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 skilfully 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 from Hive, Amazon and Abe Books.
[Many thanks to Cico Books for this review copy]
