Interior designer Benjamin Vandiver lives and works between New York City and Nashville, but he could just as easily claim to live between Paris and Atlanta, considering how often he travels to those cities to visit their flea markets, shopping for clients or himself. “I definitely feel anticipation before I go to Paris,” he says. “I think it’s the most beautiful city in all the world.” Vandiver likes to stay near the the Place Vendome – “it’s fashionable and historic” – but his real destination is half-an-hour outside of town: “The St.-Ouen flea market north of Paris is always a place of wonder,” says Vandiver. “I like to take my clients there as we’re beginning a project, so instead of going to the flea market to fill things in, we will actually begin projects there. The things that we buy could be small items, but they can really lead the story of what we’re doing in the rest of a 5,000 square foot apartment. It might be one lamp that leads the story of the rest of the room.”

Vandiver’s go-to destination in the U.S. has a very different feel to St.-Ouen. “The Paris market is more gritty and edgy, whereas at Scott’s Antique Market in Atlanta you’re having funnel cake and slushies; it’s more like being at the fair,” says the designer, who is known for a minimal yet warm and livable design aesthetic. “When I go to Scott’s I’ll usually find one of my brothers, rent a U-Haul and load it up throughout the weekend – I have a warehouse I keep things in that I’ll pull from. I will usually buy 20-25 pieces at a time and sit on them until I find the perfect project for them. But there there are certain pieces—like the things in this photo– that keep following me around from place to place. These are the things I can’t let go.”

African Mask and Basket

“When I go to Atlanta I’ll drive there from Nashville on a Wednesday night: It’s a pretty drive, you go via Chatanooga, through the mountains. The African mask is from a gentleman I've been collecting from for years; he comes to Scott's in Atlanta once a month. I buy a lot of pieces for my projects and clients, but this is the one mask I can’t turn loose for some reason. It must have some special meaning that is affecting me in some way. The small African basket comes from another dealer at Scott’s – it’s been on my desk for years. I never buy new accessories for my projects, with the exception of art. I feel like things have to have some age on them.”

©Matthew Williams

“I got this photograph in Nashville, where I live part time. My routine there is pretty simple – it’s home, so I don’t have to pack. There are these little fantastic stores there, one’s called Wonders on Woodland; it’s run by this older couple that search the South looking for interesting pieces. They have been responsible for many of my photographs feeling like they have a story. This photograph, I feel like it’s important. I’ve tried to research the photographer and I can’t find him or her, but I thought the shape was really interesting. Wonders on Woodland has a small selection, very curated, and I don’t like everything there, but I’ve bought a lot of really strong pieces at the same time. It’s a nice resource to have.”

Ceramic Vessel

“The small black and tan ceramic piece I picked up at the Melrose Trading Post in Los Angeles. I’ve got travel down to such a routine that I don’t even think about it. My suitcase is always packed with the same items. When I get to LA I go straight to the hotel and try to take a nap outside somewhere. Then I go eat at Sushi Park. The flea market happens outdoors every Sunday morning, and it’s in a high school parking lot—they don’t even have tents. I mean, it’s Los Angeles, so the weather’s typically nice, and people are doing temporary tattoos and selling old, gross clothing, and it’s not the most sophisticated dealers. Some, I think, are struggling artists that come there on weekends to unload enough just to make the next segment of their movie that they’re trying to pull together. So dealers bring some of the wackiest and, in this case, best finds. I'm not sure if this piece is important, but it's important to me.”