Mummy Christmas’s bob 2008

I have never owned or used rollers. My hair is poker straight so even if it gets curled it drops out. I remember having a perm in the 80s..and after a week it had dropped so much that it looked like a poodle who gone out in the rain.

So for me the styles of the 1960s are where it is at. Bobbed, easy, straight……..

Mummy Christmas’s bob 2010 

Yesterday Vidal Sassoon died at the age of 84. He was the pioneer of this sleek hair fashion and particularly in the 60s introduced us to simple, boyish elfin crops and bob cuts which today are far from revolutionary. But then, they changed everything for the modern woman.

In the 50s she went to have her hair set a few times a week. The new  bob style meant young women weren’t slaves to the roller….they could wash and go!

Here are 3 of my favourite cuts by the greatest hairdresser/stylist of all time.

Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby

Twiggy

Mary Quant

Rest in Peace

I absolutely love them. I particularly love the painting of Picasso from the early 1900s called the blue period and have been fascinated by the forms and melancholy since I studied History of Art at A level….some 20 years ago!

Finding retro pictures that we both like is quite hard. I love a bit of kitsch don’t get me wrong (Check out our JH Lynchs here) but finding a picture that you actually love is not as easy as you think.

Well, I definitely love these. And what’s more, they are perfect for our lounge which is also stuck in a blue period. (Check out our lounge here)

The first is called “The Old Guitarist” and was painted in oil in 1903. A hunched man plays the instrument, almost looking broken with his slightly twisted limbs. He is playing in the streets of Barcelona, where coincidentally we were only a week ago.

It sits perfectly above the fireplace and has relegated Tina to the other end of the room. It is framed and sits behind glass.

The second is a smaller print called “Woman in a chemise” and was painted in 1905. This  is one of his last pictures in his blue period. It is of a lady he was having an affair with called Madeleine.

She looks nonchalantly to one side with a sheer chemise. It is quite haunting yet beautiful at the same time.

I am so happy with my new prints and there is no way they are going on the website!!!

Which prints adorn your walls? And do you actually love them?

Homes in the 1950′s were evolving fast. The Festival of Britain in 1951 showed the world that we had style and with rationing ending in 1954, we began to embrace a new look in our homes. Here are our “must have” items to recreate this fun and sometimes kitsch look.

Barware. In the 50s families loved spending a week in holiday camps. Butlins was the favourite with millions of people holidaying there every year. The bar was not only a place to relax and enjoy a tipple, but somewhere you could truly escape British life. Often decorated as a tropical Hawaiian beach hut complete with hula girls and pineapple ice buckets, holiday makers chose to recreate this look on return home.

Vintage barware is easily found and will add humour to your lounge. Choose fruity ice buckets, candy coloured shot glasses and bright soda syphons. Babycham was the glamorous drink of the decade and no home should be without a cute deer prancing on the side of a champagne bowl. If you dare, get a bar or cocktail cabinet to hold all your collection.

Atomic ball feet.  The Festival of Britain wasn’t just about design, it was also about science. Displays revealed for the first time molecular structures which in turn inspired our interiors. The love of space and all things unknown was becoming a  fascination which would continue throughout the 60s. So many decorative yet functional items in the home had primary coloured ball feet, alluding to what was learnt at the festival. Magazine racks, wall hooks..even waste paper bins can be found and are a perfect yet practical 1950s addition to your home.

Ceramics. People still drank their tea from a floral china cup but they were beginning to move towards a  modern pattern that would become the norm in the 60s. The most recognisable design was called Homemaker by Ridgeway; black and white with hand drawn images of  fashionable furniture styles. A Robin Day chair, a long sideboard and a sofa are sketchily drawn on the white ceramic. Designed in 1956, they became the first mass produced tableware sold through Woolworths.

photo coutesy of Lauren Sutherland, Poppy Lauren Vintage

These are not easily found and are quite collectable which is surprising since so many were made. However, they will look great contrasting against candy coloured 1950s kitchenalia and are a must have for this look.

The original flat packed furniture. Flat packed furniture has been around since the 50s with kits available so you could build your own. These were primarily coffee table tops with shiny black screw on legs and metal feet. A classic shape is the kidney side table with 3 tripod angled legs. Often the tops were laminated in a marble or wood effect but the more flamboyant chose picture scenes. Maps, flowers and even kitsch flamingo paper pictures were cut to fit under a thick clear plastic covering. They were modern and light  to contrast with the heavy wood furniture that came before. These black legs can be found on all types of furniture from sewing boxes to room dividers and are a key look with even modern furniture now beginning to allude to this feel.

Plastic: Tupperware arrived in the 1950s to provide better storage enabling the housewife to cook batches of food which lasted longer. The Tupperware party also gave her an opportunity to earn money within her home. Pastel colours were the most desired including small bowls with clear lids and beakers for the kids. Melamine plastic tableware became popular and was even used for dinner parties as well as

picnics. Gaydon Melmex made a great range in pretty pastels which are a must have item for your vintage 1950s kitchen. Not only are they super durable but they look good too!

Walls: Wall art in the 1950s was still very classic and hadn’t moved on too far from the decades before. Most people had Vernon Ward prints of swans or flamingoes. Again in candy colours, these will add a sense of nostalgia to your home. We have hang our swan print in the bathroom to give it a vintage and calming look. Why not hang a 1950s mirror on the wall too. Homes either chose a teak fluid shaped one or a bevelled edged frameless one which hung on a metal chain. Maybe create a wall of these in the hall to give the sense of space as well as being eye catching!

Pattern: The 1950s home loved a pattern! Wallpapers, carpets, curtains and cushions  in brightly coloured fabrics, often clashed within the same space. Lucienne Day’s designs are the most iconic with organic shapes and abstract patterns influenced by artists such as Miro. She exhibited her textiles at the Festival of Britain, won many awards and inspired us to be brave in our homes. Reproductions of similar fabric can be found now as well as new versions of old wallpaper designs by Sanderson. We say, continue to be brave but maybe on feature walls with plain carpet or wooden floors! Choose a cushion made from original fabric to complement the look.

All things kitsch! The 1950s home wasn’t just brave with their pattern but also with their knick-knacks. Most homes had one or all of these kitsch pieces: the Murano glass fish, the ceramic cat or dog with an elongated neck or a pretty glass swan. These can be really fun in a modern home, choose 1 key piece, or maybe display one you have inherited.

Coronation memorabilia: The queen’s coronation in 1953 resulted in a mass production of souvenir items to celebrate the day. Biscuit tins and ceramics were the most popular and can be found easily today. We love the tins particularly, as they are nicely worn, she looks beautiful and they can be used to store your bits and bobs in today.

There are so many more design classics from the 1950s such as Formica kitchens and telephones that we could go on for pages! Why not mix and match some of these items to get the 1950s look…it was so colourful, optimistic and fun. Surely better than our minimal cream homes of today!

We both have been a few times before so the usual sight seeing wasnt the priority. Instead we wanted to chill, eat nice food, drink wine and maybe check out the odd vintage shop.

So we arrived on Friday an hour early to meet the lady we were renting an apartment from. What should we do? We jumped into the nearest bar (it was early evening after all!). Mr YVL chose El BonBon…a small, secluded bar opposite. Turns out he saw the retro lights from the street and had an inkling that it would be good. It wasnt good, it was great! Decked out in 70s wallpaper and retro glass lights, playing funky soul, we sat on low sofas alongside leather footstools and relaxed after the journey.

We loved the mis matched chairs including one we actually have for sale at the moment! For anyone wanting to pop in it is on Carrer De La Riera Alta in the El Raval district, they serve great mohitos and locals salsa the night away all weekend. You will be the only English here, but they are friendly and welcoming.

Our apartment was fantastic. Huge paintings adorned the walls and the roof terrace was an added extra.

As vegetarians, eating out in some parts of Europe can be hard. Spain is no exception with their love of sea food and rabbit. We literally stumbled upon the vegan restaurant/cafe serving great tapas. And what’s more it was like we had gone back 20 years and had fallen into a 1992 music video.

Handpainted, bright walls and ceilings reminded me of an old retro Jesus Jones T shirt I once owned. Coincidentally it was called Juicy Jones!

It’s fab for a juice or veggie fodder and it’s cheap! Check it out on Carrer De Hospital.

So we woke Saturday early. Instead of Kitty screaming we awoke to the local church bell! Up we got in search of sun, a bit of Gaudi and hopefully vintage shops!

After sleeping on the beach (the bells sure did wake us early) we stumbled across a mini festival all along the Arc De Triomf. Loads of vegan food, crystals, Indian tye dye pants…yes we had gone back again to the early 90s. We ate a huge plate of Tibetan food, sitting crossed legged on the Passeig De LLuis Comanys. A giant plastic windmill was hanging within the arc…no idea why but it looked cool.

We found bunting made from vintage magazine adverts and amazing handblown glass lights that looked like a Chance handkerchief vase upside down. (alas no piccies..they didnt allow me to!)

The for a bit of sight seeing, up to my favourite work by Gaudi. Casa Battlo has been a firm favourite since I studied History of Architecture A level back in the late 80s (yes I am also retro!).

The swirled balconies with mask like eyes, the circles of coloured glass reminiscent of bottles, and the fishtail like roof all add to its magical charm.

Forget Sagrada da Familia, this is by far his best work showing the world that he was a great artist as well as an architect.

Then for the vintage shopping. We discovered 4 shops locally to where we were staying, with the rest up in the Gracia district which we didn’t go to. First was Holala! They have 2 shops here in Tallers. The first is smaller and  full of American vintage from the 50s through to the early 90s. It has a cool vibe with rock n roll pumping from the stereo  and young funky staff.

They product blocked the clothing with a flat pricing structure that was very reasonable. More menswear really, it was full of baseball jackets, levis, with some great affordable dresses for the ladies too.

Round the corner was their main branch which was amazing. Again quite American, this time the clothing was mixed with retro furniture and lighting.

Industrial metal tables and chairs alongside pretty early 50s day dresses….gorgeous. I loved this bag best but at 35 euros it was not to be mine.

The wall of chairs looked great…we had the bottom yellow one in our kitchen in the 80s!

The windows were huge with real window dressing. This was a professional vintage store, money had clearly been spent and was being taken. Great clothes, great furniture…..not the cheapest but a great place to hang out all the same!

Next shop we found, also on Tallers was Retro City.

A small shop filled with European vintage, this was cheap and cheerful. The owner, originally from England has been  selling vintage for  years. Piles of retro belts, shoes and rails of product blocked clothing is crammed into the space. It was however, like vintage shops were 10 years ago…pile it high sell it cheap. We felt that Holala had styled their shop with a certain customer in mind, and this look was more for us!

The last shop was called Produit National Brut and was on Carrer Ramelleres.

You could easily miss this one as it looks like a nice ladies boutique from the outside. It was also like a boutique on the inside but thankfully not at boutique prices. The fixtures were modern and wooden, the clothing was washed and pressed and evenly spaced on the rails. They have fab dresses all at 25 euros…even the 1950s ones!!! We made some purchases: an early 1960s pink and brown day dress for me and a 50s top for Mr YVL.

Another vegan restaurant was discovered on Saturday night where I ate Japanese tofu…cant remember the address but it was just off Carrer De Peu De La Creu (maybe Carrer De Dou). It was  also a step back to the 90s…maybe owned by the same people as Juicy Jones as the menu was very similar.

Sunday we hopped on the train and went to gem that is Sitges. A lovely almost unspoilt seaside town where there is nothing to do but walk the promenade and eat! So we did exactly that!! Here I am in my 10p 50s dress (regular readers will remember how we found this in a 10p box). We have a similar photo of me standing here in 1992…I will have to dig it out next time I am at my Mum’s house.

We had a lovely time, have sun burnt faces, ate too much, drank too much and now it’s back to the world of mid century furniture and vintage clothing. It’s like we never left!

Being a seller of collectables  is even more wonderful. Emersing yourself in history, and items of interest can be a real eye opener…even when you don’t expect it. And sometimes without knowing it, you find something that is truly valuable and sends you into a dilemma.

Recent finds have ticked these boxes. The cream Paloma mink with stunning leather buttons (read about it here)

and the Hermes scarf (read about it here) were fab

but not as fab as this……

Last week was one of those weeks when you stumble upon lots of greatness. We found a 70s rocket lamp, a 1930s kitchen cupboard and this tea set by Midwinter.

It’s black and white design reminded us of the Homemaker range. Stylish, simply drawn with a true 1950s shape. Images of flowers and dragon flies, sketched in what seems like pen and ink.

It is called Nature Study and was designed in 1955. It is in the Stylecraft shape popular in the 50s.

But, now for the interesting part. It was designed by Sir Terence Conran when he left college. For anyone not in the know, this is the founder of Habitat, one of the most influential retailers of the 60s and 70s. He and his brand helped to revolutionise our homes in a time of great optimism and fun.

We have 4 teacups and saucers, 4 side plates, a cake plate, sugar bowl and amazingly a teapot. And they are IMMACULATE!!!

So, as ever the dilemma begins. Do we keep or sell? They will only go up in value (more than they are already worth). But if we keep them we would be too scared to use them. Languishing in a cupboard isnt exactly enjoying them is it?

So watch this space…they may well be on a website near you soon!

Have a cake from us! (and for anyone that knows us…yes this does actually look like our family with one extra child!)

As Easter is this month, we have turned our heads to thoughts of eggs……chocolate ones, dippy soldier ones, even hard boiled, painted ones. Now is the time to get your bonnets on and plan your Easter holiday, combining all that eating with all things vintage.

If you don’t have time to paint an egg, make sure you still eat them, maybe with a hot cross bun dripping with butter. Brighten up your plate with some of our favourite vintage egg cups. They date from the 1950s through to the 1970s and are mainly made from melamine.

Then it is gift giving time! Why not choose vintage presents to accompany the chocolate? How about a china chicken filled with chocolate eggs? We have white ones, brown ones and even a yellow glass one which we use to store real eggs in all year round. Don’t the coloured foils really stand out against the white ceramic?

Or how about a vintage coffee cup filled with a simple chocolate egg?  Yes, we know the egg only just fits inside….surely the bigger the chocolate the better!

Fill a vintage bone china tea cup with hand-made chocolate truffles, rolled  into egg shapes with your hands. Don’t worry if they are not perfect – they taste so good no one will care! Add a ribbon bow and a home-made card for the perfect detail.

Or why not put them in a vintage chocolate or sweet tin. These old Quality Street tins are perfect or maybe a Coronation tin for this Jubilee Easter.

So everyone’s had their gifts and now it’s time for the children (and grown ups) to enjoy the annual Easter egg hunt. Hide them all over the garden, remembering to use a vintage basket to collect them in! We do love a basket; for the shopping, picking the home-grown veg and flowers into and of course for collecting chocolate eggs!! We will need a few more eggs to fill this beauty….

It is traditional to have a big family dinner served from your best china. In years gone by, the whole set would only be used at Christmas and Easter…why not follow this tradition by laying a formal table and serving your vegetables from vintage tureens? Choose 1950s pastel colours for a true spring feel.

Then for the Easter cake! Whether it’s a whole Simmel cake or tiny cup cakes make sure you display it on a vintage cake stand. We have chosen a simple, elegant white bone china one with gold edging to really show off the yummy cakes. Add  hand painted decorations  to the display.  These ones are wooden and designed to hang from a plant or tree. They reminded us of Christmas decorations and are perfect for decorating the cake with. Choose simple hand-picked spring flowers for an alternative.

Then, what to do next?

We reckon after lunch it’s time to sit back and eat all that lovely chocolate….all afternoon!

About a year ago we were building our stock package for a new shop category on the website. Your Vintage Playroom was to be full of vintage toys, old books and ceramics. We were at a charity sale when I picked up this little piggy. I thought he had a nice face.

A fellow dealer looked at my purchase and scoffed. “It’s a bit of basic pressed glass”. I thought “oh well” and put it away. It has been in a box in our storage unit since then.

Then a few weeks ago I was checking out some other vintage and retro websites and guess whose face was poking out at me? Yes, you guessed it, this little piggy.

Turns out its only made by Holmegaard and dates to the 1960s. It is Danish and designed by Jacob Bang. He designed these pieces in the 1940s no less.

He has the signature heart nose and curly tail.

Also, they are quite rare! They are  money boxes with no way of getting your savings out…except to smash it that is.

So this little piggy turns out to be more than “just a bit of basic pressed glass”.

The question is: is this little piggy going to market (Peterborough Antiques fair that is)?

Nah, this little piggy’s staying at home!

With our media shoving it down our throats telling us who looks too big, too small, too ugly etc…….we should celebrate our inner beauty and well being. To be honest, I’m only about 90% there with accepting my body especially after two children.

And here to put it into some context is two stunning ladies with no size 0 in sight!

And one of my favourite cheesecake pin up ladies by Gil Evgren

The next room to be done is our little girl Kitty’s bedroom. At last, I can go all pretty and vintage! The rest of the house is filled with mid century furniture but a lot of it is quite masculine and I’m in need of a girlie fix!

So here’s where we are up to. Her bedroom comes with amazing 1960s wallpaper that we will keep on one wall. When I posted the first blog on the house, you all told me that you absolutely loved her wallpaper so it’s staying.

She also has a cute 1920s bedroom fireplace which of course will stay. Here it is featured in the Christmas edition of Vintage Life magazine.

She has lots of vintage toys and dolls to adorn the floor and shelves. Again they featured in the same magazine!

She had a lovely ottoman but mummy sold it! (Bad mummy!..a customer wanted 2 and to fulfill her needs I sold my baby girls one!) So I am on the look out for another one as they are great for storing toys in.

Then a few weeks back at a vintage fair in York, this piece of fabric caught my eye. It has cute images on in similar colours to the wallpaper. And, it has a tortoise on that looks very familiar.

For Christmas we bought her a soft toy made from 1960s fabric which sits in her cot. They almost match.

The fabric is modern and is 100% cotton. It is called  Mitsy Mouse and made by Prestigious textiles. I think it is so cute and will make great roman blinds..or cushions….not sure which at this moment.

Can’t wait to get started and will let you know what it looks like when it is finished.