I’ve just discovered the website of estate agents Alvhem Mäkleri och Interiör. They don’t seem like any estate agency I’ve ever encountered – they seem, well… NICE! They’re all about impeccable standards, passion for properties, not doing the hard sell.
Their site is brimming with gorgeous photos of the interiors & exteriors of some of their apartments -I’d be lining up to put an offer in on any single one of them!
This book looked right up our street when we opened the envelope… and we haven’t been disappointed.
What better way to grab our attention than a front cover image featuring a gorgeous kitchen diner – bright, modern & relaxed with a contemporary rustic look. A perfect blend of old & new with cream coloured AGA, vintage enamelware, fresh fruit & flowers, 1970s chrome chairs with bold orange fabric seat pads, whitewashed walls & painted floorboards.
It combines neutral, natural shades with bold flashes of colour – a look we love – and, with the light streaming in through an open sunny window, it’s an idyllic scene. This room encapsulates the Flea Market Chic eluded to in the title.
When done well, it looks stylish & effortless – and this great little book by Liz Bauwens & Alexandra Campbell is a helping hand along the way.
The book covers all those second hand sources from where pre-owned goods can be purchased – car boot sales, garage sales, antique fairs, junk shops, charity & thrift stores.
The obvious starting point is the actual house & room scenes from which to draw inspiration…
…real people’s living spaces, beautifully photographed by Simon Brown.
The authors manage to skillfully weave their story around the photos – drawing in the types of room to be furnished, the different looks that can be achieved and so on.
The accompanying text picks the brains of the owners – all dedicated flea market shoppers.
The types of property might vary greatly – house, flats, cabins and even a boat…
… but common threads run through them – the homes have evolved naturally over time to incorporate their vintage finds – and the owners have a very good eye!
The book also goes into further detail about the types of object to look out for, sought after names, designers – and the nitty gritty of restoration & associated costs. It’s crammed full of little tips.
These flea market finds can add individuality, warmth and character to a house.
There’s the fun of hunting of course (although some of the early mornings can’t be described as fun). The recycling/upcycling angle is also a great selling point too.
If you want to avoid the ‘house full of old junk’ look, finds have to be used intelligently and creatively.
This book is the perfect guide in achieving this.
If we’ve piqued your interest, Flea Market Chic is available in our Amazon bookshops – UK & US.
[Many thanks to Cico Books for this review copy]
Adelle’s sister is a regular visitor to Sweden.
On one trip she picked up a selection of Swedish interiors magazines for us.
We’ve enjoyed browsing through them…
…particularly having a peek at the houses and products that haven’t appeared in UK publications.
We wanted to share a few of our favourites with you.
Here are links to the websites of the magazines that we’ve featured:
We hope everyone out there had a lovely Christmas.
Now that the festivities are over, we can concentrate on the website launch.
We’ve spent the last few weeks tying up loose ends – we’re very happy with the site design and the database bit functions so smoothly even Justin can operate it! Thanks again to our web builder Mike and design company Sputnik.
The short delay in launching has given our army of knitters (all one of her!) some extra time to produce some great stuff for the shop.
We’re always very excited on our frequent trips to see Shirley, our amazing craft knitter and very own Granny Glittens. We share tea, homemade cakes and a natter. Anyone who’s not familiar with Granny Glittens, she’s to be found in The Tall Book of Christmas
Shirley’s always got a box of treats waiting for us to collect. We supply the wool, old buttons & vintage fabric sourced from charity shops, markets etc; she supplies the skill, time & love that go into making these wonderful goodies.
She hand knits, crochets & sews all kinds of things- from pan grabs to cushions- they combine beauty with functionality.
Below we’ve got a sneak preview of some of the most recent things Granny Glittens has conjured up!
The website’s coming soon (promise!!)
Adelle & Justin
this week’s haul!
pan grabs- no more burnt fingers!
hot water bottle covers
collective noun for teapots?
Our images you’re pinning
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