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I am making a journey way down to south London today (heh) to check out some vintage String shelving I tracked down online. I am very excited about this, as the store has several different combinations and units and the fellow who owns the shop has said I may pick and choose!!! Gulp.
Oh – and the price is so good that if the condition of the units are as perfect as they look online, I might weep for joy.
Here is the basic unit that I will ‘modify’ if all goes well:
Wish me luck!
I have finally decided on a type of storage for the bedroom, and though it seems a bit decadent, one unit fits the alcove in the bedroom perfectly (and when I say perfectly, I mean EXACT. It is uncanny.), and can also be expanded on and modified for future.
Yes, these are my justifications to myself. That, and I have a birthday coming up and I decided a couple of years ago that I would treat myself to an investment piece a year every birthday from now on (Great idea, non? I highly recommend it!).
So behold: Swedish architect/designer Nils Strinning’s String shelving!
Designed in 1949, this iconic shelving system has just been re-released in several different metal finishes and woods. Really like how clean and airy they are, despite being able to hold tons of stuff.
Below is an old-school vintage one. Like the way the shape of the brackets varies in the old ones.
I was planning on a white metal/walnut wood combo, but I just went to check the real item out at Skandium and was a little disappointed that the ‘wood’ is veneer, and not solid. Especially for the £700+ price tag that I would be looking at for my dream combo (drawers and 3 shelves above)! I get that they were designed at a time when mass production techniques were exciting and a novelty, but the idea of spending that kind of money today on something that isn’t even solid wood makes me cringe.
So plan B – look around for a vintage set and… I am afraid to say this out loud…paint it!!!
I know. It seems sacrilegious to paint good vintage furniture, especially collectibles, but I figure I could always strip it back and danish oil it if I change my mind… It feels so wrong, though.
As it stands, decor-wise, though I can’t possibly have any more shades of wood in the bedroom, as I already have a walnut dresser and dark Ercol pebbles (mostly out of a lack of anywhere else to put my babies in the small house!).
Another bonus of buying second-hand/used, along with having the original that has lived through 50 some odd years – they are 1/4 of the price. I can get double my wish set for £400! This would mean storing half of it for future use, but as they have re-issued the brackets I can buy another set and one day have a large unit (if we ever move somewhere with enough space), or have a set in 2 rooms.
Decisions, decisions.
Plan C is one I am researching at the moment…and would get most satisfying results…if I could buy the metal brackets for the shelves, I could then buy the white metal ladder panels and make the shelves myself out of solid walnut or white ash. Then it would be absolutely perfect.
But a lot more work!
Will keep you posted!
…how could I NOT love them AND their logo!??
Check out their printed cashmere scarves!
And my personal favourite…Carmilla in grey:
Aren’t they pretty? They are not selling in the UK yet, but that is ok, as they are $218 US, so I have plenty of saving to do for the day they are…! ;-D
ps. for my ladies around the world, they are selling out of select shops in the US, Canada, Asia and a few European countries. Check out their website here for a drool.
Bubby and I went to the Midcentury.Modern show last Sunday in Dulwich. It was our second year, and once again, did not disappoint.
They had a plug in TimeOut this year, so fearing it was going to be overrun, we tried to get there early, only to get thwarted by the tubes from East London (as usual!!).
It was around 11am when we arrived, and as you can see, there were already tons of people there.
Held in the lovely Dulwich College campus, the show offered a mix of mid century furniture and accessories and newer pieces in the same vein from emerging designers.
Though these bottles above caught my eye, I don’t think they were vintage, as they looked a bit too unblemished. Loved them, though. The font is great.
Am also partial to these Swedish Dala horses (Dalahäst) lately. Love their cheerful, folksy feel.
Bubby got into the spirit by pointing out these gorgeous German kettles.
For the second year, these guys at MetroRetro (who used to sell out of Camden Market and are now based in Essex) made me pull my wallet out! They were carrying those great vintage teak test tube racks from Carmel College in Berkshire, and glass beakers from Oxfordshire that I just couldn’t say no to! They always seem to have really interesting industrial chairs, lamps, etc. that make me drool.
These lovely little dolls were one of the last things we saw as the crowds continued to grow and calm browsing turned into maze navigation! They were by an emerging designer, whose card I unfortunately I did not grab, as I had one eye on the exit and was looking for the spaces in the crowd to get there.
The Modern Show site has a list of people exhibiting here if you are interested in checking out their websites.
As promised, here are a few more cool things I had flagged to share!
I had forgotten about Culture Label for a while and then recently saw an mention of them in a magazine, so went for a troll.
Found some more great stuff there, of course…like this whimsical bowl by
…and these fab oven mitts by Of Cabbages and Kings x Stuart Gardiner
I have been looking for interesting kitchen stuff for a while – to give some personality to the kitchen, so these might have to go on the ‘want’ list!
Sorry for neglecting all of you , but I have been a bit distracted from the Roost lately, as I’ve been busy with school.
I did want to share this, though, and have a few other things I have seen lately as holiday gift catalogues arrive in the mail which I will try to post in the next while.
I saw some of Orla Kiely’s new kitchen range today at Heal’s, and got a bad case of the drool!
How lovely would a lasagne look in this dish??
Or salad in this?? (the large bowl is monstrously huge, by the way! you could feed an army with the salad in this bowl…)
What about sugar and storage jars?
I want one in every colour!
Yum.
Well, the intention to have this be a weekly post quickly fell through the cracks as life in the studio got busy, and my Friday secondhand shopping excursions got curtailed!
I decided it had been much too long last week, though, and took a trek out to my favourite haunts.
As usual my favourite Sally Ann did not disappoint! Below are my finds.
Here I am above with the crystal tray I picked up to protect my large Ercol table. (The varnish is really delicate, and any moisture promptly marks the surface! Must wax it or something.).
I still don’t feel the tray is quite right. It is colourless and the right size but a little too fussy. I was hoping for something clear that is more modern and clean lined. However, the price was right and it will do for now and keep my darling table safe. The set of pebble tables were a fabulous gift from Bubby [the house elf], and are very precious to me!
I picked up all the plates above for £1.50! Perfect addition to my mixed pattern vintage set I have been accumulating.
A fairly successful haul, all in all!
I absolutely LOVE the image of this room posted on the From Scandinavia With Love blog on Swedish store Svenskt Tenn.
It is just the perfect combination of colours with the bright hits of contrasting orange and turquoise. So cozy and juicy looking!
The image on the textiles page is gorgeous too.
So are many of the wares in their shop! Check it out…
