HOUSE OF VINTAGE DREAMS

Who would live in a house like this? The answer is me given half a chance. Our Showhome based in South East London is both a home and a store. Elle Decoration has named it one of the hottest home shops in the UK. The owners set out to source mid century Scandinavian and British design for themselves but ended up taking it to a whole different level. Now you can visit their house and buy designs by the likes of Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner and Tapio Wirrkala. You can view all the items for sale on their great website here. Below are my top picks 60's dressing table by Interlubke, 70's spice jars, 60's Danish teak chair, Arne Jacobsen chairs, Aluminium table lamps, Teak caddies.

MODERN MARVELS

Another fantastic place for vintage goodies is the Dublin based, kirkmodern. This website is stocked full of midcentury marvels, specialising in Scandinavian and post war British design. If you're looking for fabulous interior accessories this website is a one stop shop. Below is a collection of my current favourites which includes ceramics, glassware, a 1950's sweet tin and a school poster on 'soap making'.

TOTALLY ACE

I am madly in love with the design of the Ace in Portland. It's aimed at creative types on a low budget (tick) and even has rooms with bunks for bands on tour. A lot of the former hotel built in 1912 was retained as it was under preservation and much of the materials were salvaged and restored such as bathtubs, doorknobs and signs. Other items used in the design were sourced locally in order to keep the ecological footprint down like the ingenious use of tables made of stacked books from bargain bins in local shops. Artists from around the city painted murals in the rooms so each room has an individual quality to it. There is a photo booth in the lobby and the front desk is made from a factory unit. My favourite thing about his hotel is that it has record players in the rooms and you can borrow vinyl from the front desk. Alex Calderwood of the Ace Group is quoted as saying “things that are slightly imperfect have soul” and I couldn’t agree more. Check out the equally excellent website here.

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

I was taking a short cut through Habitat to Dame St the other day and I spotted the most fantastic armchair in 20th Century Furniture. Unfortunately I couldn't stop because I was on my way to meet a friend so I didn't get the details or price (which is probably a blessing in disguise). Anyway, I looked up the website when I got home but boo hoo, it wasn't online. I did however find another few beauties to drool over.

I am loving this teak G plan nest of tables, the Charlottenburg lamp by Paul Henningson and this fantastic Danish teak dining table.

LOST WEEKEND

The people of the 'sunny south east', especially me, are very grateful to Emily and Declan of Lost Weekend for opening their fantastic shop in Wexford. Their shop is a haven for design lovers everywhere. For me it is the lure of the vintage furniture that brings me back each time. Buying vintage furniture is considered better for the environment for a number of reasons such as cutting down on landfill and not requiring additional manufacturing. Buying furniture owned by someone else also means there is always character and history attached to it and if it is a quality item it will have a good resale value as well. Here are some of my favourite items on their website at the moment.

Treehugger has a great article on How to green your furniture if you would like further info.