No one loves stuff as much as Claudia Chan Shaw. In an age when many are devotedly decluttering their homes, the TV host is a proud “nostalgic maximalist”. She loves collecting – and has even built a career on delighting in the accumulation of strange, beautiful objects. Chan Shaw was formerly the host of the ABC program Collectors – where she met other Australians who share her passion – and has authored a book on the topic called Collectomania.
In keeping with her love of all things yesteryear, the Sydneysider is now the co-host of the TV series Antiques DownUnder, and runs art deco tours around the world. In all her years of collecting Chan Shaw counts one item as her most sacred find – a replica of an object from a Humphrey Bogart film. Here she tells about the beloved purchase and shares the stories of two other important belongings.
