Extreme Makeover: Showroom Edition
30th November 2015
After a whole year in our London showroom we thought it was time for a bit of a makeover, okay maybe less extreme makeover more day at the spa, but a makeover all the same. Helen was coming down to shoot another new, and oh so beautiful (seriously, cannot wait to show you this one!), kitchen and so it seemed the perfect opportunity for a little reshuffle just in time for Christmas. She brought down a van-load of new treasures for us to ogle over and in no time at all our showroom had been given a facelift and felt shiny and new all over again.
I found myself oooing and ahhing and every time I picked up something new Helen would tell me a little story about what it was and where it came from. It was so interesting that I starting looking into a few bits and thought I’d do a blog to show you some of my favourite things and share a little bit about what I discovered.
The first thing that caught my eye were these amazing old Italian pots. I’ve loved hearing all about our experiments creating our new ceramics collection at Cotes Mill. It’s so fascinating seeing how everything is crafted, the time and skill, it really makes you appreciate that old plant pot a little bit more. Of course, I knew Italy’s renowned for its beautiful ceramics but I did learn that in the early 20th century they had a revival of the antique tradition. These pots date back to this era and show these revived techniques so wonderfully. It’s hard to believe they’re about 100 years old! Their marks seem more like smile lines rather than deep set wrinkles, they definitely would bring a bit of that old Italian charm into your home.
Now I’ve been feeling a little festive recently, Oxford Street is all lit up and I’ve already been to my first Christmas party! So when I saw the light hit these amazing hand blown Norwegian fishing floats, to me they just looked like the most stylish baubles and filled me with festive joy. But they’re definitely not just for Christmas, they looked so lovely in a little wire basket or with the beautiful cacti; a true vintage gem.
What we’ve come to call real glass fishing floats were originally invented by a Norwegian merchant named Christopher Faye in around 1840. However, they might date back even further with evidence of a thicker dark brown glass float used at the beginning of the 1800s. The spherical globes were used by fishermen to keep their nets afloat. They were attached by these beautiful woven nets, often made by their wives and children. I really love the netting, I think it adds a lovely rustic feel to the shiny balls.
By the pantry we added some antique Hungarian straining spoons. The large shallow slotted head was originally designed for preparing traditional Hungarian specialities such as Lángos, a deep fried flat bread usually topped with sour cream and cheese. But now it makes for a really striking design and the aged metal gives a very cool vintage feel.
I think my favourite new piece might be the amazing pestle and mortar. I first clocked this big beauty in the East Dulwich Kitchen shoot and fell head over heals. I’m a bit of a foodie and I love cooking, pestle and mortars always remind me of the spices in Asian cooking which I love so much. The beautiful marble mortar showcases the traditional four lug design typical of the 19th century, whilst the wooden pestle has been sanded to most incredible silky smooth finish. I think I know what I’ll be putting on my Christmas list this year…
Of course we also still have all our favourite journals available, including Modern Rustic, Elle Deco Country and Kinfolk, as well as lots of other vintage bits and bobs.
So please, come down and check out our revitalised Showroom and maybe find that perfect Christmas gift you’ve been looking for, even if it’s just for you… hey, it’s Christmas right?!
You can find us at 2 Tysoe Street, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 4RQ.
