VT Wonen Magazine

Thanks to Leah Moss's recent post at Apartment Therapy, I have recently discovered an interiors mag from the Netherlands, VT Wonen, which is now my second favourite 'shelter' mag, after Living Etc. (which Bubby the house elf announces loudly as my 'house porn' with the arrival of every new issue!).

It is a fantastic magazine, with a huge backlog of past issues available to view online.  They are worth taking the time to troll through.

The aesthetic is that clean, crisp, fresh one that the Dutch excel at, but with a heavy emphasis on vintage details. Gorgeous - and right up this owl's alley!

Here are a couple of my favourites.

From what I can piece together with my lack of Dutch, this is 'Derk's' cosy home in Amsterdam:

There is a warm mix of ethnic and fun details like the monster pillow below.

The following is Marianne Brandi's home in Copenhagen, which has a silvery-glamorous, French feel mixed in with the clean Dutch vibe. Click on the image for a closer look at the collection of sculptural antlers on the desk.

Shiny grouped treasures, a textural throw and a sumptuous tufted headboard give a subtle elegance to the bedroom.

A unique idea for framing a small piece of art in a casual and fun way.

Watch for more VT Wonen images in future. This publication is a keeper. (Guess now I have to learn Dutch as well as Swedish. Eep.)

Collections 2

A continuation of my previous collections post, here are more shots of glorious collections to ogle:

Vintage french home numbers.

If you were well monied you could replicate the look with similar signs from Ramsign in Denmark, who make vintage looking enamel signs...though it wouldn't be quite the same with new signs.

To go off track for a second, my favourite of Ramsign's line is the 'Engelhardt' range with the round, slightly convex numbers that would look amazing on a wall or part of a display. (Sorry for the tiny image. It is the only one they had!)

Each one is €49, though! Ouch.

Back to collections. I saw a lot of these Fulham pottery vases at the Antiques and Decorative Fair the other day. They look quite striking in multiples, no?

 

Beautifully patina-ed antique milk bottles.

images from Decorative Collective

An insanely enviable collection of real crowns!

Oh, how the magpie in me covets these sparklies.

Crown images from Paris Hotel Boutique

These little cousins have the right idea! 

image via E-magDECO

T'woold suit me, don't you think?

  

For Love of...Industrial Storage

Is anyone else loving the industrial fleamarket style that is rampant at the moment?

Here is some French fleamarket treasures from a company called Les Nouveaux Brocanteurs in Paris.

images above found courtesy of Urban Lifestyle Decor

images above found courtesy of vtwonen

This mortician's table upcycle as a coffee table is something else. Talk about taking something utilitarian and seeing the potential for beauty!

images above via Paris Hotel Boutique

Now that is being able to see past an object's use to it's sculptural lines!

Antiques & Decorative Fair 3

Here are the rest of the images from the Antiques & Decorative Fair that I attended Friday night.

Posing with some immaculate Victorian vellum suitcases from Victoria Harvey. How I would love these!

This shop had some truly beautiful things. The following is an antique wooden processional figure or mannequin.

 More wooden figures...without arms!

These millinery displays below were quite popular in the fair. They remind me of mexican folk art.

 Here is a similar head from another shop on Church Street, Raffles.

More body parts.

It was interesting to note how differently the booths were styled, according to their wares.

There were a lot of examples of the 'country french' aesthetic, with many chairs reupholstered in crisp natural linens and distressed white furniture.

This was a particularly striking display by the charming gent at Martin D. Johnson Antiques, with antique paperbacks, apothecary bottles, fresh cherry boughs and antique french lithography blocks.

Here is a detail of the stunning cast iron devil doorstops:

This little lovely was one of the most precious things I saw in the fair..the only thing I really wished could come home with me. It is approx 6 x 5 inches.

The photo doesn't do it justice. The artist was obviously a Rembrandt fan, and they did a good job of mimicking his luminescent style.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this fair. I went expecting it to be somewhat high brow and stuffy, especially considering its Chelsea location. Instead, I found it relaxed with tons of knowledgeable dealers, passionate about their wares and willing to share what they knew. Good fun.

Antiques & Decorative Fair 2

I managed to get to the Antiques and Decorative Fair on Friday night, as I had hoped.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the fair quiet and civilized, instead of the usual rammed madness you find at London fairs!

There was plenty of time and space to relax with a glass of wine and enjoy the wares and the exhibitors were a lovely bunch of folk, more than willing to engage in a bit of play with one little owl!

Speaking of which, here are some gorgeous items with my brethren:

This carved folk art beauty was part of a shrine at one of the booths:

A little treasure trove of jewelled owl match strikers:

At the same booth, some tiny, delicate embroidery scissors:

The charming woman who was selling these items had some amazingly unique items. Like these bone dog...things...!

Shamefully, I forgot to take a picture of the name of the shop, as I was so taken with her wares! Bad Winston.

I did see quite a few more odd items throughout the fair that made me scratch my head...for example, this rather sinsister gas mask lamp!

I found myself trying to picture the room this would work in, but failing miserably. It was almost so ugly/weird that it was fabulous...but just fell short somehow...!

This large item was obviously a child's leather toy (in an antique Victorian shower!), but I was a bit stumped as to whether it was a pig or a dog. Pigdog. Either way, ugly/cute.

A few covetable wooden wares.

A decanter set.

Accountants cabinet.

Lawyers lockers.

This display of antique fish prints was beautiful, and oddly enough, I think I saw the exact same images available for download on Vintage Printable the other day. Someone must have scored the same book, and was kind enough to share!

Tempted to print up a fish wall. The Asian antique laquer frames really make the display, though.

Also found myself drawn to this enormous fruit jar. Wondering what kind of fruit would have been preserved in it.

There were so many interesting things to share with you, that I got a bit overwhelmed and erred on the side of plenty...

To be continued!

Lenneke Wispelwey

A big fan of hobnail milk glass, I have been trolling high and low for a precious little glass to use on my bedside table.

I have been searching ebay and am partial to the aqua, as below, but would be quite happy with a white version!(the aqua is, naturally, more expensive...just my luck...)

Here is a lovely shot from a blog:

and another:

The green 'jadeite' is tempting, as well. There is something about the combination of texture, translucency and colours of milk glass that are just...well... YUMMY.

Unfortunately I am finding most of the items on ebay are in the US, and postage is ridiculous!

Saw these ceramics today by Lenneke Wispelwey in Arnhem which has a similar feel.

images via Red Glasses

Unfortunately they are still well out of my range - but aren't they pretty?

Collections

For my last post of the week I thought I would share (another) obsession with you.

As some of you already know, lately I have been fixated with collection (amassing!) grouping and displaying, and since I have been researching, I have found some great images online to share.

The following are from the Curiosite Gallery.

Vintage industrial porcelain glove molds. The black ones are quite unusual.

I would love a bell jar for mine (one solitary one I managed to scoop from the states on ebay! Poor lonely baby!), but unfortunately they are going for a fortune right now.

Bells.

Vintage binoculars.

Another great collection source is Lost Found Art's website. I have gone there many a time to drool at their unique collection ideas and displays.

I love how they group the simplest things, like the iron valve wheels and rack of dog tags, and make them look like art.

Other favourites:

Vintage crochet posts

Not sure about these, think they might be antique glove stands?

Antique barbells - you can just picture the striped unitard wearing, walrus-mustachioed gent using these! 

These are the best...old bicycle sprokets, of all things! And they look great.

Proof that a little inginuity can go a long, long way in aesthetics.

Off to the Antiques and Decorative Fair in Battersea this afternoon, so hopefully I can find some more images to bring back to the roost.

Have a good weekend, all.