Vintage Creations

Creating your own individual pieces of homeware is a lovely way to get a little bit crafty and give your home something special. I love the idea of using something old, and creating a whole new function for it. I’ve been trawling through Pinterest to find some inventive ways to re-use vintage pieces and give your home that one of a kind feel.

Antique book Display from Stitch Design Co. via Pinterest

Antique books are always a pretty edition to a shelf or display; the old fashioned covers and spines can look lovely lined up together. But if you’ve got a large collection that you’re hoping to do something a bit different with, I love what someone has done above. Take your books, opening them to pages with your favourite quote, or a pretty illustration, and create an art piece of the book montage. Not only will it be an unusual artwork, it’s also a great way to display your books in a new and exciting way, and for you to be able to share favourite parts with friends and guests. It would make a wonderful piece to have in a study, stairwell or a bedroom.

If the idea of using the pages of a book intrigues you, the image below rather inspired me, using the pages as wallpaper. The idea might seem a tad gimmicky, but in the dining room below it looks rather elegant and sophisticated. The trick is to use pages from the same book so that the layout remains the same, so that when you take a step back, there’s a flowing pattern. This could be a great idea for a bathroom, or a smaller room that you want to try it out on first.

Antique Book Wallpaper from Country Living via Pinterest

Vintage prints and charts are a thing of beauty and if you love that style, they make wonderful pieces of art to have in your home. But if you want to get a little more creative than just hanging them, there other ways of making them more of a feature in your space. Fitting the prints into something like a plain room divider will not only dress up the piece of furniture but give your prints a distinct presence in a room.

Vintage Print Room Divider from Comfortably Carried Away via Pinterest

Vintage and antique doorknobs are lovely little ornate things, that sometimes you can’t resist purchasing even if you have no place for them, or that not in that good condition. But there are loads of ways to use a rusty old doorknob as a display piece, either in your home or garden. A lined up in a row, the doorknobs can become great hooks, or here they’ve used them in a garden as a display for some wild plants.

Antique Doorknpb Display from Home BNC via Pinterest

Someone has used old doorknobs to create name card holders for the dining table; this would be a perfect way to make guests feel special at a dinner party.

Door Knob Name Card Holders from Save on Crafts via Pinterest

Mounting plates and trays on the wall is a great way of displaying them, especially as antique trays are so beautifully decorated. If you stick to a particular style or era it’ll create a really beautiful and dramatic look for a kitchen or a wall that connects a kitchen and dining area. I love these different shape and sizes metal trays that really give a distinctive touch to the room. I also like the drama of the black trays placed together in a random order.

Metal Trays from Pinterest

Collection of Trays from Remodelista via Pinterest

Old postcards and photographs are something I love to collect, whether they’re of people you know or random ones you can find in vintage shops, they’re really interesting to look at and read; they can also make great display items in your home, especially if you have a large collection. Often people want to pack away big collections of things, but some pieces are meant to be shown off. I like the idea of using some old drawers of a dresser or chest of drawers that’s perhaps beyond salvage, but using the drawers as open displays for a coffee table for example.

Postcard Drawer Storage from Martha Stewart Weddings via Pinterest

Some vintage photographs of your ancestors can be made into a really special display by placing them in glass bottles to put on your window sill, mantelpiece or shelf.

Photographs in Bottles from Father Rabbit via Pinterest

I love searching for ideas and getting inspired by other people’s creations, thinking about how I can rework an idea to fit into my own space and in my style. It’s these little additions to your home that make it really special and unique to you, so go out and find your next craft project!

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Spring in your Step

Now that the clocks have gone forward, and even though as I write this Cambridge is wet and miserable, I really do feel like its springtime. The change of season marks the time for the big annual clean, and while this tends to be a task that starts with high hopes and ends in tears, there can be some fun ways to carry out the tradition. Spring cleaning is good opportunity to think about small ways you can keep your home feeling a little more orgainsed and tidy all year round. If you’re not quite ready to tackle the big jobs yet, take a look at some of these little ways to improve your home.

Sienna Shelf from Anthropologie

If like me you don’t have much surface space in your kitchen, it’s a chance to utilise your walls and even create a feature out of some pretty shelving. These Sienna Shelves from Anthropologie have a great, simple style to them making them adaptable to all kinds of kitchens. Keep the tiered look or use two of the same sizes as a handy storage space for spices, utensils or any cooking items that need to be within reach at all times. By de-cluttering your surfaces, your kitchen space will not only look better but will make every day cleaning a much simpler task; plus with the addition of a little plant or an ornate accessory on the shelf, you can create a beautiful feature in your kitchen.

I’ve never been one for having my spices on display, mainly because the lack room, but also because more often than not, the bottles they come in are rather unsightly. Over the top branding and big font titles can ruin a beautifully thought-out kitchen, so people often opt for hiding the spices away. If you don’t have much storage space, or want to try something different, finding fun replacements for your branded spice jars can be a stylish solution. Something like a range of these adorable little bottles from The Recycled Glassware Company. They are the perfect size for spices, and come in a range of shapes to help you organise (one shape for one cuisine for example), all you need is to add a label and you’ve created a colourful and elegant feature for your shelving.

10cm Glass Bottle from The Recycled Glassware Company

11cm Glass Bottle from The Recycled Glassware Company

If you really can’t avoid using your surfaces, make sure that you put your items into something pretty. You can find a whole range of antique and vintage utensil pots on eBay or Etsy these days, but if you want to go for something more modern, there are some lovely designs out there as well. This marble style utensil holder from J by Jasper Conran is a simple but elegant way to store your pieces.

White Marble Utensil Holder from J by Jasper Conran at Debenhams

An organised hallway can be the key to making sure your morning routine goes smoothly. Making sure everyday essentials like your keys, gloves, shoes, purse and anything else have their own permanent place means never having to look for anything again. For your keys if there are a few members in the household you may want to choose something a little bigger like a tray, but if it’s just one or two of you, a bowl for your keys will do nicely. I love this bowl from Feather & Marble, its uneven shape and little feet give it some great features, making it a stylish place to keep your keys.

Nordic Sand Bowls from Feather & Marble

A good, stylish shoe rack really helps to not only tidy away your shoes, but also set the tone for the rest of the home. If you’ve got the room, a lovely shoe bench will help transform your hallway, but if it’s a bit of tight squeeze a well-made rack can do wonders. This piece from A Place for Everything has interesting angles and shapes, perfect for a contemporarily styled room.

Wooden Ladder Wide from A Place for Everything

An ample set of hooks is of course the best way to make sure that you keep your coats together and organised. If you’re short on wall space, layering the hooks for coats and bags is a good way to save some room, but if you can a few rails can be a great way to create a system for your coats; perhaps one rail per person or one rail per season, whatever works for you. This antique style rail from Grace & Glory is a lovely, decorative way to store your coats.

Iron Hook Rail from Grace & Glory

The bathroom is a space where I’m constantly searching for storage solutions and places to keep things that still remain within suitable in reach. A bath caddy is a great way to take up space in the air and not the floor; with different levels you can easily arrange your own personal system. This wooden caddy with white shelving from Futon Company is an amenable design for all kinds of bathrooms and comes in different sizes to suit your needs.

Bath Caddy from Futon Company

I can never speak too highly of trays, they are prefect for when you want to organise things into groups but don’t want them packed away out of sight in a box. I use trays on my bedside table, in the bathroom and at my dresser to give everything a specific location. It stops your surfaces getting cluttered and products being spread out, plus the trays themselves can be a really nice feature to add to a display. You can go for any shape, size or colour to suit your needs, I like this large marble tray from HomeArama for its size and adaptable style.

Rectangular Bahne Marble Tray in White from HomeArama

Keep your cleaning supplies somewhere are a little more tasteful with something like this Utility Bucket from Garden Trading. It’s easy to tuck away in a small spot behind the loo or in the cupboard to help keep up the aesthetic of the room, or if your using the same supplies for different parts of the home it’ll save you from lugging around an armful of products every time you want to clean.

Utility Bucket in Chalk from Garden Trading

Practical solutions made pretty, there are all sorts of ways to give your home that extra touch of organisation and style, that’ll help you keep a tidier, beautiful home.

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Kitchen Character

Just like any other room in a house, creating the perfect kitchen is all about making sure that the final details are in place to make it feel like home and full of style. A few final kitchen accessories that are both pretty and practical, and will help give your kitchen that individuality it may be missing, giving your kitchen that all important character.

Tansui Glass Bottles from Nkuku

These beautifully shaped glass bottles from Nkuku are perfect for storing your olive oil or balsamic vinegar and they make a lovely companion for a rustic or country style kitchen.

I came across these ceramic spice spoons and instantly fell in love, what sweet little designs! Hang them in a row above you cooker, so that they’re in a handy spot but also become an interesting but simple design feature.

Ceramic Spice Spoons from The Future Kept

If you want to give your spices and herbs even more individuality, empty them from the store jars and into some fun like a vintage jar; there are loads of Etsy, both in sets and single items. I love this emerald green pot, which would like great on the counter, and could be even be used for other kinds of storage.

Vintage Poole Pottery Spice Jar from Annascupoftea on Etsy

To accompany your jars, a handy utensils pot won’t go amiss, this one from Garden Trading is made from raw marble and looks fantastic; a great option if you want a minimal look. Your utensil holder will be the perfect place to store these beautiful gold serving spoons, they’ll look good on the table and in the kitchen when not in use.

Utensil Holder from Garden Trading

Brushed Gold Serving Spoons from Not on the High Street

I love this silky looking sugar bowl from Holly’s House, the pearl-like coating and cute gold button handle make it great for everyday use and pretty enough for those special occasions. It also has a matching pot and milk jug if you want to complete the look.

Powder Sugar Bowl from Holly’s House

Who could resist this little dotted pepper grinder from Anthropologie, the gold dots give it a playful nature against the cool marble.

Gold Dotted Marble Pepper Grinder from Anthropologie

Tea towels are made for practical reasons, but sometimes you just need a very pretty one to look at, like this adorably designed Clarke dish towel from Anthropologie.

Clarke Dish Towel from Anthropologie

Finally, for when you need to keep your cool whilst trying out a new recipe, or preparing a meal with all your family surrounding you, keep your cookbook firm in place with this gold wire stand from Rockett St George.

Gold Wire Cookbook Stand from Rockett St George

From big decisions to small accessories, making your kitchen special is all about finding its personality and presenting it to the world and yourself; as well as making it a fun, stylish place to be in.

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