valentine's day Shop, Carmel: Jane Austen At Home

There is never a trip to Carmel that doesn't include a bit of shopping on the main street of Ocean Avenue. So, with husband and daughters in tow, I began our trudge up the hill from the beach with the promise of a stop at the local candy shop. My older daughter has been reading a lot of Jane Austen lately, and so when we saw a sign for a little antique shop, "Jane Austen At Home", we had to take a peek:

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Cherry Wood Drop Leaf Table, 19th C., Dutch Walnut side chairs, 18th C.

I love this demi-lune table with the painting above. A bit of a close-up of the blue and white porcelain:

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We found this charming shop run by the equally charming proprietress, Edeen Hill. I was so happy to have a chance to chat with Edeen and find out what brought her to Carmel. She had formerly been in San Francisco, but longed for a place where she could concentrate her formidable efforts on simply doing what she loves most.

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Biedermeier secretary/ bureau cylindre, 1830 with Japanese Meiji Period Temple Flowers in 19th Century French Urns. English Victorian Ottoman.

(Beautifully restored Biedermeier Secretary. When I saw this, I let out a little gasp.) And what Edeen loves most is the hunt for these beautiful treasures that have all found a beautiful home here in Jane Austen's At Home. Edeen concentrates on antiques that would be found in the same era that Jane Austen had lived, and she is able to put these things together with great style.

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Two 19th C Chinese Wedding Trunks of Kid Leather with Brass Fittings. Two 18th C French chairs covered in silk.

This pretty vignette was so sunny and inviting, I felt like sitting right here and opening a copy of Pride and Prejudice for a relaxing little afternoon! These white trunks were gorgeous. And doesn't Edeen have a way with a table scape?

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Lovely painting. And white objects on the white leather trunk. Just beautiful.

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19thC Alabaster Sculpture of Dante and Beatrice.

Edeen put together this black and white checked 18th C Georgian wing-backed C chair with this beautiful red leather topped table. And with the Arts and Crafts fabric screen, it makes such a cozy spot.

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This is another view of the treasures in Jane Austin At Home. Doesn't it make you feel like you are in the home of a favorite friend?

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1820 English Regency Library Chair

Well I felt like I did make a new friend the day I walked in to Jane Austen At Home. I hope you will take a moment and check Edeen's website HERE. And the next time you are in Carmel, please stop in!

UPDATE: Edeen was nice enough to let me know that her good friend Eric Liebou, designer and antique dealer, is a good part of the genius that is behind the wonderful arrangement of her shop. Such a talent to be sure! They make a very powerful pair.