Philippe Gallais' favourite things

French antique dealer Philippe Gallais in his shop. Photo / Babiche Martens

A well-known French face in Auckland, Philippe Gallais is the man behind Philippe's French Antiques & Interiors.

A small slice of France in Grey Lynn, the store offers a wide selection of antiques range in date from the 1840s to 1970s. Gallais, who is from Burgundy, opened the space last year and returns to France each year to select pieces for the store.

But it is not all about antiques for this Frenchman of many talents: he is also a qualified pilot, and previously owned and ran Mt Eden restaurant Chez Daniel.

Here he shares with Viva his favourite things which all reflect his love of the finer things in life, from food to art and antiques.

10 FAVOURITE THINGS

1. Sir Thomas Lawrence self-portrait
An oil on canvas self-portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence, an English portrait painter, who was born in Bristol in 1769 and died in 1830. I have owned this painting for about 30 years. I love his face and the expression on it. If I was to be born again I would like to look like him.

2. Friends and family
My beautiful partner Susan and all my loyal supportive friends here (they know who they are). Also, all the wonderful customers who have supported me over the years by visiting my restaurant "Chez Daniel" and my various antique shop ventures. Many of these customers have also become close friends.

3. Antique buying trips in France
We travel all over France for two months. We start in Paris where we visit antique fairs, museums and art galleries. We usually have dinner at our favourite Hotel La Tour D'Argent. We then travel to Burgundy, Provence, Nice and Cannes visiting family members, antique dealers and fairs. I am intending to take groups of people on these antique buying trips in the near future which will give us the opportunity to spend more time in France.

4. Flying
I love flying a Boeing 737 in the flight simulator at Flight Experience in Takapuna where I am a part-time flight instructor. I love to instruct beginners in the workings of this sophisticated machine and let them be in control of a jet airliner. For most it is a "once in a lifetime" experience and it gives me great pleasure to see them so excited. Flying is a great passion of mine. I have been a qualified pilot for around 25 years.

5. Canard a l'orange (duck in orange sauce)
I learned to cook this dish at age 15 as an apprentice chef at one of the most popular hotel restaurants in Burgundy, Logis de France.

6. Green bronze vase
I bought this vase about 15 years ago. I love its colour but most of all its simplistic shape. It was made in France in the early 1900s.

7. Mask of Meum
The Mask of Meum was one of three bronze masks Sir Jacob Epstein modelled between 1916 and 1918. It is the head of an African woman. I have owned this for about 25 years. When I look at her I get a feeling of serenity and peace from the expression on her face.

8. Hand-painted spelter figurine
A figurine of a lady and man sharing a Sunday afternoon at the races. I purchased this piece in Brisbane in the late 1990s. I have never been to a horse race myself but I could not resist buying this. It was made in France by Lafon Muller and, dated 1880, is from the Belle Epoque period (late 1890 to 1920s). To me they look like a typical French couple of that era. This figurine amuses me.

9. Glazed clay handmade French cooking pots
I found these at a market in Paris. They are very rare, at least 300 or 400 years old. The were used to make stews, soups and casseroles, cooked over a fire. I have owned them for 10 years.

10. French wooden printers' desks
I have these for sale at the moment in my store. I purchased them from a little village called La Palisse in the Allier region of France. They were both made around 1930. I love them both and desperately want to keep at least one of them but we have no room in our apartment!