By Carleton Varney- Special to the Palm Beach Daily News

How does antique dealer Faustina Pace do it all? She tells me she has learned to work smarter, not harder. That’s a good lesson for all of us.

Faustina — what a great name — has been president of the Antique Row Association of merchants on South Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach for seven years. She helped organize March’s Evening on Antique Row fund-raiser, the street festival that each spring closes South Dixie Highway to traffic so patrons can browse shops and enjoy cocktails and food, all to benefit the Historical Society of Palm Beach County.

At Faustina Pace Antiques at 3635 S. Dixie Highway, Faustina focuses on assembling a collection of fine antiques from countries such as France, Sweden, Germany and Spain. In business for 14 years, her boutique offers all things white and natural, cream and beige with very little in the way of vivid color — pitchers, kitchen ceramics and papier-mâché horse figurines on the grand scale.

I recently saw in her shop two upholstered English chairs, Chippendale in style, very charming and definitely worth a look. Faustina also offers lovely ornaments for the garden. A pair faux-bois planters was priced at $1,650, and there were contemporary hourglass planters for $2,800 per pair.

I also liked a pair of over-door pediments — 5 feet long, 26 inches high and 7 feet deep — with a bleached-pine finish that would certainly add a touch of architectural interest to a room. Pediments such as these give simple doors a look you’ll remember.

Faustina also likes pillows with a natural raffia look — some very homespun in appearance — and available by custom order. The size and material can be selected in the shop.

And if you don’t know what a French confit pot is, you’ll certainly know when Faustina tells you the story of their origin. Foie gras lovers know what they are for sure. Pots offered with their tops intact are the most sought after, and the most costly.

Do stop by and visit Faustina Pace. This once-upon-a-time shoe designer and mother of three is a one-of-a-kind woman of spirit and vitality.