Now here’s a collection I can recommend.  These fruit dryers would look fantastic mounted together on a wall.  The simple shapes, that are really based on utility, give them a great graphic visual appeal.  If you don’t already collect these, what better place to start?

- Ford Huniford

Check them out.

This sculptural table with a labrodorite top by Phillipe Hiquily is just plain fabulous.  Hiquily is a French artist whose works are really more sculpture than furniture.

- Ford Huniford

Check it out.

This piece would work well as a wine rack, but I think it works even better as a standalone sculpture.  It’s from the Floresheim shoe factory in Chicago and the patination on it gives it an organic feeling that contributes to its richness. It would work well on a long wall where you need something dramatic to provide a visual break.

-Ford Huniford

Check it out.

I found these interesting industrial gears with a beautiful green painted finish. These can be used as wall art or can be mounted on stands to add interest to a table.

Check them out on 1st Dibs

Here’s another great idea for a collection that you could mount on your wall to create a modern, formal effect.  These are 19th Century architectural fragments that would have graced the corner of a building’s wall.

Check them out at Primarily Primitives.

With spring in the air, my thoughts start turning to gardening.  I found these fabulous hand-carved marble garden dogs that would dress up any garden–whether in the city or the country.  They’re from the Hudson River Valley, circa 1880s.

Check them out at The Finnegan Gallery.

Early American wood vent with worn green paint. This is a very interesting, rustic piece.  I would simply hang this on a wall as a piece of art or possibly use it to cover an existing vent.

You can check it out on 1st Dibs: