Shop Scout: Elizabeth Bauer Design

By Amy Preiser
July 29, 2010

A version of this story also appears on ShelterPop, an AOL site featuring ideas and inspirations for beautiful, livable homes. On alternating Thursdays, The Inside Source and ShelterPop team up to bring you the latest in shelter trends, so check back often for more fun and easy tips to update your home!

Elizabeth Bauer's passion for interior design took her from Vogue and O at Home to her own design practice and red hot namesake shop, described by fellow designer Heather Clawson as "Paris meets Palm Beach." Elizabeth Bauer Design, her cozy-glam West Village shop in New York City, is like a greatest hits collection from Elizabeth's travels (you can take a gal out of magazines, but you can't take the editor's eye away from the gal). With the mix of refurbished antiques and sophisticated wares constantly changing, each visit elicits the thrill of discovering the shop over and over again.

How does she keep the constant flow of beauty coming in and out? For one, she's committed to keeping things fair. "I don't price to sit on things, I price to sell!" she says. And as for bringing in new pieces regularly? She's a vintage junkie, naming Les Puces, the famous Paris outdoor market as her number one favorite. "In America, people sometimes think of flea markets as a place for leftover socks and discontinued lipsticks," she says. "But in Paris, it's so big and well-curated, there are actually trends—design is no different than art, everything comes back around and builds off of each other."

(Photos: Courtesy of Elizabeth Bauer)

It's no surprise that as a master hunter-gatherer, Bauer uses eBay to feed her addition when she can't be scouting in person. "It's a great resource, especially now that I have an iPad and the eBay app," she explains. "There have been so many times when I've missed an item just because I was outbid by a dollar while I was away from my computer. Now the app reminds me which auctions are ending soon."

Though she's never sold anything on the site, she's a frequent bidder, and like all eBay connoisseurs, she has an arsenal of go-to searches. "I like buying vintage scarves and turning them into pillows, I love searching for Hollywood Regency or vintage barware, or for certain fashion names like vintage YSL or Karl Lagerfeld," she says. She also recommends turning to eBay for her favorite accessories and books. "You can really get anything! And you don't have to pay retail."

When it comes to art, Bauer offers this advice: "If you're looking to fill your wall with something that makes you happy, by all means go for it! But if you're looking to make an investment, make sure to do your research. If a piece and a price seem too good to be true, they just might be." She's also careful with how much time she spends on the site. "You can't just go on eBay for 10 minutes. It's a problem! Looking for something triggers looking for something else which triggers looking for something else... it's really dangerous."

It's true—just try to click away after browsing through her fantastic picks. We're already lusting over that vintage YSL scarf. Here's hoping it gets a glamorous second life as a pillow!

Here, Bauer curates her current eBay watch list:

Roll over items for details

The Dyer's Art: Ikat, Batik....by Bob Hanson, Jack Lenor Larsen

(buy it now price, $52.98)

Vintage Pagoda Bookends

(winning bid, $39.99)

Faux Bamboo Gilt Iron Console

(buy it now price, $1,200)

Vintage Metal Faux Bamboo Chairs (4)

(buy it now price, $1,299)

NEW Vintage Barware: 1960's Name Your Poison Glasses

(current bid, $16.53)

Vintage Brass 16-arm Sputnik Chandelier

(starting bid, $179)

Vintage YSL Scarf

(buy it now price, $55)

Vintage Barware: 1950's Cocktail Shaker

(buy it now price, $110)

6 Louis XVI Style Chairs

(buy it now price, $1,490)

Vintage Louis Vuitton Steamer Trunk

(current bid, $8,500)

Vinatge Karl Lagerfeld Necklace

(buy it now price, $529.99)

A version of this story also appears on ShelterPop, an AOL site featuring ideas and inspirations for beautiful, livable homes. Guest writer Amy Preiser is an Associate Editor at ShelterPop and has worked previously at House Beautiful, New York, and Brides Local magazines. Originally from Long Beach, CA, she now decorates her Brooklyn apartment with D.I.Y. reupholstered chairs and designer pillows: perfect for throwing cheap chic dinner parties. She'll decoupage just about anything, and wears at least one bow a day.

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