Best Place to Indulge a Furniture Fetish

Art Deco Collection.com 546 Grand Ave., Oakland. 510-465-1920 www.artdecocollection.com

Just stepping into this site’s real-world retail store makes you feel stylish. Forties music wafts through the room, a photograph of Gary Cooper adorns the wall, and a three piece zebra-striped sofa suite purrs at you. A swank sales associate resembling Jean Harlow aptly describes the merchandise from the ’20s to ’50s Art Deco era as “move furniture.” Richard Fishman, store owner and Art Deco Dealer for thirteen years, buys primarily from Europe, and the styles range from elegant, like the French Macassar ebony desk, to the eclectic, like a Czech chair refinished in red geometric Belgian fabric. Fishman also carries chandeliers, glassware, coffee and tea services, clocks, mirrors, metal work and more. Particularly notable are the Boch Freres ceramic vases designed by Charles Catteau, which incorporate every design from cloisonne gazzelles to abstract geometric patterns. His Art Deco gems are not for the thrifty: The zebra sofa set costs $6,500, Gary Cooper goes for $1,500, and even a silver ice bucket from the Normandie costs $850. All items are available at the online store, which preceded the actual retail space. And of course, Art Deco Collection.com delivers.