It can be hard to find a vintage laundry basket in the right colour or even in good condition so why not upcyle your own and add a seat top too. Here I have created a distressed look basket and covered the lid in a vintage tablecloth that had a large stain on it. Now […] Read more…
Pressed coloured glass dressing table sets were popular in the 1920s and 1930s, often made in Czechoslovakia. Comprising of a glass tray in a pastel colourway alongside candle sticks, perfume bottles and jewellery pots; this was a glamorous look for any ladies’ bedroom. As these become rarer, why not recreate the look by painting crystal […] Read more…
I have created a calm, nostalgic feel for my daughter which has been perfect for her as a baby and will work through to about 10 years old, based on using vintage and handmade pieces. Here are some of the ways you too can create a vintage child’s bedroom for your little ones in your […] Read more…
How do you store your vintage accessories and handbags? Or maybe you display them so that everyone can appreciate them or in a way that makes them easily accessible. Here is what I do with mine. Hang them on the wall My favourite handbags with interesting fronts are hung on the wall in our bedroom.These […] Read more…
The bedroom is probably the easiest room to create a vintage look in, as it tends to be the space where it is accepted to be more feminine with floral linens and pretty wallpapers. There are two ways to get a vintage or mid century bedroom which I will share today – a mid-century modern […] Read more…
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about how to improve productivity, challenging myself to establish how productive I am at work and in my home. I created a free printable to help with this challenge, and I have heard many times from you that this has helped to identify where time is wasted. […] Read more…
You could say that I have a thing for cushions. It is OK to not have room to sit on a sofa due to all the plumped up cushions and throws, right? But how should you display them to create effortless style in your lounge and bedroom? I am such a matchy matchy kind of girl […] Read more…
As spring is just around the corner, it is the perfect time to sort through your home, declutter and then create a new space that is light and fresh. When I used to work in home retail, the next few months were the time that people rushed out to buy new cushions, linens and vases […] Read more…
Today’s real home is a lovely one, filled with colourful vintage with a slight Scandinavian feel to it. It belongs to Cathy Locke and her husband Kieran and their daughter Rosina, in Chelmsford, Essex. She runs an online shop filled with equally lovely goodies called Five Little Diamonds. I found her by the power of Instagram […] Read more…
It is National Wallpaper Week this week, and as you know I love my vintage wallpaper. Three of our rooms have the original 1950s/60s paper still on the walls, something we fell in love with when we first looked around the house, almost 5 years ago now. In our spare room we kept the bright […] Read more…
It’s the fourth week in my vintage colour inspiration series and today I am featuring the colour purple. When I was a goth back in the late 1980s, I loved purple. I had an amazing crushed velvet midi skirt that to be honest, I wish I still had! However, now my home is anything but […] Read more…
I am in the process of adding some cute details to my 5 year old daughter’s room – I recently moved her wardrobe to a more accessible place which has revealed a large white wall which needs some accessories on to brighten it up. I will be adding a handmade (when my husband makes it!) […] Read more…
It’s week three in my vintage colour inspiration series and this week I have chosen a colour that isn’t seen much in my home; the colour pink. When I met my husband, Adam, I had a lot of pink in my home but this has reduced ever since. Not that he hated it, or thought it […] Read more…
I have recently been asked how I value my vintage things? Well I believe that there are two ways to value them: financially and sentimentally. The clever people at Legal and General have written an interesting article on how much people value their possessions, and have asked me to consider what in my home I value and […] Read more…
We have been busy decorating our bedroom as well as the spare room over the last few months. Both have become relaxing space with loads of vintage styled within. Here are my top 10 ways to achieve this look. 1. The Bed Let’s face it, it is hard to find a vintage bed that is […] Read more…
We recently (finally) decorated our vintage bedroom. It is the second from last room to be totally renovated in our 5 year project. Until now it has been a dumping ground for anything and everything as well as doubling up as my dressing room. To be honest, the only thing going for it was the gorgeous […] Read more…
We decorated our vintage bedroom a few years ago as part of our 5 year renovation of our 1920s home. However, it never felt calm, which I really wanted for this room. I love white walls so the colour of my vintage collections simply pop out, but this didn’t seem to work here. I think […] Read more…
Storage is so important in your home but can we make something so functional look pretty? I don’t know about you but we have so much “stuff” that really needs putting away especially in our children’s rooms. Boy do they have silly amounts of “stuff”! Kitty (aged 4.5) has a really pretty vintage room, which […] Read more…
Wallpaper can brighten up any room providing pattern, texture and sometimes a sense of fun. But I always feel that once it is up, you don’t want to change it especially if you have gone to the expense of hiring someone to install it. By adding it to other items around your home, you can […] Read more…
Late last year we finally decorated our son, Herbie’s bedroom. Don’t get me wrong, he had a nice bedroom but it was done when he was 3 and now felt a little young for him. I featured it a long time ago here. We wanted to create something that he could grow older with, something that […] Read more…
We love wallpapers and fabrics from Sanderson especially their 1950s range. This launched a few years back now and all have a real atomic feel to them. Some are copies of original Sanderson prints from the mid 20th century and some are simply influenced by the originals. We love Mobiles in all 4 colour ways […] Read more…
With every season change, I find myself sometimes growing bored of my style. The re-emergence of past clothing and hair trends pulls at my threads and begs for a new look: shall I go 1960s mod this year or go for the 1920s Downton look? Fortunately, it’s easy to change. An on-line shop here, a vintage […] Read more…
A few weeks back we sold this 1960s retro tissue box. Made from yellow plastic, it reminded us of the Crayonne range sold through Habitat. The buyer sent us through this photo with it taking pride of place in their spare room. Sitting pretty on a G Plan 1950s Brendan bedside table alongside a classic […] Read more…
I cannot stop buying vintage linen. I have bags and bags of it, from large embroidered tablecloths to small doily like tray covers. We do not use them in our home (which is a 1960s affair) and to be honest, we don’t really sell them either. Other people sell them so well but they don’t really […] Read more…
Tips for decorating your bedroom in a vintage style Decorating a bedroom in a vintage style doesn’t have to be expensive. A typical vintage look can easily be created with light and soft colours, intricate patterns and textured fabric and distressed furniture to reflect a historical era. All you may need to do to your bedroom […] Read more…
Firstly, let me recap. We bought a huge renovation project back in February, in a lovely village called Cranfield. It took an age to find the right house as our demanding list exasperated all the estate agents. We wanted: Somewhere we could renovate not wanting to spend a premium for someone elses work (and as […] Read more…
