Stylish vintage furniture from Holland

Neef Louis is my find of the week. Collecting and selling vintage furniture, this Dutch outfit also offers items for rent, so if you're putting together a set, this could be a good place to know. Pieces are one off so if you like it, get in quick - it might not be there further down the line!

The grand bunting parade

The inspiration for this post was a pretty string of bunting in my best-friend's newly decorated nursery. It's such a great way to prettify a room and is easy to remove as kids grow-up and tastes change.

I decided to hunt around and see what was on offer - below are some of the more creative pieces I came across.

ThePaperButterfly is the work of Canadian photographer Caitlin Brookes, who uses some of her pictures of flowers and insects to make dreamy streamers :

It's worth noting that her beautiful pictures can also be bought on-line at Etsy.

In California,Yreina Flores of Aymujer, makes lacy, hand-cut paper banners sporting snappy messages, best-suited to wedding or party decoration. They're all made from recycled tissue paper and have a very festive, frivolous feel:

This funky banner is by Birdspoke from Aukland, NZ and features cheeky pixies, appliqued by hand onto vintage fabrics and bed-linens. Too sweet!

For a more outdoorsy look, try this unusual garland by SaraTops which uses old maps cut into triangles to produce a bright, colourful streamer:

In Australia, Ponyrider make these great 50's style screen-printed flags. I like the use of rough canvas which is a nice contrast to the girlishness of the garland itself :

Back to Europe again and to England's jellybelly-jellybrain who sell a whole range of designs for children's rooms including cup-cakes, buses and Russian Dolls :

A quick zip around Australia now, starting with Littleboombalada , who produce several more classical designs all handmade from carefully selected fabrics :

Anna and Sally sell this attractive piece of rather retro bunting. Really it's all about the cloth but this one works well!

And while we're down-under, we just have to mention Mosey in Melbourne who produces a gorgeous range of handmade garlands made from vintage fabrics :

 

And to finish, a pink feathery garland by Scalae . French chic at its best!

It's all in the mind - the skull in home decor

The Paris museums seem to be in a rather dark mood this spring: the Musée Maillol's Vanités exhibition looks at the skull and its representation in art through the ages, whilst the Musée d'Orsay has just opened its' Crime et Chatiment exhibition, examining the notions of evil, sin and retribution in the last 200 years of art. Both on my list of must-see events.

At the The Poppy Club, we like to keep it light, but in honour of these two great exhibitions, we thought that a little look into the darker side of home decor was in order. And we've come up with some fab skull-themed pieces to share:

The English Beware the Moon wallpaper designers (sold at Wallpaper Collective ) produce an exquisite range of products all printed on FSC approved paper. A father/ daughter partnership, dedicated to traditional craftsmanship and the production of "visually inspriring, thought provoking" goods, their works are oustandingly beautiful, combining daring motifs with sleek sheens and textured finishes.

(For other skull/skeleton wallpapers see The Poppy Club blog post of March 20th : "The Collection" ).

Sarah Cihat at "Rehabilitated Dishware" runs a project promoting sustainability. Discarded ceramics are re-claimed, re-designed, re-fired and re-glazed - re-born in fact as a new, vibrant ready to use works. The designs below are just two of a whole series of bright, exciting creations.

In Holland, Vladi Rapaport has designed this sensational skull chair in wood. Gorgeous to look at and in fact it looks pretty comfy too!



The American furnishing team of Bradley Hughes sell a collection of fabrics designed by the artist Phillip Barlow whose cushions and upholstered chairs below have an edgy Rock and Roll feel to them:


And to close, the ceramics of Meredith Host , who craftily switches the crossbones for cutlery bringing a witty kitchenware twist to this murky tale.

All booked up - (or "where to put those accumulating volumes?")

I'm an avid reader and seem to be constantly accumulating books that I find it hard to let go of. Here in Paris, appartments aren't big and storage space is really restricted. One great solution that I've found for creatively "shelving" my favourite reads is this shelf by Umbra . The books look as if they're suspended in mid-air! I've put two in my washroom and they look fab!



I've also just recently come across this cunning device from
Studio Smeets Design in Holland : a shelf that is a light and bookstand all rolled into one!

It is sold via the Lili Lite website and gets lots of points for solving several problems in one go. Ideal for the more cosy city homes!

The collection

Was browsing through the French The Collection on-line store this week and have found my latest wallpaper crush : this "trompe l'oeil" wallpaper by the Dutch Studio Ditte imitating a wall of china plates. Can we call it "Neo Kitsch?" Reminds me of those collections you see in Royal Palaces. Love it!



On the same site there are several great designs by the British Lizzie Allen, who celebrates some of the quirky London City symbols, such as telephone boxes and businessmen in bowler hats:


Again from England, Tracy Kendall produces a whole range of "stack" themed papers - this one re-producing piles of books. If you check out her site she also designs single piece wall designs featuring feathers, cutlery and flowers that fill the whole wall!

Oh and this one gets points for wit and audacity - a skeleton wallpaper by "Dumnies". Up close it's a bit too Gothic but funnily enough once spread out on a large surface the effect is pretty slick!





Oh and I just had to mention this lamp by the Swedish Design Dessert group because I love the bright colours it comes in and the shape which actually reminds me of the lampshades of fellow Swede Kicki Moller (see The Poppy Club post of decmber 15th : Naughty but Nice ) that have similar-shaped frames and share a fascination with transparency.

A real home decor treasure trove!

Double Dutch - jazzing up the family china

Wow. Stumbled across the works of Nina Invorm this weekend - just what I needed to raise my spirits from the cloudy weather! They just spell out JOY : full of colour, ingenuity and humour.



Adopting a technique similar to that of Swedish ceramist Karin Eriksson (see the Poppy Club blog post of Jan 29th : "Pieces and Bits" ) Nina creates hybrids of old and new, applying contemporary shapes and colours to traditional household china, with exciting results :




Don't you just love the Dutch-themed plates?!