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For the last while, I have been eyeing up tray displays in various images, and have been looking for the right tray for my bedside table so that I can protect my treasured Ercol pebble tables from spills and cup marks, and create my own lovely little bedside display.
When Julie at Belle Maison sent this post on trays, it reminded me of the images I have been squirreling away for my own post on the topic, and my need to get back on the search!
Unfortunately, I have found myself frustrated at all turns at finding the perfect tray. There seems to be an odd dearth of affordable decorative trays in the UK, for some reason.
Below are my personal picks.
I know I have posted the image above before, but it is such a lovely tray arrangement!
The one below makes me think of maybe getting one of those colourful melamine trays from Ikea and just covering it with a decoupage of nice paper?
A clear acrylic tray would be my first choice, but am not having any luck finding one in the UK. If someone has a suggestion as to where to find one, it would be most welcome!
images from Apartment Therapy, Belle Maison, Lonny Magazine & Pink Wallpaper
Hanging pendant lighting can be a bit of a chore, and having hung lights before and then decided that they are either too high or too low, the idea of ‘rise and fall’ pendants make soooo much sense.
Another example of industrial wares making it into the home, they were first produced for workspaces to allow the worker to pull the lighting closer in when needed.
image via Conran Shop
image via The French House
image via Home Depot
Great for kitchens and dining areas, as you can pull the lights closer when needed, and push them back up when you need more space.
image via Restoration Hardware
image via Apartment Therapy
image via Remodelista
image via Designer Junk Finder
The weight on the one below is a canon ball found on a beach!
image via Lamp Repair Shop
Born in a small converted workshop at the back of a filling station in Corbridge, Northumberland, RE carries an interesting mix of recycled, upcycled and new items both online and in store.
The following are things I found interesting and have been eyeing up for some time now.
First on the list is this fantastic tin replica of a vintage kids math toy, called The Educated Monkey, which performs basic maths by moving his little hands. Great idea!
Vintage American jadite glass bowls. Love these and constantly trying to find a reason to NEED them! They would be so much nicer to mix in than plastic, wouldn’t they? Is that reason enough? Well, will have to wait until they get more in stock now, as they are out. Damn!
Recycled glass drops.
Pearly King Cushions with mother of pearl- because every woman knows – you can never have enough cushions!
Set of 4 recycled Calligraphy Notebooks. I hardly ever use notebooks, but maybe these would help me keep a sketchbook?
Vintage Metal Corkscrews. Pretty shapes. Awwrk.
Vintage Plates re-fired with new images
Love their wares! Just wish they would take the slow flash intros off every page on their website, and make the navigation easier! (took me ages to find the monkeys! REdiscover? REflect?? What is it under? Arrrgh!)
Browsing pretty happy things could be so much more pleasant!
A few lovely ways to add texture to your bed.
From New Zealand’s Wallace Cotton, here are some soft velvet cotton duvets in a vintage/antique stitched style.
More vintage inspired styles from Lazybones in Australia.
Below is a photo from the bedroom of Simply Grove author’s blog. Looks pretty good in reality, too, huh?
These last two are from Anthropologie. Not available in UK.
Another catalogue received, and still MORE things to covet at Graham & Green…curse them!
I keep eyeing up these Holmegaard Gul vase knockoffs, as the originals are currently selling for 3 times as much on ebay…but it just wouldn’t be the same, would it?
Lovely inlaid bone handles to spruce up some dull wardrobe doors or drawers.
Graphic cushions.
Reasonably priced bell jars. Finally!
Lastly, a little coral shaped vase that I had seen in the last catalogue which has now gone on sale. Still talking myself out of it!
Whoever their buyer is, they definitely have my number.
Evil.
A recent obsession revolves around amazing Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala(1915 – 1985).
I have been drawn to his designs for years now, and only just realised that some of his pieces are actually within my range on ebay! What joy.
The following are examples of the ‘Bolle’ range Wirkkala produced for Venini in 1978.
image via Concepts and Contents
The range is created using the ‘incalmo’ process, combining two molten masses of different coloured glass.
images via Mid-Century Modernist and Worthpoint
These gorgeous glass pieces are quite hard to find, and as a result way out of my price range, but one can always dream!
images via Despard Gallery
Wirkkala was extremely prolific and designed all sorts of items for various companies, Iittala, Rosenthal and Venini among them. One of his less known designs which have hugely influenced modern life is the invention of the plastic ketchup bottle!
You will likely recognize one his designs, the original Finlandia vodka bottle, using his labour intensive ‘ice glass’ technique created by burning the surface of wooden moulds with molten glass.
The process was used extensively for Iittala, and references melting ice, studied for weeks by Wirkkala for the designs.
These ‘Ultima Thule’ glasses were originally created in the late 60s for Finnair’s new flight route to JFK airport in New York.
image via Aldente
I have recently acquired a perfect, little, white ‘Pollo’ (chicken) vase. Designed in 1970 for Rosenthal’s Studio Line in Germany, the vase has simple, stylized, Brancusi-influenced lines and a matte bisque finish with textural detailing, like chicken skin, at the mouth.
Having seen it only online and in print before it’s arrival I was pleasantly surprised by the actual vase when it arrived. It is perfectly weighted with a rounded base that nestles in your hand and that it balances on. It is also finely glazed with a matte glaze, which you can see faint brushstrokes in, evidence of the craftsperson’s hand. In subtle contrast, the ‘chicken bumps’ and interior is glazed in gloss – a beautiful detailed touch in contrasting textures.
Here is a shot of my little baby below. The attention to detail and feel of the piece are exquisite! It is hard to put down, and feels almost alive when you hold it.
So tempted to get the matching black one, too, which are frequently listed on German ebay, but must resist…
or find a suitable occasion to celebrate in gratuitous consumerism. 
image via Ebay.de
Here are a few other stunning porcelain pieces with stylized organic shapes.
image via Decornet
image via R-Lab
image via Design Classics 24
I initially thought these lovely shapes only came in black and white, but recently saw them in bright colours.
image via Botterweg
Wirkkala really believed in letting the materials speak for themselves and spent hours perfecting and synthesizing forms in his sketches, which you feel in the items when you hold them.
Ah another Monday. Hopefully this post sees you into your new week with a bit of colourful fun!
Since starting this blog a few months ago I have started seeing owls everywhere. I have also, since, been banned from bringing any more little friends home, as the venerable Bubs is afraid they will find his body one day, smothered by a plethora of owl items…!
I am devoting this post to the owly things I have seen and liked, for those who might enjoy them.
There have been a lot of simple black on white prints of owls lately:
Like Utilitarian Franchise’s owl pillow and canvas,
and these beautiful, if ridiculously expensive, Fornasetti bookends.
via Design Sponge
Fab bedding from Urban Outfitters. Unfortunately, these are only available in North America. (Why is it that, though both Urban Outfitters and it’s sister company Anthropologie have both opened in the UK, neither of them carry the full line of housewares? Frustrating!)
There have also been a lot of white ceramic pieces, which are always a hit with me. The following items are all available at The Cross in Vancouver, Canada.
Large umbrella stand (a must if you live in Van!).
image via Decor8
Soap dish.
Now these owls from Etsy would definitely fit into the ‘gnomey’ category, and might be just what a bedroom needs for a kitschy feel! See my Gnomey Bedroom post for a taste of the kind of room I mean. They really are borderline on nasty, though, which I think is why I like them!!
Here is a luminous owl painting by one of my favourite London artists, Gwen Ramsay:
Some paper characters from Mibo:
Cute shower curtain from New York’s Dwell Studio:
I keep seeing this exquisite silver and glass scent bottle from 1894 on Ebay. They are asking £850 for it, and it is obviously not going anywhere soon. Love seeing it and imagining it could be mine. Sigh.
I have noticed that most of the vintage owl glassware is from the US, and wonder what the influence was in the 50s, 60s and 70s that made us such a popular motif.
Here is a vintage vase from Retro Art Glass.
From the same shop, as mentioned on My Owl Barn, here is a glass Viking lantern, which also comes in red. Saw them both on US Ebay for much cheaper than the $50 the shop is asking for them, red ones are around $30. (Unfortunately, if you live in the UK, like me, it would cost about the same to ship!)
Vintage decanter and vase.
Mid century glass peanut dispenser.
image via US Ebay
So many gorgeous owly things. Oh Bubby, why have you cut me off???
I was going to call this new regular segment ‘Thrifty Fridays’ but it sounded too much like a nasty marketing pitch, so ‘Thrift Store Fridays’ was born.
I realise that my Brit readers will likely ask “what is a thrift store?”…and for those lovely souls – just replace the word with charity and all will become clear.
For the last few months, I have been taking Fridays off and they have become my own special day to hit the secondhand shops and hunt for vintage treasure before everyone swoops in on Saturday mornings.
As I have regular requests from lovely friends to divulge my finds for the week, I figured it would be fun to post them as a regular weekly segment.
So here is last Friday’s score, with additions from the Battersea Car Boot Sale on Sunday.
My most cherished find, and the big ticket item at £15, is the white Uta Feyl for Rosenthal vase in the middle. I actually managed a decent barter on that item and am quite pleased with myself. (These are going for about £65 online!)
The vintage tennis racquet will be joining another antique racquet I have on an upcoming trip to the glaziers to get mirror cut for them and will become wall mirrors, like the ones below from Country Living magazine.
image via Country Living
The extremely odd and admittedly gnomey weiner dog will get a coat of matte white spray paint to emulate the Jonathan Adler dachshund.
image via Jonathan Adler
I also got a slightly angled barrel lampshade that I have been seeking for months now for a teak lamp I picked up with the wrong shaped shade (Tulip shaped? With mid-century modern? What were they thinking?!), but I have not included it in the shot, as it is in the DIY lab getting a transformation. I will be posting it soon, with one of my beloved ‘before and afters’.
All in all, a fairly successful haul considering that most items were under £4, no?
Happy hunting all. Have a good weekend.
Welcome to our new Winston’s Roost on WordPress! I am so glad you could join us.
What better a way to start off a new string of posts than with more avain friends?
I have seen a few of images of Camilla Engdahl’s Ärla (wing tail) bird pots floating around lately and every time I do I get a pang of WANT! They fit into my mid-century modern obsession perfectly.
I covet the yellow and black ones badly! They are approx £35 (395 Krona) and they come in two different styles and sizes. The larger striped one and a baby polka dotted number.
These little pots vary in size and can be used for jewellery, paper clips, or even in the kitchen as they are food safe.
Her fun designs are influenced by 1970s textiles, patterns and designs, but for me the shapes also hark back to the post war Scandinavian aesthetic of clean stylized lines and bold graphic patterns.
From the Familjen series.
From her workshop located in the Swedish town Skövde, she creates these hand-thrown beauties…everything from cups flower pots.
The simple “Blom” flower pots below show a sense of humour in the tongue and cheek literal design.
They look beautiful with plants in them too!
I am looking forward to that day, hopefully soon, when a store in London will start carrying these, as they are currently only available in Sweden, Ireland, and the US.
Soon, grasshopper. Soon.
In the meantime, contact Camilla here to order.
On a follow up to my gnomey bedroom post, have you noticed how popular cut glass items are at the moment? The kind of kitsch ones that a few years ago you would have looked at with derision, but now think about with words like ‘quaint’ and ‘vintage’!?
Case in point are the items below. Not long ago these would have been the envy of grandmothers everywhere, but now they have crossed over into the mainstream with a vengeance. (I am quite certain the the purple carnival glass goblet on the right in the photo is a new Iittala one.)
Pretty, though, aren’t they? All jewel coloured and jellybean-like.
Below are another couple of joyously colourful groupings.
image via The Selby
I keep telling myself I am going to start collecting vintage glass candlesticks, but haven’t gotten a start on it yet. One of the main reasons is that I can’t make up my mind whether I will go for the multi coloured approach or stick to a more minimalist one like the elegant all clear one below.
image above via All In The Detail
Decisions, decisions, sigh.
It would be great if I could have the kind of patience it takes to collect something over time…that friends and family could contribute to on special occasions. Unfortunately, I always want the completed collection – yesterday!
Think this might be the collection I work at slowly. Let’s see how it goes.
