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.

Le Truc (the trick) to the Bistrot Look

There is nothing more pleasurable than sitting at a table outside a bistrot in town and people watching especially when I'm in one of my favourite places, Paris. There is something so romantic about the café culture that originated from from this beautiful city and the bistrot (or bistro... I'm never sure which way to spell it but prefer the aesthetics of the word with a t for some bizarre reason!) itself that started life there.

I think this is why I love of bistrot furniture by manufacturers such as Thonet, Fischel, Baumann and Mundus & Kohn and adore the sinuous lines of their bentwood creations in particular the art nouveau designs from the belle époque.

Recently I have been on the lookout for some original vintage bentwood chairs (you can recognise them by their patina and by the maker's label under the seat that will hopefully still be there). I own four at the moment, two by Thonet and two by Mundus & Kohn and have, to my dismay, recently seen the prices rocket.

A few years back they were considered little more than firewood and many of these evocative creations tragically finished their days on a bonfire or in a damp old barn slowly delaminating.

One of my Thonet chairs from the Belle Epoque period

From time to time I catch a tantalising glimpes of them in a movie or period drama and have come to the conclusion that the majority of the remaining survivors have probably been stockpiled in props departments of film studios and theatres.

Unfortunately the few chairs I have seen for sale in my part of France usually have caned seats which is so expensive to have redone that I am loathed to buy one.  The others, quelle horreur, seem to have been irrevocably vandalised by paint (for some reason puce seems to be la couleur préférée for these ill fated chairs!)

I did however make a fab purchase last week in La Rochelle of an original 1940s bistrot table with a cast iron base and brass banding around the top.  We paid quite a lot for it (80€) but we needed a small table for the corner of our living room so that Spike and myself could enjoy a meal while watching TV without having to eat off of our laps. With two dogs, one of them a very greedy beagle, we found that we were often wolfing down our food in order to finish before the inevitable splash of Oscar's drool hit the floor.

The bistrot table sitting happily with chairs by Mundus and J & J Kohn Ltd.

My wonky hat & coat stand

With our super little new table we can now eat at a blissfully leisurely pace with the peace of mind that if we take our eyes off our meal for a couple of seconds there won't be a podgy little hound launching himself at our plates. Jake, our other more sensible dog does not have such bad manners unless there is cheese involved in which case wouldn't trust him entirely either!

Another piece of bistrot furniture that I'm particularly proud of is my bentwood hat and coat stand.  I bought it when we first moved to France from a massive brocante in Marsac in the Charente region and although it is in a bit of a distressed state I love it all the same.  It takes pride of place in our kitchen for use when guests come over to visit otherwise it is left bare. Bistrot furniture is not only beautiful but durable and functional and I believe even as trends come and go it never really goes out of style.