When I was younger and got into decorating, I had little knowledge of things vintage. My style had always been eclectic ~ juxtaposing different styles together ~ but a lot has changed.
Back then I chose teak wood furniture from Denmark and mixed it with Native American rugs and Georgia O’Keefe prints. Then Rachel Ashwell’s shabby chic exploded onto the scene and I was greatly influenced ~ soft, feminine with weathered wood and washed ivory linen. Being more of a minimalist than Rachel, I looked and learned and kept some ideas for future use.
My taste has since morphed into a blend of American farmhouse, English cottage and French country. One thing I love are vintage illustrations like the fairy shown above. Dating from the 1930s to ’50s ~ flowers, trees and herbs were drawn with their particular fairy. This and many other beautiful prints can be found at Collectors Prints, out of London.
I also love this antique pen drawing of a deer {complete with “real pen-work” stated in the background} available as clip art at The Graphics Fairy.
The image on my About page is part of this series ~ apparently they are from an early calligraphy book. Some of them, like the one above, are large enough to print out and frame.
She also offers wonderful vintage botanicals like this adorable pear.
Again the link contains a large image that can be printed out. Thank you Graphics Fairy! She has loads of great stuff ~ highly recommended.
Besides illustrations, another type of vintage decor I became fond of is carnival glass.
The above photo is from an Etsy shop with a large selection of depression glassware. I discovered orange carnival glass not long ago while photographing inventory for a second hand store. Here are a couple of my favorites.
Usually described as “marigold” orange, I love how the iridescence doesn’t overwhelm the softness of the peach and pink tones. Most of this type of glassware was made by Anchor Hocking, a name well known in the vintage collectible world. Here’s one that’s a bit more bold.
Not my style for drinking out of but they’d be fun accents, maybe holding teaspoons or wooden utensils.
I could really imagine these style elements working together in a kitchen ~ functional pieces in fun off-beat colors alongside old world prints of nature. Tres eclectic!
Most of us know about Le Creuset cookware, and many of us have at least one French Oven, or their kitchen accessories — or we know of someone who does. But I recently discovered a line of cookware by Emile Henry that is by far my favorite.
