Pallet for Home

I have just returned from a fabulous two weeks holidays in lovely Sweden and am totally rested and inspired (and even a little tanned!). What a totally cool and laidback country....aaahhh...I want to live there. We shopped, sauna'd, sailed, canoed, shopped some more, read books, drank very expensive wine (not by choice - and only a sip for me!) and took heaps of photos. Below I will share some of what inspired me most.
I saw these upcycled cupboards in a shop window in Stockholm's trendy area Sodermalm. It's not an actual shop, but the designers used it as an advertising space. Very clever!


A great lamp shop in Sodermalm, with lamps in antique, retro and contemporary styles.

An atmospheric picture of a street and bicycle in Stockholm's Gamla Stan:


This was our idyllic sauna on the waterfront on the island of Lidingö near Stockholm. Lovely. You could bring your own candles and make it a cosy retreat in the evening. Once all heated up you dive straight into the sea water. Brrrrrr....


Here's me enjoying some sunshine on the ferry in Stockholm.



One place we spent quite some time in was the department store P.U.B. Apart from serving an awsome lunch and home bakes, the store features many great brands and shops. The home interior department was wonderful! I wanted to buy everything wih the result that I didn't buy anything because my brain could not take all the beauty...and I would have to ship it all back by at least three large containers . So I just took lots of photos.


And of course there were plenty high end designer furniture shops with the familiar names of Arne Jacobsen, Eames, Vitra and many others. Always nice to have a wander around these stores although some times I must admit I get a bit bored by them, as they always look a bit 'sterile' to me. Where's the junk?! Gimme me some junk!


Well, junk galore once you're in the countryside, I tell ya. At first I had no clue what the word 'Loppis' meant. I thought perhaps people were selling strawberries or something at their farms, so I paid little attention. But soon we were enlightened by our landlady who told us they were nothing less than mini fleamarkets! Hey-ho! So as you can expect, I soon shouted STOP! LOPPIS! at every Loppis sign at the side of the road, driving my husband bonkers. Some barns were full of total rubbish and didn't have much to offer, but I did find three lovely 'characterful' (i.e. cracked) Swedish blue plates though for the grand sum of 30p.


We also found some more junk: the vintage car cemetary in Båstnäs,Värmland, which has become a bit of a tourist attraction. Hundreds of rusty cars from the 1940s-60s scattered in the field and forest, piled on top of each other with trees growing through the roofs. Bizarre but fascinating! 

Last but not least, we brought back some plastic rugs from Swedish brand Pappelina and one unknown make but equally cool. In Arvika, a provincial town in the province of Värmland, we came across a fabulous rug shop with rugs in every colour and pattern under the sun. 

Shame the holidays are over, but it's a country I definitely want to go back to. Even if it was only for the evening swims in the quiet lakes.

So you've spotted this gem of a chair, but how are you going to use it in your interior? It may be unlike anything else you have in your house, so what does it go with, where do you put it? And what about that vintage sideboard… how do you mix different types of wood in your interior? Chatting to various people I found that many love going to antiques shops and markets, but don’t always know whether something will actually look good in their own homes. I personally just buy it if I really like it (price-depending of course!), as somehow I find that if you buy items you love, no matter how random – they will blend in. After all, it is you who has chosen them because they are your taste, which is that one great thing all those items have in common. 

From now on I will regularly post about how to decorate with vintage items and unique pieces of furniture, to show you how to create a stylish home that reflects your personality. I will collect pictures that will hopefully inspire and give you creative ideas. Here we go! Top image: e-architect.co.uk
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Vintage cupboards and displays
The images below are from the great blog sfgirlbybay by decorator Victoria Smith. See how she mixes different types of wood and styles of chairs and still create a very 'balanced' look. Grouping artworks (instead of hanging them apart) can create a great display on the wall.




Covering a wall with lots of framed photos is another way to get a real 'wow-factor' (as well as displaying lots and lots of great pictures!). I've done it in my house too and visitors always love it - it's a great talking point.

 


Place an antique cupboard on its own and display your favourite collection on it (cameras or... vases, teapots, books, glassware, anything...?).


 
Mixing and matching dining chairs

The picture below is from the blog Things We Heart. Some people prefer the 'catalog approach', buying a brand new dining table and six matching chairs. Why not pick a beautiful antique wooden table and place six different chairs around it? They can be all different in different colours, all the same but in different colours or all different, painted in the same colour. Be creative! It sure creates an original, more characterful look.




Another example of mixing different styles, from the blog The Brick House: a big vintage dining table combined with the popular mid-century Eames chairs. I also love the collection of vintage vases in the background. Very stylish!




Here orange metal chairs are mixed with painted wooden ones, all put around a nice vintage table. They belong to Judy Kauffmann, whose colourful home was featured on Design*Sponge.




I'd like to finish this first 'themed' post with some top advice from fellow blogger DebutanteClothing; 

Here are 5 Tips to Decorate with Vintage:

1. Buy what you love.
   
Your home should be pleasing to your eye. You have to live there. If you don't love your decor, you will not feel comfortable in your own home. If you love that moose head, use it!
2. Don't be afraid to mix wood tones.
   
The 1957 Better Homes and Gardens decorating book reminds us that wood is a color. This doesn't just apply to vintage, but vintage furniture that was meant to last was made of wood. Check for tones in the wood grain that may be complimentary to one another.
3. Be patient. Shop often.
   
My furniture did not come home with me in one weekend. That's one of the luxuries of buying new - you can get a catalog looking living room in one shopping trip.  But in order to achieve decor with character, you may have to be patient for the right piece to come along. Check your local thrift store, flea market, and even Ebay, often.
4. Mix it up.
   
True design comes from mixing unexpected elements, colors, and textures. With vintage furniture, you run the risk of looking like you live in a time warp - same goes for vintage clothing.  Don't be afraid to mix decades, vintage and modern, and shapes.  I tied the straight and rounded lines of my dining room together with a really inexpensive ceiling lamp at IKEA - it has a straight wooden base with rounded white plastic light shades - a perfect blend of both lines in the room.
5. Don't be afraid to re-purpose.
   
The goal of decorating with vintage is two fold - owning quality constructed pieces and creating a one of a kind look.  If you happen to find a fabulous dresser, but have no room or need for one, try re-purposing it as a storage credenza in the living room.  Or use a telephone stand as a holder for remote controls.  We re-purposed a wardrobe cabinet as a TV cabinet.  My husband just sawed out the inner drawers and we use the lower drawers for media storage. It would be a shame to leave a beautiful piece of furniture or accessory behind simply because you have no use for it  in it's current purpose - get creative.

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