I used to renovate and sell old houses and apartments in Europe.  I thought I found my true calling as I was pretty good at picking a winner:  buy a place that was in trouble, renovate from head to toe, and sell for a profit.  With my design sense and my husband’s practical approach to electricity and plumbing issues, we were an unbeatable team.  In order to sell for the best price, I always added quality antique lighting in every room (ceiling lights, I will blog on this later), after all I was renovating old buildings and houses, so it was either a Degue or a Muller Freres Ceiling Lamp in every room.  It sold houses.  I thought I had found my nirvana, I loved doing this, and I made money.  What could be better?  From Poland, to Croatia, Austria, Spain, England and France we bought and sold.  Always the lamps, which I never included in the sale, helped me sell the house.

Everything changed in 2008.  The economic crash heard around the world.  Credit was tighter.  My significant other lost his job.  But I still had my lamps and our place in France.  In fact I had so many beautiful lamps from Degue, Muller Freres, Schneider, and Loys Lucha that I was running out of room in our largish apartment here in France.  A very wise woman suggested to me that I start to sell my lamps, not as a way to make millions, but to see if I could make another business successful – working with another love of mine that was cheaper than real estate – lamps.  I knew a lot about them as I had been buying quality French pieces at sensible prices for over 20 years.  I took the challenge and it has been a success.  I think it works because I love what I have, I love Art Deco, I love France, and I love lamps.  It may not work for everyone, but it saved me!

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