January 3, 2025 • 19 mins
In the first episode of 2025, we start with an end: The end of "This Old Vibe."
Join me as we hear from some of the enlightening experts along the way and reveal the results of my Vibe Enhancement Project: the Desolate Corner.
Be sure to pick up a copy of "Sean Scherer's Vignettes" here:
https://bookshop.org/a/95638/9780865654419
Subscribe to The Jiffy newsletter:
https://thejiffy.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Visit The Jiffy:
https://thejiffy.xyz/
"The Jiffy Audio Newsletter Podcast" is an audio documentary zine – the official podcast of The Jiffy – exploring the odd histories, cozy mysteries, and surprising characters of upstate New York. Each episode is a small adventure, told with curiosity, humor, and the occasional text message from a stranger.
New episodes drop every other week. Subscribe, share, and take the scenic route with us.
Follow James on Instagram: @jamescave
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_05 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Jiffy
Audio Newsletter podcast, apodcast about upstate New York.
It's the first episode of 2025.
And a lot of people think thisis the year when Joaquin Phoenix
falls in love with thedisembodied voice of Scarlett
Johansson in the movie Her.
And we all know how that turnedout.
(00:22):
But what will 2025 hold in storefor us here at the podcast and
newsletter and website andInstagram feed?
Well, for starters, we have tostart with the end.
It's because it's the end ofthis old vibe.
Ah! Yes, this old vibe.
I'm going to miss hearing thatsound.
It's this old vibe.
You know, my series that formost of 2024, I spent wandering
(00:44):
around the hills, mountains,dirt roads, and rivers of the
Hudson Valley to learn about thehistories, constructions, and
interior designs of regionalhouses in the hopes that I could
learn their secrets.
I had a vibe desert in a cornerof my house.
And while a desert cantechnically be a wonderful place
full of life, it just didn'tfeel right to me to have one in
my house here in the HudsonValley.
(01:06):
Because you see, we don't havevery many deserts around here.
Actually, you know, I shared abit of that experience of what
it was like to discover my vibedesert on an earlier episode of
the podcast.
Why don't we play that clipright now?
This is what it was like.
Okay, so as you're listening,you can tell I was not doing
well.
(01:27):
What we have is a problem ofinterior design.
You see, I was in one of myhouse walking sessions.
Sometimes when I get anxiousabout life as an influencer, I
like to walk through my homequickly for a few hours, kind of
like taking laps, like mallwalking, except on a much
smaller scale and without aPanda Express.
So I was walking, and I was inour clock room where we have all
(01:51):
of our books, and I feltsomething strange.
I couldn't put my finger on itat first.
It was cold, but I also felt adeep heat.
It felt like I'd walked into agiant tumbleweed filled with
emptiness.
(02:12):
I heard sounds, and then Irealized, oh, I've entered a
vibe desert.
As you can see, it was veryshocking.
I was But once I recovered, Ipulled myself together, and then
I realized that this was goingto be my next project, my next
(02:36):
deep dive.
It just had to be.
I was going to make this cornerfeel like it really belongs here
in the Hudson Valley.
And to do that, I was going togo speak with so many people
who...
surprisingly did speak with me.
I'm so grateful to them forshowing me around and sharing me
their insights.
I just couldn't believe it.
For example, I spoke with WarrenBattle, the owner of Battle
(02:56):
Brown on Warren Street inHudson, a beautiful early
American folk art antique store.
And he also took me on a littleroad trip to go find some of the
best houses that he takespictures of and shares on his
Instagram feed, Warren onWarren, which you should follow.
And Here's a tip.
You got to look for the locusttrees.
Well, I asked Warren what hethought about the Hudson Valley
(03:17):
house vibe, and here's what hehad to say.
SPEAKER_03 (03:18):
I think a certain type of person is drawn to this
area who wants to live here.
I mean, first of all, anyinterior is a very individual
thing, I think.
And, you know, you see thingsthat you love, you know, when
you get around and you just seethings you love.
But, you know, I don't thinkit's a highly...
I don't know if it's highlystylized is what I'm looking
(03:41):
for, but I think it's anindividual thing.
I mean, you have like theHamptons.
I think the upstate crowd ismore connected to the earth, to
the land sort of thing.
And it's sort of a vibe aboutbeing in nature.
SPEAKER_05 (03:56):
I also met with Sean Scherer, author, interior
designer, artist, and owner ofthe antique shop Cabinet& Camera
in Franklin, New York.
And at the time, he justpublished his new book, Sean
Scherer's Vignettes, which isall about the art of crafting a
vignette in your home.
See, I thought this would bevery helpful as I consider just
what to do with my corner here.
I asked Sean about his views onthe Hudson Valley or Catskills
(04:18):
aesthetic.
And here's what he had to say.
SPEAKER_02 (04:20):
I don't necessarily see that there's an upstate
design aesthetic.
I think that the aesthetics arevery much borrowed and layered
and come from many differentsources.
So I don't think there's reallya defining look that says Hudson
Valley or Catskills.
But having said that, it'simportant for people to realize
(04:43):
where they are.
And What I see a lot ofhappening is that people are
kind of just transporting thesame Brooklyn or New York City
or loft aesthetic or apartmentaesthetic to a 19th century
farmhouse.
And they almost look identical.
And I think that's a mistakebecause the farmhouses were
(05:05):
mostly very humble.
They're made by local craftsmen.
They're not meant to be fancy.
Part of what the region is issomething that kind of borrows a
lot from the old Englishfarmhouses or old English
cottages, which is a verylayered, comfortable, not
perfect look.
You should have something thatrelates to the region.
(05:28):
I always say I wouldn't have thesame colors in a home interior
in Miami that I would have inthe Catskills.
SPEAKER_05 (05:35):
Then I spent some special time at a sacred place,
Hancock Shaker Village inPittsfield, Massachusetts, one
of my favorite places on theplanet.
Kathleen Lynch, the curator anddirector of collections there,
showed me around their brickdwelling.
It was built in 1830 and ithoused 100 brethren and sisters
in its time.
And today you can explore ityourself and see how the Shakers
(05:57):
lived with their furniture,their household items, their
kitchen and dining table.
You can also see how they madethe most of daylight, especially
important in these shorterwinter days.
Here, Kathleen Lynch describesit.
It's called the Shaker Conceptof Borrowed Light.
SPEAKER_00 (06:12):
Let's go over and look at this window for a
minute.
It's really quite fascinatingbecause the shakers were all
about light.
Light was everything.
In fact, they often referred tocertain areas as borrowed light.
But I would like you to look atthis frame of this window.
And as you can see, thisbeautiful paneling here in the
(06:34):
molding is on an angle.
And that is very purposeful.
And of course, the shakers dideverything with purpose.
But with this angle, frame, itlet in more light.
The peg rails, the chairs, thecandle stand tables, the sewing
desks, there's countless piecesof furniture that people can
(06:59):
look at today and say, oh, Thathas a shaker influence, and it
does.
But the reality is, the reasonthat these pieces are so
incredibly beautiful is thatthey were made with reverence to
God.
And over here, you're alwaysgoing to see windows between
(07:23):
windows, all right?
And this is called borrowedlight.
So the shakers would createwindows from one room to another
so that in one room was dark, itwas pulling light out from the
other room.
And this brings in light to thisstorage space behind this wall.
(07:44):
There's not much light going onback there right now, but this
is a classic example of borrowedlight.
We're in an interior room andthere's no light in here, but
yet there is light because ofthat window.
from the outside room.
Yeah, it's like phenomenal.
(08:06):
That is so shaker.
SPEAKER_05 (08:08):
It was very special.
And it worked.
Borrowed Light works, okay?
But back to my corner.
After all my interviews andvideos, newsletter issues, house
tours, and podcast episodes, Iwas still left with that corner,
that empty corner.
And I had all this knowledge.
I just didn't know how toimplement it.
It's one of my personal flaws,and I'm working on it.
(08:29):
But as I was standing there,scratching my head, staring into
the void, it felt like I heardmy name being called.
I looked around.
Nobody was there.
There
SPEAKER_01 (08:40):
it
SPEAKER_05 (08:40):
was again.
Unmistakable.
And then I heard music.
It seemed like music.
UNKNOWN (08:45):
Music.
SPEAKER_05 (08:47):
It sounded like the music of this old vibe.
It was coming from behind mefrom the bookshelf.
It was coming from SeanScherer's book, Sean Scherer's
Vignettes, of course.
Hey, James.
I hear you need some help onyour
SPEAKER_02 (09:00):
vibe desert.
Of
SPEAKER_05 (09:01):
course, what my vibe desert needed was a vignette.
And I had just the book to help,Sean Scherer's Vignettes.
For some reason, that bookseemed to be speaking out to me
directly.
It is a beautiful book.
It's full of photos of Sean'smany vignettes over the years.
There's also tons of advice,like this, on a But sometimes,
(09:24):
what creates harmony amongeither similar or different
elements is a repeated motif.
Or this.
Art knows no boundaries, andneither should vignettes.
I could read this whole book toyou right now, but I have a
feeling that Sean might not likethat too much.
He'd probably prefer that you gobuy a copy for yourself, which
(09:46):
you should.
I agree, and I will include alink to where you can buy that
book in my show notes of thispodcast episode.
But also, I don't need to readit to you, because clearly my
copy of the book has been imbuedwith some sort of magical
powers, and it's reading to meright now.
I mean, I felt like Sean wastruly speaking to me.
So, I went with it.
I just put my microphone next tothe book, and I let Sean talk.
(10:10):
And hopefully, my microphone wasrecording it all.
And while Sean was sharing histips, I went to work.
I started building my vignettein this corner of my house.
And yeah, sometimes I even askedthe book questions.
(10:30):
Okay, I'm here at the book.
I've got my microphone out.
I'm going to set my book open.
I'm going to set my microphoneright down next to the book.
And okay.
Yeah, book.
I guess, I don't know.
How do I begin this?
Talk to me about vignettes.
(10:51):
Where do I even begin?
SPEAKER_02 (10:52):
Well, in building a vignette, I think it starts with
a collection of objects that youmight already have or some that
you're thinking of acquiringthat will go together.
The first thing, of course, iswhere is the vignette gonna
live?
What space, what wall is itgonna occupy?
And most other important thingabout a vignette is the surface.
You definitely need, to me, youknow, a surface that the
(11:16):
vignette you can build off of orlives on.
That's not to say that thevignette or like a gallery wall
can't be a vignette or it can'tcarry off the wall to the
surface.
But to me, the surface is reallywhat holds the objects.
And whether that is a tabletopor a cabinet or a desk, it
(11:37):
really is what gives you yourgrounding for the objects to
live.
SPEAKER_05 (11:41):
Okay, thanks, book.
That's some really good advice.
I'm going to go head out now toBrimfield and get an appropriate
antique for my surface.
Brimfield Antiques, the antiquesmecca.
More than 6,000 vendors sellingin more than 20 antique show
fields, acres and acres ofantiques.
It's held three times a year inBrimfield, Massachusetts, which
is kind of close to where welive.
So Jess and I headed out for ourfirst time ever.
(12:05):
It was overwhelming, but thistime we got lucky.
Okay, we're at Brimfield, theantiques fair at Brimfield,
Massachusetts.
So overwhelming.
There's so many things, butwe're here to buy things for our
corner.
I just don't know even where tobegin.
Um,
SPEAKER_04 (12:26):
wait, do you see that over there?
SPEAKER_05 (12:28):
That
SPEAKER_04 (12:29):
looks really cool.
SPEAKER_05 (12:30):
What is that?
Let's check it out.
What do you think it looks like?
Like a
SPEAKER_04 (12:33):
cabinet?
Yeah, it's like a...
But it only has one big drawerat the
SPEAKER_05 (12:37):
bottom.
I really like it.
I really like this.
SPEAKER_04 (12:40):
First of all, chill out.
Let's just keep it cool.
That's a good point.
Let's keep it cool.
We don't want to getovercharged.
Look at this big drawer at thebottom.
I just want to open it because Idon't really know what it is.
What is this?
Whoa, this is like an antiquedrawer.
It's
SPEAKER_05 (12:59):
an antique.
We found one.
Turns out what we found is a19th century blanket chest that
the dealer said was the bestbargain in the whole market.
So we took his word for it.
We stuffed it in our car and webrought it home.
Now it's just time for me toconsult the book, Sean Sharer's
Vignettes, and see if it had anymore advice to give.
(13:20):
Okay, I'm back at the book now.
I'm going to see if it'll stilltalk to me.
Book, Sean Scherz Vignettes, areyou there?
I have an update on thevignette.
We've just installed our 19thcentury blanket chest into the
corner, so we've got our surfacenow.
I'm thinking it's looking prettygood, but it still needs a
(13:42):
vignette.
I'm not sure what our next stepsare here.
So as a book written by aninterior designer, who's also
the author of another great,beautiful book, Cabinet and
Camera Creating AuthenticInteriors, I was just wondering,
what do you generally say toclients when you're consulting
(14:03):
or designing their vignettes?
SPEAKER_02 (14:04):
Well, the first thing I would advise people if
they're approaching doing aninterior design is or hiring an
interior designer is to reallythink about, you know, what you
want to achieve in your home andwhat makes it comfortable and
what makes it usable, but alsoto allow for the professionals
to steer you in the rightdirection.
(14:25):
You know, if I, when I do designprojects, I try to really
obviously, you know, reflect thehomeowner's you know,
personalities in the home.
Again, how are they going to useit?
I always say that, how are yougoing to use this room?
Because this room should beusable.
It shouldn't just be for show.
And also to allow, again, backto that imperfectness.
(14:50):
I think what I always say isallowing for a folly.
Oh, that's
SPEAKER_05 (14:55):
great.
Oh, that's great.
I'm definitely leaning into myimperfectness here.
And as it happens, I...
I already have some things thatwe could use in this vignette I
think.
Right now I'm recording from...
what we're calling my clutteredroom.
This is what we call the doomroom of our house.
It's where all, well, you gottawatch your step because there's
(15:18):
a lot of things here, but it'swhere we put all over the things
in the house that we don'treally have a place for yet.
We've got a pool table overthere.
My compound miter saw is overthere in the corner.
We've got shelves of paint, alot of mirrors, but, oh, okay,
here we go.
(15:38):
I think I've got some paintingsand some prints that I could use
here.
Like these ones we coulddefinitely do.
And I've got these, oh, I thinkI've got these milk glass vases
that I procured from Kevin.
I've got his small butcher blockboards.
I think I picked these up atLou's Relics.
This craftsman style tool tote.
Oh, I love this.
I forgot about this.
(15:59):
I picked this up at the Old Millof Irondale.
I think they dated it from the19th century.
It's beautiful wooden inlay,kind of giving it a folk art
quality.
And by the way, I've got allthese places on a map that I
made and interactive map thatyou can see at my website.
It's called thejiffy.xyz.
Anyway, I love it.
I think we've got some thingsthat we can mess with we're
(16:19):
going to use all of these in ourvignette okay book are you there
book book Sean can you tell medo you have any tips on how to
arrange our vignette now
SPEAKER_02 (16:29):
yeah I mean different heights in a vignette
is really important and you'llsee that in most of my vignettes
that there's you know differentlevels present and that's for
that exact reason that you wantto keep that it's the same thing
as keeping your eye moving youalso want don't want all the
objects to be on the same planeand I I'm a big stickler for it.
(16:50):
When I'm doing interiors orinterior architecture is also,
you know, sometimes you don'twant too many lines lining up,
too many things being parallel.
So that's what the, boxes orstools do.
They help you break up that oneeye level.
And then another element or twoother elements.
(17:11):
The book is
SPEAKER_05 (17:12):
turning its own pages now.
It seems to be taking me to page109.
Oh, this is the section on floraand fauna.
SPEAKER_02 (17:21):
And then this flowering branch is just a great
addition of nature.
I always love flora and fauna,which is a chapter in the book.
But it also does this greatarch, which again creates a
circular motion brings your eyeback into the whole composition
so what happens is that your eyekeeps bouncing between all these
(17:41):
colors and shapes and forms butas you can see in this vignette
many different disparate objectsthere's different periods
different styles nothing reallyis of the same period or maker,
but it all works in a reallycohesive way because of those
color tones and repetitions thatlead your eye throughout the
(18:05):
composition.
Seeing how the vignette comesfrom the still life in art
history, I see vignettes asthat, as still life.
Vignettes are still life, stilllives are vignettes, and I think
the whole composition is a workof art.
I think when you are Creatingyour vignette, you have to think
(18:25):
obviously at the overallcomposition and how all those
objects are going to work, butalso how those objects are going
to work in your space, yourinterior.
But in the end, what you arecreating, just like in a still
life painting, is a work of art,a completed composition.
SPEAKER_05 (18:45):
I totally agree, Sean.
And book Sean.
Thank you both for your magicaltime with me.
The magical book really speaksto me.
And Sean Scherer, thank you forsharing all your tips with me
here on the podcast andthroughout my series, This Old
Vibe.
I'm just really grateful and I'mso thankful to know you.
(19:06):
If you'd like to see pictures ofhow my Vibe Corner turned out,
well, I've got them on thewebsite.
It's thejiffy.xyz and I thinkthis is it.
This is it for This Old Vibe.
What a wonderful time.
I mean, I'm sure I'll bring in afew pieces here and there that
fit in this category.
There may even be a This OldVibe Part 2.
(19:26):
Who knows?
I'm just thankful that you'vefollowed along this far, and I
can't wait to see what kind ofdeep dive we get into for 2025.
2025 deep dive does have a nicering to it.
Okay, that's it for this episodeof the Jiffy Podcast.
Thanks for listening.
UNKNOWN (19:43):
Thank you.
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Jiffy
Audio Newsletter podcast, apodcast about upstate New York.
It's the first episode of 2025.
And a lot of people think thisis the year when Joaquin Phoenix
falls in love with thedisembodied voice of Scarlett
Johansson in the movie Her.
And we all know how that turnedout.
(00:22):
But what will 2025 hold in storefor us here at the podcast and
newsletter and website andInstagram feed?
Well, for starters, we have tostart with the end.
It's because it's the end ofthis old vibe.
Ah! Yes, this old vibe.
I'm going to miss hearing thatsound.
It's this old vibe.
You know, my series that formost of 2024, I spent wandering
(00:44):
around the hills, mountains,dirt roads, and rivers of the
Hudson Valley to learn about thehistories, constructions, and
interior designs of regionalhouses in the hopes that I could
learn their secrets.
I had a vibe desert in a cornerof my house.
And while a desert cantechnically be a wonderful place
full of life, it just didn'tfeel right to me to have one in
my house here in the HudsonValley.
(01:06):
Because you see, we don't havevery many deserts around here.
Actually, you know, I shared abit of that experience of what
it was like to discover my vibedesert on an earlier episode of
the podcast.
Why don't we play that clipright now?
This is what it was like.
Okay, so as you're listening,you can tell I was not doing
well.
(01:27):
What we have is a problem ofinterior design.
You see, I was in one of myhouse walking sessions.
Sometimes when I get anxiousabout life as an influencer, I
like to walk through my homequickly for a few hours, kind of
like taking laps, like mallwalking, except on a much
smaller scale and without aPanda Express.
So I was walking, and I was inour clock room where we have all
(01:51):
of our books, and I feltsomething strange.
I couldn't put my finger on itat first.
It was cold, but I also felt adeep heat.
It felt like I'd walked into agiant tumbleweed filled with
emptiness.
(02:12):
I heard sounds, and then Irealized, oh, I've entered a
vibe desert.
As you can see, it was veryshocking.
I was But once I recovered, Ipulled myself together, and then
I realized that this was goingto be my next project, my next
(02:36):
deep dive.
It just had to be.
I was going to make this cornerfeel like it really belongs here
in the Hudson Valley.
And to do that, I was going togo speak with so many people
who...
surprisingly did speak with me.
I'm so grateful to them forshowing me around and sharing me
their insights.
I just couldn't believe it.
For example, I spoke with WarrenBattle, the owner of Battle
(02:56):
Brown on Warren Street inHudson, a beautiful early
American folk art antique store.
And he also took me on a littleroad trip to go find some of the
best houses that he takespictures of and shares on his
Instagram feed, Warren onWarren, which you should follow.
And Here's a tip.
You got to look for the locusttrees.
Well, I asked Warren what hethought about the Hudson Valley
(03:17):
house vibe, and here's what hehad to say.
SPEAKER_03 (03:18):
I think a certain type of person is drawn to this
area who wants to live here.
I mean, first of all, anyinterior is a very individual
thing, I think.
And, you know, you see thingsthat you love, you know, when
you get around and you just seethings you love.
But, you know, I don't thinkit's a highly...
I don't know if it's highlystylized is what I'm looking
(03:41):
for, but I think it's anindividual thing.
I mean, you have like theHamptons.
I think the upstate crowd ismore connected to the earth, to
the land sort of thing.
And it's sort of a vibe aboutbeing in nature.
SPEAKER_05 (03:56):
I also met with Sean Scherer, author, interior
designer, artist, and owner ofthe antique shop Cabinet& Camera
in Franklin, New York.
And at the time, he justpublished his new book, Sean
Scherer's Vignettes, which isall about the art of crafting a
vignette in your home.
See, I thought this would bevery helpful as I consider just
what to do with my corner here.
I asked Sean about his views onthe Hudson Valley or Catskills
(04:18):
aesthetic.
And here's what he had to say.
SPEAKER_02 (04:20):
I don't necessarily see that there's an upstate
design aesthetic.
I think that the aesthetics arevery much borrowed and layered
and come from many differentsources.
So I don't think there's reallya defining look that says Hudson
Valley or Catskills.
But having said that, it'simportant for people to realize
(04:43):
where they are.
And What I see a lot ofhappening is that people are
kind of just transporting thesame Brooklyn or New York City
or loft aesthetic or apartmentaesthetic to a 19th century
farmhouse.
And they almost look identical.
And I think that's a mistakebecause the farmhouses were
(05:05):
mostly very humble.
They're made by local craftsmen.
They're not meant to be fancy.
Part of what the region is issomething that kind of borrows a
lot from the old Englishfarmhouses or old English
cottages, which is a verylayered, comfortable, not
perfect look.
You should have something thatrelates to the region.
(05:28):
I always say I wouldn't have thesame colors in a home interior
in Miami that I would have inthe Catskills.
SPEAKER_05 (05:35):
Then I spent some special time at a sacred place,
Hancock Shaker Village inPittsfield, Massachusetts, one
of my favorite places on theplanet.
Kathleen Lynch, the curator anddirector of collections there,
showed me around their brickdwelling.
It was built in 1830 and ithoused 100 brethren and sisters
in its time.
And today you can explore ityourself and see how the Shakers
(05:57):
lived with their furniture,their household items, their
kitchen and dining table.
You can also see how they madethe most of daylight, especially
important in these shorterwinter days.
Here, Kathleen Lynch describesit.
It's called the Shaker Conceptof Borrowed Light.
SPEAKER_00 (06:12):
Let's go over and look at this window for a
minute.
It's really quite fascinatingbecause the shakers were all
about light.
Light was everything.
In fact, they often referred tocertain areas as borrowed light.
But I would like you to look atthis frame of this window.
And as you can see, thisbeautiful paneling here in the
(06:34):
molding is on an angle.
And that is very purposeful.
And of course, the shakers dideverything with purpose.
But with this angle, frame, itlet in more light.
The peg rails, the chairs, thecandle stand tables, the sewing
desks, there's countless piecesof furniture that people can
(06:59):
look at today and say, oh, Thathas a shaker influence, and it
does.
But the reality is, the reasonthat these pieces are so
incredibly beautiful is thatthey were made with reverence to
God.
And over here, you're alwaysgoing to see windows between
(07:23):
windows, all right?
And this is called borrowedlight.
So the shakers would createwindows from one room to another
so that in one room was dark, itwas pulling light out from the
other room.
And this brings in light to thisstorage space behind this wall.
(07:44):
There's not much light going onback there right now, but this
is a classic example of borrowedlight.
We're in an interior room andthere's no light in here, but
yet there is light because ofthat window.
from the outside room.
Yeah, it's like phenomenal.
(08:06):
That is so shaker.
SPEAKER_05 (08:08):
It was very special.
And it worked.
Borrowed Light works, okay?
But back to my corner.
After all my interviews andvideos, newsletter issues, house
tours, and podcast episodes, Iwas still left with that corner,
that empty corner.
And I had all this knowledge.
I just didn't know how toimplement it.
It's one of my personal flaws,and I'm working on it.
(08:29):
But as I was standing there,scratching my head, staring into
the void, it felt like I heardmy name being called.
I looked around.
Nobody was there.
There
SPEAKER_01 (08:40):
it
SPEAKER_05 (08:40):
was again.
Unmistakable.
And then I heard music.
It seemed like music.
UNKNOWN (08:45):
Music.
SPEAKER_05 (08:47):
It sounded like the music of this old vibe.
It was coming from behind mefrom the bookshelf.
It was coming from SeanScherer's book, Sean Scherer's
Vignettes, of course.
Hey, James.
I hear you need some help onyour
SPEAKER_02 (09:00):
vibe desert.
Of
SPEAKER_05 (09:01):
course, what my vibe desert needed was a vignette.
And I had just the book to help,Sean Scherer's Vignettes.
For some reason, that bookseemed to be speaking out to me
directly.
It is a beautiful book.
It's full of photos of Sean'smany vignettes over the years.
There's also tons of advice,like this, on a But sometimes,
(09:24):
what creates harmony amongeither similar or different
elements is a repeated motif.
Or this.
Art knows no boundaries, andneither should vignettes.
I could read this whole book toyou right now, but I have a
feeling that Sean might not likethat too much.
He'd probably prefer that you gobuy a copy for yourself, which
(09:46):
you should.
I agree, and I will include alink to where you can buy that
book in my show notes of thispodcast episode.
But also, I don't need to readit to you, because clearly my
copy of the book has been imbuedwith some sort of magical
powers, and it's reading to meright now.
I mean, I felt like Sean wastruly speaking to me.
So, I went with it.
I just put my microphone next tothe book, and I let Sean talk.
(10:10):
And hopefully, my microphone wasrecording it all.
And while Sean was sharing histips, I went to work.
I started building my vignettein this corner of my house.
And yeah, sometimes I even askedthe book questions.
(10:30):
Okay, I'm here at the book.
I've got my microphone out.
I'm going to set my book open.
I'm going to set my microphoneright down next to the book.
And okay.
Yeah, book.
I guess, I don't know.
How do I begin this?
Talk to me about vignettes.
(10:51):
Where do I even begin?
SPEAKER_02 (10:52):
Well, in building a vignette, I think it starts with
a collection of objects that youmight already have or some that
you're thinking of acquiringthat will go together.
The first thing, of course, iswhere is the vignette gonna
live?
What space, what wall is itgonna occupy?
And most other important thingabout a vignette is the surface.
You definitely need, to me, youknow, a surface that the
(11:16):
vignette you can build off of orlives on.
That's not to say that thevignette or like a gallery wall
can't be a vignette or it can'tcarry off the wall to the
surface.
But to me, the surface is reallywhat holds the objects.
And whether that is a tabletopor a cabinet or a desk, it
(11:37):
really is what gives you yourgrounding for the objects to
live.
SPEAKER_05 (11:41):
Okay, thanks, book.
That's some really good advice.
I'm going to go head out now toBrimfield and get an appropriate
antique for my surface.
Brimfield Antiques, the antiquesmecca.
More than 6,000 vendors sellingin more than 20 antique show
fields, acres and acres ofantiques.
It's held three times a year inBrimfield, Massachusetts, which
is kind of close to where welive.
So Jess and I headed out for ourfirst time ever.
(12:05):
It was overwhelming, but thistime we got lucky.
Okay, we're at Brimfield, theantiques fair at Brimfield,
Massachusetts.
So overwhelming.
There's so many things, butwe're here to buy things for our
corner.
I just don't know even where tobegin.
Um,
SPEAKER_04 (12:26):
wait, do you see that over there?
SPEAKER_05 (12:28):
That
SPEAKER_04 (12:29):
looks really cool.
SPEAKER_05 (12:30):
What is that?
Let's check it out.
What do you think it looks like?
Like a
SPEAKER_04 (12:33):
cabinet?
Yeah, it's like a...
But it only has one big drawerat the
SPEAKER_05 (12:37):
bottom.
I really like it.
I really like this.
SPEAKER_04 (12:40):
First of all, chill out.
Let's just keep it cool.
That's a good point.
Let's keep it cool.
We don't want to getovercharged.
Look at this big drawer at thebottom.
I just want to open it because Idon't really know what it is.
What is this?
Whoa, this is like an antiquedrawer.
It's
SPEAKER_05 (12:59):
an antique.
We found one.
Turns out what we found is a19th century blanket chest that
the dealer said was the bestbargain in the whole market.
So we took his word for it.
We stuffed it in our car and webrought it home.
Now it's just time for me toconsult the book, Sean Sharer's
Vignettes, and see if it had anymore advice to give.
(13:20):
Okay, I'm back at the book now.
I'm going to see if it'll stilltalk to me.
Book, Sean Scherz Vignettes, areyou there?
I have an update on thevignette.
We've just installed our 19thcentury blanket chest into the
corner, so we've got our surfacenow.
I'm thinking it's looking prettygood, but it still needs a
(13:42):
vignette.
I'm not sure what our next stepsare here.
So as a book written by aninterior designer, who's also
the author of another great,beautiful book, Cabinet and
Camera Creating AuthenticInteriors, I was just wondering,
what do you generally say toclients when you're consulting
(14:03):
or designing their vignettes?
SPEAKER_02 (14:04):
Well, the first thing I would advise people if
they're approaching doing aninterior design is or hiring an
interior designer is to reallythink about, you know, what you
want to achieve in your home andwhat makes it comfortable and
what makes it usable, but alsoto allow for the professionals
to steer you in the rightdirection.
(14:25):
You know, if I, when I do designprojects, I try to really
obviously, you know, reflect thehomeowner's you know,
personalities in the home.
Again, how are they going to useit?
I always say that, how are yougoing to use this room?
Because this room should beusable.
It shouldn't just be for show.
And also to allow, again, backto that imperfectness.
(14:50):
I think what I always say isallowing for a folly.
Oh, that's
SPEAKER_05 (14:55):
great.
Oh, that's great.
I'm definitely leaning into myimperfectness here.
And as it happens, I...
I already have some things thatwe could use in this vignette I
think.
Right now I'm recording from...
what we're calling my clutteredroom.
This is what we call the doomroom of our house.
It's where all, well, you gottawatch your step because there's
(15:18):
a lot of things here, but it'swhere we put all over the things
in the house that we don'treally have a place for yet.
We've got a pool table overthere.
My compound miter saw is overthere in the corner.
We've got shelves of paint, alot of mirrors, but, oh, okay,
here we go.
(15:38):
I think I've got some paintingsand some prints that I could use
here.
Like these ones we coulddefinitely do.
And I've got these, oh, I thinkI've got these milk glass vases
that I procured from Kevin.
I've got his small butcher blockboards.
I think I picked these up atLou's Relics.
This craftsman style tool tote.
Oh, I love this.
I forgot about this.
(15:59):
I picked this up at the Old Millof Irondale.
I think they dated it from the19th century.
It's beautiful wooden inlay,kind of giving it a folk art
quality.
And by the way, I've got allthese places on a map that I
made and interactive map thatyou can see at my website.
It's called thejiffy.xyz.
Anyway, I love it.
I think we've got some thingsthat we can mess with we're
(16:19):
going to use all of these in ourvignette okay book are you there
book book Sean can you tell medo you have any tips on how to
arrange our vignette now
SPEAKER_02 (16:29):
yeah I mean different heights in a vignette
is really important and you'llsee that in most of my vignettes
that there's you know differentlevels present and that's for
that exact reason that you wantto keep that it's the same thing
as keeping your eye moving youalso want don't want all the
objects to be on the same planeand I I'm a big stickler for it.
(16:50):
When I'm doing interiors orinterior architecture is also,
you know, sometimes you don'twant too many lines lining up,
too many things being parallel.
So that's what the, boxes orstools do.
They help you break up that oneeye level.
And then another element or twoother elements.
(17:11):
The book is
SPEAKER_05 (17:12):
turning its own pages now.
It seems to be taking me to page109.
Oh, this is the section on floraand fauna.
SPEAKER_02 (17:21):
And then this flowering branch is just a great
addition of nature.
I always love flora and fauna,which is a chapter in the book.
But it also does this greatarch, which again creates a
circular motion brings your eyeback into the whole composition
so what happens is that your eyekeeps bouncing between all these
(17:41):
colors and shapes and forms butas you can see in this vignette
many different disparate objectsthere's different periods
different styles nothing reallyis of the same period or maker,
but it all works in a reallycohesive way because of those
color tones and repetitions thatlead your eye throughout the
(18:05):
composition.
Seeing how the vignette comesfrom the still life in art
history, I see vignettes asthat, as still life.
Vignettes are still life, stilllives are vignettes, and I think
the whole composition is a workof art.
I think when you are Creatingyour vignette, you have to think
(18:25):
obviously at the overallcomposition and how all those
objects are going to work, butalso how those objects are going
to work in your space, yourinterior.
But in the end, what you arecreating, just like in a still
life painting, is a work of art,a completed composition.
SPEAKER_05 (18:45):
I totally agree, Sean.
And book Sean.
Thank you both for your magicaltime with me.
The magical book really speaksto me.
And Sean Scherer, thank you forsharing all your tips with me
here on the podcast andthroughout my series, This Old
Vibe.
I'm just really grateful and I'mso thankful to know you.
(19:06):
If you'd like to see pictures ofhow my Vibe Corner turned out,
well, I've got them on thewebsite.
It's thejiffy.xyz and I thinkthis is it.
This is it for This Old Vibe.
What a wonderful time.
I mean, I'm sure I'll bring in afew pieces here and there that
fit in this category.
There may even be a This OldVibe Part 2.
(19:26):
Who knows?
I'm just thankful that you'vefollowed along this far, and I
can't wait to see what kind ofdeep dive we get into for 2025.
2025 deep dive does have a nicering to it.
Okay, that's it for this episodeof the Jiffy Podcast.
Thanks for listening.
UNKNOWN (19:43):
Thank you.
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