Mid Twentieth Century Chic

One of my favourite eras of the past and a period of design that I am drawn to again and again spans the 1930s through to the 1950s.  Sparked by a love of old films I revel in the fashion, language and manners of the time.  Although completely aware that life for the majority of people back then (especially women) was incredibly restrictive and often poverty stricken I can't help but find something charming in the moody aesthetic of smoke filled little cafés and at least the veneer of good manners if nothing else.

For a while now I have been on the lookout for a black vintage typewriter.  There is something compelling in the construction and design of what was at the time considered to be a utilitarian object and couple of weeks back I couldn't believe my luck when on a very unpromising shopping expedition at a local brocante I came across and swiftly bought a little French example from the 1930s.    

My darling Erika typewriter from the 1930s

Looking at my characterful portable typewriter I can't help but wonder who owned it and what they used it for.  Being a bit of a romantic (I think you have to be in my business) I imagined someone like Daphne du Maurier or George Orwell tapping away into the wee small hours whilst smoking a slim cigarette and knocking out a classic best selling novel.  

Or perhaps (OK this is very fanciful) my typewriter was used by members of the Résistance to type up false papers during the Second World War - if only this little machine could talk (vintage lovers won't have missed the set of grain measures behind my typewriter.  We thought they would look brilliant as interior decoration for our dream coffee shop/brocante... our next project if we ever finish the renovations to our house!)  

Daphne du Maurier on her trusty Underwood portable typewriter 

George Orwell (he favoured the Remington Home Portable)

This evocative photo was taken by Robert Doisneau  in 
1940's Paris entitled "La dactylo du Vert Galant"  
(how things have moved on since then!)

Sticking with my theme of buying vintage trucs from mid twentieth century Spike cleverly uncovered this little enamelled torch (1930s or 1940s) in what appeared at first glance to be a box of junk.  I particularly like the Morse code setting and have been struggling to resist sending out SOS signals from my bedroom window.

This torch is a lovely tactile piece

Moving along my favoured timeline to another recent buy is this vintage French camera from the 1940s.  It is in unusually good condition and still has it's little booklet and case.  I keeping promising myself that I will not buy another camera for my Etsy Shop but I just don't seem to be able to resist them despite the fact that I know nothing about this area of collecting.  

Bellows cameras have a very stylish look that I love

Moving well and truly into the 1950s this French 'Jaz' wallclock not only works but it keeps really good time too.  There is something charmingly intimate in having to wind it up everyday and it has taken pride of place on my office wall (until it sells).

An authentic 50s 'Jaz' wall clock

Finally this desk lamp from the 1950s has everything.  It works (which is a good start), has that industrial look that's so in favour at the moment and most importantly to me the little switch on the base has a really satisfying 'click'. 

I love this lamp (it may end up being yet another keeper)

Looking at these evocative trucs I have come to the conclusion that I am a frustrated set designer/prop buyer and I can't tell you how disappointed I am that this path wasn't suggested to me during my rather unimaginative school careers evening.  It's taken me a long time to find a job I love and it's a genuine joy to have these wonderful things pass though my hands.

Voila... An Instant Terrace

This past week instead of concentrating on my Etsy shop (again!!!) I've been outside with Spike trying to knock our terrace into shape.  We thought that while the weather was good we would attempt to create a little sanctuary away from the ongoing building work in the house.

We started off with a genuinely blank slate and having painted the railings black and planted the beds on the top of the walls with lavender (in the hope of a kind of hedging effect) Spike laid some tiles at the end of the terrace.

We then erected a gazebo that was bought a while back from a local supermarket when it was on special offer.  It was a bit of a squeeze so we chopped down one of it's legs so that it could rest in the bed on the top of the wall (thank goodness it wasn't very expensive).

After a short break in order to recover from the inevitable tension caused by a married couple putting up a gazebo the next stage of the transformation was great fun.  If you've never had the unusual pleasure and instant gratification of unrolling a lawn I can highly recommend it.  I bought some astro-turf from a specialist when I was last in England and it came complete with little brown bits to give it a more authentic look (I can feel the wave of disapproval from proper gardeners from here... happily the dogs seem to love it so that's all that really matters).

We then edged our lawn with some gravel before adding a couple of dwarf apple trees, a bench and a few planters here and there (more to come).  We also put out a couple of new sun beds that will one day be relocated to much roomier courtyard (when it is eventually finished).

We are both thrilled with our new terrace and are finding it quite hard to get on with any work as the pull of such an inviting space is very strong.  The lawn is not only soft and bouncy but it is also hard wearing and toe tinglingly (not sure if that's a word) warm when the sun is on it. We have also already enjoyed a couple of unapologetically smug meals under the gazebo. 

The only problem with our new and improved terrace is that it makes the courtyard look even worse than it did before.  Unfortunately this part of the renovation will have to wait until the barn roof has been fixed and numerous trenches have been dug across the courtyard for drainage pipes and electric cables. So for the meantime I will just have to try my best not to look down!  

In the Pink!

With one thing and another I have not had the time to go shopping for stock recently.  First it was the weather which has been pretty awful for a couple of weekends and then poor Spikey (my brocante buddy and husband) fell ill last Sunday with the dreaded man-flu.  Luckily the weather was beautiful so I managed to get some of the railings in our courtyard painted (a job I have been itching to do get on with for some time).

During last week though - before the man-flu struck - we did do some serious shopping for the house thanks again to Le Bon Coin.    

The first thing I found on that wonderful website was the cutest little roll top bath.

Waiting in my office for some TLC - I just love the ball and claw feet

I know you're probably looking at the picture and thinking that I've gone quite mad but it isn't the first bath I've overhauled and I think it has the potential to be the prettiest.  It's become something of a calling card for us to leave a roll top bath in the bedroom of the houses we renovate but this time it's going to be in a little room off our dressing room with a massive window where I have my dressing table.  This room is to be henceforth known as 'the bathroom'.

The slipper bath that we renovated and squeezed into a corner of the

bedroom in our last house (it had a super view... better than a loo!)

The big roll top bath in the corner of the bedroom
of our first home in France

I'm so pleased because not only will our new little bath fit perfectly into the small space I have it earmarked for but it was only 50€ so who can complain at having to do a bit of work?

The second purchase for the house was 25m² of marble tiles.  These were obviously much more expensive than the bath but we managed to find them at around a third of the market price so that was a bit of a coup too!  The poor man who was selling them hadn't taken into account the small joists of his relatively modern house so when it came to tiling his dining room floor the load was too much (we have a good old solid 19th century house so no problems there).  The tiles had been languishing in his barn for about five years so it really was time to let them go.

The reason I wanted them is that I have always dreamt of a marble lined Art Deco style ensuite shower room like the ones you used to find in Parisian hotels (before they were all modernised).  I was originally set on the classic grey Carrara marble which was a little embarrassing because I have trouble pronouncing it (I have found that heartless people tend to laugh when you say 'Cawawa' - you know who you are!).

Happily Le Bon Coin came to the rescue again and I sourced some stunning tiles made from Rose Aurora marble which I unfortunately pronounce 'Wose Auwowa' which I fear may actually be worse! They are however absolutely stunning and their beautiful rose blush has allayed my fears that the room might look a little cold.

So stunning and such a lucky find...

...although I didn't feel that way at the time of
loading and unloading them from the van (they really do weigh a ton!)

In reality we are still a very long way off from seeing both the bath and tiles installed but I know from past experience that it's imperative to buy these things when you see them because if you don't you'll never find these wonderful one-off items again.  

The Joys of Reclamation and Renovation

The work on our house in Cognac is well under way and although it is covered in dust and pretty chaotic it's great to see some progress. The roofers finally started this week and the heating engineer has been busy running copper pipes in preparation for our new central heating system.

Unfortunately in the last few days the weather has taken a turn for the worse so I was very relieved that the open fire in our living room is finally usable (due to the old boiler being removed).

We found a gorgeous fire-back on a really useful website called Le Bon Coin. I use it frequently to source things for the house and have been known to sell a thing or two on it as well - including our old house!

I just love the two griffins which according to legend guard treasure and 

priceless possessions so what could be more appropriate for the heart of the home?

I am so thrilled to finally see a real fire glowing and kicking out heat
in our living room

Another major change that has taken place in our house is in my office where Spike has kindly knocked down a totally unnecessary wall that for some unknown reason led to a corridor that in turn led to nowhere.  The difference is amazing and once the heating engineer has finished his work in there I am looking forward to getting my paws on it and turning it into a room of my own.

The strange wall that seemed to serve no purpose

A bit messy but well worth it

And the final result... a large bright room with two windows instead of one

The next milestone was when the roofers fitted our new skylight.  One little glitch was that the roofer that gave us the measurements must have had an off day because it was far too large for the hole. On the bright side though with a bit of extra work they have made the opening bigger to make it fit and given us more light (on the not so bright side the light-well had to be knocked out otherwise the window couldn't open so that will have to be rebuilt).

The old skylight was metal framed and very rusty and leaky so the previous owner put some fibre glass and perspex at the base of the light-well to protect the house. Unfortunately it has turned a rusty orange colour over the years and barely let any light through.

But my intrepid husband rigged up some rudimentary scaffolding and bravely clambered on his contraption to take the perspex down.

The perspex that was catching the leaks and rust from the old skylight

The scaffolding that Spike rigged up to work from

The quite terrifying view down the stairwell

Finally getting rid of the horrible stuff...

to reveal the new skylight...

et voila - we have light!

I'd be lying if I said that I enjoy the mess and disruption of the renovation process but I do love being involved in bringing out the best in our house and making it our forever home.

A Walk in the Park

Today is May Day (Fête du Travail en France) and unfortunately the heavens have opened leaving many people in France stuck indoors and twiddling their thumbs on this national holiday.  We were looking forward to going to a brocante market in Rochefort today but with the heavy rain there was no point in making the journey as many of the stall holders will understandably not show.  

It's hard to believe that only a few days ago it seemed that Spring had finally arrived and I was strolling around the Jardin Public in Cognac and enjoying the sun.

Here are a few photos of that glorious day:-

Our former ducks, Claude and Jacques, enjoying an afternoon snooze

If you're having a dark wet day like us I do hope that these photos will cheer you up a bit and remind you that Spring really is just around the corner.