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Penelopetom regularly scours the press for interiors news articles we think complement our ethos. We specifically search out articles relating to eclectic furnishings, brocante hunting, contemporary styling and the use of home accessories to dress your nest.
Best Deal Decor Finds at Flea Markets
Thursday 26th June 2008
Most savvy bargain decorators know that there are treasures to be found at flea markets. Knowing that treasures are to be found and knowing what to look for are two very different things. Here is our list of top picks to keep your eyes open for when browsing a flea market.
Fabric:
Vintage fabrics can be plentiful at flea markets. Look for unique patterns to give your home a custom flair. Use the fabric to make throw pillows, bedding, chair pads or draperies. Be sure to examine the entire piece of fabric before purchasing to make sure there are no holes or stains.
Art:
Framed and unframed art can be found quite easily at flea markets. Look through the stacks of art, towards the back of the pile, to find the best bargains. Buy only what you absolutely love and do not be afraid to negotiate as art is the most subjectively priced item at a flea market.
Suitcases / Trunks:
Old suitcases and trunks can be stacked together and used as a side or coffee table in your home. When searching for two or three to use together, do not worry about matching colours or styles as that can be an impossible feat. More important is to look for suitcases that are in good condition, are visually appealing, and at a rock bottom price.
Table Linens:
Old tablecloths and napkins come in a wide array of colours and patterns. The best bargains are found on items that are not part of a matched set. Use your creativity to make your own set by finding linens all in one colour family but with different patterns.
Antique Spools:
For just pounds a piece, antique spools and bobbins can be purchased at flea markets. These spools can be turned into lamp bases or stacked and used as inexpensive and unique candle holders.
Wooden Crates:
Interesting old crates can be used as a magazine rack, or a firewood box, or be placed on their side and used as a table. Look for crates with writing or logos painted on the sides for a bit of colour. Crates are typically found in abundance at flea markets, and were made as a utilitarian item rather than as decor, which gives you lots of negation room.
Cabinet Hardware:
Hardware for your Kitchen, Bathroom, or a piece of furniture is a great thing to hunt at flea markets. Just like with table linens, matched sets are at a premium, so if you can pull together several knobs that work cohesively as a group, you will achieve an interesting look at a bargain basement price.
Planters:
Just about any type of vessel can be used as a flower or plant pot in the garden, and the choices at a flea market are truly endless. Consider purchasing old cooking pans, serving bowls, coffee mugs, wood boxes, and other types of container to be used for visual interest in the garden or on a porch.
Decorative Frames:
Search for old frames in different shapes, sized and materials at the flea market.
Typically the glass from the frame is missing or damaged, allowing more room for negation on the cost of the frame. Take your new treasure to a framing store and have new glass cut for just a few pounds.
Postcards / Maps:
Postcards and maps are colourful, educational and just plain interesting to look at. They can be snatched up for mere pennies at flea markets and used in your home. Consider framing postcards for inexpensive vintage art. Large maps can be used as custom wallpaper when applied to walls.
Flea market shopping can be both an exhilarating and exhausting experience. The trick is to know what you are looking for before you go, always keep your budget in mind, and remember to keep your eyes open at all times.
Small things make a big difference
Thursday 26th June 2008
Small Items That Pack a Big Punch
Who says good things don’t come in small packages? Sometimes a small item can add a lot of style impact to your home. Small items can be great looking and budget friendly; in fact, some of these items are even free. Check out these undersized items that deliver big decorating impact.
A Tassel: Use tassels in unexpected ways. Add a single tassel to the end of a pull cord on a ceiling fan or light fixture for a touch of color and instant sophistication. Tassels can also be hung over a knob on a dresser or armoire to freshen the look of an existing piece of furniture.
Produce: Yes, you read correctly, produce. Display colourful, fresh fruit or vegetables in a bowl in the Kitchen or Dining Room. When used as an edible accessory, produce adds color and a delicate smell to your home and is great for your waistline. Some varieties to try include pears, apples, lemons, limes, pomegranates, artichokes, and eggplants.
Three Way Light Bulbs: Replace a standard light bulb with a three way light bulb in a lamp that accommodates such a bulb. The smallest wattage can be used for soft lighting to create instant ambiance. The highest setting can be used for task lighting and reading.
Throw Pillows: Use throw pillows as a small yet effective way to add colour, pattern and texture. Adding a throw pillow in the season’s hot colour, this spring the colour is yellow, instantly updates a room.
Door Mat: A new doormat welcomes guests to your home. Rather than the basic green or tan colour mat, look for a brightly painted mat to add colour and warmth to your entrance. First impressions last, so make yours representative of the details inside your home.
New Cabinet Knobs: Replace your old cabinet knobs for a quick and effective transformation. New knobs can transform the look of Kitchen cabinets from old to new. A modern knob on older cabinets can result in an instantaneous updated look.
Lamp Shade: A tired looking lamp becomes new again with a fresh shade. Seek to change both the shape and colour of the old shade, and you will feel like you purchased a new lamp.
Fresh Flowers: Flowers add colour and smell to your home and help to brighten just about any room. Pick flowers from your garden or purchase stems from growers at local farmer’s markets for a fresh and budget friendly alternative.
Hand Towels: Perk up a Kitchen or Powder Room with hand towels. These objects of necessity can do much more than simply dry your hands. For just a few pounds, coloured or patterned hand towels add a bit of interest in these utilitarian spaces.
Paint: One gallon of a new paint colour can dramatically change the look of a small room or piece of furniture. Drab walls can instantaneously change to stunning and a piece of furniture can be given a whole new personality with paint colour.
Child’s Artwork: Nothing adds character and colour to home like a picture made by your favorite child. Simple artwork can be transformed to look like a masterpiece when placed in inexpensive frame. You can even commission your child to colour a picture for you to fill a specific place on your wall or add a needed touch of colour in a room.
These ideas are simple and inexpensive. Go ahead and give one a try, you will be impressed with how big of an impact the addition of one small decorative item can have in your home.
Go for something different on your walls
Thursday 15th May 2008
For some of us, plain walls and minimalist furniture just don't hit the spot. If it's painted or bronzed walls you're after then talk to a specialist decorator.
Doing something different doesn't have to mean stencilled patterns along your corridor or round the doorframe, which can look dated and unstylish. You can go for something much more sophisticated.
Limewashed walls are classic and elegant and in years gone by many homes would be limewashed annually. The colour tends to mature and mellow with age and moves with the structure of the building, so doesn't crack like modern paints often do. If you are going to use limewash bear in mind that it is designed to soak into the plaster so it can't be applied over existing emulsion on your walls - it needs to go straight onto fresh plaster or exposed bricks. Basic limewash is white, but pigments can be added to achieve the colour you want.
If plain limewash isn't enough of a departure from the norm, you may need to look further and find a really artistic decorator. Someone who can create a scene in your room. And not a kid's mural or superhero frieze.
Fresco is an antique, classic form of wall painting originally dating from ancient Greek and Roman times. It was most famously used on the ceiling of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel by Renaissance artist Michelangelo. Usually subtle colours are used and can be further mellowed by rubbing with sandpaper to "distress" the painting. Traditionally the whole room is decorated, taking people into a different world - often a mystical setting or other beautiful landscape. But if that seems too much then one wall or even part of a wall can be used to introduce some permanent art into your home.
An alternative to a fresco scene is to create a "trompe l'oeil" effect. This is where the artistic decorator may create the effect of stone or wood on your walls. His skill and subtlety will be needed to achieve the correct effect of contours and texture to make the walls really look like they are made from a different material. But if it's well done you will have a very unique and interesting interior.
If you want to incorporate an existing picture onto your walls then "decoupage" may be the answer. Paper cut-outs are stuck to the surface and then given a protective layer of varnish or lacquer. Once you have chosen the pictures and worked out the best layout, which an artistic decorator with a good eye can help you with, it is very easy to do.
You can get pictures from specialist decoupage books. These often have classic images and motifs such as cherubs, bows and architectural details. But if you want a modern version then any cut out pictures can be used. Just watch out if something in a magazine or book appeals to you - if the page is thin then the printing on the underside may show through once it is glued to the wall, so check first with a small piece. You will also need to decide on the background colour for the wall. This may depend on the colours of your decoupage pictures, but choose carefully - once the decoupage is on you won't be able to change it!
Another old but interesting effect is verdigris. This is a blue-green sheen over copper, brass or bronze caused by corrosion by air and seawater over time, and the same effect can be achieved in your home! It's done by applying paint or other chemicals over a copper leaf background, or for larger areas bronze powder is often used. The effect can be stunning and even in a really modern setting a wall decorated like this, surrounded by stark white could look very striking.
Plain paint or patterned wallpaper is the easy options in interior design today. But there are other choices if you want to make a style statement. And a specialist artistic decorator can help you achieve it.
Decorating with Retro Vintage Ads
Thursday 15th May 2008
Do you ever remember the "Good Old Days"? Everyone can get a little nostalgic but how about expressing that nostalgia through some of the most creative art ever created? With the recent growth of vintage nostalgia and collectibles, a new trend in decorating includes the collecting and display of vintage magazine ads.
For example, if you have a home bar, you may be interested in framing some old Ballantine ale, Schenley, Smirnoff and other beer, wine or liquor ads. If your first car was a 1969 Chevelle, you may want to frame a vintage Chevrolet ad. I have seen a number of car dealers that like to put these up in their showrooms. It really makes a statement to potential car buyers
Many banks have created some truly classic ads and it is interesting now much life insurance and credit was promoted years ago.
Colorful full page ads seem to spark the most interest although there are some really classic black and white ads. These ads from days gone by contain some truly classic looks that you just don't see today. There are many obscure artists that have created these ads...some not so obscure such as Norman Rockwell. Before the advent of computer graphics, most of these ads required an artist rendering, the likes of which are rarely used today. The attention to detail in the artwork of many of these ads is simply amazing.
More than the classic looks, they provide a glimpse into a different time as well as how society viewed the world. For example, many of the cigarette ads from the 1940's - 1950's feature prominent actors, actresses and sports figures. Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby to name a few. This is something you would never see in today's "PC" (Politically Correct) world.
At the other end of the spectrum, many of these past ads portray American life at home.
An ad for Campbell's soup features a brother and sister coming in out of the cold to find Mom with two steaming hot bowls of soup. Families eating meals together, traveling together and well....just plain being together are more examples of how times have changed. In these days of fast food, it surely is a rarity to see this sort of home environment.
This trend lead me to start collecting and eventually selling these classic ads. I have heard some really great ideas. Many of these ads adorn home bars, garages and playrooms. The best story to date is a customer that was going to wallpaper their bathroom with vintage soap and perfume ads. Truly creative!
.About the author
The author collects and sells vintage tools and vintage magazine ads. The antique tool collecting has come down through the family and their ties to different industries and occupations that involved a wide range of different tools.
The vintage magazine ads evolved by stumbling upon some examples at a flea market while hunting for tools. Since collecting some tool related ads, the collection began to grow and soon enough, the ads went up for sale.
After some time dabbling with Ebay, a dedicated website was created and continues to grown.
Current items can be found at the following URL http://www.vintage-ads.com/
