Each defined by its own distinctive ethos, three Arizona showrooms offer up one-of-a-kind finds.
WISEMAN AND GALE INTERIORS
PHOTO: LAURA MOSS
To find just the right finishing touch, look no further than Wiseman and Gale, where an eclectic array of antiques, accessories and art is arranged in an elegant showroom at one of Scottsdale’s first design studios, established in 1965. Early European chairs and chests, Delft pottery, African masks and 18th-century Italian candlesticks are artfully mixed with international and local art. “We’re excited to have some wonderful pieces from John Waddell,” says managing partner Scott Burdick. “He’s an Arizona legend, known for his very fine bronze figurative work as well as paintings in pastel, oil and watercolor.” As for what’s most popular these days, “We’re selling antiques across the board–all types,” he notes. “A single special piece in an otherwise contemporary setting raises the level of all.”
To find just the right finishing touch, look no further than Wiseman and Gale, where an eclectic array of antiques, accessories and art is arranged in an elegant showroom at one of Scottsdale’s first design studios, established in 1965. Early European chairs and chests, Delft pottery, African masks and 18th-century Italian candlesticks are artfully mixed with international and local art. “We’re excited to have some wonderful pieces from John Waddell,” says managing partner Scott Burdick. “He’s an Arizona legend, known for his very fine bronze figurative work as well as paintings in pastel, oil and watercolor.” As for what’s most popular these days, “We’re selling antiques across the board–all types,” he notes. “A single special piece in an otherwise contemporary setting raises the level of all.”
BISHOP GALLERY
PHOTO: JULIANNE WHITT
With two rooms packed to the hilt with objects and art, Bill Bishop’s gallery is the place to go for the serendipitous find from Asia, Africa, Europe and the United States. In one room, discover art Bishop has hand picked, a range of work by contemporary artists to Southwest icons like Fritz Scholder and Paul Forster. In the other, you’ll find treasures such as a circa-1940 plank mask from Africa, a ’50s Navajo turquoise-and-silver belt and a 19th-century Wedgwood crimson jasper ware cheese dome. “It’s probably the only one anyone will ever see,” Bishop notes. “I like unique objects in the proper sense of the word–not just interesting, but one of a kind.”
HOLLER AND SAUNDERS
PHOTO: HOLLER & SAUNDERS, LTD
For 40 years, Eddie Holler and Sam Saunders have been traversing the globe collecting antiques from Spain’s colonies, including Mexico, South America, the Philippines and Malaysia, among them exquisite pieces dating as far back as the 16th century. “I’m a maximalist,” admits Saunders. “If I’m doing a design job, incorporating some Spanish Colonial pieces in a contemporary setting makes a big splash.” The pair also have two carpentry shops in Mexico, where they can reinterpret an antique or complete a set of dining chairs based on two originals. Lately, clients are gravitating toward their singular pieces, such as a recently acquired 1650 Peruvian armoire. Since early European furniture wasn’t easy to transport, Saunders says, “a local carpenter, silver maker or ceramicist would reproduce it, and he’d put his own pride into the piece. They all have a primitive elegance.”
