Kleanthous Antiques at Lapada Art and Antiques Fair

On Friday I visited the most beautiful antique fair so far on my antique journey; the Lapada Art and Antiques Fair in Berkeley Square, London.  Walking through Berkeley Square earlier in the week I was able to see how they assembled a great white “tent” where the fair would take place, but when I finally entered it was like going into a real building – absolutely beautiful!

Lapada Art & Antiques Fair, Berkeley Square, London

The first antique dealer that we are visiting is Kleanthous Antiques est. 1969.  Now, I can’t even begin to count the number of people I know who have a vintage watch at the top of their wish list – their “one day” dream.  Well, I would recommend that you pay these guys a visit on 144 Portobello Road, as their selection is just amazing – for the gents as well as for the ladies:

Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Jaeger Le Coultre: Reverso & Memovox, Vacheron & Constantin… heaven for the vintage watch lover…

At the moment their watch collection is apparently at its best, and below is a very special Rolex Prince, with its original certificate:

The Rolex Prince with original certificate

Rolex Prince original certificate

Rolex Prince

My friend and I however fell in love with their ladies’ watches, and she was immediately drawn to this 1920’s Art Deco diamond watch:

1920’s Art Deco wrist watch with diamonds and a black strap

I ADORE the black strap as it is such an unmistakable Art Deco design.  It brings my thoughts to 1920’s headpieces with the black bands and the sparkling jewellery.  I must say that this is the most beautiful watch that I have ever seen, and of course, when my friend tried it on, she never wanted to take it off again:

1920’s Art Deco watch with diamonds

The design is just extraordinary – and I love the black strap together with the diamonds and this typical 1920’s design

1920’s Art Deco watch

As mentioned, you can find this amazing collection on Portobello Road, and you can also visit their website here for some more info and photos.  We will visit a few more deals at the antique fair later on this week so stay tuned!

Vintage wedding dress inspiration

A very exciting post is coming up about a wonderful dress agency in Dorking, and today I wanted to give you just a sneak peak of what I found in the shop last weekend…

Such a beautiful vintage fabric with a peacock pattern – on an Edwardian mannequin

While photographing the dresses in the shop I stumbled across this breathtakingly beautiful vintage fabric!  We draped it onto an Edwardian mannequin to best show off the pattern, and I love how the two complement each other.  You can tell how lovingly the peacock pattern has been made, and how much thought has gone into the intricate design and colour combinations:

Vintage fabric with peacock pattern

… unfortunately someone has washed it so that the colours have run, but parts of the fabric are still usable.  In fact, Liz the Seamstress suggested that one could make a beautiful vintage headpiece/wreath/tiara out of the part below:

This would make such a romantic headpiece, like a wreath of tiara for example… 

I think that a very skilled designer could create the most beautiful vintage-style wedding dress using the fabric.  Can you imagine what soul and grace a piece like this would add to a dress?

I get such a buzz from being around creative people, listening to their ideas and seeing their work take shape.  I also love trying to picture all these beautiful garments that will one day be created – and that will add another touch of beauty to the world.

Vintage fabric with peacock pattern

I would love to hear your thoughts!  Does it inspire your creative side?  Do you have a dress design in mind that you think it would be perfect for – or does it remind you of a fabric/piece of clothing that you have seen before?  Leave a comment for me below dear!

Your Secret Jewellery Collection – the Indian chapter part I

So Your Secret Jewellery Collection is back by popular demand, and today we are visiting a dear friend of mine who has the most beautiful collection of Indian vintage jewellery.  Let’s start by checking out her divine dressing table – antique of course:

Antique French dressing table – turn of the century 

The dressing table is turn of the century French antique, and was found in a vintage shop on Battersea Park Road which I am very jealous about as I sure can’t ever seem to find treasures like this when I go scouting around markets and fairs…!

One day I will definitely get a dressing table, as I cannot wait to be able to sit down on the matching vintage seat, see all the beautiful perfumes, bottles and powders all lined up in front of the mirror – not to mention the beautiful jewellery surrounding it all… how very old Hollywood glamourous indeed!

Vintage drop down earrings from India with pearls on silver

So over to the jewellery: these beautiful drop down vintage earrings were just waiting to be shown off in all their splendour!  I would guess that they are Art Deco, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out that they are from the 20’s.  They are just so beautiful with the intricate yet structured design, which appeals to so many of us – oh yes, that is the beauty of Art Deco.

These Indian vintage earrings look like they are made out of the heaven and the skies, and so perfectly carried by this beautiful lady!

I love this picture of our Indian Princess!  I think that these earrings would look just gorgeous when paired up with an elegant yet understated silk dress, which would really bring out their beauty and give them the centre place that they so well deserve.

Thank you dear for sharing, and we look forward to the next Chapter of the collection!  You can see the other Your Secret Jewellery Collection-posts here!

Vintage Dress Alterations and Late Summer Roses

Good morning lovely!  I wanted to start this week with a few photos of late summer flowers that I came across at the weekend – straight from the garden:

Arthur Bell Rose and Gerrie Hoek Dahlia in the background

Orange Roses

I mentioned in an earlier post that I bought two glorious 1960’s dresses in the Shrewd sale, and that I would have to have them resized.  Well, I finally dropped them off with Liz Robinson in Dorking where she pinned them onto me for that perfect fit.  We will see the results next week – oh so very excited!

My two 1960’s dresses – one baby blue and one white and golden with typical 60’s buttons.  Marilyn is also excitedly waiting to see the results!

Liz is a wonderful seamstress whose acquaintance we will make very soon, but for now I can let you know that she is able to help with alterations, and specialises in vintage wear and wedding dresses.  Do let me know if you would like to get in touch with her – she is based in Dorking.

You Beautiful Turquoise

Looking through my photos from this summer I came across a few with turquoise jewellery, which made me start thinking about this beautiful gemstone, where it comes from and what its history might be…

Antique Turquoise Brooch – from our favourite old house in Sweden – A Window Into Early 20th Century Sweden

Turquoise means Turkish Stone, as it came to Europe via Turkey back in the days.  It is one of our oldest amulets used for protection, it has been used as an ornamental stone for thousands of years and in ancient cultures it was seen a symbol of wealth.  The ancient Egyptians were great fans and loved adorning their jewellery with it.

The sky-blue turquoise was most popular in Europe in the early Victorian period and it is rather safe to say that it has not yet lost its appeal!  It was mined over 6000 years ago in Sinai (1), but these days many would say that the best turquoise can be found in Iran, even though a lot of it comes from Mexico and the US.

I adore this brooch and I think it stands out so beautifully when worn in blonde hair.  I can however imagine that it would look even more striking against dark hair!

I love finding out how jewellery differs across countries and continents, and turquoise does not disappoint:  in the Middle East it is traditionally set in gold and sometimes the jewellery also includes diamonds.  In the Western world silver settings are popular, especially in the US.

Turquoise is also also the most common component in Native American jewellery, and archaeologists believe that the Navajo Indians started mining turquoise thousands of years ago (2).  I started researching Navajo Jewellery for this post and will have to write a separate post on it as the history is incredibly fascinating!

A subtle match to a pair of vintage earrings with a turquoise

You lucky December children – this is your precious birthstone!

 

Sources:

(1) Turquoise Gemstone Information http://www.gemselect.com/gem-info/turquoise/turquoise-info.php

(2) Turquoise History http://www.historyofturquoise.com/

Fanny’s Farm Shop in Surrey

On one of the late summer evenings we found ourselves driving around in the beautiful countryside of Surrey, when suddenly there were signs to Fanny’s Farm Shop.  The name rang a bell with all of us, so we decided to check it out.  It turned out to be one of the most charming shops that I have ever been to!  Come along now, I would love to show you around:

Fanny’s Farm Shop, Merstham Surrey

Fanny’s Farm Shop, Merstham Surrey

Fanny opened her farm shop in 1979, selling vegetables and flowers.  Today her farm shop is renowned for its cream teas, honey, eggs, award winning marmalades – and you can still find the most scrumptious vegetables and beautiful flowers in the shop.

When browsing her website for this post I stumbled across the most wonderful gift idea: Cream Tea by Post!  You just place an order for a basket of scones, jam and clotted cream and it will all be delivered to your friend’s place.  What an amazing gift idea it is – I can’t imagine receiving anything more wonderful in the post!!

This little fellow was keeping an eye on his grounds and showing his teddy bear who’s the boss!

We parked our car in the very special parking lot (you will see later what I mean) and walked down a gravel path with the most charming flower arrangements:

The shop was so beautifully decorated – inside and outside!

The lovely Paddington Bear was lucky enough to share a shalf with some home-made marmalade 

In the shop rows and rows of organic, home-made marmalade, jams, organic eggs, honey, sausages were lining the walls and I barely knew where to start my shopping trip!

I love the sweet details throughout the shop – like this mannequin bee keeper in the garden

After browsing the shop we came through to the back-garden, where some beautifully set tables were just waiting for us – offering a lovely and serene place to enjoy lunch or afternoon tea.

In the background you can see the Treehouse 

At the back of the garden we could see their famous Treehouse – the most divine little hideaway where they serve Morning Coffee, Cream Tea and Lunch.  It seems that you can book it for birthday parties/engagement parties, business meetings or just for any lovely occasion that deserves a special venue.  For bookings etc. click here to get to Fanny’s website.

Relaxing in the late summer evening

In every window, corner, on all the tables and shelves were the most charming little details.  For example this row of gentlemen looking in on all the customers in the shop.

You can find everything here – from food to books, paintings… you name it!

The tables were all decorated individually and I of course loved this vintage-style table

The book section – with a range of other things…

I loved the parking signs outside the shop:

The Eccentric Parking Bay

This is where the Grandmas’ park

Grumpy Granddad Parking

Heeey!  How come we parked in this one!?

So hop in the car and enjoy a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday at this glorious countryside haven.  Start with a scrumptious breakfast, or some wonderful afternoon tea, before you do your food shopping.

It was great to do the grocery shopping here, and knowing that we were supporting a bunch of local traders.  Not to mention how great it was to come home with a huge amount of yummy food!

50’s high waisted shorts at Shrewd

I popped by Vintage Shrewd the other week and had a lovely browse around the shop.  I actually ended up buying two 1960’s dresses that we are just resizing at the moment, and I can’t wait to start wearing them!  One is a baby blue colour and the other one is more festive in white and gold, with some typical 60’s buttons – I will make sure to post some photos once they are done.

Vintage heaven at Shrewd in Dorking

But the one thing I wanted to share with you today is a pair of 1950’s high waisted shorts that another customer had just tried on when I walked in.  I saw so many of you wear a similar style this summer, which made me think of how fashion comes back again:

High waisted 50s shorts at Vintage Shrewd

These specific ones reminded me of a Bond Girl-look – they would look fabulous when worn with wedges and a loose top/shirt – and it is a style of shorts that is incredibly flattering on the figure and make your legs look a million miles longer.  I love how Sonja has styled them above with the top and scarf – and of course the glorious vintage necklace which goes in the right tones with the rest of the ensemble!  She had a whole range of vintage jewellery that I thought we could look at later on this week.

What are your thoughts on the shorts?  It is a style you would wear and what would you team them up with?  Is there anything specific in fashion history that you would love to see a comeback of?  Anything you don’t want to see again?

Have a lovely Monday dear!

All the curious things… Lawrences Auctioneers – Chapter III

So in this last post from the auction viewing at Lawrences in Blethingley I have collected a number of beautiful yet curious things that were up for sale in the auction.  I have also managed to find out the hammer price for quite a few of these pieces:

Georgian Birmingham silver two piece opium pipe – Hammer Price
£150

The most odd piece at the auction would be this silver opium pipe, which I found out sold for £150.  Opium was used widely as a medicine back in the days and we can read the following on Wikipedia:

“Opium is mentioned in the most important medical texts of the ancient world, including the Ebers Papyrus and the writings of Dioscorides, Galen and Avicenna.  Widespread medical use of unprocessed opium continued through the American Civial War before giving way to morphine and its successors, which could be injected at a precisely controlled dosage.” – Wikipedia

Victorian silver inkstand with two cut glass bottles and taper stick on low shapred supports date 1854 makers mark E.B. and J.B. – hammer price £390

Oh I loved this Victorian silver inkstand with glass bottles – how very Alice in Wonderland!  Drink me?

Enamel decorated clips and a 19th Century miniature watercolour portrait

Enamel decorated clips 

Above you can see a set of twelve unusual enamel decorated clips in the form of various flowers.  The case was marked Zarger and sold for £45.  In the top photo on the right you have a 19th Century miniature watercolour on ivory portrait of a seated lady in purple dress.  Gilt framed unsigned inscribed verso Thomas Hargreaves, and the hammer price was £720!

Silver wine etiquette at Lawrences Auctioneers

Heavy brass figures of horses 

A collection of composition dolls that sold for £5

This collection of Lalique perfumes sold for £110

Four Lalique perfumes

This copper water urn, copper teapot brass and wrought iron trivit and two post horns sold for £30

Set of five reproduction oak dining chairs with padded backs and overstuffed seats on baluster turned front supports with stretchers – sold for £60

So check this out: the five oak dining chairs above sold for a mere £60 – how incredibly reasonable!  I say head to your nearest auction and start discovering awesome stuff!!

Early 20th Century Art Nouveau style figure of a seated lady with silver gilt and painted decoration 

Judge by my surprise when I found out that this lovely lady wasn’t sold at the auction.  I think the design is so beautiful and a great example of Art Nouveau, which often portrayed women as well as nature scenes and images.

You can find Lawrences Auctioneers in the beautiful English country village of Bletchingley

Were you surprised by any of the hammer prices for these pieces?  Anything you liked the look of and would have put a bid on?  I would love to read your thoughts below in the comments section!

Mirror mirror on the wall… Lawrences Auctioneers – Chapter II

Let’s dive right back into our adventure – the auction viewing at Lawrences Auctioneers:

Antique ship painting

In this post I wanted to focus on paintings, posters and mirrors – everything that helps us make a home more interesting.   Decorating a house is a great opportunity to express your individual taste and I for one try to go for things that make me happy and that I love looking at, so when I came to the auction viewing I was so excited to see all the gorgeous, unique pieces that would make the most wonderful additions to a house!

I like mixing contemporary art with antique paintings as it gives such a lovely personal touch to the house

A room with antique paintings filling the walls from floor to ceiling – heaven for the decorator!

I love the painting of these two hounds.  Old paintings are such treasures as they give us snapshots of times gone by and a glimpse into a world which would otherwise be lost for us

Of course it might seem intimidating to attend an auction, if your knowledge of antiques is limited, but when it comes to paintings I don’t think we need to worry.  The first and most important thing is that you like the piece of art.  Once you have found your favourite you can easily check that the painting is in good shape (so no tears, cuts, or otherwise broken).

Now, whether your painting will increase in value and be a great investment you might need to wait a while to find out, but art in general is all about person taste – and you don’t want to hang anything on your wall that you don’t like the look of anyway, so just buy what you love and enjoy it!

Mirror, mirror on the wall… an auction is the place to go if you are looking to add unique pieces to your house.

This wall offered such a wide range of mirrors – in all sizes, shapes and colours

A whole room had its walls filled with the most beautiful antique paintings…

Judge by my surprise when I walked into this room:

I suddenly stumbled into a room with the most fascinating old movie posters – I sure didn’t see that coming among all the antiques!

Great old posters of Jack Nicholson in the Shining – I was getting the chills from just looking at this one..! 

Atom Man vs. Superman-poster (1950)

Old posters at Lawrences Auctioneers

So that is a small preview of what Lawrences offered us in terms of wall art.  We still have many more rooms left to explore at this auction viewing – and one of the things coming up in the next post is an antique opium pipe… hmm…!!!

Lawrences Auctioneers in Bletchingley – Chapter I

The other week I went to an auction viewing at Lawrences Auctioneers in Bletchingley, Surrey.

Lawrences Auctioneers in Bletchingley

I spent an hour or two wandering through the maze of rooms with all the wonderful lots for sale; everything from paintings to jewellery, silver, furniture and movie posters!  Since there was so much to see I would like to split it up into a few posts, and we will of course start with the jewellery section:

Golden Art Nouveau necklace with pearls

All the lots are numbered so usually you would pick up a catalogue with descriptions of the pieces and you can look closer at the ones that you are interested in.  Below you can see how the lots are usually numbered:

An example of how the lots are numbered at an auction 

You will find the most extraordinary designs, like this antique piece in the shape of a snake… 

… which has been kept in its original jewellery box that is so cleverly tailored to accommodate the unique shape of the piece 

I absolutely adore this golden Art Nouveau necklace with rubies.  You can see the whiplash-design which was so typical for Art Nouveau 

Antique reading glasses with what I seem to remember is a jade handle

So this was the first view into the fascinating world of auctions, and we still have a bunch of rooms left to discover in the next few posts.

I would love to find out if you have ever been to an auction or an auction viewing?  Did you buy anything and what did you think of the experience?