August 2014 Celebrated Living - page 34

COURTESYRIADKNEIFE
M ANYOFTHEPEOPLE whoseekoutRiadKneife,
Paris’ toptreasurehunter, cometohimwith
anunlimitedbudget for furnishingtheir
homesorfindingagreatgift—maybean
art-decoclockoravintageLouisVuittonsteamer
trunk.AsaParisian foralmost30years,however, I
firstmethimwithamoremodestmission inmind: I
wantedhelpfindinga1940sor ’50sFrenchfloor lamp
formyhomeo‡ce inthe9thArrondissement,where
Ispendmostofmytime in frontof thecomputerasan
American-in-Paris food-and-travelwriter.
PerpetuallytoobusytoundertakeaprojectIknew
wouldmakemy lifemuchnicer, Ifinallydecided
totreatmyworkspacetoaseriousmakeover. Iwas
prettyclearaboutwhatIwanted, too:ahomeo‡ce
withcomfort, styleandasignature look.Sortofa
postmodern,midcenturytakeonaroom inaBritish
men’sclub.Overdinneroneevening, Iexplainedmy
plantomy friendSandrine,aneditorattheParisian
editionof ElleDecor,oneofFrance’sbest-known
interior-designmagazines.She listened forabout10
minutesandthensaid, “YouneedRiadKneife.”“Who’s
he?”Iasked. “Aprofessionalantiquesshopper,”she
explained. Ishookmyhead. If therewereanyantiques
tobepurchased—andIdoubtedtherewere—Icould
findthemmyself. IspeakfluentFrench,knowsome-
thingaboutthedecorativeartsandamconfident in
myowntaste. Ialsodidn’twanttopayathird-party
markup.
“Youdon’tpayathird-partymarkupwithRiad,”
THETREASUREHUNTER
Navigatingyourway through theworldof PARIS’EXCLUSIVEVINTAGEMARKETS
canbemore thana little intimidating—unlessyou
haveoneof thecity’s foremostprofessional buyersbyyour side.
BUYINGPOWER: Riad
Kneife, professional
buyer extraordinaire,
attended the famous
ÉcoleduLouvre,where
he studiedart history
inpursuit of becoming
anart dealer.
SHOPPING —˜™š›œžŸ¡›¢£¤¥¢žŸ¤
32
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