A Nordic Style dream in London – chapter I

Nordic Style, 109 Lots Road, SW10 0RN, London

On Saturday I finally made it over Nordic Style, a wonderful Swedish interior shop based in Chelsea.

 Decorated with the most beautiful pieces of Swedish furniture

Stepping into the shop was like arriving in a classic Swedish home; one that I one day intend to live in, whether it is here in the UK or in Sweden!  The tables were so tastefully set and the classic candle holders, table runners and lovely red flowers brought that warm, cosy Christmas feeling that we long for this time of year.

Carl Larsson table £2995 at Nordic Style 

I fell in love with this Carl Larsson-style table with its unique blue details in the cream coloured wood (see picture below).  In fact, the table awoke my interest in historical Swedish designs, so I will use these beautiful pieces of furniture as a backdrop when telling you about a few fascinating interior styles that have prevailed in Sweden over the past few hundred years.

Carl Larsson (1853-1919) is one of the most beloved Swedish artists through times, and together with his wife Karin Larsson (1859-1928) he lived a life dedicated to family and the arts.  Carl was a painter and his works – especially the ones of his wife, their eight children and their home Hyttnäs in Sundbord – became very popular and reached a worldwide audience.  This quote from Carl Larsson’s offical website gives a wonderful description of Carl and Karin (1):

“Lilla Hyttnäs became Carl och Karin’s mutual art project in which their artistic talents found expression in a very modern and personal architecture, colour scheme and interior design.  Carl’s paintings and books have made Lilla Hyttnäs one of the world’s most familiar homes. But not only that. The quality of the light, Karin’s liberated gift for interior design and the lively family life as it is depicted in Carl’s beloved watercolours, has become almost synonymous with our picture of Sweden.” – from the official homepage of Carl Larsson

A closer look at the Carl Larsson table 

Carl drew inspiration from the English Arts and Crafts designs, as well as Art Nouveau.  He and Karin thought about the long, dark winters in Sweden and so cleverly brightened interiors by using lots of whites, light creams and all the beautiful light blues, sage and pinks.  They also made sure that the little amount of light that was available in the winter, was accentuated by intricately carved wooden mirrors around the house.  Accessories were kept to a minimum, and a decorative look was created through stenciling on walls and textiles (2).  

Lilla Hyttnäs is today a museum open to the public, and the house, its interior, the paintings and designs left behind are still the most wonderful source of inspiration to people all around the world (2).  It is not uncommon for design houses and interior shops in Sweden to encourage their own designers to turn to Karin Larsson’s work for inspiration for new collections, and I found a lovely example of this at the home ware shop Hemtex here.

Given all the beautiful pieces in the shop I have decided to split up this post into a few separate chapters.  Do stay tuned my dear and we will continue our adventure in just a few days.

 

Sources:

(1) The official homepage of Carl Larsson

(2) Inspirations from France & Italy by Betty Lou Phillips

Decades of Elegance article in The Sloaney

The Sloaney – luxury lifestyle publication

So a few of you have already read the article above, but for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, I had an article published in The Sloaney the other week where I was able to take the readers along to the fabulous Lapada Art and Antiques Fair.  You can read the full article here.

The Sloaney is such a lovely source of inspiration, for example they had the most wonderful bridal-series written by Natasha Eddery earlier this year.  The bride-to-be brought us along on designer wedding shoe-fittings, spa-breaks and of course a wedding dress fitting!  This online luxury magazine also brings us Fashion, Beauty and Travel, so on your next lazy afternoon I would suggest that you click here and let yourself get inspired and entertained.

Porcelain Bells for Christmas

I belong to that group of people who cannot wait for Christmas to come around!  It is such a wonderful and happy season when we get to fill our homes with lights and good food, family and friends – best time of the year!  Around this time of year I also tend to zoom in on all the pretty decorations that start popping up in all the shops, and even though it was springtime in South Africa when I was there in October, I was immediately drawn to this table at Alphen Antique Market:

Austrian Porcelain Bells at the Alphen Antique Market in Constantia – the price tag said approximately 40 rand each

A lovely lady had this wonderful collection of porcelain bells and little Christmas houses at the antique market and they are just so pretty that I just had to share them with you!  She told me that they used to belong to a collector who very sadly passed away recently.  He had built the most impressive collection of antiques, and in the end nine removal trucks were used to move his belongings!  I am sure that all these pieces are finding loving homes around South Africa now, and I happen to know that a couple of these bells also took a flight back to the UK!

Austrian Porcelain Bells at the Alphen Antique Market in Constantia, Cape Town

These are all of English descent but they are made in many countries around the world.  They made me think of Austrian and German designs and even though I have never celebrated Christmas in Austria, I can imagine that decorations like these can be found in a couple of homes.  I would actually love to visit a Christmas market in beautiful Vienna one day, and I am sure that there would be tons of stalls with little decorations like these bells.

A few glass/crystal bells as well

I love how you can put a little electric light inside the houses to give them a look of being lived in – by teeny tiny people

As you can see there were porcelain as well as glass bless and they made the sweetest and most dainty little sound when you rang them.  Such a lovely little addition to your collection of Christmas decorations.

More Christmas inspired posts will be coming up soon and since it is almost December they will finally be justified!

Eclectica Antique Shop – chapter III

We have reached the final chapter of our Eclectica Art and Antiques-adventure, and today we are exploring the upstairs of the shop.  When you first enter an antique shop it can seem a bit overwhelming, with lots of things everywhere, and it takes a little while to start seeing pieces that are of interest to you.  The more you visit them however, the better you will get at spotting your favourites.  Of course it also helps when the shop is brightly lit and tidy!  We found a beautiful piece from Villeroy and Boch at Eclectica and I was wondering if you can spot it in the photo below?

Eclectica’s stunning collection of antique paintings  

… well here it is:

Villeroy and Boch German 19th Century R7500

Villeroy and Boch German 19th Century R7500

I popped over to the Villeroy and Boch website and was positively surprised to find a whole page dedicated to Swedish Christmas!  There is a picture of your typical Swedish countryside cottage: painted red with white corners and window frames in knee-deep snow – so breathtakingly beautiful.  The design of the piece above is so pretty, I love the colours and the two guard dragons.  However, I can’t figure out exactly what it is – any ideas?

Ceramic Lamp 20th Century R4900

Antique ceramic lamp

Then there was this beautiful ceramic lamp which I couldn’t help but photograph.  It has such an intricate pattern and the gold details perfect the other colours.  It has that understated elegance we so often look for and would just love to have it in my living room!

“Rooftops” – oil painting by South African artist Gail van Lingen

They also had so many beautiful paintings hanging in the shop and you should see the one above in real life!  The cliffs plunge so beautifully into the ocean and I love how clear the water is; you can almost see the rocks continue into the depths, with soft waves playing on the surface.  The painting is called “Rooftops” and I must say that it is a favourite subject of mine.  Here in London there is a beautiful view when you are on the District Line, going from Parsons Green to Putney Bridge, on your left hand side.  The tube carriages fly by a sea of tin roofs, with a couple of red brick houses so proudly stretching up towards the sky in their midst.  For me rooftops are easily the most beautiful view you can get in a city – what about you?

Eclectica Art and Antiques, Wynberg, Cape Town

A big thank you to Eclectica for having us over!  You can find the other two blog posts here:

Eclectica Antique Shop in Wynberg, Cape Town – chapter I

Eclectica Antique Shop in Wynberg, Cape Town – chapter II

Eclectica Antique Shop in Wynberg, Cape Town – chapter II

As promised, here is the second part of our visit to Eclectica, the lovely antique shop in beautiful Wynberg, Cape Town.  I would like to dedicate today’s post to their fabulous collection of antique sculptures:

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947) Lady and the Lionesses

I was especially fond of two sculptures (above and below here) and it turned out that they were made by the same artist – Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947).  Chiparus was a Romanian artist living in Paris during the Roaring Twenties, and he designed the most stunning Art Deco decorative bronze sculptures.

He drew inspiration from Russian dancers, ancient Egyptian art and French theatre and was especially skillful in capturing movements.  He presented his subjects in the most elegant ways and we have a wonderful example in the photo above, where you can see how the hemline drapes around the lady’s legs in the most lifelike-manner.  She has also been captured so beautifully mid-movement with her two lionesses.

The beautifully decorated upstairs…

Demitri Chiparus “Friends Forever”

Demitri Chiparus “Friends Forever”

The Art Deco movement was inevitably influenced by ancient Egypt, with the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, which also became a prevalent feature in Chiparus’ pieces.  He never visited Egypt, so his sculptures of Cleopatra and Egyptian dancers were created with a vivid imagination and were not necessarily historically accurate.  I would however say that this is the case with so much art in the world; personal interpretation is predominant even when the artist has seen the subject in question with their own eyes!

Bronze statue and clock

Bronze statue and clock

I also loved the clock sculpture above, with the man and his horse caught in a struggle.

Maurice Guiraud-Riviere Art Deco Gold Patina Bronze Sculpture

This was another extraordinary sculpture of two dancers, made by the Art Deco sculptor Maurice Guiraud-Riviere (1881-1947).  He mostly created bronze sculptures portraying women, sports, aviation and cars.

South African handmade vintage necklaces – chapter II

I thought this grey November morning would be the perfect time to invite a bit of colour into our lives!

We are back for the second chapter of Jeanette’s handmade necklaces that contain the most exciting pieces of vintage jewellery.  Jeanette sells them at various fairs down in Cape Town and as mentioned in the last post, they are approximately £30 each so do let me know if any one of them takes your fancy:

These blues look so beautiful next to the ocean

Pearls and stones are dancing around the neck of the lucky lady who get to wear this beauty

A lovely little butterfly detail by the clasp

I think this blue necklace was just so pretty, with its wide range of blue nuances and little details like the small butterfly by the clasp at the back.  The size and colour of the stones vary greatly and give the necklace its unique look.

A beautiful green colour is represented in this necklace

Then there was this sweet green necklace, accompanied by all the different colours of the rainbow!  You can see above how well it goes with turquoise, and of course also with cream which would pick up the beautiful pearl.  This necklace has only three strands and is perfect for the more dainty ladies.  It is such a wonderful piece of art and would stand out beautifully against a very simple and elegant dress, or with a simple silk blouse and pencil skirt for day at the office!

A Portobello Market Jewellery Adventure

One of the beautiful houses where Pembridge Road meets Portobello Road

Today’s post is very special, as we are visiting Portobello Market on an early Saturday morning, when all the traders are only just setting up their stalls and the air is filled with excitement ahead of the market day.  I arrived at Notting Hill Gate around 8am, as I would be accompanying one of the fine antique jewellery traders at his stall for a few hours.

Portobello Road

The traders are busy setting up their stalls for the day

As I walked down Portobello Road I passed other stands that were just being set up.  The road was packed with parked vans that were being unloaded with all the glorious things that make up this legendary market every Saturday.

The wonderful food market on Portobello Road

I continued a bit further down past all the antique shops and came up to the famous food market, where the heavenly smell of newly baked bread filled the air, mixed with the sweet smell of strawberries, mangoes and the most exotic fruits and berries.

Vintage bags being unpacked at Portobello Road

I have written another post about Portobello Market – the guide to finding your way around there – but I think that every visit is so amazing as you always discover new things, stands and have a fun chat with some of the traders!

Portobello Market wonders

I just had to photograph the facades of the houses along Portobello Road, as the first morning sunshine hit them so beautifully with its warm light.

Antique Gold Rings, Portobello Market, London

So the purpose of my visit was to show you the fine antique jewellery that is for sale at Portobello Market, and I think we should start with this collection of gold rings with various gemstones.  I love wearing big cocktail rings to parties as they can be so OTT – but then become beautiful statement pieces when worn with subtle outfits.

Such a beautiful pair of Art Nouveau diamond earrings

I adore these Art Nouveau dropdown earrings with diamonds.  By now we are familiar with Art Nouveau-design, which is often very intricate with nature inspired shapes:

Art Nouveau butterfly necklace with sapphires and diamonds *sigh*

Earring heaven is coming up below!  Would you say that you prefer Art Deco or Art Nouveau jewellery?

Loving these aquamarine and diamond earrings 

Antique emerald and diamond earrings 

Antique diamond earrings 

Selection of antique jewellery at Portobello Market

This is what fine antique jewellery displays often look like.  So much to choose from with a glorious range of gemstones, and precious metals.  You can also see some more period typical Art Nouveau jewellery in the middle and towards the top of this photo.  For example the locket where you insert a photo of a loved one (it is empty in the photo above).

Antique diamond dress clips

If you look closely at the picture above you can see a dress clip with diamonds in the middle of the picture.  Those were very popular around the turn of the century, among the fashionable ladies who would fasten them on each side of their dress, at the bottom of the dress straps at the front, to keep the dress sitting correctly.

At the top right of the photo you have a pair of golden earrings with amethysts, with the typical screw on earrings.  And need I even mention all the glorious cocktail rings on the far left at the back?

Antique engagement rings 

For those of you hunting for antique engagement rings this is definitely the place to visit.  The traders are always happy to advise on the different designs and the price ranges go from a few hundred pounds up to… well I will leave that to your imagination!  Here are some sparkling beauties – accompanied by an Art Deco diamond and sapphire bracelet .  If anything in this – or any other post on the blog – takes your fancy, do not hesitate to get in touch with me and I will put you in touch with the right antique dealers.

I hope that inspires you to wear something fabulous this weekend my dear!

Eclectica Antique Shop in Wynberg, Cape Town – chapter I

Eclectica Art and Antiques, 11 A Wolfe Street, Chelsea Village, Wynberg, Cape Town

On my way back from Long Street in Cape Town – where I visited our favourite Jewel Tree and Joy’s Collectables – I stopped by a beautiful looking antique shop in the heart of Wynberg.  The first thing that I noticed was the wonderful condition of the pieces of furniture, and secondly I loved how bright and welcoming the shop was.  There is nothing better than visiting antique shops that are light and airy, as opposed to the ones that make you feel like you have just entered a dark coffin!

Rococo Style Cabinet, Italian, early 20th Century, Handpainted wood

Oh this Roccoco-style cabinet was just fabulous: beautifully hand painted in Italy sometime in the early 20th century.  Rococo style had its heyday from about 1730 to 1770, but the style lingered on and could be found in furniture, silver and ceramics a long time after that (1).  The style was found less in architecture, as it was developed by designers, as opposed to architects.  This becomes very clear in the asymmetry of Rococo style, where one half doesn’t match the other – so the opposite of for example the structured Art Deco design!

Beautiful handpainted details and I just love the colours here

Rococo Style Cabinet, Italian, early 20th Century, Handpainted wood

We can see the typical natural motifs featured in the painted cabinet above as well as the curved forms that were so common in Rococo.

How much do we love this frosted crystal Lalique cat!

Vincent da Silva – “Walking Cheetah” and “After Remington”

Antique equestrian painting

Petite Chest of Drawers, French 19th century – hand painted, marble top R15500

Porcelain ballerina mid-dance movement

Antique painting

I simply had to take a photo of this painting as this beautiful lady reminded me of a friend of mine!  It is such a lovely painting of a young lady looking so delicate in all her beauty.

I decided to split up our visit to Eclectica into two parts, as there is just so much to see, so we will come back to them shortly to explore their beautiful upstairs area.

Sources:

(1) Rococo History – V&A Museum

Vintage Bridal Couture by Jane Bourvis

 

Jane Bourvis – 89 Golborne Road, W10 5NL, London

I came across Jane Bourvis’ beautiful designs the other day on one of my favourite vintage wedding blogs: Love My Dress.  Jane designed the most divine dress for one of the brides and I knew right away that a Decades of Elegance visit to her shop was looming.

Top hats, antique veils and lace creations adorn the shop window

Her shop is nestled in at the very end of Portobello Road, on the side street Golborne Road.  When you enter the atelier you enter vintage wedding dress heaven.  Old school beauty, elegance and romance – that every bride so deserves when looking for her perfect wedding dress – meets you upon your entrance:

Pearls, sequins and lace dresses from times gone by are getting new life here

Jane has taken on the task of restoring and recreating antique wedding dresses and she works with antique laces and recreates styles from the 20’s and the 30’s.  My favourite part about her designs is all the magic that she works upon lace, as I think that lace brings such a romantic yet elegant beauty to a wedding dress:

Stunning lace dresses are on display to give us inspiration and ideas 

Vintage lace wedding dress

In the shop antique and vintage dresses can be found hanging from the walls and the ceilings, and everything is a work of art.  From the broken and restored dresses, to the bridal jewellery and antique photos.

Lovely old bridal accessories and photos give inspiration to all the brides that visit the shop

This beautiful old wedding dress hadn’t been properly looked after by its previous owners, so it is beyond the point of salvation, but bits and pieces can still be used to make a new dress.  For the time being it is kept in the window, where its beauty can be admired by all passersby:

The most beautiful vintage wedding dresses are hanging in the window, on the walls and down from ceilings

I couldn’t help but notice this beautiful, empire cut dress, which would make such a beautiful bridesmaid’s dress.  See how sheer the chiffon fabric is, and what a romantic subtle colour it is:

Beautiful empire cut dress, which would make the perfect bridesmaid dress

I loved these old wedding photos with all the beautiful accessories so beautifully scattered around, giving brides-to-be inspiration:

This photo looks to me like it was taking in the 20’s, judging from the period typical veil

An old photo shows us what the dress looked like when it was worn for the first time…

We also fell head over heels over some stunning lace veils that Jane has brought back from France.  She travels around the country to find the perfect pieces, brings them back to her atelier and adds her own touch to the designs to make them just perfect.

Vintage wedding veil

Antique wedding veils

A collection of old ballerina shoes – a feature that always brings such an air of elegance and romance:

Vintage ballerina shoes for the ultimate romantic touch

I love how they have hung this parasol from the ceiling – yet another small detail that adds to the beauty of the shop.  The colours and design of the parasol go so well with the rest of the beautiful designs in the atelier.

Vintage parasol decorates the ceiling

The back of the shop is where our blushing brides-to-be are trying on these beautiful creations.  The room is decorated in vintage dresses and antique veils – one more beautiful than the other:

Vintage wedding dresses

At the back of the shop where our blushing brides will try on these beauties…

You can find Jane Bourvis’ website here and her atelier can be found on 89 Golborne Road, London W10 5NL.

South African handmade vintage necklaces – chapter I

I met this wonderful designer in Cape Town a few weeks ago, Jeanette, whose designs I have been longing to present to you every since.  She makes statement necklaces out of pieces of vintage jewellery, gemstones and various metals – and may I just say that she has quite an impressive circle of admirers, including some very fashionable ladies in the States..!  These are all for sale so get in touch if you love them – they are approximately £30 each.

I had the opportunity to rummage through her collection and this is what I found:

A South African handmade black, white and silver necklace 

Jeanette wore this necklace to an auction viewing the other week and looked just fabulous!  Sophisticated yet fashionable – we love!

You probably already know from my vintage snake necklace that I have a huge soft spot for black, white and silver jewellery, so no wonder this pretty thing was the first one that I laid my eyes (and hands!) on!  It goes perfectly with all colours really, and looks especially striking when worn with a black, white or silver dress.  Just add a blazer or suit jacket and you have the perfect look to go from casual to a cocktail party!

The next colour that I fell for was this stunning creation of orange and gold

I couldn’t help but ask this lovely young lady to model it for me…

Some beautiful South African colours that go so well with the necklace…

Oh and this one is also a favourite of mine, with its happy, vibrant colours and fabulous vintage details.  This one will go beautifully with you outfits in gold, brown and white.  It is lovely for the blondies as it will reflect beautifully with your locks, but I can also see it worn by you brunette beauties – as it will stand out so nicely against your colour palette!

I teamed it up with a simple white t-shirt from COS and a brown leather jacket.  Some skinny jeans and heels and you are ready for a shopping round on King’s Road! 

We have another post coming up, as there are quite a few more colours to go through in Jeanette’s collection: a sea green beauty, a pink one with stunning rose quartz stones and a blue necklace which went perfectly with the Indian Ocean background in the photos!

Happy Friday my dear and see you again on Monday!