Take 10 With Collector Suzanna Allen
Suzanna Allen in the de Gournay Showroom San Francisco
With the success of this year's San Francisco Fall Show, COUPAR predicts antiques are back after a long hiatus. While during the eighties, nineties, and early 21st century, the one percent couldn't get enough of the rarest, most esoteric furnishings and objets d'art, the Great Recession plunged us into a gray world of visual austerity. But now, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain problems, buying off the floor is an excellent solution for interior designers. Antiques and vintage pieces are also green and reduce our carbon footprint.
For collector Suzanna Allen, the old never went out of style. Suzanna's taste is innate, but she honed it further during her employment with designer Paul Vincent Wiseman, founder of TWG, and Ed Hardy, who owned an esteemed SOMA antique gallery. Her San Francisco apartment is a treasure trove of collections she acquired through her worldwide travels, often with her friend, the late Dorit Eglit, great-niece of Out of Africa author Karen Blixen. COUPAR caught up with Suzanna for a Take 10 before her next globe-trotting adventure.
CC: Suzanna, how long have you been collecting? How did you get started?
SA: I have been collecting for about 70 years. My mother took me to flea markets and junk shops as a child. My first purchase was a small cloverleaf table, for which I paid 25 cents.
CC: Where are some of your favorite places to shop? (stores, cities, countries?)
SA: In San Francisco, my favorite stores are Epoca, Garden Court Antiques, Foster-Gwin, Jonathan Rachman Design, Decoration by Allison Caccoma, and Gumps. Going to the South East, I like Parc Monceau in Atlanta. Traveling North to East Hampton, there is LVIS. I also love to shop almost anywhere in London, Paris, and Italy.
CC: How have your travels influenced your style and choice of furnishings?
SA: My travels to various extraordinary private homes with the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art and the London-based Sir John Soane's Museum have influenced me.
Hall of Mirrors in antiquarian Terry Gross’s apartment. Interior Design: Ann Getty & Associates.
Photo: David Duncan Livingston
CC: What are other influences that have affected your style?
SA: My other influences have been my two past employers, interior designer Paul Vincent Wiseman and antique dealer Ed Hardy. Also, I have enjoyed the fabulous homes and fantastic collections of five extraordinary women; Valera Lyles' house in Carmel, Terry Gross's Nob Hill apartment, Cynthia Gunn's Bay Area estate, Susan Doherty's Presidio residence, and the Pacific Heights' home of Dorrit Egil.
CC: What are your favorite items to collect?
SA: I love to collect porcelain boxes in the shapes of vegetables, lacquer boxes, art and design books, and jewelry.
Interviewer's note: Suzanna has an incredible collection of vintage costume jewelry; think Auntie Mame meets Tony Duquette.
CC: What pieces do you love too much to ever sell? What is your most treasured item?
SA: I would never sell my four 18th-century Venetian red lacquer chinoiserie armchairs. They were purchased from Evans & Gerst at the very first San Francisco Fall Antiques Show in 1981. But, my most precious treasure is my Papillon dog, Sweetheart.
CC: What do you love about antiques? Why do you feel that they’re a valuable addition to a home?
SA: I love antiques because they have soul. They add life to any room.
CC: What do you look for when selecting antiques? What advice do you have for designers who are looking for quality pieces?
SA: I look for unusual pieces that grab my eye. Someone looking for antiques should visit shops and discover what attracts them. Then, do research by reading and talking with experienced dealers.
CC: What is surprising about your style that readers wouldn't expect?
SA: When people come to my home, they are surprised by the quantity of my collections. One person said, "going into your home is like putting on a warm shawl."
Suzanna riding a camel in the Saraha