform and inspire us. It is a friendly, accessible space in historic and cosmopolitan Potts Point.

He has more than 20 years’ experience of design skills which he brings to satisfy clients’ briefs. He enjoys the interaction with clients who have been supportive and who have enthusiastically embraced the opening of his new boutique.

But he is not new to Potts Point. He has lived here for 25 years and is already part of the landscape.

He has loved antiques for as long as he can remember, particularly those from the 17th and 18th centuries.

“During this important period, the age of enlightenment flourished, bringing with it changes that are still reflected in today’s designs,” he says.

He loves the quiet sophistication of this part of Macleay Street, sometimes referred to as the Paris end of Macleay Street.

He enjoys the interaction with clients who have been supportive and enthusiastically embraced the opening of his new boutqiue.

He has curated a collection which includes a large Venetian mirror two metres by two metres from the late Baroque period circa 1725, see image above, an Anglo-Indian Padauk wood book stand circa 1840, a southern German wooden statue circa 1720 of Saint Kassian, a 1940s Venetian chandelier and modern art by Marika Varady, a living Australian female artist entitled “Murmuring” using old mast pigments, and an inlaid English Regency table by Gillows of Lancaster in Brazilian Rosewood.

Passers by stop and admire the collection. Any of its objects would enhance any interior.

“Antiques can contrast with modern interiors enhancing the beauty of both,” says Ian.

Antqiues and Decorative Art
Shop 2, 12 Macleay Street Potts Point NSW 2011
Phone (02) 9326 0025
website www.antiqueanddecorativeart.com
email ijhadlow@gmail.com
instagram #antiquedecorativeart
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10:30am to 5:30pm
Sunday by appointment

By Andrew Woodhouse
Heritage Solutions