Peter Copping Creates Magical Rooms With Antiques from Christie's The Collector Sale
Beginning today, April 29, Christie's will offer The Collector: Online sale in collaboration with tastemaker and fashion visionary, Peter Copping. Copping, who is the former artistic director of Oscar de la Renta and has worked across fashion houses like Louis Vuitton, Nina Ricci, and Sonia Rykiel, is an avid collector of antiques. He has spent the last 12 years renovating his 15th-century chateau, La Carlière, in Normandy, France, along with his partner Rambert Rigaud.
"I have been able to build my collection over the years from antique fairs and flea markets, as well as at auction," says Copping. "I have always found that an auction room offers a wealth of rare and unique pieces, and this continues to attract me. My home includes both an English sensibility, reflecting my roots, with bohemian fabrics and English furniture, but also more formal French pieces."
The sale, which features an online portion that begins today through May 20, as well as a live sale that will take place at Christie's King Street in London from May 14 to May 20, is comprised of 250 lots of furniture, porcelain, works of art, and other objet that were all curated by Copping and selected for their quality, provenance, and shows of exquisite craftsmanship. The pieces selected hail from a myriad of decorative periods, disciplines, and artists, from the 17th-19th century, with creations from visionaries like the English silversmith Paul Storr and the French ébéniste Georges Jacob. The selected lots have all been incorporated into the rooms of La Carlière, and these re-imaginations of Copping's most personal and curated spaces have been beautifully illustrated in situ by artist SJ Axelby.
Copping, who designs cushions (the brand is lovingly named La Carlière after their home) with antique embroideries, needlepoints, and textiles they have collected and are constructed in Normandy and India, grew up in the countryside of Oxford, England and, after studying at St. Martin's School of Art and the Royal College, found his way into fashion after interning with Christian Lacroix's haute couture atelier. After spending several years working in New York City, Copping was ready to return to Europe and lead a more provincial lifestyle.
Now, Copping and Rigaud split their time between their Normandy home and a Paris outpost, but La Carlière has been a labor of love that now provides a stately backdrop for Copping's love of the decorative arts and antiques (of which the outer buildings on the property are full of). Here, we speak with Copping about how to shop for these masterpieces and how to make them your own.
VERANDA: What was your thought process when acquiring different antiques for La Carlière? What initially drew you to something, and how would you determine how to decorate with it?
Peter Copping: "I think it is always important to consider how a new piece will mix with what is already in place. La Carlière has been created over time, so with each additional piece it is like adding another layer. Choosing pieces from the Collector Sale was like a dream come true. There is such a wide and varied choice—with pieces that have exceptional provenance and craftsmanship."
VERANDA: How has designing home product been informed by your eye for antiques?
Peter Copping: "Having worked in fashion for over 25 years, it is exciting to turn my creative attention to another area of design. I wanted to start with textile-based products as it was an easier transition to make. I used many vintage textiles for the cushions, so it is important to have a wide selection. I buy whatever catches my eye without knowing how it will be used, always keeping in mind how it can mix with other patterns and textures."
VERANDA: What style of types of pieces did you most enjoy hunting for and collecting, and why? What is it about these particular collections that drew you in?
Peter Copping: "In general, I am most drawn to 17th and 18th century antiques across many categories: painting, furniture, decorative arts. There was an exceptional level of craftsmanship during both of these periods. I particularly like British, French, and Dutch antiques, and everyday objects also hold just as much appeal for me as 'more important' pieces.
"I currently collect 17th-century needlepoints from the period of Charles I. I love to imagine who has created the pieces. I am also always looking for 18th-century Chantilly blue and white porcelain. I already have many dinner plates. I am now hunting for more unusual pieces to form a more varied collection. They can come from anywhere—auctions, brocantes, or eBay!"
VERANDA: Can you speak to the beautiful mix in La Carlière and how you achieved that?
Peter Copping: "At La Carlière, we have mixed many different styles and periods. With my partner, Rambert, we love to create different ambiances throughout the house. Le Petite Salon for instance is a smaller room, full of books and objects and decorated in the Napolean III style. We have mixed many fabrics and patterns ranging from Robert Kime to Madelaine Castaing with cushions brought back from our travels in Morocco and Turkey. It’s a very cozy room. Le Grand Salon, however, is light and airy, and we have mixed English and French pieces. A large Howard sofa and two armchairs give comfort, which are contrasted with more formal French fauteuils.
It is important for us to combine the antiques with modern pieces: For example, a pair of 1970's resin lamps are placed on a 17th century-style console—found at Christies—beneath an Old Master painting. I love the dynamic this gives."
Here, VERANDA'S top picks of the lots curated by Peter Copping.
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