MoS Shops in West Palm- Rockin' Rattan

We interrupt our Christmas-themed blogging today for a decidedly non-holiday post. I could use a little vacation for the mind right now considering that it's only December 3rd and I've already been subjected to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" about 823 times!

Let's venture back down to sunny Florida, shall we? And while we're at it we'll do a little antiquing on Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach. After all, in this Travel and Leisure article, Simon Doonan calls the vintage furniture to be found on this unassuming stretch of highway "some of the most collectible and glamorous in the world."

My mom recently purchased some vintage bamboo barstools and has been telling me for months that I needed to check out the wild store where she purchased them. I didn't quite believe how fascinating the store was going to be, but I knew I was in for a real treat when I walked through the door and was greeted by two huge parrots...and some you'll-only-find-this-in-Florida accessories.

   

I spy a giant clam!

I guess the best way to describe Bamboo & Rattan is like a bamboo-themed Ruff & Ready. Well, not quite as chaotic as Ruff & Ready- but check out these pix and you'll see what I mean. It's like a treasure hunt! Two full floors of vintage and handmade bamboo and rattan...plus miscellaneous lamps, sconces, mirrors, and other stylish odds and ends.

I find it frustrating that in the DC area I searched high and low for Chinese Chippendale bamboo chairs for months, yet walk into any shop along Dixie Highway and the stuff is piled up to the ceiling! Look at this dreamy collection.

   

   

Climb the stairs past an eclectic assortment of mirrors...

 

And it's chairs, chairs, chairs hanging from the ceiling. It's surreal how many there are- and most in full sets of 6 or more.

If you need a table, there's plenty of those to choose from too.

Nope, you're not hallucinating, those are magazine racks floating from the ceiling. I'd love to paint one a bright color!

This pair of twin bamboo headboards- gorgeous.

The proprietor of this eclectic store is Paul Aronson, who happens to be a dead ringer for Jerry Garcia and is happy to demonstrate his bongo prowess to customers, as you can see below. If you think the furniture is interesting, wait until you start chatting with Paul. It's hugely interesting to hear about the provenance of everything in the store, not to mention some of the notable clientele that drops into his store. Bonus points that he entertained my dad with car talk while while my mom and I browsed around!

Paul makes some of the furniture himself in his workroom in the back, pictured here.

He crafted these gorgeous bookshelves, shown here stacked on top of each other.

Finally, I could have walked away with any number non-bamboo accessories in the store. These pineapple sconces were certainly one of a kind.

A stunning pair of lamps featuring Chinese figures.

What a lovely way to display collectibles- I'll have to remember this idea- of course this means I'll have to collect something worth displaying first!

Long story short- if you're in West Palm, then not only must you shop Dixie Highway, but you must stop by Bamboo & Rattan and take a spin around. I dare you not to swoon!

Bamboo & Rattan

4900 S. Dixie Highway

West Palm Beach, FL 33405
(561) 315-7295

Have lunch afterwards at chic hole-in-the-wall Belle & Maxwell (another Simon Doonan favorite)- grab a seat on the tented patio- and you've got yourself a perfect day!