Industrial Chic

I love lots of different styles of interior design but I have always envied people who have loft apartments so that they can pull off interiors with industrial pieces or vintage design classics that have come out of commercial or institutional buildings.

Is it possible to die of envy?  I really hope not!

Vintage industrial trucs... so cool!

In France they call this the Atelier style and it is largely influenced by many of the old workshops that have been converted into quirky living accommodation in the heart of Paris.  I was lucky enough a month or so ago to have come across this striking turquoise blue desk lamp and was thinking of keeping it but wasn't at all surprised when someone snapped it up almost immediately.  

An authentic industrial lamp from the 1950s

I prefer to see items where the signs of age have been preserved

I adore old filing cabinets and big factory suspension lights and am often horrified when people sand them back and respray them losing all their natural patina.  Old industrial clocks are another of my loves but the nearest I have managed to get to one so far is this little alarm clock I picked up at a flea market a month or so ago.  

1950s Bayard Alarm Clock - See Etsy Shop

Aluminium workshop windows and doors are also very much a la mode and give a real sense of atmosphere to large open plan spaces.

Create the look of a French 'atelier' with metal windows and doors

As with any fashion there are lots of reproductions on the market but mixed with genuine vintage finds they can compliment a design.  I would however steer away from large lettering spelling ATELIER or other similar items as in my opinion they really kill the authenticity of a space.

While I'm on the subject is it just me or are there other people out there that don't see the appeal of words like LOVE, HOME, PEACE and all the other large letters that seem to be littering people's otherwise lovely homes?

My advice would be, if you're tempted, to just keep on walking!

Having said all this I must confess to being guilty of this myself as I have a little reproduction enamel sign with CUISINE written on it in, yes... you've guessed it, the kitchen.  It is design choice I still regret but unfortunately it is well and truly stuck to the wall (thanks to a combination of screws and 'no more nails') so it has become something of a permanent feature (I will have to move now!).

Why, oh why, oh why did I think that was a good idea...
the stale bread is for the chickens in case you were wondering!

This sign is not only a constant irritation to me but is also a daily reminder never again to stick words stating the annoyingly obvious on the wall!.

Oh well I suppose I'll just have to KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON.... (or eat cupcakes or any of the many other versions of the famous phrase currently gracing what seems like virtually every home in Britain and beyond!

Putting Your Own Stamp on Things

Before I commence this week's post I must make a formal apology concerning my last post to my long suffering husband, Spike, if any offence was caused at being portrayed as an over-sized Squirrel Nutkin with an unhealthy TV habit.  He is in fact a very hardworking man and has a right to relax in any way he sees fit... he also has a very good sense of humour (which is just as well!)

Proof - rendering the house single handedly on one of his rare days off work

Phew, I think I got away with it...  now that's out of the way I wanted to share with you some of my latest buys acquired from a little flea market in Cognac last week.  I am always on the lookout for unusual trucs and was delighted to find a couple of old stamps for the drink, Cognac.

The lovely stamp or print block, shown below, was made for the Delont Frères Cognac House and was, according the vendor, used to mark their crates.  

See my Etsy Shop for more photos

The second stamp which is actually a wonderfully detailed etching plate is for the Cognac House of Martin Jeune & Co.  I was at a slight disadvantage when it came to trying to make a print of the image as my ink pad was woefully tiny and I did end up in a terrible mess with black fingertips as I tried to prise it out of the case.  It just goes to show that I'd do anything to make a good impression (sorry!)

See my Etsy Shop for more photos

The criss-crosses give away the size of my ink pad!

Having researched the Cognac houses a little it seems that they no longer seem to be manufacturing which is a shame.  My initial thoughts were that the stamps would make super paperweights but on reflection they could actually be used (in a crafty type way) to decorate furniture/walls or whatever takes your fancy for that French je ne sais quoi look (can you tell I have no idea what I am talking about?)

I was also lucky enough to find on the same stall some little stamps from the 1970's that portray scenes from Disney's Pinocchio and thought they would be charming to decorate a child's room with or even perhaps fabrics.   They could, of course, just be given to a child, as originally intended, to play with!!!

See my Etsy Shop for more photos

Such cute little images from the much loved Disney animation Pinocchio

Whatever these finds end up being used for at least I have had great fun this week playing with them and I really do hope that someone else will appreciate their quirky nature as much as me.

A Room of One's Own

I have come to the conclusion that Virginia Woolf was right and every woman should have a room of one's own.  The man shed/cave or den has always been an accepted concept to get out of the way of 'er indoors' but a thought should be spared for women all over the world who do not consider that the kitchen fulfills this function.  

On the other side though I hate it when women inflict over-feminine bedrooms on their poor embarrassed partners who have to wade through a sea of fluffy pink just to get into bed.   Whatever sex you are wouldn't it would be wonderful to have a personal space where you do not have to embrace another person's needs or tastes? 

I am very lucky to live in a beautiful house but the room I use as my office, HQ for my Etsy business and general place for 'Nina' type trucs is a through room that leads to the staircase and the living room (Spike's domain with eating and watching TV being very much top of the agenda).  

My little office space in the corner of the room under the stairs

Being a very open and public space my office has several problems such as not being able to keep my stock to hand as not only would it look terrible but the cats have a horrible habit of getting into every box that's left lying around and either breaking things or covering them in hairs.  This means that my trucs have been distributed all around the ground floor of the house, in the barn and upstairs in the wardrobes of the spare bedrooms (not very convenient when people come to stay).  

Another issue I have come across since opening my Etsy shop is that I don't have a dedicated place to pack my orders.  I am therefore lugging the stock, packaging materials and paperwork into the kitchen from what feels like the four corners of the earth and using (and abusing) the poor old kitchen table that's becoming more and more scratched because I often use a craft knife to cut boxes down to size (must thank my glamorous box supplier, Karin, for keeping me stocked up).

However, for me, the most compelling reason to have my own special room is that I would love somewhere I can express my love of opulent period interiors and have a space that is really over the top without effecting the rest of the house.   

Fashion designer Iris Apfel's apartment in New York gives you an idea of the opulent yet comfortable space I would like to create in my room (although mine would have less expensive trucs in it and be much less tasteful - I mean to really go for it!).

Iris Apfel - A stylish lady that isn't afraid to do things her way

I am simply yearning to fill my room with Edwardiana, Victoriana, rich colours, oriental textiles and wallpaper (silk would be nice), gilded French clock garnitures (think 'After Eights') and perhaps an Art Nouveau dressing screen.  I have some beautiful silk curtains (they still make me wince when I think of how much I paid for the fabric) that would be perfect and I have always nursed a desire for a velvet or damask covered chaise longue complete with a matching tassled bolster cushion. 

Waiting to be auctioned off - a bit sad but with a bit of love a real beauty

The wonderful thing about the items I have described is that they couldn't be less fashionable at the moment, due to the current taste for minimalism and modern furnishing, so these unwanted trucs can be bought at a fraction of the price of what I consider to be their real value. 

I love the idea of stuffing my special room full of objets d'art and antiques but I am not brave enough to decorate the whole of my house in this way especially as Spike would probably run off, build a man cave in the workshop and take to living there (with the TV and a few snacks in tow of course!).

I am not sure whether my desire for these fussy objects bucks the trend or if a new interior design phase is on it's way and I'm a little ahead of time.  I'll have to not only wait to see if my hunch is right (I do hope so) but also wait with crossed fingers for a room that I can close the door on and truly call my own (how deliciously selfish!)

The Joys of the French Potager

Some friends popped over a couple of days ago with some of their garden produce. They had been away on holiday and anyone who has grown their own will know that it doesn't take long for a courgette (zucchini) to turn into a super-sized monster.  

We had a large ornamental potager at our last house where we ran cooking holidays and a chambres d'hôtes business so we quickly learnt, among other things, how to deal with these prolific wannabe marrows. 

The potager at the old house- my pride and joy but a killer for my back

One of my favourite methods for using up courgettes is Antonio Carluccio's recipe for courgette fritters. I know it's Italian and not French but you can't beat the Italians for wonderfully simple and fresh flavoursome food.   

I laugh in the face of over-sized courgettes!

Here is the recipe (it may have been changed a little to suit our taste... I can't remember) and some photos of the process (I have missed out steps such as tripping over the beagle who is annoyingly ever present when we cook!):-

750g courgettes (grated)

1 large garlic clove (crushed)

3 eggs (beaten)

2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese

1/2 tablespoon of salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tablespoon of nutmeg

5 tablespoons of plain flour

2 tablespoons of fresh mint

Olive oil for frying

Having typed out this recipe I do hope you have a tablespoon otherwise you're scuppered!  Anyway, if you have it's just a matter of mixing all the ingredients together and shallow frying heaped spoonfuls of the mixture in the hot oil until they are crisp and golden on both sides.

Mr Carluccio cooks them until they are somewhat darker than mine but when I don't want to eat them all immediately I can reheat them in pan later and brown them off a bit more (the uncooked mixture does tend to become a bit watery once you add the salt).

All the ingredients needed for this yummy recipe chopped and ready to go

When I was fed up with grating courgettes I gave the chickens a little treat!

It couldn't be simpler - just mix all the ingredients together and

after a quick rummage in the fridge you can make up a salad
 on a lovely vintage plate

and enjoy a light summery meal and perhaps like me drizzle on
some homemade lemon mayonnaise

I hope you give this recipe a try because these fritters are absolutely delicious and if like us you keep chickens it's also a useful way of using their eggs.