COLLECTORS' CHRONICLES

Pamela Skaist Levy: Silver, Crystal, China, Blue and White Pottery


Levy, in her dining room, set for a formal occasion. “I mix everything, from silver that I found at auction, to sets I find online, to pieces I discovered at a garage sale. Setting a table is like creating a collage. The possibilities are endless.”

Fifteen years ago, Juicy Couture co-founder Pam Levy moved with her family from a classically Mid Century Modern L.A. home to a regal 1930s stone manor, complete with a sweeping staircase, paneled den and rose garden. “Mid-century is my love,” she says. “But the history and mien of this house called for a more formal approach.” To match the new aesthetic, Levy started adding to her more traditional collections; among them: silver, crystal, china, and blue and white pottery.

Ever the entertainer, Levy puts all the spaces in her home to use depending on the occasion. Often that includes dinners at her dining room table, which seats 20. “I know the dining room looks super fancy, but I always try to keep a gathering laid back and personal,” she says. “I think about who could be seated next to whom; who would have fun together, how to make it an interesting mix. If you get trapped next to a bad dinner mate, you just can’t wait until it’s over and you can run out the door! Whether the meal is passed or seated, I try to keep the food simple and yummy, and the flowers low, so people can talk across the table, interact and move around. I just try to keep it easy and fun.”

“This is the first piece of silver that I ever had; my baby cup, which my Aunt Pat gave to my parents when I was born. It says ‘Pammy’ and it’s been with me since I’ve been out of the house and married for 30 years. I keep it on my desk. I love that cup.”
1950s West Germany Floral Brooch and Earrings Set Including Rhinestones
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EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash

1950s West Germany Floral Brooch and Earrings Set Including Rhinestones

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$8
Tacori 18K Sonoma Dew Droplets Ring
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EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash

Tacori 18K Sonoma Dew Droplets Ring

Current Bid
$69
Pair of Old Staffordshire Figures of Cats
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Pair of Old Staffordshire Figures of Cats

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$55
LeCoultre & Cie "Atmos" Mantel Clock, Mid to Late 20th Century
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EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash

LeCoultre & Cie "Atmos" Mantel Clock, Mid to Late 20th Century

Current Bid
$95
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Blue and gold rimmed Limoges porcelain is set with crystal from William Yeoward. “I love how they look against the mirrored table,” says Levy.
“When we moved into this house, I got really interested in sterling silver; it was just such a beautiful fit, and it looked so right for the table, the bar and the kitchen. This red box of English silver is a fairly large service that I found online. My rings are by Lisa Eisner, who is really my favorite jewelry designer.”
Alexander McQueen Two-Way Handbag in Floral Leather
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EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash

Alexander McQueen Two-Way Handbag in Floral Leather

Current Bid
$80
BVLGARI Luky Cat Silk Scarf with Box
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EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash

BVLGARI Luky Cat Silk Scarf with Box

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$54
Kitchen Aid Standing Mixing
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EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash

Kitchen Aid Standing Mixing

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$3
Block Langenthal Transition Interaction China Luncheon Set
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EBTH Columbus - Hilliard

Block Langenthal Transition Interaction China Luncheon Set

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$8
Pair of Danish Modern Teak and Custom-Upholstered Side Chairs, Mid-20th Century
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EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash

Pair of Danish Modern Teak and Custom-Upholstered Side Chairs, Mid-20th Century

Current Bid
$30
C. Liton Copy Oil Painting After Cornelis Springer of Dutch Street Scene
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C. Liton Copy Oil Painting After Cornelis Springer of Dutch Street Scene

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$45
Alexander Calder Color Lithograph from Derrière le Miroir, 1976
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EBTH Columbus - Hilliard

Alexander Calder Color Lithograph from Derrière le Miroir, 1976

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$24
Walter Stomps Abstract Geometric Acrylic Painting "Galactic Border No. 7"
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EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash

Walter Stomps Abstract Geometric Acrylic Painting "Galactic Border No. 7"

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$1
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Levy, with pieces of her blue and white pottery collection. “My mom got me into it,” she says. “She’s collected it forever.”

“I’ve collected blue and white pottery from online auctions, a dealer in England, and my travels. I use it everywhere in my home, almost like a neutral. I’ll put flowers in these vessels, twigs; everything. I love the vibe,” says Levy, in her kitchen. “I’m a total maximalist — I’m all about high and low,” she says, “And I hate anything that’s too fancy.”

In this room, Levy might have guests at the kitchen table while her husband and friends cook dinner and drink wine. Or, they might hang out at the woodsy cabin on the back of her property, play games, and stargaze. “We just sit around the table, drink wine, and hang out,” she says.

Sterling Amber Ring
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EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash

Sterling Amber Ring

Current Bid
$1
L. Hils Hafele Desert Landscape Acrylic Painting, 1989
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L. Hils Hafele Desert Landscape Acrylic Painting, 1989

Current Bid
$35
Hermes "Les Cavaliers d'Or" Scarf 90 in Silk Twill
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EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash

Hermes "Les Cavaliers d'Or" Scarf 90 in Silk Twill

Current Bid
$24
Block "Wyndham" Crystal Biscuit Barrels with Godinger and Other Biscuit Barrels
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EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash

Block "Wyndham" Crystal Biscuit Barrels with Godinger and Other Biscuit Barrels

Current Bid
$60
“I always have flowers on a tablescape, like china mums or peonies. Ilga Magdalena Ziegler does them, and she’s incredible. She mixes it up in vintage silver cups, blue and white pottery, copper pieces or champagne flutes. I just love to keep the flowers loose and natural.”
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Blue and white on display in the pantry adjacent to her kitchen. “I needed somewhere to store all of my taper candles, so I used that antique chest. Then I started hanging my blue and white, and it kind of took over.”
14K Longines Diamond Dial Stem Wind Wristwatch
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EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash

14K Longines Diamond Dial Stem Wind Wristwatch

Current Bid
$1
Sterling Citrine Necklace
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EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash

Sterling Citrine Necklace

Current Bid
$35
Gregorio Prestopino Watercolor and Ink Wash Painting "Little Grandma"
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EBTH Columbus - Hilliard

Gregorio Prestopino Watercolor and Ink Wash Painting "Little Grandma"

Current Bid
$55
Stanley Furniture Faux Bamboo Oak, Cane and Glass Illuminated China Cabinet
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EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash

Stanley Furniture Faux Bamboo Oak, Cane and Glass Illuminated China Cabinet

Current Bid
$0
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For a more casual place setting at her kitchen table, Levy pulled in a range of elements, and played with high and low. “I like to mix it up,” she says, of this particular setting, which includes Hermés china and silver, William Yeoward crystal, Heath Ceramics cups, and napkin rings from an online auction. “I think I got the placemats at Neiman Marcus years ago,” she says. The Foo Dog, which is actually an incense holder, was found online. “I used it here because I love the color.”

Levy keeps her collection of china sets in shelves in the pantry. “I think china is a beautiful way to mix and match; keep it super eclectic,” she says. My mom gave me the Spode Thanksgiving set we used when I was a child, as well as all of the decorations. I love setting the table with it with my nieces. It just brings back so many memories of our beautiful Thanksgivings as a family.”

Crystal on display in the bar is William Yeoward. “I have to say that whether I bring out my good crystal depends on who’s coming for dinner. If it’s a raucous, crazy group, I usually use Riedel glasses. If the guests are well behaved and I know they’re not going to get too crazy, I’ll whip out the crystal.”
Levy, in a Figue dress, in front of a hutch in her kitchen. “These pieces are mostly decorative. Those ice buckets are actually silver plated gardening pails, and I stuck them back there because I liked the way they looked. On either side of me are shot glasses that I found in an online auction. They’re shaped like dogs, and you tip them upside down.”
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