H's Vintage Homeware

Hello there, today I have a little sneak peek at my new abode for you and also some Vintage treasures for you to take a look at.  We all know by now I am sure that I love Vintage clothing and this extends to my home wares and luckily I have parents who never like to throw away anything good and also a some great little charity shops around me which I can delve into.

Today's treats though have come by way of my parents and I love every little story behind them and so I thought I would share them with you.

I guess I should start with the title picture.  This little beauty of a coffee table used to be in our living room when I was growing up and when one of my oldest friends popped around for a visit the other week, she remembered it, so it must be good.  I love the style and those legs, just perfect 1970's style.  It goes really well with my modern rug and sofa too.

Next up are these curtains, which I know full well are not to everyone's taste and usually Orange is not a colour I go for.  But these curtains just have something about them and have been hanging around even longer than the coffee table I think.  They started in my parents house before I was born, then into the house I grew up in, my brother had them at his first house for a while and now they are with me.  My mum thinks she got the fabric from a market as she didn't have long enough curtains for the longer windows.  So handmade also.  I have been waiting to get my own place to have these for years.

Who doesn't love a bit of crockery and having your own place means you get to keep it all for yourself.  I have been given plates, bowls and all sorts, but these soup bowls are just ace.  Obviously the blue ones need not much introduction as I would clearly love them for their colour.  I also remember using the Owl bowls when I was growing up, no wonder I love owls so much.

Lastly and by no means least, this fabric is in fact a bedspread. My mum said she used to have it on her bed when she was at home and so it has done its time.  I love the pattern and colour obviously, but mostly I love that it's something that my mum used and that I will now use.

I love that Vintage has a story and it's even better when you know that story and have a connection with it.  Brings the comforts of your childhood into your new home.  Don't get me wrong there is always a place for a little Ikea and Tiger - who doesn't love them, but knowing that something has lasted this long and will continue to last, is brilliant.

What do you have that reminds you of your childhood?  Do you have things that keep getting passed around the family? I would love to hear more.

Hope your all having a great day!

H

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Hidden Treasures: Alexandra Vintage

This month's Hidden Treasure hails from Reading and is a definite favourite haunt of H's when she has a rare visit to Reading.

"Alexandra Vintage is a vintage network taking pride in its group of passionate vintage Buyers. A love for all-things vintage, Alexandra Vintage’s Buyers hand-pick pieces of vintage fashion from across the globe, offering affordable collections of quality vintage clothing & accessories for men and women."

Basically, Alexandra Vintage is a Studio in the Town Centre, where you can shop by appointment to have a browse around the rails.  They also have a great Online shop which has just recently won the National Vintage Awards 2014, so it is definitely worth a visit.

The store also got a mention in Episode 2 of Dawn O'Porter's new Channel 4 show 'This old Thing', where she introduces the virtues of Vintage to people who are normally high street junkies.

There are clothes on offer, alongside buttons, jewellery, bags, scarves, pretty much anything your vintage self could want really.  Alexandra can be found in store and handpicks everything that goes into her shop and so you know that it has been chosen.  There are even wedding dresses on offer and Alexandra can help you find something for any kind of occasion.

In an office block just around the corner from the main high street, Alexandra Vintage is a gem of a find for all you Vintage lovers, and if you can't get there, remember there is her online shop to drool over too.

I have my eye on a nice blue paisley print dress, now what to wear it to!
H

 Live, Love, Make, Like, Share, Follow, Tweet, Pin, Add, Enjoy. 

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How We Wear... Black Jeans (and H&M Jumpers)

H and I normally discuss the outfits we are going to wear for these features, this is what happens when we don't, we both turn up in the same jumper!  This month was supposed to be styling black jeans, but has turned into black jeans and H&M jumpers.  As you can see though we still choose different colourways and style them in different ways, if anything it just proves the point of this feature even more. 

H says: I am mostly a blue jeans wearer, but every now and again the black jeans come out, so I like to pair them with something a bit more colourful and obviously I love the colour Blue and so this Jumper had to be bought.  I love the fact is is really long and I can tuck my hands into the sleeves to keep me extra toasty.  I bought the necklace at a Vintage fair in Reading and just fell in love with the shape in it, it always makes a jumper look more interesting too.  The boots were a 'not sure whether they are me' buy, but the biker style is just right.  Sometimes the things you are not sure about, can be just the right things for you.

H wears: Jeans from Dorothy Perkins, Jumper from H&M (similar), Necklace - vintage, Boots from River Island.

Sammy says: I love colour and print with black jeans and of course at this time of year warmth is key, a shirt under a jumper is a great way to add a hint of pattern without it being too full on.  It is in fact H's fault that we own the same jumper in different colours, she persuaded me to buy this one on a shopping trip just before Christmas.  Since then I have worn it non stop, I just love the colour!  I have been teaming it with collared shirts and statement necklaces, I'm not normally a shirt wearer but New Look Inspire have some great prints and colours in at the moment.  Converse are my go-to footwear, this pair are my faves, I love the grey with the coral duo tongue detail.

Sammy wears: Jeans (jeggings) from TU at Sainsbury's, Shirt from New Look Inspire, Jumper from H&M (similar from Oasis), Trainers from Converse (similar), Necklace from Forever 21.

Link for the week: Brick Lane

I took some of the girls from work for a visit to Brick Lane yesterday as they had never been - so what better excuse to have a day out in London.

These were just some of the pictures I Instagrammed on the day.  You can follow me on Instagram here.

Given that I became an unofficial tour guide on the day, I thought it would be good to give you guys a few links of places to go in East London to check out the vibe for yourself.   East London has its own very eclectic and relaxed feeling to it.  It was nice to go back as I hadn't been for a while.  It was really nice to show some people around who had never been too.

We wandered through Spitalfields market where it was general market day, but that still meant there was a great array of vintage and new items along with food.  http://www.spitalfields.co.uk/

We went to Giraffe for some lunch (check out the Lemonade with mint in a jam jar glass when you go) to build up our strength for Brick lane.  Then it was over to the pop-up markets on Bricklane and a wander through the streets.  http://www.visitbricklane.org/

After all that looking and walking, we went for some cake at Maison Trois Garcons, which I had never been to before.  We all had cake and took a look around all the cafe, in which everything was for sale.  The chair is a particular favourite!

Live it

H

Our Adventure at Home Barn

Earlier this year I discovered a little hidden gem, just a 10 minutes drive from where I live, I love it when that happens. Steve and I were driving to High Wycombe via Marlow one weekend and drove past a little collection of shops, I asked Steve if we could stop in on the way back to check them out, I am so glad I did. We had discovered Homebarn! 

I loved it there so much I took H back for a visit and to meet up with the one of the owners Sarah for a chat. 

Hi Sarah, Can you tell our readers a little about yourselves?  

We are Sisters in-law Sarah and Sally Wilkie and we run Homebarn.  We are partners with our husbands also and together we all run a design agency called The Narrative.  The Narrative is a multi-disciplinary agency encompassing Branding, Fashion, Web, Graphics and interiors.  Sally and I help the boys out mostly on the trade interiors side.  We are currently working on several hotels, bars and restaurants. As well as our day jobs we also both have young families, It is nice to have a carer that mean we can work with our families and can be flexible around our children.

How did Homebarn come about?   

Sally and her husband James returned from spending many years in the USA as fashion designers.  Sally was looking to combine her flair for interiors with a job which would allow her to work around her small children.  I had worked in retail interiors as a buyer for several years before starting a family.  We were both fans of vintage style and antiques and we began Homebarn by selling several pieces from our own collections privately and then realising that we would enjoy working together and creating a vintage homewares brand.  Homebarn was really begun as an extension of a creative hobby.

What is your favourite part of the business?   

We love shopping for stock, that is still so much fun.  We have met some lovely people along the way, many of our cabinetmakers and suppliers are now really good friends.  We love helping to style the shop and enjoy being hands on with the photography and social media side of the business.

Which of all the pieces you have recovered/restored has been your favourite?  

Old shop fittings such as Haberdashery counters are a favourite - in fact any piece of furniture with lots of drawers we can not resist! 

 

What is your least favourite part of running Homebarn? 

Hauling heavy pieces of furniture around is extremely hard work and not much fun.  Also It's very cold in the winter and in the mornings before we have lit wood burner it's really bitter.   

What does the future look like for you and the business? 

 Popping up elsewhere regularly seems to be on the cards in the short term, we are about to 'pop up' at Tent London and we have plans for other pop up's this year and next.  We are looking forward to working more with clients on the commercial side which is looking very busy for next year.  We are developing our own range of 'own brand' products including furniture, artwork and gift items.

If you could go back to the beginning what piece of advice would you to give yourself ? 

Don't try and cover all bases, stick with what you love and don't spread yourself to thin. 

Thanks so much to Sarah and her team for having us, I Love that the business grew organicly  from your passions, and that all the family are involved. Some great advice there for anyone starting a business. 

We had such a lovely afternoon looking around this little Aladdin's cave of vintage goodies. There were so many things that have been added to our wish lists after our visit. It was a pleasure to walk around the barn taking photos and dreaming of where we could incorporate pieces in to our homes and for me Sew Crafty. My favourite thing about Homebarn is the way they lay things out in mini dioramas, so things are sorted by room and displayed beautifully.

If you are near by its totally worth a visit, if you are a little further away, still worth a visit, and if you are even further away you can buy on-line!

All the details you need can be found on their website, go check it out, its just lovely.

H and Sammy xxx