Category: vintage
The New Art Piece x
The nostalgia of vintage is that magic of re-discovery, the knowledge that with a tiny twist, anything can be re-invented so it doesn’t lose character but effortlessly slips into something more avant garde.
That veil-lifting moment when something previously scorned suddenly turns into a fully fledged, royal owning swan.
I’m having that rush with live edge coffee tables: What once was regarded as seventies back of the throat kitsch is now looking the wobblies du chien.
Naturally (no pun intended) the biggest, gnarliest trees produce the best slabs and if colour and size are what you want then purchasing from the States is your best bet. But this isn’t a cheap option – the cream sell for thousands of pounds because these are natures own works of art, cultivated at the pace of a snail over centuries of toil.
But there are other ways.
(All pics from Pinterest)
The creative alternative is to make one yourself, like this blogger did: A large cut of native wood carefully chosen, combined with hairpins legs readily picked up from Ebay and a bit of elbow grease.
How hard can it be?
Laters, Kate x
Snow Babies..
I’ve read that personalities can be divided into two camps – cowboys and farmers. The cowboys are the restless ones, always roaming and seeking new pastures whilst the farmers solidly plough the same field over and over again. Our ski holiday embraced everything cowboy: Constantly on the go, incredible scenery, crisp air, the smell of wood smoke, peace (piste…and pissed as well) as well as a true sense of wonder.
A fusion of manmade and natural – an icicle chandelier.
We were in La Rosiere on the French side of the Aosta valley, ski-able into Italy. And by all accounts, were lucky to have snow.
They were using snow cannons when we first arrived, but as the runs were in full sun it still made for great conditions. And then it snowed.
I’ve never seen this before – three rainbows, one on top of the other, made by the sun refracting through ice crystals in the air.
It always amazes me how slopes look flat in pictures!
We decided Charlie is really a secret snowboarder!
And what did I wear?? John’s old two-piece from the eighties! Maybe not quite pure vintage swagger, but on a ski slope..the joy is no-one cares!
And now I suppose it’s time to return to farming…and wrestling with the Einstein quote that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
The silver lining is our holiday proved that perfectly decent wheels can aways be reinvented..
Laters, Kate x
Wonderland x
We’re taking the kids to the slopes for the first time this Christmas – well, I say this Christmas – we leave on the 30th. But that’s not much time to move from turkeys and tinsel to long johns and salopettes..
(All pictures Pinterest)
If only I could pack this little lot in my suitcase…
Laters, Kate x
Make a point x
This post gained life from the previous one – those upcycled chairs from Refound? A gateway to delicious that warranted further exploration. Who thought needlepoint could be so now?
Yet on the face of it, it’s probably the worst granny chic ever.
But that’s what makes it comic, sad, happy, complicated and rather wonderful.
And it’s that nibble of lust which keeps the world forever moving.
Laters, Kate x
A Christmas Tale x
Not into rubbish? How about re-cycled? – It’s the present that keeps on giving.
All these joys are from Re-found Objects, the royalty of quirky finds.
(All pics from Re-found Objects)
Just make sure you’re buying presents for others hey.
Laters, Kate x
The Blues x
Laters, Kate x
Jewels x
Grounded x
Headboard (still undecided), side tables (sort of there) and now thoughts for a rug: Since the advent of wall to wall carpets the rug has shrunk in popularity yet it’s design prowess can’t be denied. It adds warmth, colour, texture and interest like the tail feathers of a particularly beautiful bird of paradise. A rug, like the one above, can pull together two different pieces of furniture by linking them together on a shared bit of floor.
(All pictures Pinterest)
Judging by these pictures, pink tones is the subconscious way to go…
Laters, Kate x
The Big Idea x
The passing of time is nothing more than the feeling we get as our brains shift and shunt sensory information into the holding chamber of memories. It’s a bit like trends – they push their way to the forefront..and disappear again. Although some like the modern kitchen with all it’s multiple matching cupboards has literally become like the expected signposts on a motorway – totally predictable. Except I think it’s changing.
It’s partly to do with the resurgence of the larder, and partly with the joy of glass: Because things behind glass are not messy my friend, but artistic.
Whatever it is, the big cupboard is making noise.
Size does matter.
Laters, Kate x
Clip Art x
Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make the biggest impact: Take the Tiny Homes movement sweeping across America quietly proving that small can mean freedom. They’re also icons of great design where every square inch counts.
This is a Tiny Home from Portland that just sings with love and clever details.
Just because it’s compact, doesn’t mean it has to be modern.
It puts a smile on your face.
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 