A shop I liked had moved, so I went looking for its new address instead. What I came home with wasn't what I expected, a small, heavy metal box with a painted figure hiding somewhere I almost missed.

My mantel already has its anchor, an Art Deco clock garniture in black slate and rouge marble. I went to an antique store in Venice, CA looking for what belongs beside it. What I found instead was the one rule that makes a mantel feel finished instead of crowded.